Evening journal., 1909-01-25
The Tenth Widow.

was Deacon Thomas and man OF
forty. 1t was generally said in the
town that those nine widows were on
the deacons 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
first man to learn Of her advent. The
nine fixtures should not be permitted
to escape criticism. Any cne Of them
could have solved the problem in six
months had she gone at it In the prop
er way.
They were watching each other. For
instance, II the Widow Barnes was
known to have sent a blackberry pie
fresh from the oven over to the dea-
con, who kept bachelors ball, the
Widow Green hustled herself and sent
a strawberry shortcake. and the Wild
ow Black followed it with a pair Of
slippers Of her own make If the Wild
ow Sabin saw him sitting on his porch
and smoking his pipe after supper and
stopped at his gate to asS him il he
thought It paid to raise hogs in town
he would not have time to figure 1t 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 his garden. to ask
him to come over and settle a disputed
point with one Of the drivers. He set
tied 1t 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 a new
thought in his mind. Other new
thoughts were added to It next day
He was hardly through breakfast
when No. 10 came over and asked him
10 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
Rnce to put ZIP window curtains, and
before noon he hnd a hammer in 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 choked up and what
a nice thing It was to have a handy
man around. but the deacon didn't
take the hints. Next day, with her
own house still unsettled, No. 10 walk
ed over to the deacons and drove him
outdoors to whitewash the trunks Of
his apple trees and then put his rooms
to rights She swept and busted and
rearranged and made his bed. and
when she went home she carried some
of his garments that needed mendine
or patching. The deacon sat down
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 I'm his thoughts
! that he failed TO see them. Mrs. Ora.
ham sent her little boy over with a
dish Of blackberries for him, but on
the way he encountered the boy sen
by No. 10 with an angel cake and
was crowded into the ditch and his
dish emptled.
The next day the new arrival con
fided to the deacon that she had wash
ed, ironed. baked and put up four gal
: Ions of peach pickles in a day; also
} that she always got a cent pound
more for her paper rags than any
other housekeeper.
e On the next day she exhibited Q
= railroad bond for $1,000 and said that
e its keeping so worried her that sh'
sometimes thought Of getting married
again.
On the next day she had the deacor
drive her over to the bank, ard he saw
her deposit actual money and get ,
check book On the way home she OBJ
served that a man OF his general intel
ligence, with a smart wife to back him
could be elected a county supervisor
the next fall as easy as rolling Off I
log.
On the next day while the nine wild
ows were holding an indignation meet
o ing at the house Of one Of the numbe
and had sent for a minister to ask tha
the past record Of the new widow b.
hunted up and laid bare No. 10 entered
the deacon's orchard, where he wa
still applying the whitewash brush
and said
"Deacon. had as good as bought tn
house moved into. but got to think
5 ing last plight Suppose l should NEE
a man here that was willing to trus
+ my future to. He would probabl
i have a house Of his own. He woul'
e rather 1 turned money instead Of an
other house over to him. wouldn't he?
Naturally" replied the deacon a
he found his heart beating faster.
"And therefore l have conclude
not TO buy for some time. II at al
Don't you think my judgment sound? =?
The deacon did. but as be bIushe
and stammered and tried to say so tn
widow laid a hand on his arm an
said:
I "There. there. Let It go-just now
/. Just consider that we are engaged
n snd well set the day later on"
And the nine dIlatory laggards {