The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-11-30
The Tenth Widow.

copyright. 1905, by I. c. Mcclure.l
The town OF Euclid held nine resi-.
dent widows and hut one wldower
who was looked upon as eligible. He
was Deacon Thomas and man OF
forty. 1t was generally said In the
town that those nine widows were on
the deacon's trail and that nothing
was surer than that one of them
would ultimately capture him.
One day new widow arrived in
town, and the deacon was almost the
I FIRST man to learn OF her advent The
nihe fixtures should not be permitted
20 escape criticism. Any one Of them
could have solved the problem in six
months had she gone ut It IN the prop
er way.
They were watching each other. For
instance, II the Widow Barnes was
known to have sent n blackberry pie
con. who kept bachelors hall, the
Widow Green hustled herself and sent
strawberry shortcake. and the Wild
ow Black followed It with a pair OF
slippers OF her own make. II the Wild
ow SabIn saw him sitting on his porch
and smoking his pipe after supper and
stopped at his gate to ask him II he
thought 1t paid to raise hogs in town
he would not have time to figure II out
before the Widow Blossom would be
along to ask him what was the best
thing to kill worms on plum trees.
The nine widows congratulated them.
selves on their perseverance and
shrewdness. Each one thought she had
| the game In her own hands. but each
one was destined to learn that she had
simply been frittering away her time.
| There are widows and widows. There
are widows who have heads on them
and widows who sit and sigh and wait.
The teams transporting No. los house
hold effects had only driven up to the
door of the house she had rented when
she appeared before Deacon Thomas,
who was working In bis garden. to ask
him to come over and settle disputed
point with one OF the drivers He set
tied II In her favor. of course. Then
his advice was sought as to, COW and
other matters, and the seven of the
nine widows that came skulking about
got no show at ALL
The deacon went home with n new
thought in his mind Other new
thoughts were added to II next day.
He was hardly through breakfast
when No. 10 came over and asked him
to take care of S400 in cash for her
until she had time to drive over to the
bank at Grafton. She sent him to the
store for carpet tacks, asked his assist
ance to put up window curtains, and
before noon he had a!Shammer 10 hand
and was repairing the front fence.
Widows from the list OF nine came
along and spoke Of doors being out OF
order and pumps clicked up and what
a nice thing 1t was 10 have a handy
man around. but the deacon didn'i
take the hints. Next day. with hel
own house still unsettled. No. 10 walk.
ed over to the deacon's and drove hin
outdoors to whltewash the trunks o,
his apple trees and then put his room;
to rights. She swept and busted and
rearranged and made his bed. anC
when she went home she carried some
of his garments that needed mendlnl
or patching. The deacon sat dowr
with his chin on his hands and
thought. He had to think. Some OF
the nine widows passed his gate and
halted to ask him this or that. but he
was so wrapped up In his thoughts
that be failed to see them. Mrs. era
ham sent her. little boy over with
dish OF blackberries for him, but or
the way he encountered the boy sen
by No. 10 with an angel cake ant
was crowded into the ditch and his
dish emptied .y .u tsftat g.r
The. next day the new arrival COD
hded to the deacon that sac bad wash
cd ironed, baked ana put up four gal
Ions OF peach pickles In day; alsc
that she always got cent pouno
more for her paper rags than any
other housekeeper, u
/ On the next day she exhibited d