Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1910-01-13
THE MISSING LETTER
a. "a. QUAD

When Deacon JOhu bif'"
died bo was left With seven children
oa Bis hnnds. and bis friends ana
neIehbors said they wouldn't Diane
him bit f0r getting married again
e.f6ie year. This was very Kind OF
bn frlends and neigbbOB. but II ddht
easrfy solve the problem, To gfl
prrr,rd. whether for the hrst TIME Of
DE second. and whether man OF won.
au. one must Gnd one Of the opposite
set who Is willing Il Is said ihAt DO
case % wli0wer over forty BIS hrst
Thought b 90 marry q girl Of twenty
.f aIs second a. look around for a
u,dqw IN about bis own age n De1.
..g Green figured this WY be didn't
ead flc elfl aud Il was two years De-
f.re be gouud the widow he was
planting corn IN bis heih one day
Wban sewing machine man came
al9aq aud sought b banter him into
a uHrrhdse lie WIS q lOylal mnn, ana,
although the farmer couldn't see his
gay clear 10 buying. the other saw bis
way clear % 90 him a good turn ana
bd duaiy asked the deacon why ne
had not married again.
-Harause don't know Of anybody
tbst would have me-" admitted tue
deacon. with almost a blush
eWhew! Why man, you are way
bsblmf the times. say / can give you
Co., name ~ a widow right now Shes
about forty years Old. aud she llves 10
eanndarrllo. owns her own house
aud Doe. ana | guess she has money
ashe might nave me and she might
naf answered the deacon.
"Rut how are you going 10 know IN
tl sou lryg Say, man. believe sou
arc letting q good thing slip nway
rhe deacon Thought u over after the
AGENT had gone. and he thought u over
eban ihe children wraug.cd over the
sumner table and after they bad gone
fo led The result was that next dny
be- drove over 10 Saundrrsyiile IL
WINS an hour after hs reached the vil'
laer before DO dared call upon tue wid-
ow. aud then be made the slim7i'Ht
s6rl 81 excuse lie hemmed and naWrh
and finally asked II she bad cider bar
rea 10 sell fho Widow Taylor sus-
pecieli the real object az bis visit ana
smiled M bis wanting elder buTtia 10
Nav. bat she didn't smile 10 burt BIS
fesilura She let him down easy and
be returned home feeling guile eii'f&y
a Was only when no drove into ~
fafd ana found i've OF the children
pulling balr on the grass that q emu
came over him Dare he ever pop me
question and own up 10 the severn
rhat night after the children had
Ygurnt themselves 10 bed md 90 sleep
tbe deacon got out pen and paper and
wrote letter 20 the woman whom me-
had seen few hours before. Ito teid
OF bis situation very trulhfuly uniii
bo came 10 the nHinbcr Of hls children.
He dared NOE admit to seven II was
deception 10 say "seyernL' but no. dr'
eeivcd "A wmower with several ln-
terentlug children" he put H. and ear.
Is next morning no gave q 70 pass
ne farmer 10 mail Only two hours
bad gone by. and The children hnd
bad but one free for all scrap when
bis heels suddenly lifted from tAc
GROUND Suppose his letter lea the
widow 10 saying yes. She must then
know that be had seven lnslend OF
several children and what would DO
the reaultl she would claim decep
lion ana probably sue hlm for dam
epea Ills own letter would convict
blip n was warm May day, but the
aeacon shlvercd. Half an hour Ioter
h. was driving 20 Saundcrsvll'f ngllo,
;Ils letter 70 the widow wonli reach
there at 3 oclock In the afternoon ond
be must get hold % V.
n vas very nCrvy thing Tor ih'
deacon 10 20 10 the postOilicc at tbe
brDper hour and inquire Tor mail Zoe
NE widow Hastings, but be he'd work
ga un hts courage and tho posimls'
treas happened 20 b0 unusually busy
ana 10 TIE letter was handed cut and
no started for home, An hour after
his dotag 90 tho widow herself mp
pcarpd az tho office aud asked ior malI
and was told that a letter had brcn
handed out. The postmlstress cou,dni
remember 10 whom, aud a row was on
n SO happened that tho widow was
expecting 40 important letter and thg
Inspector for that district was notified
nnd came on 20 solve tho mystery
There was no Siow 20 start on The
letter had been handed out TO seine
one. hat whether 10 man, woman OF
hsd could not DO recalled. In dCtec
tlte WORK clews turn up Ike soft Germs
between tho toes A man who knew
Deacoa Green remembered Of seeing
hia in sauudersvllle on a certain day
with a letter Ia hls hand.
Meanwhile che deacon had heard OF
lhe row being raised and aad oecom'
BOTH conscience Stricken ard frlshi
euea lie bad done a thing 20 lane
hlm 10 prison. aud be must undo it. us
lisa tae letter. and be- put &c III bl'
rarkct and started for Saundcrsvll''
gar ihe third time on tho way oVel
hs aud tho Inspector passed each oth
rr boa neither suspected the Others
Identity Straight 20 the widow
house the deacon drove and bande'
bee The letter.
go a.sua,lfss antalH