The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-06-25
Three Straight Games
BY MICHAEL j. PORTER.

| Copyright, 1911, by Associated LIT
| erary Press.)
If the man selling a patent churn
I or washing machine had appeared in
the village OF Hillsdale he might pos
I sibly have made sale, but it would
only have been after week and
after he had listened to the gossip
of the village and taken a seeming
| interest,
The stranger would have learned
that Nancy F'riars, the old maid. had
almost taken dose of paris green
| because she had to go home alone
/ from prayer meeting; that Mr..
! George Scott and wife were thinking
of separating because she liked cod
fish and he didn't; that Tom Hen
derson. the carpenter. had been dis
/ appointed In love. and that it had
made a wreck of him; that old Mrs.
Travers was using a wrinkle remov-
! er and many, many other things
! The biggest and best thing would
have been saved till the last, and he
would have been expected to exclaim
that it was fierce.
Philetus Narmore was a feature
in Hillsdale. He was forty-f1ve years
old and # widewer; he owned the
woodenware factory and sung bass in
church on Sunday; he was in charge
of the fireworks on the Fourth Of Ju-
~ and he had been known to give
IS TO the heather OF Africa all at
once, he had brought about the ar
rest of a horse thief, and he had spec
uated in Wall Street and made s2s,
| The stranger would have been told
| this astounding news a. an appe-
tier, and then the real corn beef and
cabbage would have been set bAore
him
There were three widows In Hills
dale when Mr. Narmore became a
widower. It was four weeks after
the death OF his wife before he
smiled in public Two hours later
the gossips were betting two to one
! that he would marry one of the
widows within six months. He didn't,
however. He didn't within year,
He didn't at all
It was said that any one Of the
three widows would give her old
shoes to catch the widower. This
was probably exaggerated Had he
proposed to Mrs Dakin. Mrs stew
ems or Mrs Everett tho proposal
would have been received with down
cast eyes and taken under advise
ment. There would have been no
rushing into his arms. IN a month
or so ne would have got his answer,
1t would have been a timid yes or
no. The chances were even that he
would have been turned down,
Mr.. Narmoro called on each of the
widows. Why not2 The gossip
said he was counting but they were
/ mistaken. He called To talk about
the weather, potato bugs. church af-
fairs. flv screens and things Of that
sort He always sat with his hat in
his taHds and he ALWAYS rose Up eX
actlv with the clock striking nine.
Each of the three widows received
private and confidential advice as
to how to catch" the wfdower Mar
more. They should invite him 70
dinner: they should shipper; they
should look at him coyly and arch
1y; they should sigh and talk Of
their loneliness; they should boast Of
their economy and how much work
sev could get through with In a day
Even old maids who had never had
beau and who never would have one
sat down and looked wise as Solomon
and said;
"Ah. If you only knew how to
handle man as well as 7 do you'd
hiring Mr.. Narmore to his knees with
in a week"
Perhaps the three widows didn't
want to marry again. Perhaps, but
for the arrival of a fourth widow in
the village they would not have re-
sorted 10 rats ard puffs and powder
and told white lies about their ages.
The fourth widow was a Mrs. Har-
per She was no younger or more
attractive than the other three She
was seemingly handicapped by trail
ing in at the end of the string
with a week Mrs. Harper had
heard all the gossip. within fort
night she had been introduced to
Mr. Narmore. within a. month she
had sent for her father TO pay her
visit. He was siXty-three years Old
and had 10 come all the way from
Illinois. but he came.
The widower, Narmore had q TAD.
It was known to every one In Hills
dale. and yet those three widows,
each one of whom might possibly
have answered yes 70 proposal,
hadn't the aeumen to take advantage
Of it, MIR. Narmore was a checker
fiend. He didn't care for horse races,
dog fights. pugillsm or baseball but
scat him in front of a checker board
and he was there all night II nec-
essary to heat the other player, He
was the champion Of Hiasdsle county.
In fact. he claimed the championship
of the state
Father, said the widow Harper
when her parent arrived, aren't you
accounted one Of the best checker
players In pekin p"
I'm Pekin" Why, Mary I was
champion Of all Illlnoy years ago, In
pekin! Lord love YOU, but I've beat
en- everything in Illinov, Iowa, Mich
gan, Wisconsin, Kansas, Colorado
and Texas, Five years ago 7 issued
def to the whole United States and
nobody dared play me. Why do YOU
ask >"
There's man right here in this
village who thinks he's some pump
kins at the game"
"Fll beat him with my eyes shut"
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