The Randall County news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1908-1926, 1910-04-08
A COUNTERFEIT
QUARTER
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1909. by Associated Lit
erary Press.

Deacon Wrenn. widower. hesitated
between two women. Miss Brown. n
spinster Of forty. who owned a house
and lot, and the widow Norman. about
the same age as Miss Brown, who own.
ed farm.
One day the deacon got stuck on a
counterfeit quarter. The next time a
tin peddler came along be offered it to
the man In change.
Don't look right. deacon"
'Oh. ] guess it's all right" was the
reply.
Lots of counterfeit around"
You needn't be afraid of that"
1t wasn't square thing to do.
The deacon knew it. and the peddler
knew It. The peddler pocketed the
coin and went away. but he made up
his mind to get even. At the next
house he stopped at he was told that
the deacon was hanging of between
the widow and the spinster. and he
thought he saw his way clear. Three
days later he returned and halted on
the road opposite to where the farmer
was hoeing corn. The deacon came
walking out to the fence to say:
Being you accepted that quarter
you'll have to keep it."
"Oh. it isn't about the quarter.
just wanted TO tell you a 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 cautious way.
We'll, an uncle of hers in California
has died and left her $4,000 cash.
She's keeping it 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
blushing old maid:
Sarah. I'm alone and lonely. I've
concluded to take another wife. Will
you have me?"
Sarah could have said Yes" in
second. but Sarah was no spring chick
en-. She also weighed and balanced
things. She'd 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 letter"
The deacon logged home and took
his pen in hand and wrote He didn't
wait for the mail, but sent his message
TO the village by his hired man. II
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 ii wouldn't pay 10
fool with. He suspended operations TO
hear the peddler say;
Another bit of news for you, old
man, and you mustn't give IL away.
You've heard Of the Wilder Norman.
mebbe:"
Yes, kinder heard"
Got five children and never hoped
TO find a stepfather for EN-. but this
is world of change. 1t seems she
had a brother in New England who
hadn't been heard of in twenty years.
Well, he turned up his toes the other
day and left her $4,000 in cold cash.
She's keeping still about it. There's
a windmill man making eyes at her.
but she won't let on until she knows
he loves her for herself and her five
sore eyed young uns Don't breathe II
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
$4,000 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 fatherless children standing
around with their mouths open, ne
stated that he had long and secretly
admired the mother and desired to
make her his wife she wouldn't be-
lieve it 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
1t has been said that Deacon Wrenn
weighed and balanced things, and it
may surprise the reader that he should
tangle himself up with two engage
ments. 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 S2S.WO
clear. and that was good enough
bargain for any man. In week he
married the widow. and on the same
day he called and offered Miss Brown
thousand big dollars. She drove hin
from the house in Indignation. Then
he learned that his wife had no broth
er to die and leave her even IN cents
and that no windmill man had ever
wanted her He had lust charged hcr