Smyrna times., 1906-10-10

tinued to laugh. and at the supper table
mis- wife laughed with him as they |
chaffed Aunt Deborah, but the old lady |
continued to shake her head and re- |
ply:
wait till the ak or the melted lead |
get to work and then We'll see whether |
there is anything to laugh at or not"
That night at midnight Sarah woke |
up with her heart beating rapidly. She
was about to nudge Henry with her ell
bow, when sudden thought came to
her. Aunt Deborah's grewsome predic-
tons came up, and she wondered if she
lad been awakened by some move on
her husbands part-sOme move to take
her by the throat. She smiled at first,
but presently the smile faded away.
Wives had been killed that the hus
band might profit by the Insurance.
Aunt Deborah was always Predicting,
but at the same time many of her pre-
dictions had come true. She knew that
Henry loved her with a great love, but
there was that $4,000. For an hour she
lay awake and thought. and the longer
she thought the more miserable she
was
Sarah had only fallen into Il troubled
sleep when the dog barked and Henry
awoke. He did not get up for fear of
disturbing his wife. and after listening
to the dog for a few minutes the
thought of Aunt DebOrah's predictions
and solemn face came to his mind.
He grinned at the idea of Sarah kill
ing him off for that $4,000, and yet he
began to recall cases where wives had
done that same thing. She could push
him into the well, push him down the
cellar stairs or dispose of him in other
ways to enable her to escape detection,
and with that $4,000 she would be a
rich widow. and windmill men, wire
| fence men. piano agents and men with
| patent farm gates would tumble over
| each other to ask for her hand. She
might not even put a $40 headstone at
his grave.
There was constraint between them
when the couple woke up next morning.
They tried to make out that there
wasn't, but realized that there was.
Sarah claimed to have a headache, and
James said he had a touch of rheuma-
tism.
At noon when the husband came up
from the field he had been thinking
things over and almost wished he had
turned Aunt Deborah out of the house.
She was meddlesome, gOssipy old
thing, and he would let nothing she
had said annoy him in the least
Sarah had also been thinking, and
about the same thoughts, and so there
was return of love and confidence.
1t did not last thirty-six hours, how.
ever Henry had to sharpen the ak
and Sarah saw him at it and felt that
he was contemplating crime. Sarah
asked If the handle of a table knife
could not be made fast by a little
melted lead, and Henry said to him
self after answering her question:
"Ah, ha! Got melted lead on hel
mind, has she? Well. I've got to looI
out for my ears"
For the next four weeks the pail
were hypocrites toward each other
They dissembled and deceived. The!
thought black thoughts of each other
James wanted to sleep in the barn 0
nights, and Sarah wanted to go hom
: and tell her mother all about il
Things were fastening on toward
: separation when, as they sat on tn
: veranda one night after supper, say
ing little, but thinking a great deal
farmer Joe Collins came driving alon
and halted to say:
Say, you folks heard the news"
NO. What is it,"
It'll take your breath away"
But let's have it."
wall, that life insurance compan
you are insured in has busted higher
Gilroy's kite"'
"Oh, James"
ooh, Sarah!'
). And as they went dancing aroun
70 the veranda in each others arms NJ
Collins looked at them in astonisl
ment and said TO himself:
"By George, but they seem to
burned glad of itv
- And so they were.