Connecticut western news., 1911-04-27
A WIDOWS WANTS
 By M. QUAD Copyright, 1910, by Associated Lit
 erary Press.
By M. QUAD

derson had his eye on the Widow Gla- zier. Why not? The deacon was fifty-hve and a widower and wanted a home The widow was fifty and lone ly.
 Deacon Henderson dropped into the | widows cottage one day, and after complimenting her on her hollyhocks md tomato vines he said:
 "Widder, do you know what the folks are sayingP
 La, nov'
 ''They are saying that you'n me ought to get married"
 But I can't get my breath! It's all ried we'll live in your house, won't we?
 we will"
 And you'll put down a new carpet on the parlor foor?"
 For why? The one there is a good one"
 Gts a rag carpet, and it's twenty years old. I helped Sarah cut and sew the rags. I shall want a brussels with patterns of roses"
 "Um! Too much extravagance."
 ''Then 1 won't marry you"
 The deacon went away in huff and trying to make himself believe that he had lucky escape. However, aft CT thinking it over for a week he re- turned to say:
 q guess I'd be willing to buy that carpet"
 But I want something else We must have three lace curtains. They must be long huff to sweep the floor"
 '''Store carpet and store cnrtains!" shouted the deacon in dismay. "Why, widder, you'd bankrupt us in month! No, no! Green paper shades are good huff for us."
 ''Then I guess we won't get mar ried. Folks have hinted that you was stingy, and now see you are"
 Away went the deacon for the sec ond time, and for two days he patted himself on the back. He could figure that he had saved over $50 on that deal. The rag carpet and the paper shades looked good to him as Ae sat in the parlor, but after three or four days he found the old loneliness creep ing over him. He would give in to \ her. He waited one day more and then called on her under pretense that he had mislaid his family almanac and wanted to know when the moon would be in her third quarter After finding that out he said:
 "Well, widder, mebbe you are right about the carpet and curtains"
 Deacon, I've been thinking since you were here we must have four stuffed chairs to put in that ,parlor to go with the new carpets and cur tains!" .',.
 Saints and sinners! Stuffed chairs! Stuffed chairs in our parlor! Never, Wilder Glazier, never! The carpet and curtains would tempt Satan huff. l don't propose to risk any more"
 -Four stuffed chairs. deacon, and mebbe a sofa to boot.'' ..
 'I'm going home. Good dayw
 Those stuffed chairs, with an addi- tional sofa looming up in the near flu ture, were a shock to the deacon. They meant extravaganza; they meant vanity; they meant the breaking down of long erected barriers. No; 1t could not be. He must continue his lonely life by his lonesome. He did continue it for ten long days and nights. Then he went over to ask the Widow Gla- zier if the tater bug had yet appeared in her garden and to offer to lend her some paris green to dope him with if he had. No, the bug had not appear ed. But the deacon had other things to say. Leaning on the we'll curb and the widow standing in her kitchen door, he observed:
 T s'pose one can sit down on a stuff ed chair?"
 "Oh, yesw
 , "And they don't make a body vain?"
 "Never heard of it"
 And they are wuth the money you have to pay for 'em?"
 "They surely arer'
 "Well, we might get lem. Shall we be married next month";
 "T-I dunno What about your house?"
 "why, it's there in the same. old place, uin't it?"
 "Yes, but it needs repainting"
 "You mean it wants another coat of whitewash. Well, me and you will do that together"
 "But we won't, deacon. It's got to be paint-real paint, and two coats at that. It's got to be pea green with darker green for trimmings"
 For the first time in his life the dea- con lost consciousness and things whirled around with him. When he braced up the widow was saying:
 And new front steps, and a new sidewalk, and a new picket fence, and pump in the well, and then we must have brass bedsteads and china dish es."
 The deacon got home with shaking knees and fell upon the bed and sent for the doctor and the minister. The doctor said he'd get well, and the min ister said he wouldn't lose his soul even by having a gold framed mirror in the parlor. It was a terrible strug-