Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1909-1915, 1909-12-31
Being HERO,
Q y V, z = : p 2 Z 177 - al
BY M. QUAD.

b. Il s.{ !. IN. !. s,s,. BY M. QUAD.
GCopyright, 1909. by American Press Assoc
Z! W. !. 800 sciation.l ~ !
aHbenezer Schermerhorn, IA b farmers
hired man, was In love with the Wild.
ow Tompkins, whose farm adjoined
that OF his boss on the west. Bbene.
Ger was twenty -four years old, plain Of
face and ungainly Of form and without
800 worth OF property. The widow
was less than forty and we'll OF. Ebe-
nezer* was rated as good hearted, but
rather. DUH One evening as he drop
ped in to see the widow about borrow.
ing some farm implements next day he
found her reading a love story. She
read a few chapters to him and after
ward acknowledged that she had al.
ways been romantic and that IL shs
ever. married again It. would be to
hero. The farmers hired man didn't
rush right off that night and try to be
q. hero. but sat down to think
Three or four days after Ebenezer's
thinking bee tramp came along the
road and. seeing the young man hoe.
ing corn just over the fence. halted
for a word or two. Ordinarily Ebene.
ger would have leaped the fence and
run the wayfarer half a mile, but on
this occasion he invited hin, iover into
the corn and sat down with him, for Q
confidential conversation. The result
OF that conversation. was that at Z
o'clock that evening the . tramp ap-
;peared before the Widow .Tompkins
and made threats OF what he would
do II she didn't set out victuais..' hunt
mp old clothes and come down with a
dollar in cash. 3Ebenezer was not fal
away. just far, enough to come run
ming up and knock the tramp head
over heels and rescue the widow. : But
as he started to come running he fell
down and got tangled up. with: the
bushes, and before he could, get away
the widow bad broomsticked the tramp
Into flight. She didn't say she was
glad that the would be hero was SO
near at hand. What she did say was
that she wasn't afraid Of any old
tramp walking the roads. =,
Il Ebenezer's first try was failure,
but within fortnight he was ready
for another, Behind the, farms ran a
river. The widow had a skiF on the
water and often rowed herself up and
down. One night the farmers hired
man took some tools down to- the
landing and was busy for an hour
Pwo evenings LATER. just at shutdown.
he saw the widow making across The
field for the river, and he was not long
In following her. He expected to hear
cries for help, but they did not come.
He expected to find q woman clinging
to q swamped boat. but he didn't: She
was wading ashore when he arrived
on the bank and dashed in. and afl be
got out of 1t was good sousing and a
cold In the head. Z"
= A, cold In the head casts man down
for few days. but II there jbesany
hero abouf Mmahe rallies and becomes
more daring than ever. Ebenezer
rallied. Two sor three farmhouses In
the township had been robbed, and
this fact became the basis for his third
plan. One night at midnight be left
his bed. ); descended to earth by, way of
q window, and. armed with a club, he
became q guard for the Widows house.
He circled around 1t and patrolled the
garden and the orchard. and he felt
that be would give year Of his life If
a robber would appear. he would tirst
fell him and then arouse the house
and when the widow came to know
that he had been guarding her for love
her heart would melt toward him. But
no Fobber came. instead Of that This
footsteps awoke the widow. and, peer
ing out, she. saw some one walking
about, and she got ont a. shotgun and
raised q window and blazed away. The
gun was loaded with bird shot to shoot
hawks that might come swooping
down on chickens. but LID this case
they answered just as well for a man.
Ebenezer received about twenty Of
them and ran two miles to doctor to-
have them picked out. He also had q
vacation from work for week under
the excuse that he had sprained shis
back turning Dvertin bed :as34s71
sss linety-nine out Of d hundred would
be heroes would have given up thesjob
right here, but Ebenezer was man
to hang ON. 1T was while; he was
limping around on his vacation and do
Ing LOT OF standing up and wander
Ing over the fields that he came upon
the widow fishing In the river at a.
certain point He did not show him;
sell. bur fifty feet from where sheasat.
under 81 tree he discovered a humble
bees nest 40 the grass. 1T was a large;
and liberal; nest. and st gave him q
thought The bees wouldn't bother
anybody so long as5they were letalone:
SIf stirred up they would look for meat.
There was d HAY stack not. far. away:
and Ebenezer had maj ch hes! in his
pocket He retired behind the stack
and collected al hat ful of stones from;
the ploWed land These he threw one
by one at the spot where the bees
were pursuing the even tenor Of their.
ways. The plot thickened. GU can
thickefI ~ bumblebee plot in a very
short time. Won 'Yes got to do - to