The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-07-03
TIE EVENING STOR r
For s2.ooO Each.
~ q. B. Lewls. ]


two years after marriage no couple
ever lived more happily. This state OF
affairs might have continued at least
two years longer but for Abner
peace. agent for the Farmers Fire In
surance company, and sewing ma
chimes OF all makes bought and Sold
He made his appearance at the farm
house one day.
'.Well, jim" llessaid. what do you
and Sarah think? I've got the agency
Tor a life insurance company, and am
going to branch out a little. I want
to insure the both of you. I've got
Tom Spooner and his wife. Bill
Wheeler and his wife, Silas Johnson
and his wife, and several others, and
I'm here to get you. I want you to
take $4,000 apiece. II you Gle. Sarah
Jim has got $4,000 to buy you q mon
ument, pay funeral expenses and go
away to Niagara Falls to get over his
grief If you die, Jim. Sarah has got
money to bury you decently and carry
off and marry again.
The squire went into further ex-
plantations He talked of life insur-
ance and stayed to dinner. He talked
life insurance and stayed to supper.
He talked life insurance and stayed
until o'clock in the evening. Then
he drank two glasses of cider, ate
three fried cakes and a piece of miEce
pie and went home to make out two
policies for $4,000 each.
Jim and Sarah had decided that
sueh insurance was a good thing
Neither wanted to die. but if death
must come they would not be selfish
about it. It would be a bond to draw
them still closer together. In the
course of couple of weeks the poll
cies we're delivered, the premiums
paid, and Squire Jones stayed to din
ner again. and said, as he finished and
wanted to lick his plate, but remen-
bered his dignity in time:
Now. then, young folks, this is the
best thing you have done so far in
up your premiums as they fall due,
and don't worry about the future.
With 81 600 coming to the survivor in
case Of death you needn't either of
you begrudge the Astors or the Van
derbiits. Sarah, you can dress in the
most expensive mourning. and Jim.
you can wear patent leather shoes and
hear Niagara roar till you get tired
of it,
It was Squire Jones who was respon-
sible for the insurance, but it was Aunt
Deborah who was responsible for what
resulted The policies had been care
fully laid away in the bottom bureau
drawer and the subject talked out when
Aunt Deborah came visiting one after
noon. She had not been invited. nor
make herself at home, and by and by
announced:
Sarah, I have heard that you and
James have had your lives insured for
each others benefit, but told EN- you
We're not the woman to go into anything
like that
But we have" replied Sarah. I'VE
were insured two weeks ago"
Upon my SOUL No one could have
made believe it."
ssRI1t xvhv9 WHATS the -,a4+a~7s,
Sarah Harper, do you know that you
have the, same as doomed yourself to
deathi' asked Aunt Deborah, in a
hoarse whisper.
What do you mean. Aunty?''
I mean that there isn't a man on
the face of this earth who wouldn't xiii
his wife for the sake Of g. GOO in cash.
That insurance is temptation to muir
der. Hundreds of wives have been
killed off every year, and you will be
one of them to go before another year
rolls over your head
The young wife laughed merriIy al
the idea, but Aunt Deborah grew more
solemn and serious, and said:
Don't fool yourself, Sarah. Jim is
just as good a husband as any Of 'en
but you have put temptation in his way
He'll be thinking of them 81, 600 all the
time, and the longer he thinks the easier
1t viii come for him to murder you. Two
thousand dollars in cash and you out of
the way so that he can marry again IS
more'n he can stand up under I
shant be a bit surprised any day to
hear that you have been found murder
ed. Squire Jones ought to be prose-
euted for coaxing you into such a thing,
and I'll tell him so before the week is
out"
Sarah continued to laugh and make
/ fun of the idea and it was finally Drop
ped to take up soft soap and carpet
rags When she set about getting sup
per Aunt Deborah made sneak out
doors and caught the husband as he
came up from the cornfeld.
Well" she began, after he greeted
her, you want Sarah to chop you up
with the ak or pour melted lead in your
ears, I see2''
What is it. aunty?"
ITS that life insurance. James Har-
I per, I'm astonished at you. Do YOU
know how many wives killed their hus-
bands last year to get the insurance ?''
A million, perhaps, but Sarah isn't
/ going to kill me-
Time will tell. James-tir17e will
tell. Sarah is sweet and lovely and in
.nocent. but when there's So 600 at stake
who can tell what a woman will do !?
! With this farm and all that noney. be-
1 hind her if she was a widow she can
catch better looking man than You .
The good-natured young man con-
tinued to laugh. and at the supper
table his wife laughed with him as
they chaffed Aunt Deborah, but the
old lady continued to shake her head
and reply:
wait till the ak or the melted lead
! get to work and then we'II see wheth-
err 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 James with her
/ elbow. when q sudden thought came to
her. Aunt Deborah's grewsome pre-
dictions came up, and she wondered If
she had 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
husband might profit by the insurance.
Aunt Deborah was always predicting,