Evening journal., 1912-06-20
A Sewing Machine
Bargain
Copyright, 1919. by Associated Lit
erary Press.
By NJ QUAD

III Copyright, 1919. by Associated Lit
III erary Press.
II Sarah Schemerhorn, widow OF
Jabez Schemerhorn, had not lived In
the outskirts of the village of Elyria
she would have been indicted as null
sance She had some sympathy on ac-
count of her looks. being without doubt
the homeliest woman in the state, but
she got no sympathy for the way she
PLAYED the fiddle. Years ago, when she
was lust as homely, but not so old,
she had bought a cheap fiddle and
taught herself the notes Of an air.
That was "Old Dog Tray" She sang
as she played. and the combination had
made COWS die and horses run away.
The widow had twenty acres of land
and some money in the bank, but ped
dlers. sewing machine men and others
with something to sell did not find her
an easy prey. On the contrary, she
was so light listed, as well as abusive,
that all got TO avoid her, and the only
raller would be some new man on the
road. Such was a sewing machine
man named Brown. II was known that
the widow had no machine in the
house. and he was sent to her as a
Joke. He found her on the front steps
with her fiddle. He heard the words
of her song when yet a quarter of a
mile away. He stopped his rig at her
gate and got down and went in. and as
he stood before her he realized that he
had never seen or heard the like be-
fore. He was a plain, straight man,
and when the woman had finished her
song and her music he dared TO say;
Il don't believe there Is homelier
woman on the face Of the earth"
"Nor /. either" was the reply.
And you ought to be jailed Tor tor
turing that fiddle"
Am ! 30 doggoned homeiy as they
say around herer' ...
II have Travelled IN Europe. Asia and
Africa. and i never saw the hker'
boldly replied.
"And my nddlingT'
1T is enough to drive one insane"
~And my singingT
"Norse than all the rest"
Say" remarked the widow, you
talk like a square man. I'll go out to
the wagon and look a machine over"
She didn't buy one. though she prom
ised TO think the matter~over. Mr..
Brown was going away, not greatly
disappointed, when she said to him:
''You probably think, same as all the
rest. that there Is not man In the
state who would marry me2T
"Um-I don't want TO say that"
But you think I'd have a mighty
hard squeeze Of It to pick up anything
wearing trousers7'
Somewhat that way"
Tell you what I'll do. don't need
n sewing machine no more than a cat
needs two tails. but II you'll find me q
husband who'll marry me for myself
alone I'll take a machine and pay yoc
the price Of three"
The agent took a long. steady looi
at the woman and shook his head IN I
doubling way and said:
"Tn keep my eyes open for a man
but don't expect the impossible"
Fortune favored him within a week
as it always has favored every sewinl
machine agent whose heart was In hi
work Forty miles away lived an ol'
man. long a widower, named Andrews
He wasn't n fright 70 look at, but h
had tastes that made him talked of ant
pointed out. He sang songs. Whel
he began to sing one all the crows 4
the neighborhood few away and di
not return for two days. He did nc
play on the fiddle, but on the accordion
That old man could take that old az
Gordon and yank more sighs and wal
and laments out OF II than all the wiS
ows in the state could utter. he wa
singing and playing when the SEWN
machine man arrived.
The old man played ana sang Il
ten minutes before noticing the strai
ger. and then he stopped long enoue
20 say:
NO use for n sewing machine-pm
lone man on this cold airth."
II don't want 30 sell you one" WI
the reply.
Il don't want any notions"
i haven't any"
"And / can't be swindled on any pa
ent right
Il never handled any"
"Then what in the devfl do "
want7"
Nothing tail. You are the one thi
wants. Mr.. Andrews, know OF
woman whose voice would just ha
monize with yours"
Then why In thunder don't you les
me 10 herY'
Three or four days later he was le
He was accompanied by his voice an
accordion Long before reaching Il
Widow schemerhorns place she WI
heard singing and playing.
ITS what I've hankered forr' smile
the old man. IF that's her singir
and hddling I'll marry her tomorrow
He didn't wait for an introduction
He jumped down. ran forward to
seat beside her and at once tuned u
The fiddle and accordion harmonize
Their voices blended like field bear
and nineteen cent coffee. At the en-
Of twenty minutes they cut It on. an
Mr.. Andrews said:
"Widder. we are going 10 be one at
lndivisible"
And a week later the event toe
place and the sewing machine man &,
his money and left them harmonizin
Half a mile away when a tramp sto