The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1913-01-03

cuses. but each one understood what
the other was at and deterlnined TO
battle her ln the end.
Mr.. Strong had been given three
months IN which to declare his inten.
tions. and he hudn't declared. Time
was too valuable to be wasted. Els
habit was to return to his store after
o'clock supper and remain there until
6. Just before 3 o'clock. then. on this
awful night four human figures might
have been seen stealing out Of the
town and over the bridge.
Each and every one Of them would
have paused on the bridge to listen to
the musical plash " the river II they
hadn't Men ench other. The hrst. sec.
ond and third were obliged to 20 on 10
avoid tho last one. She was the Wild
ow. She knew the value Of bridge
and river and musical plash. and
she determined to stick
One old tramp and 2 dog were re-
sponsible for most Of what follow
ed. The tramp came humping along
through the town. bent on finding a
country straw stack M soon % possible.
and as the widow on the bridge heard
his footsteps she began to look artless
and coy.
1t was labor thrown away. The
eramp was nearsighted and bumped
up against her. and In her fright she
went over the low railing and down
into the water. II she couldn't swim
like a. duck she could ut least scramble
like q cat. and she managed to get
ashore. Her condition was dripping.
also dropping. also Indignant She re-
allied that no dripping. dropping wo-
man stood the slightest show In that
contest. and she dragged herself home
ward and was not improved In looks
or temper by having to wade through
a couple Of mud puddles.
Miss VintOn came next She was
saunterlng up the hill wondering how
that widow" dared be 50 bold and
brassy when the tramp. who was now
on the run for his life, overlook her.
In his nearsig ghtedness he took her for
horse and wagon and tried to shy
out. She SHE'D to the right at the same
time and was sent sprawling by the
collision. She got out Of the roadside
ditch to run into patch of briers and
scream for help. but there was no
help. She had to extricate herself and
follow the bedraggled widow.
The dog alone was responsible for
what happened to the other two old
maids. Miss Warner had discovered
one wo,han ahead and two behind her.
and. suspecting their fiendish inten.
tiOns. she had almost made up her
mind to abandon her object when the
dog. who had been calling on his broth.
er out In the country. came along and
set up barking and growing Trag.
edy was the result The old maid new
er had encountered a big bObtailed dog
ut night on n hill. and she at once
scrambled over the fence into the
weeds and run for her life She fell
down and rolled over. and she rose up
again and struggled on, and when she
reached bone two hours later she i'm.
mediately went into Mysteries. and DR..
Eeatin got his tirst night call for four.
teen years.
The dog had met with such success
that he was encouraged to persevere
He came upon Miss Hopkins out of the
shadows like frisking haystack. and
as she screamed out and spread her
wings to dy she tripped and went
down. The fall might have injured her
but for the fact that she fell upon soft
mud She couldn't 10 back to town
looking like the mortar mixer for a
skyscraper. and she continued on to
the merchants boarding house to get
the use of hoes nnd scrapers. They
were furnished. but while she was
using them she heard the ten-year-old
daughter whispering to her mother that
she'd bet a cent that Miss Hopkins had
come out there to giggle for Mr..
| Strong
That was an awful night In Clifton.
though only four feminine hearts knew
just how awful 1t was Morning
dawned with murky sky overhead,
II seemed to three old maids and q
widow as II something more was still
to happen, They We're right. When
the butcher boy called for his orders
he repeated the same words at every
house Oh his route:
| "Say. you heard the news? Mr..
Strong has gone to phillipsville to GIT
married today. and he's goin' to bring
the bride home tonight. Hain't It
great?"