El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-11-15
"Tadger's Test
By Radcliffe Martin.

TT WAS fine. sunny evening, and
| Mr.. Tadger sat at the open win
dow of his shop hammering nail
after nail and stud after stud into a
| huge boot, till it looked as If it had
! been armour-plated. shadow fell
athwart the window, and Mr.. Tadger
glanced up from his work. He saw a
gaunt youth watching him with intense
| interest That's somethin as is worth
| lookin at Ezra Jukes," said Mr.. Todg-
er, holding up the boot and gazing at
1t almost affectionateiy.
1T is, Mr.. Tadger-'
There was a pause. and Mr.. Tadger
| intentIy surveyed the boot TO see II
| he could find vacant space for one
more nail.
Suddenly Ezra Jukes coughed in an
embarrassed way, and said: You know
] a terrible deal about marriage, Mr..
| TadgerT'
There's no man within five. or p'r'aps
| ten. mile o. ere knows more about
| matrimony than me. I've 'ad one
swo-three-wives." Mr.. Tadger en-
phasized each figure by tap with his
! hammer.
I'm finding it a bit awkward to
pick one" proceeded the youth you
see Mr. Tadger, my mother says l
ought to. marry one o them Maddox
girls They'll all ave bit o money.
an they're not so bad lookin."
"You might do worse" returned Mr..
Tadeer. "A bit O. money $ an advan-
! tage with a woman. Ny first 'adn't a
penny. but I made no mistake about
| two and three"
But likes all three of the Maddox
girls" said the youth. pathetically-
It'd be trigamy If you married 'em
| all at once" said the cobbler. seri-
ously. why not take 'em one at
time? You may marry the lot before
you've done with 'em. Look at me!
But even then 1 can't make up my
mind which I'd like to start with, Mr..
| Tadger. You see, Mary's the tallest,
and Bessie's the latest. and Grace s
| the Youngest. Now, I likes girl to
he plump, but I don't want 'er short,
and I'd sooner ave a young one tnan
| a old one.
You toss up for it." suggested Mr..
| Tadger.
"I shouldn't feel anyways comfort
able which ever way the toss went
| he sure to want the one L adm [. 80
| I've come to you. Mr.. Tadger, as
| man understandin' marriages. an a
man with mind that every one looks
ND 10 Just to see if you could clip me 10
wants..
Mr.. Tadger looked up shrewdly at
| the Youth It's great pity that
amt got a pair O new boots IN ana.
When I'm DOM bit of 'igh-class Work
my mind gets 'igh-class accordin- I've
ad thoughts when I've been maxim a
nafr q. new boots as the rector 'imself
d ave been proud Of.
eve been thinkin' for long enought
that 1 wanted you to make me pair,
began Mr.. Jukes eagerly.
It'd be almost again my conscience
tn make YOU one pair replied the
shoemaker. IF I made you one pair
you'd get so mighty fond of 'em that
you'd wear 'em day in and day out.
Now. boots Is like folk-they needs
rest. If / makes you two pair. an
YOU wears 'em change about, they last
three times as long as one pair. Iii
measure YOU for 'em now. Ezra. III
your wife. when yo gets 'er, suits you
'alf as well as my boots you'll ave a
lot more 'appiness i marriage than
most men get
Whenever Mr.. Jukes passed the shop
during the week. Mr.. Tadger nodded
Significantly at him. AT last. on Sat
urday evening, he beckoned the youth
to him.
Listen to me. Ezra. When you're
ont with the three OF 'em-which one
does YOU put your arm round?"
We'll. I'm sort o merry-go-round
in a way O. speakin,' replied the
youth. I'll ave a arm round two of
'em-an' they'll take IL turns TO be
the odd woman out.
We'll, which one are you most jeal-
Gus of? Supposin' I 'ad EN- ere. which
one ID YOU mind me kissin most?"