The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-02-13
A Village Enigma
BY M. QUAD
Copyright, 1918. by Associated Lit
erary Press

IL WIS tnree yeuTS hlteT Mrs' AL
drew Wakefield became widow tina
things began to happen to disturb tn
pence of mind OF the town Of Hooper
vile. Mr. Wakefield had been mai
without ambition or energy and addict
ed to intoxicants. and the main sup
port Of the couple had been the earn
ings Of the wife with her needle.
Mr.. Wakefield sometimes complained
because he was not met on even terms
by the the best citizens. but the wifi
never complained of her lot If sh,
expected a merchants wife to associ
ate with her dressmaker on terms o.
equality she never gave utterance Il
that fact. And never. that any one
could recall. did she ask to be consider
| ed martyr or find fault with hel
husband When other wives told hel
what they would do in such a case
she sometimes smiled. but never com
planned. After trying for years to
make her out people decided that she
was an enigma.
And what In the name of cats is
that?" asked good old Deacon Peters
Of his wife when she applied the term.
why, Moses. don't you know what
an enigma is?"
They've invented so many darned
things In the last few years that I'm
all mixed up"
IAN enigma is thing you don't un.
derstand."
WAL. is Mrs. Wakefield an enigma 2"
Folks say So"
"Mebbe she is She strikes me as a
woman who is waiting for something
to happen"
Something finally happened. 1t wasn't
anything Of great importauce-just the
death Of Mr.. Wakefield.
Later the Widow Wakefield was left
great sum of money by English rela.
tives. 1t was all In the papers. and
her lawyer confirmed It. She became
the richest woman In the state almost
In day. And of course the query
with everybody was:
What will she do with it?'
the widow that Hooperville had no,
taken cognizance Of. She came from
an aristocradc family. At eighteen
she had fallen In love and eloped with
and wed a young man who made a
worthless husband. Her father had
cast her of. and she had been living
hundreds OF miles from him. She had
felt the bitterness OF the sights put
upon her, but had realized that the sit.
uation could not be changed for the
better by open resentment She hadn't
lived her real life. but a false one, and
had thus come TO be an enigma to such
as were interested enough to discuss |
her.
When the money came the widow Sc. |
about getting even with Hooperville
There was no malice In 1t, but just
sense of satisfaction. A bridge over
the river had long been unsafe, but the
taxpayers had hung of about repairing
L. trusting that the Lord would divert
Iii the accidents to other bridges.
The widow hired lawyer to take
he matter up. and the bridge was con-
lemned and replaced by a $4,000 struc.
ure. The taxpayers howled
She hired surveyor TO 60 over the
ines OF the streets. and It was discov-
red that all the store fronts encroach-
ID and that hardly fence.occupied its
egal position. All encroachments were
rdered removed.
The spire of the Methodist church
Office had decided leaning toward
unrise. The widow set the law at i
york. and 1t cost the congregation $7o0
D brace up it's spire. q
There was an old ordinance against
itching horses to shade trees. That +,
7as also suddenly enforced and $50 In I
mes collected the first day. q
There was another about chimneys |
cling cleaned every year. Nearly 100 I
ouse owners were brought to court '
nd fined SIS on their admissions that 0
leir chimneys had not been cleaned
,r ten years.
There was a dead ordinance about
lie use of profane language in public. o
he Widow Wakefield revived 1t and .
ad sixty men fined the first day. J
mong them were the mayor. all the
dermen and the Judge who inflicted
10 fines. q
Moses. what on earth is the woman =
2" the good wife of Deacon Peters :,
ould ask after each new move. "A
"She's paying us back, / guess" h,
But 1t don't seem as II she could do
UGH more" !.
You wait and see. What was It you =
lied her?' 81
AN enigma" "a
$50 twas. WAL, you'll learn that fo
ey've got claws. She'll wind up here ic
th a grand whoop." OF
When the day finally came that the al
wyer could suggest nothing more to
set things he was Instructed to rent ~
2 gristmill the sawmili. the tavern or
d two stores and Eve dwellings for W,
year. The tanner and the cooper
inted TO be counted IN, and they
re accommodated. The rent was =
Id in advance. and the buildings \,
ked up and the industries closed Y
xgn y