Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1907-12-18
A Christmas Ad.
[Original.l

MS gOOU, ueSlTeu tlidt luStedu VI hoi
lowing in their footsteps as farmers
he should go to college and study
profession But Ned had become in
vOlved with Alma Blodgett. farmers
daughter, and although she urged him
to act upon his fathers and mothers
advice he insisted on an immediate
marriage. which was equivalent to re-
naming on the farm. This set his par
ents to trying to break up the match,
aud, failing to do so. they continued tc
work with view to a separation or
the young married couple tn they Sc
cured the result they desired.
Five years after the separation Neds
parents were both dead. Ned now re-
allied that great mistake had been
made He had divorced his wife at
their instigation, and they had gone
to their long home leaving him In his
loneliness. Alma had only consented
to divorce on condition that she keep
the children boy and a girl She
was a plucky woman and supported
herself and them. Her husbands IA
Their to secure the divorce had settled
| few thousand dollars on her. which
| by thrift and good investments she
increased. But no sooner had the sep
aratiOn taken place than, taking her
| children, she left the location where,
she had been made unhappy and gave
no inkling as TO where she was going.
| Soon after the death of his parents
| Ned began to search for his wife and
| children. He hunted six years with
out success. Then, hearing of the ad-
vantages of farming on the lands
wrested from the great American des-
ert I'm Dakota. he sold his farm. went
| there, bought land and began once more
| under new conditions. But neighbors
| were few and far between. and the
man was lonely. During the days he
| was chDied but on summer evenings
| the chirp of insects sounded loud and
| melancholy. while the winds in winter
| howled about his shack and made him
| desolate. At last he could stand it no
| longer. He advertised for wife, in
his adj giving brief summary of the
| conditions of his marriage and divorce.
Among the replies he received was
! one signed widow" that struck him
| more forcibly than any Of the rest.
| though he had little confidence In any
of them widow" wrote from point
| not far distant. She had come to Da-
| kota to farm with her three children.
! The only difficulty she labored under
was that she was woman. A man
was needed on the premises. She
! would either sell her farm to unite
with a good practical man. or il it APP
| peared to be more eXpedient the man
could sell out and join her
| Bucklin was rather pleased with the
tone of the letter. though the hand
writing indicated an uneducated per-
son. 1t was some time before he made
any reply, for he could not bear To
| give up all hope of finding his wife
| and children. When his crops We're in
and Christmas was approaching he
wrote for particulars which would en-
able him to visit the widow. She re-
piled that he would find her in a GER
tain township midway between two
settlements. and since her shack was
the only one within five miles he
would not be likely to miss 1t. She
suggested that IL he could come at
Christmas she would have more time
to make his acquaintance. since she
had planned her work TO have a few
days at that time comparatively free.
She also asked that IL he lived near
town he would bring few things for
the children for Christmas. inclOsing
list of what she wished and post
Office order to cover the expenditure.
Bucklin wrote that he would visit her
the day before Christmas. but return
ed the postoffice order
After writing the letter he fell to
thinking that he was about to go on a
fools Grand He pictured the widow
old and ugly She had admitted that
she was middle aged, which with Il
woman he thought would mean at
least fifty Then the children would
be an objection. The sight of them
would continually remind him of his
own little boy and girl, who must be
now something like fourteen and
twelve years old respectively, and he
would hate these youngsters. in whom
he had no interest. He wrote the
widow frankly the story of his mar
riage and divorce. admitting that, al
though he was desperately lonely, he
could never be happy except with his
own wife and children.
Christmas came. 1t was crisp
| morning. Bucklin was awakened by
ray of sunlight shooting through a
crack. The first thought that struck
him was that somewhere his boy and
| girl were dancing over their gifts. He
| gave groan, turned over and after
awhile sank into another slumher.
| He was awakened by the sound of
sleighbells and voices. Then there
came a rap at the door. Hold on till
l get on some clothes" When dressed
he opened the door, and there stood
the widow and her three children.
Bucklin caught at his doorpost. The
woman was his divorced wife
The word merry" applied TO Christ
mas Is not strong enough to describe
that holiday. The widow had suspect
| ed from the wording of the advertise