Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1910-05-13
A. COUNTERFEIT
QUARTER
Bv NJ oUADf
Copyright. ts0s, ey Associated In.
erary Press

between two women. Miss Brown. a
spins,er OF forty. who owned a house
and lot and the widow Norman. abou,
the same aye us Miss Brown. who own.
ed Farm.
One day the deacon got stuck on q
counterfeit quarter The next time a
tin pe,idler came along ne offered II to
the man in change.
"Dont hok right. deacon
"oh. guess it's all right.- was the
reply.
Lots Of counterfeit around"
"You needn't be afraid OF that"
II wasn't square thing to do
The deacon knew u. aud the ps<idler
knew Il. The peddler porketed the
coin aud went away. but be made M
his mind to get even Al the next
house be stopped at he was told tina,
the deacon was hanging OF between
the widow aud the spinster. and be-
thought he saw his way clear Three
days later he returned ana halted On
the road opposite TO where the farmer
was hoeing corn. The deacon came
walking out to the fence to say:
"Reiug you accepted that quarter
you'n have TO keep Il"
"0h. II isn't about the quarter.
just wanted to tell you bit of news.
You know the old maid Brown In the
village. don't your
Seems TO me I've heard of her" re
piled the deacon In his cautions way
well. an uncle OF hers In California
has died and left her $4,000 cash.
She's keeping II mighty quiet. She
wants some one to marry her for love
instead Of money"
Half an hour later the deacon was
hitching up to drive to the village
Two hours later he was saying to the
blushlng old maid:
Sarah. I'm alone and lonely. I've
concluded to take another wife. win
you have meY'
Sarah could have said "Yes- IN a
second. but Sarah was M spring chick
en-, She also weighed aud balanced
things. Shed said YES" to two differ.
ent men before. but with no witnesses
present, and they had left her all for
lorn. Therefore she replied:
Deacon. respect and admire you
and believe you TO be a sincere man.
Think Of this matter on your way home
and then write me a letter."
The deacon logged home and took
his pen In hand aud wrote. He didn't
wait for the mall. but sent his message
10 the village by bis hired man. It
was straight talk, and the written an
swer was "Yes."
Four days had passed when the ped
dler appeared again. Deacon Wrenn
was out In the woodshed. dyeing his
whiskers. As for hair. he was so near
ly baldheaded that It wouldn't pay to
fool with He suspended operations to
hear the peddIer say:
Another bit of news for you. old
man. and you mustn't give II away.
You've heard Of the Widder Norman.
mebbeT'
"Yes. kinder heard"
Got Eve children and never hoped
to find a stepfather for 'em, but this
Is world of change. II seems she
had brother In New England who
hadn't been heard of In twenty years.
Well. be turned up bis toes the other
day and left her S3O.OO0 in cold cash.
She's keeping still about It. There's
Il windmill man making eyes at her.
hut she won't let on until she knows
he loves her for herself and her FIVE
sore eyed young uns. Don't breathe a
hint to put him on to the dough"
The deacon promised and finished
his dyeing. As he dyed he thought
He thought of the difference between
$1,000 and $4,000. An early hour in
the evening found him at the Widow
Norman's. They talked crops and
weather for awhile. and then. with
her five fatheriess children standing
around with their mouths open. he
stated that he had long and secretly
admired the mother and desired to
make her his wife. She wouldn't be-
lleve 1t at first. but his assurances
finally prevailed. and she said yes
For an hour afterward the children
took turns sitting on their to be step
fathers lap and pulling his dyed whisk-
ers. and they called him POPPY" as
he departed.
II has been said that Deacon Wrenn
weighed and balanced things. and 1t
may surprise the reader that he should
tangIe himself up with two engage
Inents. He had figured IT out that he
could square things with the old maid
for $1,000 or for double that at the
most. This would leave him $4,000
clear. and that was good enough
bargain for any man. In week be
married the widow. and on the same
day he called and offered Miss Brown
thousand big dollars. She drove him
| from the house In Indignation. Then
he learned that bis wife had no broth
er to die and leave her even 10 cents
and that no windmill man had ever
wanted her. He had Just charged her
with conspiracy to defraud an inno-
cent hearted man when he was serv-