Evening journal., 1910-06-22
THE
SIXTH WIDOW
By NJ. QUAD
Copyright. 1910. by Associated Lit
erary Press
By NJ QUAD

]
age of Glen Head wien 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 bedsteads and bureaus around. He
bought lime and a whitewash brush
and hired a boy Ia, whitewash the eel
lar. NHe took hoe himself and cut
down the weeds in the front yard
The Widow Tompkins was thankful
and affable. 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 a 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 so he decided
that It was so. See how easy It wasl
See how those FIVE widows had neg
lected logic for years and years.
The Widow Tompkins sized Mr.. Jor-
don up for fatherly man and a good
fellow. but logic came in here again
Fathery 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 helr
It TO happen.
At the end OF three months the IA
therly man was quite at home in the
house Of the sixth widow-iust neigh
borly. YOU know just dropped in to
say If She wanted the kitchen door
painted or the ceilingt whitewashed
he'd see about It for her. On this par
tcular day we have I'm mind he was
in want Of a couple Of empty barrels.
1t struck him that he had seen three
or four in the widows cellar when the
whitewashing 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 neighborly. He
had found his barrels when he heard
the door shut on him and the lock
click. He climbed the stairs and
3 pounded on the door and called out
3. his name and errand, and a voice an
swered him:
"Ah. you tramp. I've got you un-
der lock and key and am going for
, the constable"
+ Mrs. Tompkins. this is no tramp.
/. This is Mr. Jordon."
p "You can't lie TO me. sir. Mr.. Jordon
b doesu't walk into folks houses and
@ down cellar"
But I did was looking FOR
barrels"
Well you can keep on looking until
the constable comesw
He sought to further explain. but
she ridiculed the idea The fact that a
q tramp had robbed a house in the vii
: lage few days previously gave her
% a good groundwork TO build on. The
r most she would promise was TO leave
him down there until he had under
e gone an entire change of heart and
was prepared TO live an upright life in
{ the future. It was i o'clock when Mr.
Jordon found himself a prisoner. He
o sat on the cellar stairs for the next
n two hours vainly trying to convince
n the woman upstairs that he was nc
p tramp. He gave his name over and
S over again, but the steady reply was.
"You are simply trying TO initiate
= Mr Jordon's voice. but you can't i'm
pose on me. think ! will call hin
, in and let him settle with you"
Il From 20 4 o'clock Mr.. Jordon pa
trolled the cellar He had cobweb
and whitewash and old barrels 70
company. He could have called iron
one of the narrow windows TO pass
e erby. but he didn't care TO. He didn'
Z want to be laughed at From to
Y he sat on the stairs giving his nam
over aud over again and taking hi
solemn affidavit that he was Thoma
Jordon and no Weary William. iii
words brought no response from tn
other side of the door From TO
he sat at the bottom Of the steps an
saw the cleaning enter the window
and heard the whippoorwills tuno NJ
? Then a rap on the door above calle
E him up TO hear the words;
Il am now going for Mr.. Jordon."
"But ! am Mr.. Jordon.'
"Your voice does sound a bit liii
his, but you can't deceive me. Nj
Jordon is a fine man."
"But so am l."
"Mr Jordon thinks ! am a fine We
man"
80 do l."
81 believe MT Jordon intends to as
me TO marry him.
Il know he does. ! ask you rigl
now
= "And Mr.. Jordon will want the ma
riage TO come off next month"
Il want It TO come OF next week.
4 Well. there you are! Five widow
& fooling away their time for sewers
, years. and along comes the sixth an
plays the Joker within three month