Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1910-09-15
By NJ QUAD


The widow Hunnewcll had been a
widow for four years, and she hadn't
found much IN life for her She had
had TO split her own wood. build her
own fires and milk her own COW Ev-
cry day She had missed Mr.. Hume
well. and when night came and the
wind moanrd and the rain fell and the
shingles blew off the roof she wept
and wished it were all over.
At length Professor Doty arrived in
the village Not only that. but he ar
rived next door. He was a professor
of natural history in college, and he
came TO the village for his vocation.
lie was man of sixty, tall and re-
served ana dlgnlhed. He gave every
one feeling Of awe. Mr.. uunnewell,
on the contrary, had been short and
fat and Jolly, and people used to pokI
him in the ribs and joke with him. 1t
was probably the contrast that caused
the widow to fall III love at first sight.
She leaned over the fence and intro
duced herself aud he approached and
talked to her. He had found a tree
toad hidden in the bark of q locust
tree. and he was glad TO talk to some
one about his find.
While the professor lectured the wild
ow fell deeper in love and kept ex-
claiming: "DU tellr' and "Oh, my SOUL
She WAS nm interested listener She
,,F1 .b,'l ,ri,.a ouvtHfnt, RI Iaorn all
about toads and bugs and grasshoppers
and CLAIMS and the professor was a
bit battered II the woman next door
had been nice loving woman she
would have invited the widow over to
make further acquaintance, but she
was different person. She said that
widows had too much rope as 1t was
and that Mrs. Hunnewell was always
out OF tea and coffee when a neighbor
wanted 10 borrow And the professor
wasn't to be caught sight of so often
either.
However. when Providence gets its
machinery once started there are gen.
orally results. One night when the
wind didn't moan and the shingles
didn't rattle, but when it was moon
light and calm instead, the widow was
awakened from her sleep by a bad
dream she thought herself surround
ed by potato bugs and fighting for her
life The dream made such an inn
preston that she got out of bed and
looked out Of the window. There was
the explanation before her eyes. The
professor had climbed the fence and
was In her yard and down ON hands
and knees in the grass. He had on so
few clothes that Ii was easy to guess
he had risen from his bed to look for
crickets Not word did the widow
say she just got into bed and did
some thinking That thinking resulted
in her sending for the village constable
next day and saying to him:
Mr.. Richards. if a widow living all
alone should have reason to believe
that her house was about TO be broken
into. what should she do?"
You mean if she saw II man dodg
ing around IL the yard?"
Yes"
We'll. she might scream"
Yes"
"Or she might throw something out
of the window at him"
YES"
'Or she might take her life and her
broomstick in hand and rush out and
crack his skull"
Il see"
But il was that woman I'd Dor.
row a shotgun, load it with salt and
fire on him from n window
And what would the salt do"
Keep him in bed for about a week
II there is anybody spooking around
your house o. nights I've got the gun
ard the salt, ana you can protect your.
self The law viii be ON your side
Aim NJ his legs and let 'er go.
The widow took couple of hours to
think it over and then sent for the
gun She was taught how TO IRE it.
aud when the sun went down that
evening she felt that events were go,
his 'b hHpbfH lctoIc MORNING, W nat
Professor poW was looking for the
night before was crickets Their songs
had douted into his open window al
midnight ana uwole him He had
climbed the fence into the next yard
without % thought OF trespasS He
had got down ON hands ana knees and
paved around, but the crlckets had
eradnd him. lie would try again
If there had been any bells in the
town thSy would have been striking
II O'Clock whom the waiting. watching
widow heard some one softly drop
from the fence. then come into sight
crawling over the grass She SAW him
grab with this hand aud the other and
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