Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1908-09-05
6Z)ben fbe
 Deacon Wihed.

@A%E Oe went Dack on his consent to n6C sson's marriage with Nellie. daugh- Ger Sof dhe Widow Jordon.
 2-he thing must stop at once. Elias. EAR said. ".She is not the girl for you te zuarry even if you were ready foi tNs sse1jous step of matrimony. l de fk1e you to so over to the Widow Ior-
 aNA this evening and emphatically
 0nC1nce that there can be nothing anfber between you and her dnuyh sx-~
 Ike son respectfully but stubbornly nkEused to do any such thing There Wax nore talk, but it left both men Mkm, and the result was that Elias Hefx ahe paternal roof and took up his ane1fdence with an uncle. Of course he tcA&eJ at the Widow Jordons with the Eaews. Miss Nellie felt hurt and hu HnEsisaed and shed tears, but her moth seE AiAd Do tears to shed. She tossed &Rer Acad like a war horse, and there vsas =an edge to her voice as she said aha ahe young man:
 d 1aEs fton any day in the year and may nse ;n aittlc better. If you want it all suE with Nellie, just say the word and G1aE7t beat about the bush. She isn't eAYing 10 marry you or any one else.
 ~23ut 1 am dying to marry her. and vxss will call on the minister tonight if yFssa say so" was the answer
 ~No1 we'll wait awhile. Tve seen Eraan 1lke your father before, and l ysave seen them come down off their MSyh horse"
 Two nights later Elias "sat up" with Nss]he until near midnight. Nellie's ssnStber sat up' in the darkness of E1s.T room and made notes. One of the fsgses was to the effect that human Axslre closely resembling Deacon Graf fsOM'S was sneaking about the yard and Cryang 10 peer into q side window. She WEBS q woman who didn't have to be lASf with d potato masher to take Il sSlnt. Next day she drove over to Ely .s3, and after buying a bear trap at a sEss.lwood store she took it to Il black eSxssi th and had him blant the sharp tsatAlk With a hammer She also learned Erom htN how to set it. When she ~saached home tne trap was placed in wFa, barn
 A'@rN Was sent to Elias not to come rse abe house for three nights. but q G5ght was left burning in the sitting 2-sscm each night until midnight From stser siere in the second story the wid s8S waited and watched and that same ET9InaE form appeared for half an hour essseh night Then she was ready for Ys- When Elias came on the wings of LGve the trap was set and secretly y3lacsd beside tue roSebuSh It wasn't sL s.ase without a thorn On the contra .,w. 1t had many thorns. and in crowd Aasg into it to get at the side window ssanle one had left many bits of gray <-ssaih. There was also Il larger and ssS6ssrper thorn waiting to mature.
 Tbe hour was II o'clock, and Miss Irsllje had just answered that she aaUsssed Thanksgiving day was as ASod day as any other to get married esaY when a long drawn yell was heard sa&ider the window outside At the szsSne moment the mother came down asTajrs with lighted lantern in hand .&sys5 said:
 Meep your seats, children. It's only as eeai, and I'm going outside to talk vsilh him. He's yelling as if he was in lsain, but he won't be hurt much"
 s3eacon Grafton had stepped into the widows bear trap as he sought to get Iaas ear to window Had the teeth gassd. been blunted they would have gone css the bone of his leg, As it was, he 09.as held fast. and the pinching was anything but pleasant The widow Sound him lying on the grass and try @sSg to loosen the trap. and she placed tNae lantern where the light fell full on YSas {ac2 and sat down beside him and sssld:
 Deacon Grafton. since when did .wssu turn burglar?"
 'Nhat does this mean. woman?" he demanded in reply as he held up leg
 yt means, sir that that bear trap was set to protect that window and cSaat you have been caught. Wen sec vghat the law will have to say about gf."
 ~-But you know I'm no burglar You AKRON was simply looking around to ssssss if Elias was here" -EN know nothing of the kind. You sssaM tell that story in court and see Naow many will believe it, It is my esaty, deacon"-
 ~~Lool here. widder," interrupted the ea4eaeon, mo one will believe that I xMseant to get into your house. but >EEen't care to be made fun of. If you'!l sissSp me off with this pesky trap and essy nothing I'll send you a barrel "t taSour''
 ~What. First try to break into ny gnsuse and then try to bribe mo: ! went do deacon. Elias is in i',e house sas you know. Do you want Ia >lncs.s taQ ilim:''
 With this bear trap on my legs? yseyer!''
 ~Do you want to send him in word nd hot