The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-06-15
That Ten Acre
Lot
BY Donald Allen


lor' was as well liked as any person
IN the village of Flint. He was neigh
Dorly, kind hearted and always willing
TO do for others.
JedS good qualities were in way
MS enemies. He was lazy, and, added
TO his laziness, he had mania for
trading. He would trade horses. dogs
guns watches. overcoat or anything
else, and it so happened that the other
fellow always got the best of the bar.
gain.
He had been left quite a little for
tune by his grandmother, but in the
course of five years he had sold at n
loss or traded with sharpers until all
that was left to him was a ten acre lot
lying just outside the village limits
IL was as fine meadow as could be
found in the county, and Jed was hang
Ing on to that until some lightning rod
man should come along and trade him
farm on top the Rocky mountains
when he fell in love.
Jim Thomas, the carpenter, had died
three years before and left a level
headed, economical widow behind him.
She was an old schoomate of Jed's,
ana he had seen her almost every day
for twenty-five years, and until the
spirit of love dubbed up lie had sim.
ply regarded her as he looked upon all
other women.
He was sitting on the grocery steps
one day whiting when his knife Slip
ped and cut his finger The Widow
Thomas was just entering the store for
half a dozen eggs when the accident
occurred and she pulled out her hand
kerchief and bound up the bleeding
finger. 1t was only Il trifle, but some
how it touched the heart of the old
bachelor, and three days later he called
on the widow.
Martha" he began, I've got tired
of sloshng around alone and am going
to get married"
For the lands saker' she exclaimed.
THAT is, if the woman l want will
have me"
Who is it,"
You
'Now, Jed, don't come around here
with any Of your nonsense" she said.
you are Il good natured man, but you
are lazy. You think you've got brains,
but everybody beats you, 1t would
drive me crazy to have such a hus-
band"
Il could and would reform. If had
any one TO peck at me I'd 20 to work"
Il haven't time to be poking up a
husband. It's hard to teach old dogs
new tricks. Thank We for the honor,
Jed, but guess we won't do any mar
ryng."
Jed was crushed for three days, dur
ing which time a windmill man came
along and offered to trade him 5000
acres of desert land in Arizona for his
meadow and explained that he could
raise 10000 rattleSnakes to the acre on
the sandy soil and sell the oil for 50 Il
gallon to grease the feet of babies
with.
If jed had been in his normal cond-
ton he would have closed with the Of
fer at once, but as he was in the throes
of hopeless love he astoniShed the
town by turning the windmill man
down. Two days later he went back
to the widow and said:
Martha, | had dream about Jim
last night. | dreamed that | met him
in front of the blacksmith shop and
that we shook hands and he said he
hoped I'd marry you"
"Oh, you've come about that, have
you? she asked.
Il have. I'm miserable man."
"Have you tried catnip tear
"Catnip tea? Great heavens! What
ails me is love, and if the Mississippi
river was composed of catnip tea it
couldn't cure me. Martha, if you won't
promise to have me can't live week
longer
Nonsense. I'm busy with my iron
ing. and you run along"
Jed was now so broken up that ev-
erybody began to notice and comment
on it. but when questioned he simply
shook his head and intimated that he
was not long for this sinful world. He
got up energy enough however, to
contract to get out thousand ties for
a suburban electric line, and, hoping
this might work in his favor, he paid
another visit to the widow and told
her of it,
"Now that you see | am going to
work, can't you say yes?" he asked in
conclusion.
"Jed, what do you come bothering
for?" she asked.
Because love you"
Don't be silly I'm making mince
pies today and haven't time to argue"
Jed went away, determined to throw
himself into the mill pond, but when he
reached the bank he met Il stranger
who had been poking around the vii
lage for Il couple of days without tell
ing any one his business. He intro
duced himself and said that he thought
some of establishing an orphan asylum
if he could find site to suit In this
way he brought the talk around to
Jed's meadow. The value of the land
as it lay was $1C0 an acre, though jed
had never had a cash offer for it.
The stranger didn't exhibit too great
interest in the matter He said he'd
think the matter over and perhaps
make an offer He had no mountains
in Idaho and no lakes in Europe to