The Washington herald., 1914-11-03
DAILY SHORT STORY.
GETTING our on n.
sr Dos 81 anANan.


Deacon strothers and bis wife were
eating supper when she said to him
across the table:
Moses. II I should die. would you
marry again9"
Bless me. but what . question: he
replied ~ be choked.
'Bua should like 70 know
1T ain't likely that would,
"You believe IN 50 to heaven when
die, don't your
straight as q crow 'nles."
And how'd feel lookin' down from
heaven and seein' you around with an
other wifer"
~But the angels in heaven can't look
down on earth"
1T Is said they can't. but how does
anybody know they ean'tr'
These are nice mashed taters." said
the deaeqn as he helped himself 70 some
His wife was q Christian woman and
church member. but nevertheless there
were times when she wanted 70 know,
you know, and he found II safer to choke
her on than to argue with her. He vas
hoping he had In this case when she
said:
yes I've got . knack Of mashin'
taters, and you'll miss me when I'm
gone How about my question. MosesZ 70
b'SS~ oS Nv " 'NN-'
Il probably WON'T, and want to know
II you viii marry againT'
mo, sir, shouldn'tw
The deacon was vexed with her per-
Eisteney, and he brought out, his answer
with an emphasis.
IAN right" said the wife, and began
talking something else,
Next day she and another woman were
nr0Ena1 hW mn "a hla an
the river. The deacon. who was over
nifty. was overwhelmed for Q time. but
gradually his grief wore away and he
was like himself again. II u not con-
tended that he was an absent-minded man,
but II 10 stated. and Il Is quite reasonable,
that after the first month the deacon did
not think Of that promise again for four
years Then i came like knockout
blow. Bit by bit he had come 70 be
friends with the widow Stevens. He had
sat on her doorstep; he had sat BY her
FIRE; he had hoed In her garden; he had
split wood for her cookstove. Aye, and
he had called her Sarah and she had
called him Moses. One evening he had
had q talk with himself. beginning With
BY the great horn spoon, but that
widder can make q eustard ut for
kinGI"
And then: Deacon, you have been
years. You have been sad and lonely. IL
has come mighty hard"
And again:
There's folks winkini and bllnkin'
around and sayin' that me and the Wild
der Will make q match Of II, but let 'em
wink and blink II hain't none Of their
pesky business. and I have told 'em So"
Then, with q chuckle:
1T wouldn't be q bad match for either
n mG Hnpna Il Uhara Nha knaha nd
and wife Is. and we've neither one Of US
got q home 'cordin' to that ! wonder
II had better hint around?"
Three minutes elapsed and then the
deacon brought his fist down and ex-
claimed;
Hint: Hint? No, I won't hint . hlntl
IN just ask her outrightT'
And he was going over In his mind
what he would say when a thought
struck him and he fairly leapsd from his
my promise TO my wife that wouldn't
marry again!"
For fve minutes Deacon strothers ,
was as weak In the knees as II he had
seen q ghost He had promised. and that I
promise was like q wall across his future |
path.
what did Martha ever poster me into |
making that promise for?" he asked him |
1gll II Ndau IlknN-uOs " WASH DAN 4
1 ask her not to marry again In case I
died first? No. of course didn't I Jest |
left Il to her feelings In the matter.
Was there any way out OF itI Couldn't |
that promise be dodged7
It was an hour after the deacon's usual |
bedtime. but he was still as lively as a |
fox He went over the matter for ten |
and then said:
why did I promise? Because Martha !
r..
good for fifteen years yet. Did she give |
me the slightest hint that she was goin' |
TO be silly enough to get into boat the
next day2 No, she didn't. Did she say |
she might get drowned? Not q word. |
wouldn't court hold that II was de- |
ceptlon, and that wasn't bound by my /
promise? When Jabez Reed sold me a |
COW for 80 and never said a word about |
her jumpin' fences. didn't the court make |
him take her back7 1t said he suppressed
q fact. Didn't Martha do the sameF"
The deacon went to bed feeling better,
but when he awoke next morning his con-
science began to trouble him again.
BY heck, but snnthin' has got to be
did" ne exclaimed over his breakfast
and soon as the meal was finished he
clapped on his hat and went out to look
up Robert Roebuck.
Mr.. Roebuck WAS known as very |
pious, God-fearing man. and he would
see both sides Of the case and render \
a fair decision. He was given the facts,
and, after chewing on them for nve min
utes, he said;
Deacon, you was a fool for maxim
any such promise"
II know I was"
My old woman has asked me more'n
forty times to promise the same thing.
but never have done It and never will"
But 1 wish I hadn't"
But you did, and now We must see
how you can get out OF IT. Was your
wife ever in a boat till that day?"
Never"
was there any call for her to go on
the river?' -.-.
mot a cali"
which of the women suggested that
they take the boatf" 4
My wife"
Deacon strothers, II that don't come
under the head Of conspiracy, then my
old white COW Is a red one! II any one
conspires to force promise out Of an
other, then that promise won't hold"
- II I