The labor world., 1911-01-28
THE LABO s. QRLD
- = - -
Il Ended We'll
By M&QUAD
Copyright 1910. by Associated Lit
erary Press.


Bridge road to halt. at the comforta-
bic farmhouse of the Widow Glenden-
Ing and say to her that as business in
his line was little slack owing to the
scarcity Of thunder and lightning he
would make her a special rate If she
wanted her barn protected. The wild
ow was pleasant faced. good natured
woman. and she pleasantly replied
that when she felt her barn needed
protection she would hoist a clothes
pole to the roof. ~
All in good natured way, you
know, and no ones feelings were
hurt. The lightning rod man laughed
and drove on. Ten miles away he
stopped at the house OF. Deacon Shaw.
widower. He offered the deacon
very low figure on rods, and the :dea-.
con intimated that thew hole business
Of stopping thunderbolts was swim
die and a fraud. Nothing personal
and nothing to hurt: Just sort of a
joke, you know-a~ joke to be return.
ed. Two weeks later the lightning
man was back at the Widows house.
He had nothing to say about rods this
time. What he did say was:
'''Widow, I'm man with q heart. l
not only have a heart for myself, but
for others. I have heart for you.
You are lonesome, delicate woman.
All widows are: Where there's no
man around the house there is deso-
latton. can't marry you, but l can
find you a second husband and war
rant him true blue." Il
Then bring him. on" replied the
widow, with laugh. e.
Hes a deacon and a widower. He
has one child. Hes worth $1,000 or
$1,000. There is only one drawback,
and that I don't call q drawback. at
all. It's an advantage: He's deaf and
dumb. No dumb husband can scold
and find fault. He can't swear at his
oxen. He can't yell at his wife from
upstairs or down cellar"
How did a dumb man ever get
married." asked the widow. with a
show Of interest.
by sign. 1 can't tell you the signs.
but that must have been the way.
That's the way he talks to me-:
But don't want no deaf and dumb
critter around me-" -5::z
"But let him come along and call"
'oh, can't keep him away, but how
am I going to talk to:him?'' :. -. !:
''Same as he will to you-by signs"
'I'm not going to make any wind
mill Of myself, and he needn't come:
I do some scolding myself now and
then, and If had husband I wouldn't
want to be swinging my arms around
to let him know that + was mad. You
60 and marry him to some old maid"
That same day the lightning rod
man drove up to the deacon's again.
The deacon was ready tor him, but he
didn't mention rods Instead he said:
Deacon, you are a suffering and
lonesome man. ALI widowers are. The
world would look different to you If
you were married again. I am a man
with heart, and I'm going to tell you
Of widow who weeps for you-that
is. she waits for you. which is about
the same thing. She's fairly hand
some, not over forty and has as good
a farm as yours. And to crown it all,
deacon, she's deaf and dumb"
who'd want to marry a deaf and
dumb woman?' demanded the deacon.
"Best wives In the world-best ma
tured. hardest working and the most
economical" Don't make no mistake,
deacon. Marrying this woman means
another good farm for you. Only one
child and that a girl big enough to help
do the housework. Make call at the
house anyway" =,
Three days later he decided to call.
He had been told that IL he ever did
call he must talk to the widow in the
sign language or her feeljngs would be
hurt.
''Now, then, who in the lands Is
that?" asked the widow Of herself.
Two minutes later there was q rap
on the front door. As she opened it
the man stood there with an anxious
look on his face and pointed into the
room. He wanted to enter. She nod
ded. He must be the deaf and dumb
.widower.: She took a chair. and he
took one. Then they looked at each
other. She smiled and he smiled.
They were doing famously well, and
It was with a bland smile on his phiz
that the deacon asked her in the sign
language how her corn and potatoes
were coming on. The sign was too
much for her. She thought he asked
II she ever had earache, and she shook
her; head. The deacon tried again.
This time she thought he was asking
II she had any: children. and she nod
ded her head and held up one finger.
|'What in Josh does the woman
mean?~ exclaimed the caller to HIM
self. without knowing that he was
going to speak.
:.sir,. who. are You, to come here and
make fool Of me" shouted the wo-
man al she sprang up with angry
"And von'va ,aada a foo1 ~ ma -