The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1910-07-15
PL AIMED BY
A WIDOW
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1910. by Associated Lit
erary Press.

! The widow HunneWelI had been
widow for four years. and she hadn't
found much in life for her. She had
had to split her own wood. build her
own fires and milk her own COW. Ev-
cry day she had missed Mr.. Hume
well. and when night came and the
wind moaDed and the rain fell and the
shingles blew off the roof she wept
and wished it were all over.
At length Professor Doty arrived in
the village. Not only that. but he ar
rived next door He was a professor
of natural history in a college. and he
rame to the village for his vacation.
He was a man of sixty, tall and re-
served and dignified. He gave every
one feeling of awe. Mr.. Hunnewell.
on the contrary. had been short and
fat and jolly. and people used to poke
him in the ribs and joke with him. 1t
was probably the contrast that caused
She leaned over the fence and intro
duced herself. and he approached and
talked to her. He had found tree
toad hidden in the bark of a locust
tree. and he was glad to talk to some
one about his find.
While the professor lectured the wild
ow fell deeper in love and kept ex-
claiming: do tell""' and ''Oh, my soul!'
She was an interested listener. She
said she'd give anything to learn all
about toads and bugs and grasshoppers
and CLAIMS. and the professor was a
bit fattered. II the woman next door
had been a nice, loving woman she
would have invited the widow over to
make further acquaintance. but she
was different person. She said that
widows had too much rope as it was
and that Mrs. Hunnewell was always
out Of tea and coffee when neighbor
wanted to borrow. And the professor
wasn't to be caught sight of SO often
either.
However. when Providence gets its
orally results. One night when the
wind didn't moan and the shingles
didn't rattle. but when it was moon
light and calm instead. the widow was
awakened from her sleep by bad
dream. She thought herself surround
ed by potato bugs and fighting for her
life. The dream made such an Inn
preston that she got out Of bed and
looked out of the window. There was
the explanation before her eyes, The
professor had climbed the fence and
was in her yard and down on hands
and knees in the grass. He had on SO
few clothes that it was easy to guess
he had risen from his bed to look for
crickets. Not a word did the widow
say. She just got into bed and did
some thinking. That thinking resulted
in her sending for the village constable
next day and saying to him:
''Mr. Richards, II a widow living all
alone should have reason to believe
that her house was about to be broken
into, what should she dor
You mean If she saw a man dodg-
ing around in the yardT
YES"
We'll. she might scream"
YES"
"Or she might throw something out
Of the window at him.
"Yes."
s"Or she might take her life and her
broomstick in hand and rush out and
crack his skull"
II see."
But II l was that woman I'd Dor
row a shotgun. load it with salt and
FIRE on him from window"
And what would the salt do?"
Keep him in bed for about week.
II there is anybody spooking around
your house O. nights I've got the gun
and the salt. and you can protect your
self. The law will be on your side.
Aim at his legs and let 'er CO."
The widow took couple Of hours to
think 1t over and then sent for the
gun. She was taught how to fire it,
and when the sun went down that
evening she felt that events were go
ing to happen before morning. What
Professor Doty was looking for the
night before was crickets. Their songs
had hoated into his open window at
midnight and awoke him. He had
climbed the fence into the next yard
without a thought Of trespass. He
had got down on hands and knees and
paved around, but the crickets had
evaded him. He would try again.
I II there had been any bells in the
town they would have been striking
II o'clock when the waiting. watching
widow heard some one softly drop
from the fence, then come into sight
crawling over the grass. She saw him
grab with this hand and the other and
heard him chuckle. Then she pointed
the gun out of the window and shut
her eyes and fired. There was q
whoop and a yell. and she ratified
downstairs to find the professor lying
on the grass. He had been sailed.
Nevermore would he be fresh again.
Nevermore would he want any salt on
his potatoes
OF course the plan was to rush him
into the house. call a doctor and keep
him around for a week as an invalid.