The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-03-01
A WIDOW
THAT WAITED
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1911, by Associated Lit
erary Press,

oAo w iEh LIS WIZ dlNN' $50 'N"S -
farmer Just outside the town of Eu-
cid, and as he kept hired man and
as there was much housework to be
done the gossps said he would marry
again.
AS a matter Of fact Moses came to
this decision. He could name over a
dozen widows and old maids that
might say yes If asked the question,
but when he sat down to debit and
credit them he was not at all satisfied.
Something was wrong in every case
and very much SO with the Widow
Hooper.
And what was principally wrong
with the Widow Hooper was her looks.
She was not a beauty. Indeed, she
was not even fair looking. Moses
opinion Of her appearance was as he
himself expressed 1t, "She is homely
enough to stop clock"
When he came to the Widow Hoop
er in his thoughts he uttered
'humphr' of contempt and yet at the
same moment recalled the fact that
she had asked him to bring her In
crock of butter She lived in the
town and had an income sufficient to
tsupport her Yes, the butter must be
delivered in couple of days, and 1t
was.
Moses" said the widow, "you are
a widower and / am a widow. You
need wife and l need husband.
Why should we beat around the bush,
Moses?"
'Do you mean why shouldn't we get
marriedT"
"Just that, Moses"
Moses Bateman was plain spoken
man on all subjects.
"Looky here, widow, l guess your
heart is all right, but l used to feel
mighty sorry for Dan Hooper"
what aboutp
Because of your looks"
Good Lord But what's the matter
with my looksy'
'You was born that way and can't
help it, but to be honest with you, you
are about the homeliest woman / ever
saw. Now, don't get mad about It.
You asked me a question and / an
swered It."
And you don't want to marry me
on account of my looks?"
That's about it"
''Um! Moses, | never before asked
i man to marry me, and / never shall
again. Because why? Because l am
going to marry you"
81 can't make it seem that way"
Sorry I'm so homely, Moses, but I'm
erusting in Providence"
To reach the town from the north or
IN the direction of Moses Bateman's
farm one had to descend a long hill
and cross a creek by a bridge The
Widow Hooper lived just at the foot
Of the hill. About a month after the
widow had been turned down Moses
came down the hill driving a young
horse that wanted to bolt every min
ute. The widow was at her gate, and
she held up her hand and said:
Better look out, Moses"
"What about?"
"I'm depending on Providence, and
Providence is depending on this hill
and that colt"
"As to howT
"You keep right on and you'll see
Won't be any need of breach O. prom
ise suit"
n Moses figured it out that the widow
was looking for an accident to happen
10 him, and for the next three weeks
he came to town behind his steady old
mare. Then he got to thinking that he
had been bluffed, and he harnessed up
the colt one day and reached the brow
of the long hill to see the Widow
Hooper at her gate far below.
shes there depending on Provi-
dence," said the man as he took
firmer hold on the lines, "but I'll show
her that Providence never yet kept the
frost away from string beans"
Ten seconds later the colt started on
a wild run down the hill and those who
happened to be looking on got numer-
Gus thrills. Moses was game. He hung
to his seat, and he hung to the horse,
and but for an old COW he might have
reached the foot of the hill and crossed
the bridge In safety. 1t was the old
COW that did the trick. She came wan
dering on to the bridge just when she
ought to have been a mile away and
horse. buggy and driver struck her like
a landslide. Not, however, until the
widow Hooper had waved her hand at
the widower and called out:
Its Providence, Moses, and l am
right here to pick up the pieces"
The cow was dead. the horse was
dead and such villagers as didn't know
how tough a farmer is wanted to have
Moses Bateman buried right away. He
wasn't dead however. He was taken /
into Mrs. Hooper's house, and there he |
remained for several weeks. The nnrs- I
ing was of the best, and nothing was
said about matrimony for a long time /
Then one day the widow put a hand
glass In Moses hands and said:
'Mebbe you'd like to take a look at
your own face once moreT'
Gee whiz but who is thisT' yelled /
the patient after taking one look.
His name is Moses Bateman."
"But-but"-
His nose is broken. he's lost an eye, I
most of his teeth are gone. one Of hts .
ears lop and an eyebrow is gone"
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