The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1913-12-19
Prudence and
Zdbed.
BY M. QUAD.

! AluuShtc DlIllu duu Ldbtu W luleTS
met at spelling school and were inn
| pressed with each other Zabed would
have married her If the Widow Pen
rose hadn't mixed In. She wanted the
young man for herself, and In awe
some whispers she impaired the infor
nation that Prudence Smith was
knockkneed and would never be able
10 stand at a washtub or run up and
down the cellar stairs. The young man
was at once impressed. He ceased TO
spark Prudence on Sunday nights and
assure her that he longed TO Jump
over precipices for her sake. and OF
course she resented it. She went about
with her chin in the air and asked for
no explanations. and so relations we've
strained for many long months Then
! Zabed's mother found out what was
! the matter with hin and set him
right. The widow had lied. Zabed
made it UP with the gill Tie doves
came back again and turlled. a new
date was set for the marriage. and
! Farmer SmitL reached out his horny
hand for 1 Stake and said
"Zabed. col darn your bu tons. you're
gittin' the real thing. ard you orter
be the happiest man in Woodchuck
county"
Zabed was for about two weeks.
Then Deacon Gray. who was widow
er and wanted Prudence for his second
wife, gave up some information about
Zabed. When he had sworn her to the
most awful secrecy he confessed that
the young man had a live frog in his
stomach and would probably 60 mad
within two years and cut the throat of
his wife If he had one. The frog had
jumped down Zabeds throat one day
when he was drinking from the horse
pond, and, though thousands Of in
ducements had been held out to him,
I nothing could prevail upon him to
jump out.
Well, where is the young girl, no
matter how her heart tunks. with love,
who is going to marry a young man
with a live and growing frog in his
stomach? She can't be found. She
wasn't found in this case. Prudence
Smith cooled off on Zabed Winters,
and he went about with his chin In
the air and was too proud TO ask for
an explanation. 1t was year before
one came. Then a lightning rod man
stayed overnight at Smiths, and after
supper he got to talking about frogs
Seeing he was posted on the subjer {.
Prudence made bold to ask him if he
had ever heard Of a frog taking up in
side quarters, and he answered that
such thing was absolutely impossi-
bic and beyond belief. Zabed Winters
had probably swallowed a small fish
and the fish might be growing, but l
left alone he could In time be nShed
for and caught That settled the frog
question, and Zabed was invited to
come around and make up. He got a
hustle on him, and the turtledoves
sang soft and low, a new date was ap-
pointed, and Farmer Smith stopped
chopping wood long enough to extend
a hand and say:
"Zabed, you gol. burned idiot don't
you know when you've got s good
thing? Don't fool around any more"
Zabed didn't want to, but before it
had been decided which minister |
should marry them old Mrs. Snyder
struck his trail. She was too old TO
marry, but not too old to utter warn
ing for the benefit Of young man
who had put in a day hoeing her gar
den and refused to take pay for it. /
She told him right straight out that
Prudence Smith snored like a steam I
engine, that she had six toes on her
right foot and only four on her left (
that she had had st. Vitus' dance when
baby and that it was sure to come \
back on her some day. 1t might,hot be
year after marriage that Zabed {
would come up from the cornfeld
some afternoon and find her dancing
all around the dooryard and kicking as
nigh as a fence. That settled Zabed
He wanted Prudence, but he didn't
want a dancing dervish. More cold
ness, more strained relations. II was a
full year before old Mrs. Snyder was
proved liar, and 1t took three months
longer to make up and set another
date. Things had run smoothly to
within fortnight of the date when a
tin peddler came along and bought a
sheepskin Of Zabed and then told him
that Prudence Smith was deaf in the
right ear, nearsighted In both eyes and
would be tongue tied before she was
two years older. Zabed hadn't noticed
the deafness or blindness, but he be-
lieved In tin peddlers and at once grew
frigid. Result, another year lost.
Fate was still in the game, however,
and when everybody, including the
two principals, had made up their
minds that there would be no marriage
she came loafing around to do her
duty. Farmer Smith and his daughter
were in the village one day buying
calico and brown sugar when Zabed
Winters appeared. He had eggs 20 sell
for hickory shirting. The lovers were
brought face to face. but they didn't
speak. They thought of frogs and ST