Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-07-20
q THE
SIXTH WIDOW
By NJ QUAD
Copyright. 1910. by Associated Lit
erary Press

here were five widows in the vii.
age ut Glen Head when the sixth ar.
rived. Her name was Tompkins.
There was one widower in Glen
Head to offset the five widows. He
was Thomas Jordon.
The good natured Tom Jordon helped
10 unload her furniture and wrestle
the bed>teads and bureaus around He
bought lime and whitewash brush
and hired u boy to whitewash the Gel.
lar. He took hoe himself and cut
down the weeds in the front yard.
The Widow Tompkins was thankful
and atrable. but she held Mr. Jordon at
a distance. He 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
cent. He even knew that one of the
widows had sore heel and that two
Others had cOrns. In his fatherly way
he questioned the sixth widow. but he
was turned down at every point. Baf-
fed curiosity kept him thinking of her
The more he thought Of her the more
he wondered If Providence hadn't sent
Mrs. TOmpkins along to become Mrs.
Jordon. In a month or 50 he decided
that 1t was 10. See how easy it was.
See how those five widows had neg.
lected logic for years and years:
The Widow Tompkins sized Mr.. Jor-
don up for u fatherly man and 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 if
things are left to their natural course
The five other widows hadn't figured
this out. An event must happen. Prov
idence was right around there to help
it to happen.
At the end Of three months the ia
tberly man was quite at home in the
house of the sixth widow-just neigh
borly. you know; just dropped in to
say If she wanted the Kitchen door
he'd see about it for her. On this par
ticular 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 neighborIy He
had found his. barrels when be 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 constabIe!:''
Mrs. Tompkins. 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 l did. was looking for
barrels"
well. you can keep on looking until
the constable comeS"'
He sought to further explain. but
she ridiculed the idea. The fact that a
tramp had robbed house in the v:l-
lage few days previously gave her
good ground work to build on. The
most she would promise was to leave
him down there until he had under
gone all entire change of heart and
was prepared to live an upright life in
the future. 1t was | o'clock when Mr..
Jordon found himself a 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 ! will call him
in and let him settle with you"
From 3 to 4 o'clock Mr.. Jordon pa
trolled the cellar. He had cobwebs
and whitewasb and old barrels for
company. He could have called from
one of the narrow windows to a pass
| erby. but he didn't care to. He didn't
| want to be laughed at. From to &
be sat OIL the stairs. giving his name
over and over again and taking his
| solemn affidavit that be was Thomas
Jordon and no Weary William. His
| words brought no response from the
| other side of the door. From to
be sat at the bottom of the steps and
| saw the cleaning enter the windows
and heard the whippoorwills tune up.
Then rap OH the door above called
him up to hear the words:
~ am now going for Mr.. Jordon."
| "But am Mr.. Jordon."
| "Your voice does sound q bit like
his but you can't deceive me. Mr.
Jordon is a fine man."
"But 50 am H.
"Mr. Jordon thinks ! am a fine wo.
man."
80 do l."
II believe Mr.. Jordon intends to ask
me to marry him.
II know he does. ask you right
now" ......
"And MIR. Jordon will want the mar
riage to come of uext month" ..~
IL want it to come of next week"
Well. there you are: Five widows
fooiing away their time for several
years. and along comes the sixth and
plays the joker within three rronths:
| Yes. sir. and that couple are living to.
gether in the same nest today and as
happy az CLAIMS. It's as easy as grease