Wallowa County chieftain. [volume] (Enterprise, Or.) 1909-1911, 1909-12-16
AN ODD COURTSH|P
by M. QUAD.

Press.
The wife OF Deacon Hiram Platt had
been dead three years when Il came
10 his ears that people were wonder.
Ing why he didn't place tombstone
at her grave. At her death the sor.
rowing husband had fully Intended to
give her a monument thirty feet high:
three mouths later he had reduced the
height TO fifteen feet: then he had gone
down foot by foot until he figured that
common gravestone would be all
that was expected. One may have his
own Ideas about such matters. but
when people begin TO talk he must
consult the Ideas OF others to a GER
tain extent. Therefore Deacon Platt
hustled around to put up stone.
About the time the deacon lost his
wife Mrs. Samantha Taylor, living In
the same village. lost her husband.
She also had thirty foot monument
In her mind. and she also scaled II
down TO plain. cheap stone. Fur
ther. there came time when gossip
criticised her for the unmarked grave,
and she set about doing something
She had removed TO another village,
but gossip follows one everywhere. II
thus came about one summer day,
when the deacon drove out to the
country graveyard to fix up things, he
found the widow there for the same
object. The graves OF their dead were
not fifty feet apart. The deacon had
look OF sorrow on his face and the
widow had tears In her eyes as they
shook hands.
"Ele was noble man." said the dea.
con, referring. OF course, to the lament.
ed Taylor.
And she was nll that wife should
be-" replied the widow. referring, Of
course. to the lamented Mrs. Platt.
IL am glad to know that you mourn
him."
And I am glad to know that you
mourn her."
Her time had come. and she had to
co.
| And the same with him."
The weeds had TO be cleared away
and the mounds rounded up and sod
ded and the stones set. They worked
together at this. They sorrowed for
about half an hour. and then It was
something else. When their backs acb-
ed and they were ready to quit work
for the day the deacon helped her into
her buggy with the remark:
81 have seemed TO feel Mrs. Platt
looking down on me this afternoon"
"And have felt the presence OF my
dear lost husband" she replied.
Then they both looked very solemn.
and she drove away TO return on the
morrow and find the deacon there be-
fore her. He repeated that her la
mented was noble man. and she re.
peated that his lamented was all that
a wife should be. They cut down and
lugged away weeds and briers and
brought dirt and sods. and when they
rested they sat close together on an
old bench. 1t was during one Of these
resting spells that the deacon sighed
three times in succession and said:
"Widder Taylor. when night had
come and you We're sitting alone In
your lonesomeness did you ever think
It possible that you could find another
man as good as George wasT"
| "Why. while he was a noble man,
there must be other noble men In the
world" she replied.
"Yes. widder. and other noble wom-
en-. though never had no fault to fnd
| with HQnnnr n
EN-"
"Yes. we did"
"And It grieved us to see them co."
at did"
"But they are better or IN that
brighter land"
Then they parted and went home,
and II was noticeable that neither
looked as solemn as before. They were
not smiling, but the solemn looks had
somehow chased themselves away.
The next day was to see the end Of
their work. and they both got there
early. The deacon seemed to press
the widows hand when he helped her
out OF the buggy, and she seemed a
bit confused over 1t. but this may have
been all imagination. BY midafter-
noon the stones were 10 place. and as
they retreated few PAGES to survey
them the deacon solemnly said:
"Widder. II your lost husband can
look down on earth he is seeing that
stun and saying TO himself that It's
good enough for anybody"
"Yes." she sighed. "and your Han
ner must say the same thing. We
could have got monuments, Of course.
butt
"But monuments attract lightning"
finished the deacon.
"ADd are blown over in high winds"
"And crows use them to roost on.
Yes. I think our lost ones ought to feel
quite chirpy. We have the best two
lots here"
"And they are picturesquely stu
ated. deacon"
Then the deacon led her out to the
gate and her buggy. They walked at
slow pace. aud neither seemed to
notice that he was holding her hand.
| Nrrlx tn1 In La