The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-12-19
7HE EVENING STORY
Three straight Games.
(By Michael ]. POTTERY

(By Michael j. POrter.)
If the man selling a patent churn
or washing machine had appeared in
the village of Hillsdale he might pos
sibly have made a sale, but it would
only have been after a week and after
he had listened to the gossip of the
village and taken a seeming interest.
The stranger would have learned
that Nancy Friars, the old maid, had
almost taken dose of paris green
from prayer meeting; that Mr..
George Scott and wife were thinking
of separating because she liked cod
fish and he didn't; that Tom Hen
derson, the carpenter, had been dis
appointed in love, and that it had
made a wreck of him. that old Mrs.
Travers was using a wrinkle remov-
er and many, many other things
The biggest and best thing would
have been saved till the last, and he
would have been expected to exclaim
that it was fierce.
Philetus Narmore was a feature in
Hillsdale. He was forty-five years old
and a widower; he owned the wooden
ware factory and sung bass in church
on Sunday; he was in charge of the
fireworks on Fourth of July, and he
had been known to give IS to the
heather of Africa all at once; he bad
brought about the arrest of a horse
thief. and he had specialized in Wall
..
would have been told this astounding
news as an appetizer, and then the
real corn beef and cabbage would have
been set before him.
There were three widows in Hills
dale when Mr. Narmore became a wild
over. 1t was four weeks after the
death of his wife before he smiled in
public. Two hours later the gossips
were betting two to one that he would
marry one of the widows within six
r,,ft T. i =. =
within a year. He didn't at all.
1t was said that any one of the
three widows would give her old shoes
to catch the widower. This was prob
ably exaggerated. Had he proposed
to Mrs. Everett the proposal would
have been received with downcast eyes
and taken under Amusement There
would have been no rushing into his
arms. In a month or so he would
have got shis answer. It would have
were even that he would have been
turned down.
Mr. Narmore called on each of the
widows. Why not? The gossips said
he was counting. but thew were mis-
taken. He called to talk about the
weather. potato bugs church affairs,
fly screens and things of that sort He
always sat with his hat in his hands,
and he always rose up exactly with the
clock striking nine.
Each of the three widows received
private and confidential advice as to
how to "catch" the widower Narmore. |
They should invite him to dinner; they
should sim per; they should look at /
him coyIy and archly; they should !
sigh and talk of their loneliness: they |
should boast of their economy and |
how much work they could get
through with in a day. Even old maids !
would have one sat down and looked
as wise as Solomon and said:
"Ah, if you only understood how to |
handle a man as well as I do YOU !
bring Mr.. Narmore to his knees within !
a week.
Perhaps the three widows didn't |
want to marry again. Perhaps, but |
for the arrival of a fourth widow in
the village, they would not have re- |
sorted to rats and puffs and powder |
and told white lies about their ages. !
The fourth widow was a Mrs. Harper. |
She was no 20 niger or more attractive /
than the other three. She was seem |
ingly handicapped by trailing at the
end of the string.
Within a week Mrs Harper had |
heard all the gossip. Within a fort
night she had been introduced to Mr.. |
NarmOre. Within a month she had |
sent for her father to pay her visit |
He was sixty-five years old and had |
to come all the way from Illinois, but |
he came.
The widower Narmore had a fad. |
1t was known to every one in Hills |
dale, and yet those three widows, each |
one of whom might possibly have an
swered yes to a proposal. hadn't the
acumen to take advantage of it. Mr..
Narmore was a checker fiend He |
didn't care for horse races, dog fights,
pugilism or baseball but seat him in
front of a checker board and he was
there for all night if necessary to beat
the other player He was the cham
pion of TIillsdale county. In fact, he
claimed the championship of the state.
Father said the widow Harper.
when her parent arrived, aren't you
accounted one of the best checker
players in Pekin ~
I'm PekinI Why, Mary was cham
pion of all Illinoy years ago; in Pekin,
Lord love you, but I've beaten every
thing in Illinoy, Iowa, Michigan. Wis
consin, Kansas, Colorado and Texasl
Five years ago issued a def to the
whole United States and nobody dared
play me. WlHy do you ask p
There's man right In this vii
Iage who thinks he's some pumpkins
at the camel"
''I'll beat him with my eyes shutl"
Hes won over everybody around
here
I'll beat him in my sleep"
But don't want you to-
''Why?'
Because I want to beat him myself !