Charlevoix county herald., 1910-04-02
9@H]IE=@5H
Engaged to Three
Bv DONALD ALLEN
nd onvr,ght 1908 by Associated Literary Press)

Nemesis may be slow. but she 10
,,re so are some widows. II was
he center widow, Mrs Smithson. VINO
1rst got a mint OF what was going on.
She lay low for Pap. On his next
call she spiked him right to the hoor'
This was in the forenoon, and sne IN
| formed him that ne must appear WIN
q minister py five in the afternoon OF
! the engagement would be on and
| breach of-promise suit be on. Ehos
was rather glad 10 hear her say SO. II
seemed to settle things. He promlseu
TO be back on time and when the houi
arrived the widow was dressed for tht
occasion. No Pap and no preacher
She waited one hour and theh re-
moved he, wedding dress ana ioaoeu
an old shotgun used to menace men
hawks. Next day she would go Oh
quiet hunt for the man WIN INC
whiskers
The widow was saved the trouble
Soon after daylight Enos showed up
, He had been to a village seven miles
away to get hair and whiskers co'oreo
: let black. The change was tremeh
dous. 1t was like painting a straw
, stack with lampblack. Inc veheraoie
, whiskers glinted green, blue ana piaeh
\ in the morning sun.
9 sit GOWN" commanded the WIDOW
}. after looking him over.
: He sat, and she went to the WASH,
t house, filed a tub OF water. hahoeo
v down a gallon of soft soap. anu, re-
K turning TO Enos, she took him by inc
S ear and led him out and said:
"Soap-scrub-rins
lie # was ten o'clock in the forenoon
~ before the last of the dye had dlsap-
ct peared. When Enos announced the
n clad news. he was taken by the ear
&c and led to the smokehouse and pusneo
w in and the door locked on him.
III What are you going to do? he
10 called through the door.
~ Keep you safe until | get BACK!
&C was the reply.
90 Then the widow drove three miles
''s and got a preacher and picked up tive
Witnesses on her way back. and Pal
~ was brought from the smokehouse ant
n stood I'D to become married man
81 To the surprise OF the widow he dldh
u funk. On the contrary. he appeared
a in the best of spirits and announces
~ that II was a load of his mind. Al
I'd hour alter the preacher had gone an
NJ the happy couple had the house I
~ themselves whiri OF dust came u
the road and a buggy stopped at III
gate. Then the door was opened I
g. the Widow Turner. Her jaw was sc
"A The news of the contemplated ma
N riage had reached her. She STOOD o.
fore the parental Pap with vene
able whiskers, her arms akimbo' an
she was about TO open on him VINE
the bride came forward to say:
No use-you are too late. You ma
take the spring calf out In the var
If YOU want damages, but you'll get
more. You must be queer sort
widow to lie, man slip through 20
hands in this way
The widow was yet In sight doV
e. the road when another dust clo
came from the opposite direction, a.
\ another widow appeared. 1t was t
Widow Shevlin. She had begun
saw things when tie bride interrupt
; with:
VEL He's mine, and talk wont M
i| things. You had more chances thar
. did. and il you didn't take advanta
v he of them it's not my fault. ! suppt
With YOU want damages. and you can p
S Of out six of my Leghorn hens to ia
orry' back with you"
sew And when the second widow and
PLAN soueaking hens had disappeared
had the road old Pap rubbed his hal
heel. together anc smiled on his bri0e
d ex- said:
You are really wonderful won
purse wonderful It's so easy that W
I'd been engaged to two more!"