Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-12-20
BEING A HERO.
Nv n. QUAD.
GcOpyEight. 1903. BY American Press Asse-
efafi0n


hired man. was in love with the Wild
Ow Tompkins. whose farm adJoined
that OF bis boss on the west Ebene'
Eer was twenty-four years old. plain Of
face and ungainly Of form and without
500 worth of property. The widow
was less than forty and well Oh. Ebe-
nezer was rated as good hearted, but
rather duh. One evening as be drop
ped In 10 see the widow about borrow
ing some farm implements nexf day be
found her reading q love story. She
read a few chapters TO him and after
ward acknowledged that she had al
ways been romantic and that II she
ever married again It would be to q
hero. The farmers hired man didn't
rush right or that night and try 20 be
a hero. but sat down TO think.
Three or four days after Ebenezer's
thinking bee q 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 mile. but on
this occasion he invited him over Into
the corn and sat down with him for
confidential conversation. The result
OF that conversation was that at y
O'Clock that evening the tramp APP
peared before the Widow Tompkins
and made threats OF what be would
do II she didn't set out victuals. lIllnt
up old clothes and come down with q
dollar in cash. Ebenezer vas not far
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 be fell
down and got tangled up With the
bushes, and before be could get away
the widow had broomsticked the tramp
into digit. She didn't say she was
glad that the would BE- hero was so
near at hand. What she did shy was
that she wasn't afraid Of any old
tramp walking the roads,
EbenezeF's tiFpt try was & failure
but within a fortnight no was ready
for another. Behind the farms ran u
river. The widow had skin on the
water and often rowed herself up aud
down. One night the farmers hired
man took some tools down 20 the
landing and was busy for an hour
Two evenings later, just ut sundowu
ne saw the widow making across the
field for the river, and be was not long
IN following her, nc expected 10 hear
cries for help, but they did not come
He expected TO and woman clinging
90 swamped boat. but DO didn't. she
was wading ashore When hs arrived
on the bank and dashed In. aud an he
got out OF II was good souslng and
cold Ia the head
A cold In the head casts man down
for few days, but II there be any
hero about him be rallies ana becomes
more daring than ever, Ebenezer
rallied. Two Or three farmhouses IN
the township had been robbed. aud
this fact became the basis for his third
plan, One night at hlldniRht be left
bis bed, descended TO earth By way Of
q window. aud. armed with club DO
became a guard for the widows house,
He circled arOund u and patroIled the
garden ana tho orchard. aud no felt
that be would give year Of his life II
. robbdr 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. Hut
no robboF came. Instead OF that his
footsteps awoke the widow. aud. peer
ing out, she saw some one walklng
about, aud she got out 4 shotgun aud
raised q window and blazed away. The
gun was loaded with bird shot TO shoot
hawks that might come sweeping
down on chickens. but Ia this case
they answered just as well for man.
Ebene1ar received about twenty Of
them and ran two miles to doctor 70
have them picked out, lie also had q
vacation from work for week under
the excuse that he had sprained bis
back turning over Ia bed
Nlnety-nlne out Of a hundred would
be heroes would have given up the job
right here, but EbeneRer was a man
70 hang on. Il was while be was
limplng around on bis vaca tlou and do.
Ing lot Of standing up and wander
ing over the felds that he came upon
the widow nshing 10 the river At q
certain point. lie dld not show him
self. but utty feet nom where she sat
under \ tree he discovered . humble
bees nest IN the grass. II was large
and liberal nest. and 4 gave him q
thought The heee wouldn't bother
anybody 90 long as they were ies alone.
II stirred np they would look for meat.
There was a haystack not tar away.
and Ebenezer had matches 10 his
pocket He retired behind the stack
and collected hatfal Of stones from
the plowed land. These he threw one
b. one at the spot whore the bees
wese pursuing the even tenor Of their
Waya The plot thiekened. You can
thieken a bumblebee plot In a very
short time. All you've got 20 do h TO
tread on their eoattalls. When the IN
socts found the rocks dropping on their
heads they swarmed out Of the grass
10 look for the enemy. They should