The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-07
THE EVENING STORY
Removing Sarah Jane.
(By Lawrence Alfred CIay.)

oio enough to know what 1 want, and
10 run my own business, but Sarah
Jane mas got ways with her. She
nusnt even put poison in nay tea If
sne thought was going to do it,
| II was Deacon Meeks. owner of the
saWmiH in the village of Plainf1eld,
and a widower of three years, stand
| ins' VINO was thus soliloqufzine one
afternoon as he sat on a sawIoe out-
sue the mill. The deacon was fifty-
I'VE years old and his sister. Sarah
Zane, mad kept house for him since
ne was left alone.
earan Jane Meeks was almost for
~; Sne was tall and gaunt She had
yeiIoW na1r She was cross-eyed and
idu prominent teeth. and she had
never loved. The town feared her
lohsue, and men turned the corner
h msn tney saw her coming. Sarah
posseo her brother to an extent. He
iao 10 obey. She didn't care whether
| ie went 20 a circus or to prayer meet
ing, and she had nothing to saw about
LISP snis poiltcs or the way he ran his
wouldn't stand for-his getting mar
REQ again. She had a good Job. and
sne didn't propose to be ousted by a
second wife
1t was the widow johnson whom
the deacon had in mind when he soliI-
oqulzed He was in love with her. and
Ielt that his affections were returned.
She was nearly his age and a much
respected woman. Sarah Jane heard
OF the hiking they had for each other,
ana sne TOOK both principals to task
about 1t. She could outtalk the widow
and outshout her brother, and SO she
nlpped things in the bud In the lam
guage of the deacon when he went
over to see the widow:
"Widder johnson, I'm a-sayine that
I've taken great shine to you. and
1 don't care who knows it; but you
see how I'm situated with Sarah
Jane III she was removed I'd have
something to say to you mighty quick
but as it is we've got to hang on and
wait"
The widow didn't say much that
was consoling in reply, and the dea-
con went away hating himself for his
lack OF moral courage. One day he
would make up his mind to marry
and give Sarah Jane the bounce, and
the next he would SILVER at the way
the dishes would be broken and the
man, but he found himself wonder
ing why his sister didn't get pneu-
monfa or slip on the doorstep and
break her neck. Once the thought
of choking her to death and carrying
her body away in a bag entered his
mind. but he sternly dismissed it. He
did, however, scatter rusty nails and
broken glass in the back yard. Sarah
Jane was a great hand to go bare
foot, and a piece of glass or a nail
in her foot might be harmful. She
continued to stroll about as usual, and
nothing happened
AS the weeks went by stranger
came to Plainfield selling a magic
you waited. He was a bald-keaded,
hump backed man, and he seemed
lonely and with little to live for. He
had had sorrows, as he conf1ded to
Deacon Meeks after vainly trying to
sell him bottle Of the magic. He
had loved and been thrown down
hard, and he never expected to love
again
Besides selling magic liniment this
man could sing. This was the dea-
cons cue Sarah Jane loved a singer.
She just dotted on a man who could
carry through the song of 1.-The Old
Oaken Bucket without more than
three or four breaks. He was invited
for Sarah Jane. She was captivated
and laid herself out to be agreeable.
That evening the deacon walked a
distance with the singer and finally
asked:
would you marry again if you
"I don't feel financially able to sup
port a wife, was the reply
"But II it SO happened that you
were to fall in love with my dear sis
ter, on the one hand I should hate to
lose her. and on the other I should
feel it my duty to present you with
well, say a couple Of hundred dol
lars That is, If you were going to
take her off to California at once"
Thanks, but 1 couldn't do it. 1
am selling magic liniment, but am not
in the side-show business
"I might say three hundred"
"It would be useless. 1 don't want
to hurt your feelings, but the place
Sarah lane is in dime l.
scum
The deacon had been turned down,
but new idea had lodged in his
Uranium. The way to get rid of his
resentful toward the liniment man for
not accepting his offer. Such a man
as that had no right to pick and
choose. No matter about Sarah James |
looks. three hundred dollars was |
big offset.
The stranger was to have left the
next day-but he didn't. He planned |
to sleep in barn the second night |
and save expense. Three tramps |
shared the haymow with him, and |
at daylight constable made a raid |
and captured the quartet. They were |
brought to the village, and the dea- |
con saw that his chance had come |
He interviewed the liniment man.
i've got to believe what my eyes
see," he said, but I'm thunderstruck. |
Think of my having nourished a viper
in the bosom of my family"
"But I'm no tramp" protested the
man.
Eyes, sir. nourished a viper. and I
d ont know what Sarah Jane'll say.
She won't believe me at first. Why, |
she took to you at once. and here
you've turned out to be an unmitigat-
ed villain,"
"But 1 tell you I'm selling a magic
liniment, good for man and beast.
knew nothing of the three tramps.'
Eyes, sir. viper and an unmitigat-
ed villain, No wonder you didn't
want to marry my sister You felt
that she was too innocent. You fig
ured that if you stole a horse she
would tell on you. I thought so last
night, when I offered you hundred
dollars to start business on
ssYou offered three hundred and 1
take it because--"