Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-08-23
GOOD 90
MIR. COODENOUCH
BY M QUAD. ,eaiI
Copyright. 1910. by Associated Lit
erary Press.

| Wneu SudS Nenk cOurt1iig Inc WIDOW
he very soon found out that he WINS
handicapped. She had good educa-
ton, and he had none.
| "Mornin', widderr'
widow, IL you please" she would
answer.
Eyes. I meant wilder. Horses and
cows and sheep and pigs all weliy'
Every well. thank you. Won't you
sit DOWN.
IL guess So"
| "Widder. don't believe there's go
ing to be any circus In Brownsville
this year."
NOR
"And I shouldn't wonder II hog
cholera broke out"
mo"
"And I've got three hens a-settin'
and expect as many as twenty chicks"
"Yes?"
"And-and they say I'm courIn'
you"
do they? Well, didn't know It."
Neither did /. but s'pose it's so.
Well. I've got to be movin' along.
S'aN - VIC Dull you, WluuGI.
Widow, Mr.. Goodenough"
Yes? l allus git 'em mixed"
When this sort of courtship had
been going on for several months Silas
determined on a desperate deed. He
rehearsed 1t for week and then tied
his team to the Widows hitching post
and walked around by the kitchen path
to find her feeding the chickens He
just gave her time to nod and then
started in with:
"Widder Spicer I've been lovin' you
for years and years. and want You
for wife. I'll be good to you. You
needn't make soft soap nor rag car
pets and IL they hold camp meetin'
anywhere within three miles of us
We'll drive over and stay three days"
81 couldn't think Of 1t. Mr.. Good
enough" was the reply. ....
Don't care for me- eh?"
"Notenough to marry you"
81 thought mebbe you did. but II you
don't might as well move on. Them
geese o. yours are lookin' remarkably
well for this time o. year."
Yves"
We'll, 80 long. Oh. say. wilder.
they say, that next year is goin' to be
n buster of a year for transformers.
Hope they won't eat us up here"
Silas Goodenough didn't drive home
to commit suicide. He didn't even
think of 1t. He simply thought the
Widow Spicer bit odd that she didn't
jump ut his offer. and after three days
he was all over It, Then came q
nelghbor who said:
"Silas. / hear that you popped the
question to the Widow Spicer and got
thrown DOWN.
why. yes. asked her If she'd have
me-
And she said no."
"Tilats about it, Noble she didn't
mean 1t. but took it that way"
81 guess you took 1t right enough.
| She turned you down because Jim
| Wheeler Is counting her. She's in love
with him. but don't think he cares
much about her. If she had more
property he'd marry her. but as 1t is
/ think he's only foolng"
$50 you think the wilder cares for
himT' asked Silas after a moments
| thought
AL Nut mOlutu 1OlAS say NJ.
"And she'd be disappointed II he
didn't marry herr"
Naturally"
Then Jim orter do IT, Yes, he
| orter. The widder's a mighty nice wo-
man. and 1t would be too bad to make
| fool OF her. | must see II can't do
somethin' for her"
The neighbor laughed and left him,
| and Silas began TO think If he wasn't
| good ut counting he was very fair at
| thinking. II Jim Wheeler was holding
| off because the Widow Spicer wasn't
a catch financially. why. something
must be done. II took him just a
fortnight TO figure out what that some
| thing was TO be. and ne brought IL
| home IN bis wagon after drive OF
thirty miles. At the back END OF the
| widows farm was rocky dell ana a
| spring and rlvulet. When Slas Good
| enough had made three midnight trips
TO that dell. carrying n jug OF crude
| oil each time. the people for mile
around began shifting the air When
he had made three more they bega
hunting for coal oil They found IL
II was floating from that spring ana
| ooZing up through the rocks around
| IT, There was excitement ut once
! The widow had scarcely received the
first offer for her farm when Jim
| Wheeler proposed marriage and was
accepted. Then he had something to
Say about the succeeding offers. And
after marriage ne had all 10 say.
Men came and looked and investigat.
ed and either shook their heads or
made cash offers. and Silos saw 20 It
that the supply OF off was kept up. The
day after the Spicer farm had been
sold for $4,000 the same neighbor
who had interviewed Silss before
came saunterinR over TO say:
We'll Silas. Jim's got the widow
and $4,000 IN cash"
Glad 10 hear &C." repned the re-
jectcd
ssTguf obo fhrotu vcft