The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1913-01-03
Three Old Maids
And a Widow
And the Prize They Set Out
to Capture.
- 9. .. LEWIS.

There are few towns Of 1900 pOpu-
,ntion that can boust Of three old
maids aud q widow living on the same
street. but that was the case with
Clifton. Miss vinton was an old maid
because she never had met with n
man good enough for her. Miss Hop.
Aims was an old maid because the
voung man she would have married at
eighteen " 8 sawed In two in saw
MILL and abe had vowed to be true to
his memory. Miss Warner was an old
maid because she was determined To
marry n ,ne but minister. and all the
ministers who came were already pro-
vided for. The Widow Carter was a
widow because part Of . house had
fallen ON her husband.
The old maids and the widow were
on visiting tefms--in fact. they rather
liked each other. Where there are 10
male candidates for matrimony con-
cerned old maids and widows can SIT
down together on the same veranda
without quarreling. After the widow
had solemnly assured the old maids
that nothing on the face of this earth
could induce her to be false to the
memory of her crushed the quartet
loved each other even more.
One day one Of the merchants In the
town sold out, and stranger came to
take his place. II he had been mar
ried man the dove of peace would have
continued to hover over Rose street.
but as he was single. only thirty and
a "catcb" the dove saw hot time
ahead.
The widow let no grass grow under
her feet In calling at the store and In.
cidentally mentioning her name and or
dering four pounds Of sugar all at
once. She was one Of the Four Hun
dred OF the town. and on the part Of
the other 800 she bnde Mr.. Strong wei
come to their midst. When he had
thanked her she ordered two nutmegs
and n paper OF starch. In addition to
the sugar. to let him understand that
she wasn't Obliged to pinch pennies.
and then departed.
An hour later her reprehensIble con.
duct was known to the three old maids.
and mp went three pairs of hands; six
eyes were turned upward In horror and
three mouths opened to exclaIm In ch0-
rus, How shocklngv'
Then. during the next two days. each
Of the old maids made an excuse to
call at the store aud follow the pro-
gram carried out by the widow. Each
thought she was sly and slick. hut they
found each other out. and from that
moment the bond Of friendship snap
ped nsunder like an old cIothesline left
out IN the storms Of year.
When women make war on each 9TH
er they don't use fence rails to pound
each other on the head. In most cases
they go right on treating each other M
nicely as they can to their faces. but
using daggers and the darkness to as-
sassinate. The three old maids and the
widow gathered together as Of yore.
nut the dagger was used whenever
there was the lenst show.
Mr.. Strong proved n social success.
The widow gave little dinner and
brought him out. but the old maids
really monopolized him for the even
ing. Then Miss Warner gave mn exhi.
bition of her own paintings. which con
sisted OF COW apparently thirty.s
feet long and of river running ur
stream instead of down. and the wild
ow held Mr.. Strongs attention for an
hour while. she talked about her crush
ed and departed.
At the end of six weeks the man who
ran the snwmi,l and had mortgage
on the mill dam figured It out to his
wife:
"There are three old maids to one
widow, but II the widow gets left she'll
be the first one ! ever heard Of"
Even the small boys around town no
ticed how girly the old maids We're be-
coming They Sggled they uttered
cute little screams when they turned q
corner and found themselves face t.
face with COW: they Uttered when
they asked for gumdrops ut the gro
Gerry. As for the widow. she set he,
jaw and walked into the store two
three times a week to ask the mer
chant II he thought the Seventy-sev
enth National bunk Of BOSTON was per
fectly sound and to sigh with relief
when he assured her OF his con6dencs
In the institution. Sly reports wert
soon aHoat that Mr.. Strong was payinl
his attentions 10 this or that one Of thu
four Then the other three would re
ply Ne one:
well. may be he Ia. bnt what OF
earth he can see In her ID more than
can make ont. She grows more home
~ and dowdifed every day. OF cOurs,
TIN telling you this In confidence, and
Of course. II won't 70 further"
One fatal evening tragedy after trak
edy happened. aud the light went on
Of several happy households Mr.
Stroev boarded with a family livini
half I'le from the store. tie wantet
the walk. Heihad to cross the bridg'
over the rives and ascend bill Gov
erred with woods. and there wasn't ,