The Cairo bulletin., 1911-03-04
TIE GRASS
WIDOW
D. NJ. QUAD
Copyright, L i by Associated Lit
eiStr@ EreSs

sen MIS-, hut the report had conc /,
hef that hnr missing hrsband, Abe
had been seen to drosn himself III
E'iiiEond. she waited 4 year ana the,
called herself Miss ara removed i,
IerklnsVille. She had net been thor!
three months when Moss Drew
farmer, saw her at church and ad
n'red her and began courtin~. III
should have been told straipli ava,
that sbcl was deceiving htSEanf
ana that That drowning business laich'
have been one CT his little tricks. but
he Wasn't, he went ut ahead md
eo0rted Under the idea that ne was Y,
love with q miss About eight mon
after meeting the woman he asl;
her TO be his wife, 1T vas then near
TWO years since ~. abs ond-ng AtrI
was supposed to have cc~n To the ~
tom of the pond. nna y Sanndars
hluShed and stanmesed and said sA.
guessed So
That WAS enough Cor orn night On
the next the wedding day was set.
On the second the wedding day was
planned On tho third as the happv
couple sat holding hands the absconder
walked into the house He had NOT
! been drowned He had not come any
where near IT, or course there was
excitement, more of II than as if n
circus elephant had broken loose
| Abel anolpgized for his advent He
4 was sorry he came. He realized what
q worthless critter he was and he
could never forgive himself for hav-
Ing broken M happy marriage. He
/ would go right away and commit sui
eide and let the matrimonial event
/ take place He asked for a dollar and
got it snd then disappeared. Mr.
I Drew had to he talked to in a sooth-
! Ing way for long time, but he finally
sat himself down to wait until the
grass widow became q real widow.
in about three months n stranger call.
cd on Mrs. Saunders to say that he
lived twenty miles away and was a
carpenter lie had man named Abel
Saunders M on the scaffold with him
oncday when it fell TO the ground and
Abel was q dead man He only had
time TO tell his name and express the
hope tlat his dear Minerva would now
90 ahead and marry Moses.
In five days more tho preacher would
have tied the knot hut Abel walked
into the house again 1t was some on,
else thatI fallen from the scafrold
rfn Hxgt T.
yidcd with a cheap suit Of clothes he
would make an end OF himself this
time.
Three months went by and nothing
from Abel During this interval there
was no talk about the wedding day.
There must be no more surprises. II
was lucky that tho couple had gone
slow Mrs. Saunders received bv mall
from town fifty miles away five af-
fldAvits that man who had baea
found frozen 10 death in snow bank
was the lamehted Abel AS the frozen
legs had broken short off IN carting
the body aroInd there was no doubt
of death.
please eyc.se me for saying these
look good to me-" said Mr.. Drew as
he looked up after reading the adlda-
Wits.
Yes Abel is sure gone this time"
sighed the wife.
An hour later Abel Saunders walked
In and held his toes to the fire to toast.
Minerva succeeded n faintlng away.
but Moses Drew arose in his anger
and shouted out:
"Then you were not frozen st;n?"
"Me? Oh, MOI"
"And they didn't break the legs Oft
your carussr
LEGS? Oh, my legs are all right"
"And you've come back.'
Come back? Yes, but I'm not going
o stay long. / thought I'd go out skat-
ng tomorrow and skate into an air
loe. You can both come along anil
Tee me do it, and then there wont bs
my more false alarms"
"You go to grass. sir, and I'll 70
lome' This is a pretty muss for re.
pectable man TO get intor'
Mr. Drew stamped cut IF the house,
IND Minerva got chilly on the floor
nd returned to consciousness to fall
o weeping and to wall cut:
ION, Abel, I couldn't have beloved
Of your
mo, of course not. ! orter got
rozen, but / didn't III be all right
omorrow, though Don't cry, Nerva;
ont cry"
"But MoScs!
"oi', he'll be all right in n day or
Wo. Just feels hurt Mt my coming
ack Thinks I don't mean to skate
ITO an air hole, but he shall see. Yes.
Kate right In, and that will be the last
me- Cheer right up, girl"
II Is matter Of record khat Abel
auAders went out on the milpond
ext morning and Kept his promise.
Iore Than twenty persons saw him
'liberately skate into an air hole and
y body shoot over the high dam.
hey looked for 1t, and though it was
IT recovered there was no doubt about
10 death. Three months later the
ng delayed marriage took place. IT
MS q sure thing about Abel this time.
ut was 1t? Six months after the mar
age man was killed almost In front
the Drew house by wagon RIM
ng over him. Sure as You live II wos
bel Saunders He was coming homo
say that he was still alive hut