The Greenville morning herald. [volume] (Greenville, Tex.) 1890-1956, 1910-08-27
THE
SIXTH WIDOW
BY NJ. QUAD
Copyright 1910. by Associated Lit
erary Press.
By NJ QUAD

age OF Glen Head when the sixth ar
rived. Her name was Tompkns.
There was one widowcr In Glen
Head TO offset The i've widows, He
was Thomas Jordon
The good uaturcd Tom Jorlon helped
10 unload her furniture and wrestle
The bcdsteads and bureaus around. He
bought lime and whitewash brush
and hired boy to whitewash the eel
lar. He took hoe himself and cut
down the weeds In the front yard
The Widow Tompklns was thankful
sud ailable, but she held Mr. Jordon at
{ distance. lie had been told all about
the husbands of the other widows
when they died. how they died and
their very last words, He knew the
financial resources OF the house to u
cent. He even knew that one OF the
widows had sore heel aud that two
others had corns. In his fntherly way
he questioned the sixth widow, but he
was turned down mt every point, BAT
lied curiosity kept him thinking of her
The more he thought of her the more
he wondered II Providence hadn't sent
Mrs. TOmpkins along TO become Mrs
Jordon. In a month or so he decided
that II was so, See how easy II was!
See how those i've widows had neg
lectcd logic for years and years!
! The Widow rompklns sized Mr.. dor
don up for u fatherly man und "A good
! fellow, but logic came in here again.
Fatherly men and good fellows are
slower than molasses in January about
getting around to propose marriage Il
! things are left to their natural course.
| The live other widows hadn't figured
this out. An event must happen. Prov
idence was right around there 10 help
| II TO happen.
At the end of three months the ia
| therly man was quite at home In the
house OF the sixth wldow-lust neigh
borly. you know; just dropped in to
say If she wanted the kitchen door
| painted or the ceiling whitewnshed
he'd see about 1t for her. On this par
tlcular day we have in mind he was
in want of couple of empty barrels
1t struck him that he had seen three
or four in the widows cellar when the
embarrassing was doing. He found
the kitchen door open and walked in
! He found no one In the house. and he
walked down the cellar-only neigh.
borly, you know; just neighborly. He
had found his barrels when he heard
the door shut on him and the lock
click. He climbed the stairs and
pounded on the door and called out
his name and errand, and voice an
swered him:
"Ah, you tramp, I've got you un'
der lock and key and am going for
the constabler
Mrs Tompklns. this is no tramp.
This is Mr.. Jordon."
"You can't lie to me, sir. Mr.. Jordon
doesn't walk into folks houses and
down cellar"
But did. was looking for
barrels"
well, you can keep on looking until
the constable comesw
He sought to further explain, but
she rldlcued the idea. The fact that a
tramp had robbed house in the vii
lage few days previously gave her
good groundwork TO build on. The
most she would promise was to leave
him down there until he had under
gone an entire change of heart and
was prepared to live nm upright life in
the future 1t was o'clock when Mr.
Jordon found himself prisoner He
sat on the cellar stairs for the next
two hours vainly trying to convince
the woman upstairs that he was no
tramp. He gave his name over and
over again. but the steady reply was
"You are simply trying to initiate
Mr.. Jordon's voice. but you can't i'm
pose OH me. think | win call him
In and let him settle with you"
From to o'clock MIR. Jordon pm.
troled the cellar. He had cobwebs
md whitewash and old barrels for
= company. He could have called from
one OF the narrow windows TO n pass
erby. but he didn't care to. He didn't
want to be laughed at From 4 10 Il
he sat on the stairs, giving his name
over and over again and taking his
solemn affidavit that he was Thomas
Jordon and no Weary William. His
words brought no response from the
other side OF the door From Is TO
he sat at the bottom OF the steps and
saw the gloaming enter the windows
and heard the whippoorwills tune up
Then rap on the door above called
him up TO hear the words:
~ am now going for MIR. Jordon."
'But ( am MIR Jordon"
rYour voice does sound o bit like
his, but you can't deceive me. Mr.
Jordon Is a fine man"
But so am l."
mir. Jordon thinks ! am a Hue wo
man"
80 do l."
~ believe Mr.. Jordon intends to ash
me TO marry him"
81 know he does. ask you RICH
now"
And Mr.. Jordon VIII want the mar
rage to come on next month"
81 want II TO come OFF next week.
Well. there you nre. Five widow
foolIng away their time for seyera
years. aud along comes the sixth am
plays the Joker Within three months
Yes. sir. and that couple are living "a
, Kether IN the same nest today and a
. happy as clans. It's as easy MS greas
when you know how. and widowhoo
all the rest OF your days when 20
don't.
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