The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-02-14
WHEN THE
TIME CAME
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1910. by Associated Lit
erary Press.

shire widow. She owned farm, ana
Jake White was her hired man. lie
was a good man and a good worker
and had been with the family for
three years when Farmer White died.
| Ii will never be known to outsiders
whether Mr. White, when told that he
was to be gathered to his fathers,
called Jake to his bedside and said:
II must go, but / am consoled by
| the thought that leave Sarah In good
hands. Give her a year or so to mourn
my loss and then propose matrimony."
Three years went by and Jake had
not spoken. There were times when
he thought he was encouraged to
speak out and other times when he
was prepared to come in from the field
after hard days work and learn that
the widow was engaged to the sew
ing machine agent who had that route.
The widow, too, had thoughts. 1t was
more than once whispered about that
Jake was in love with this or that
| farmer girl, and she had come TO feel
that his loss would be a double one.
Mrs. Drew had been widow for
| IOuT years anu Juhc w nllt uuu uolit
bushels and bushels of thinking when
winter came on. When the loot or
more of snow which heralded the
change OF season had got packed
down on the highway Providence put
1t into Jake's head TO get out the big
hand sled and propose a ride down
the long and winding hill. Providence
didn't go so far as to put the widow
next as TO what would happen, but 1t
meant well by both. 1t had been a
long time, and Providence meant TO
hurry things up a bit. Half dozen
OF the neighbors were to take part in
that moonlight sleigh ride, but for
one reason or another all backed out.
leaving the two alone. Probably this
was another trick on the part of Prov
idence.
About the time the sled was drawn
out for the glide Elder Henderson,
who lived just beyond the foot Of the
HILL was saying to his wife:
martha, / bought ten bushels Of
taters of the Wilder White yesterday"
"We'll need 'em all before spring."
was the reply.
81 was goin' for 'em tomorrer. but
IT'S such a nice night that l dunno
: but. III yoke up the oxen and jog along
| now
5 might as well, guess, but look
/, out that the taters don't get frostbit.
2 You know how nighsighted you are
: In the moonlight If you hear sleigh
: bells you'd better give 'em the road"
! "Nighsighted" he Indignantly sniff
: ed. Don't you go to maxim out that
I'm hundred years old. Why, l could
r pick up pin on the darkest night you
I ever saw. I've got just the same
5 rights as anybody, and I'm dinged II
i give more'n half the road"
The oxen were yoked in due time
2 and started out. There were bags to
hold the potatoes and blankets to
r cover the bags, and any old sport
. would have given odds of two to one
that the elder, the oxen and its cargo
would arrive at the top Of the hill
. right end up after climb of twenty
minutes. The wager would have been
made without taking Providence into
consideration, and the old sport would
have lost.
The Widow White was bundled w
and seated on the sled. In fact, she
was strapped on. Jake sat close be
hind her, dragging the foot that was
to steer the sled straight course. AS
b they were ready to start 1t came over
e him to speak of his love- A feeling
c came to the widow that he was going
Y to, but the time was not ripe. Prov
e idence figures those things down tC
{ minutes and seconds. AS Jake shut
his mouth on his words and started
v the sled Elder Henderson, near the
e foot of the hill, started singing q
d hymn. He not only loved the sound OF
his singing, but he thought the oxer
s ought to be encouraged. His voice
g came floating up the hill, and as Jake
4 caught 1t he said:
"Mrs. White, that's Elder Hender
8 SON."
c Eyes"
h "He's probably coming after thos,
o potatoes with his oxen and sled"
"Well?'
',"He'll be in the middle of the road
u and as our sled is already getting
u away from control there's going L
! be a smashup. 1 want to say to 20,
II that 1 have loved you for the las
o three years and to ask you If you will
II marry me?"
: "Oh, Jaker'
: "It's the elder and the oxen for sure
r Yes or no?'
s Its so sudden
e Fright in the middle of the road
d and We'll be into them in ten seconds.
"Must II
d "Five seconds morev'
IS "Then-yesr'
e Elder Henderson was marching
ahead of the oxen, a hero leading tn
way. He was struck and sent hyini
n and his tune cut short. Then the sle'
J. struck the oxen and flung them int
the ditch and made a long jump owe
: the other and minute later was a
the foot Of the hill and Jake wa
saying:
1--WE might say the first of mex