The Green Forest tribune., 1908-11-13
THE MERRY WIDOW
Bv FRANK H. WELDON
Copyright, by shortstory Pub. Co)

ing. Then one day came the announce ment of sad news. She was going back to Yaleville, Wis She had had enough of New York. If she stayed any longer, she would want to stay forever.
 That filled us all with the widest hopes, and there wasn't man of the Fourteen but felt he just must ask her to stay on with him. But where was the chance to be found? Pickles stuck to the Merry Widow like a dock-burr She followed her upstairs and she trotted after her down. Bliss fully unconscious, as it seemed, of our adoration, the widow made no attempt to rid herself of the incubus. The one consolation attending the Merry Widows proposed departure would be that size would take Pickles along with her
 That night the Merry Widow was at her best. Never had her blue eyes flashed with so much happiness. We felt actually jealous of Yaleville, Wis. Was it possible she was glad she was going home? No, that could not be. There must be some other reason for the Merry Widows glee. Could it chance she had left a lover behind her in the far away town? Not likely, be- cause all the mail which had come to her had been addressed in feminine hand. So much we forced Jake to tell us to set our minds at rest on that score.
 Never was there the like of that night in Jake Mann's Pickles played the piano tuned for the occasion, and the Merry Widow sang Believe Me" The Rocky Road to Dublin" and all the old songs it does our heart good to hear. Jake wanted to send the champagne around, but the old aunt objected. She said that as chaperone she could stand for nothing stronger than coffee The Merry Widow hesi- tated moment, then poutingly as sented, but we all felt that the yoke of propriety in this instance weighed heavily on her. Still, we would have been gladly willing for her sake to drink dishwater.
 Pickles, too, could certainly touch up the piano. I think Jake felt a little bit ashamed of certain things he had said about the old lady behind her back, when she struck up the tune of Watch on Rhine," while the Merry Widow announced she would sing some verses her aunt had composed on Jake Mann and German hospitality in general
 Following this, Pickles announced that as it was getting late, she would go to bed, but her niece, she added, could stay up while longer. The Merry Widows blue eyes included us all in their flash of appreciation yet every man felt it was intended most particularly for himself
 The Merry Widow stayed. We con yersed with her by turns Part of the conversation was aloud, part whis- pered. The widow was dazzling, but no man dared overstay his limit We all said our little say, each after his own fashion, and the widow was game to the finish At the stroke of Il, she begged to be excused for the night Strange to say, not one of us ad- Journed to the bar after she had gone.
 For while we indulged in our usual game of forty-fives, then one by one the members of the Fourteen club stole away. l know that I left, os- tensibly for my room, but in reality to keep date with the Merry Widow It was only five-minute chat in the hallway, but I held her in my arms, kissed her again and again, saw the lovelight burning in her eyes of blue, interchanged VOWS of eternal fidelity and went my way.
 The next morning at breakfast time. the Merry Widow and Pickles were still in their rooms, but Jake Mann, excuslng their absence, called on us to congratulate him. He announced his engagement to the Merry Widow. Amid the chorus of voices raised in surprised protest, 1 detected the note of anger. Otherwise 1 would have laughed at the preposterousness of the -N>>~ iiSii, Si OoI ASdNSuS. you should have heard the rest of us claim ing the honor! Did the Merry Widow propose to marry us all? Impossible.
 think I was the first to examine my roll. When flush, which was sell dom, l usually carried about a thou sand dollars. I breathed with relief as felt it all there. But on opening the blll-book, found only wad of brown paper inside. l held it aloft l shook it. We investigated in turn. Every man of us had been "stung." We rushed hastily upstairs. There was no sign that either the Merry Widow or Pickles had occupied the beds the previous night.
 Alter all, l am not sure but what that five minutes with the Merry Widow was worth a thousand dollars Jake Mann thinks his money was well spent. So far as 1 can find out. the other members of the Fourteen cluE are inclined to make the best of it. If there was5such place as Yaleville. Wis, 1 would certainly go there. n H~ R-