The herald., 1911-04-20
A WIDOWS
WANTS
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1910. by Associated Lit
erary Press

zier. why not! The deacon wa!
ffty-fve and widower and wanted
home. The widow was fifty and lone
ly.
Deacon Henderson dropped into tn,
widows cottage one day, and afte
complimenting her on her hollyhock.
and tomato vines he said
"Widder, do you know what the folk
are saying?"
la, no."
They are saying that youn m,
ought TO get married"
But can't get my breath, It's al
80 sudden. Deacon, IL we get mar
ried wen live in your bouse, won
WEI"
I'VE will"
And you'll put down a new CARPET
on the parlOr fioor?"
For why? The one there is a good
one"
It's a rag carpet, and it's twenty
years old. helped Sarah cut and sew
the rags. | shall want a brussels
| Win pdlleTnS OF roses.
"Um! Too much extravaganza"
"Then ! won't marry you"
The deacon went away in huff and
trying to makes himself believe that
he had lucky escape. However, aft
er thinking it over for a week he re-
turned TO say:
Il guess I'd be willing to buy that
carpet"
But | want something else. We
must have three lace curtains. They
must be long nun to sweep the floor. "
Store carpet and store curtainsr'
shouted the deacon in dismay. why.
wilder, you'd bankrupt us In a month.
No, no! Green paper shades are good
'nuff for u.s."
Then | guess we won't get mar.
rfed. Folks have limited that you was
s1ngy, and now l 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 he 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, wilder, 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
tainsw
Saints and sinnersi Stuffed chairsI
Stuffed chairs in our parlor! Never.
Wilder Glazier. never! The carpet
and curtains would tempt Satan 'nufr.
i don't propose to risk any more"
-Four stuffed chairs. deacon. and
mebbe sofa to boot"
"I'm going home. Good dayw
Those stuffed chairs, with an add
tional sofa looming up in the near fu-
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
1t for ten long days and nights. Then
he went over to ask the Widow Gla-
xier If the later 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 well curb and
the widow standing in her kitchen
door. he observed:
II s'pose one can sit down on a stuff
ed chair?"
"Oh, yesw
"And they don't make a body vainT'
"Never heard Of it"
"And they are with the money you
have to pay for 'em"
'They surely are!'
"Well. we might get 'em. Shall we
be married next month";"
IL dunno. What about your
house?"
why. it's there in the same old
place. amt it?"
Eyes, 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
whfrled 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
a pump in the well, and then we must
have brass bedsteads and china dish |
e."
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
lister said he wouldn't lose his soul
even by having a gold framed mirror
In the parlor. 1t was terrible strug- |
gle, but after two weeks the day was
set and marriage duly followed. |
There were those who thought the
deacon would droop and die, but She |