The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-01-03
THE EVENING STORY
A Widows Hero.
(By John P. Orth.)

did some serious thinking. She had
been a widow for five years, but was
one of the overlooked. That is, be-
cause she had been left in poor cir
cumstances, she had not been sought
by any Of the numerous widowers as
a wife. The time had now come when
she would be.
Mrs. Collville had had plenty of
time during her widowhood to store
her mind. She had run to romance,
instead of cook books and family al
MANAGES.
The widow didn't say to herself
that she wouldn't marry again, but
she said that if she did it would be
a hero. A hero might be slow in COM
| ing along, but she had plenty of time
to wait.
It wasn't a fortnight after the news
| of that legacy got around that Dea-
con Hindman made an afternoon call
on Mrs. Collvi1le. He was all dressed
up and had his boots creased. For
| five years he had simply nodded to
he had been looking for a second wife
looking right over her head and be-
yond. And now he entered her house
with a bland smile on his face, and
he gave her hand a hearty squeeze,
| and without saying word about the
cash he complimented her on looking
younger and many other things.
The deacon had home he said. 1t
was now a deSolate home because
there was no wife there. Let bright
star step in there to cook, sweep, bake,
make the beds, put up the fall pickles
and be mother to the five children
with unwashed faces, and his house
would be q paradise on earth. Would
the widow seize the golden opportun-
| ity? The deacon held out his arms,
but the widow didn't see them. IN
stead she continued to sit on a cane
seat chair six feet away while she re-
piled:
| Deacon, I feel that you have hon
ored me. but 1 cannot give you my
heart If I marry again it must be to
! a hero
do you mean the fellow who walks
the tightrope at the circus 2" he
asked.
ooh, no, I mean man who has
done a brave and gallant action and
has thereby won the praise of his fell
low men, You have never saved a
maiden from being carried away by a
villain. have your
"Of course not. What chance have
I ever had %
Have you ever rescued a child as
it was about to be swept over the
falls?"
There's nothing in the way of falls
around here
Have you controlled a frenzied mob
Have you put your back to a rock and
defended a pass? Have you dashed
into the ranks of the enemy with
your trusty sword and put a hundred
men to fght?"
| Look here, widow" said the dea-
con as he rose up, I'm a plain man.
I raise wheat, corn and 'taters. ]
mind my business and let other folks
act the fool. Is it yes or no to what
| asked you?"
| "If you were only hero. deacon"
| And the good man stamped out and
slammed the door and the gate be-
hind him. His tracks were hardly
cold when the sewing machine agent
came along. He was a man who had
never married, because the girl he
had been engaged to at twenty got
lost in huckleberry swamp and died
| of exhaustion. He vowed to be true
| to her memory, but when he heard
of that legacy it occurred to him that
the huckleberry girl, as an angel up
above, would be only too glad to see
him getting along in this world be-
| low He had meant tc call years
before, but that vow had kept him
from it. Would she be his?
| "Mr. Matthews, are you a hero?'
was calmly asked in reply
mo, I wouldn't go to say I was"
'Then it is useless to talk further
on the subject If I marry it must
be a hero
"But I'm selling more machines
than any other man on the road
mo sewing machine man can be a
hero. This is my ironing day. and
am very busy
Next day there came Mr. Griggs
red haired and fat, and he was g
| widower. He was a man of bust
ness. With that five thousand dol
lars he could enlarge his grocery and
Hooked good to him as she opened the
front door in response to his knock
He had left the grocery in charge of q
clerk and must hasten back. He there
fore led off almost at once with:
widow Collville, I am a wild
over
"Yes?"
81 either want to get married agar
or I DON'T
ST see.''
you are a widow. and you eithel
want to get married again or yor
DON'T"
Exactly, Mr. Griggs-"
LAS for me, I want a wife. an
know who I am. You know what my
grocery is. You can realize the hap
piness of being able to send to the
grocery for anything wanted in thu
/, house without having to pay casf
down. Is it yes or no?"
Il "Mr. Griggs, you are an abrup
man." was the reply.
ST am widow. When a farmel
, drives up to my grocery with potatoes
to sell I call out the price I will pay
That settles it. He takes me or h
leaves me.
II undersell all other grocers il
, the county. I've got Goldfish down {
cent a box below them all, and kero
sene is to take another drop mex
week.
Il "Have you ever fought a duel will
Il a villain?''
mo, ma'am, and 1 never shall
Groceries are my line, and I stick t.
Fem. Is it hero yon waut?''
! at ~