The wageworker., 1910-05-13
GOOD --..'--''.
MIR. R.GOODENOUGH
By M. QUAD.
Copyright, 1910. by Associated Lit
erary Press.


er and an excellent man. concluded he
would like TO marry the Widow Spicer
When Silas Went co,lrting the widow
he very soon found out that ne was
handicapped She had good edura-
ton. aud he had none
"Morniu'. widder!"
"Widow, If you please" she would
answer.
Eyes. l meant wilder Horses and
COWS and sheep and pigs all well:"
Very we'll. thauk you. Won't III
sit DOWN."
III guess So"
"Widder | don't believe there's go
ing to be any circus in Brownsville
this year.
''No:"
And shouldn't wonder If hog
cholera broke out"
"No!"
''And I've got three hens a-scttin'
and expect as many as twenty chicks''
Yes"
'.And-and they say I'm courtin'
you"
''Neither did l. but l s'poSe it's so.
Well. I've got to be movin' along.
Glad I've seen you. widder.'
Widow. Mr.. GoodenOugh."
"Yes? | allus git 'em mixed.'
When this sort of courtShip had
been going on for several months Siias
determined on a desperate deed. He
rehearsed it for week and then tied
his team to the Widows hitching post
and walked around by the kitchen pat b
to find her feeding the chickens He
just gave her time to nod and then
| started in with:
''Widder Spicer I've been lovin' you
for years and years. and want you
for wife. I'll be good 10 you. You
| needn't make soft soap nor rag car
pets. and if they hold "A camp meetin'
anywhere within three miles of us
We'll drive over and stay three days"
II couldn't think of it. Mr.. Good
| enough" was the reply.
Don't care for me. chg"
mot enough to marry you.'
| 81 thought mebbe you did. but If you
don't might as we'll move on. Them
geese O. yours are lookin' remarkably
well for this time O. year,
"Yes."
"Well. so long. Oh. say. widder.
they say that next year is goin' to be
buster of year for grasshoppers.
Hope they won't eat us up here
Silas Goodenough didn't drive home
to commit suicide. He didn't even
think of 1t. He simply thought the
Widow Spicer Il bit odd that she didn't
jump at his offer. and after three days
he was all over 1t. Then came a
neighbor who said:
''Silas. hear that you popped the
question to the Widow Spicer and got
thrown DOWN.?
why. yes. l asked her If she'd have
me-
"And she said no."
''That's about it. Mebbe she didn't
mean it. but took 1t that way"
II guess you took it right enough.
She turned you down because jim
Wheeler is courting her. She's in love
with him. but l don't think he cares
much about her If she had more
property he'd marry her. but as it is
l think he's only fooling"
$50 you think the widder cares for
him." asked Sias after a moments
thought.
"All the women folks say so'
'And she'd be disappointed If he
didn't marry herr"
"Naturally.''
''Then Jim orter do It. Yes. he
orter. The widder's mighty nice wo-
man. and it would he too had to make
a fool of her | must see If can't do
somethin' for her."
The neighbor laughed and left him,
and Silas began TO think. 1t ne wasn't
good at courting he was very fair at
thinking If linn Wheeler was holding
off because the Widow Spicer wasn't
a catch financially. why. sonnet hing
| must be done. 1t took him just Il
fortnight to figure out what that some
thing was TO he. and he brought it
home in his wagon after drive OF
thirty miles. At the back end Ot the
widows farm was rocky dell ana a
spring and a rivulet. When Silas Good
enough had made three midnight trips
to that dell. carrying a jug OF crude
oil each time. the people fora mile
around began shifting the air. When
be had made three more they began
hunting for coal oil. They found it.
1t was floating from that spring and
oozing up through the rocks around
it. There was excitement at once.
The widow had scarcely received the
first offer for her farm when Jim
Wheeler proposed marriage and was
accepted. Then he had something to
say about the succeeding offers. And
after marriage he had all to say.
Men came and looked and investigat-
ed and either shook their heads or
made cash offers. and Silas saw to 1t
that the supply of oil was kept up. The
day after the Spicer farm had been
sold for $4,000 the same neighbor
who had interviewed Silas before
came Snunt.ring over to say: