The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-02-08
WHEN THE
TIME CAME
By H. QUAD
Copyright. 1910. hy Associated Lit.
erary Press.

WAS a good man and good worker
and had been with the family for
three years when Farmer White died.
1t will never be lu@wn to outsiders
whether Mr.. White " Zen told that he
was to he gathered u his fathers,
called Jake to his bedside and said:
II must go. but ana consoled by
the thought that leave 81 t'ah In good
hands. Give her year or -. to mourn
| my loss and then propose ma, imony.'
Three years went by and Jake had
! not spoken. There were times when
he thought he was encouraLt,d to
speak out and other tiiaes when he
was prepared to come In from the ield
after Il hard days work tld learn hat
the widow was engaged to the sp5y-
ing machine agent whn had that rouyp.
The widow, too, had thoughts. 1t WIS
more than once whispered about III
| Jake was In love With tlis or I'll
farmer girl, and she hid come to fl /
that bis loss would be double one
Mrs. Drew had been widow FER
four years and Jake White had done
4
| winter came on When the foot or
more of snow which heraldcd the
| change of season had got parned
| down on the highway Providence put
| it into Jake's head to get out the big
hand sled and propose Il ride down
| the long and winding hill. Providence
didn't 20 so far as to put the widow
| m .t,t 4
| meant well by both 1t had been a
| long time, and Providence meant -
hurry things up bit Half dozen
I 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 tho
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 nice night that / dunno
but I'll yoke up the oxen and Jog along
now"
might as well, guess, but look
out that the taters don't get frostbit
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, could
pick up pin on the darkest night you
| ever saw. I've got just the same
rights as anybody, and I'm dinged IL
| give more'n half the road"
The oxen were yoked in due time
and started out. There were bags to
hold the potatoes and blankets 10
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 h!ll
right end up after a climb of twenty
minutesr~ The wager would have been
made without taking Providence into
consideration, and the old sport would
have lost.
The Widow White was bundled UP
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
they were ready to start it came over
him to speak of his love. A feeling
came to the widow that he was going
to- but the time was not ripe. Prov
idence figures those things down to
minutes and seconds. As Jake shut
his mouth on his words and started
the sled Elder Henderson, near the
foot of the hill, started singing
hymn. He not only loved the sound of
his singing, but he thought the oxen
ought to be encouraged. His voice
came floating up the hill, and as Jake
caught 1t he said:
''Mrs. White, that's Elder Hender-
SON."
"Yes."
y"He's probably coming after those
potatoes with his oxen and sled"
"WellY
Hell be In the middle of the road,
and as our sled is already getting
away from control there's going to
be a smashup. / want to say to you
that have loved you for the lasc
three years and to ask you il you will
marry meW
ooh, Jake!'
"It's the elder and the oxen for sure.
Yes or no?'
its SO suddenW
Right in the middle of the road.
and we'll be into them In ten seconds :
Must II
give seconds morew
'"Then-yes"
Elder Henderson was marching
ahead Of the oxen, hero leading the
way. He was struck and sent flying
and his tune cut short Then the sled
struck the oxen and flung them into
, the ditch and made long jump over
. The other and a minute later was TT
the foot Of the hill and Jake was
saying:
1--WE might say the first of next
week for the wedding"
1t didn't come off quite as quick ns
!