The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1914-08-06
Some
Breaches Of Promise
By NJ. QUAD
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1914. by Associated Lit.
erary Press.

Hiram Spooner was the hOmelie.
baby ever born In the state Of Ohio.
: When Hiram was ten years old
!. was the homelfest boy in any tw
D states In this Union. At tWenty-On
J he had the face Of baboon
One day, after LOOKING at him a Ion
!. time, his father said to Lim:
Hiram. what in thunder is going {
become of you anyhow"
"I'm thinking it over . was the reply
After thinking things over foreawhil
and having avery serious talk with
fruit tree agent Hiram announced on
Monday morning that he had mappet
out career for himself. and half al
hour later he drove away from tn,
farm with hired horse and buggy.
Within radius of ten miles wer,
twenty-three widows. Fifteen ha(
been made such on one and the same
day by the falling of a highway bridge
Not one of the women was poor, while
some had bank accounts. All had
seen Hiram Spooner several times
over. Hiram had prepared list. and
he began his calls according to card
system. AS be drove up to a house he
Wriggled out of his buggy and wrig-
gled along to the door. and when it
was opened to him aid he was invited
in he began:
Widow Blank. am trying to do
something to make living. Did you
know that you can grow two crops Of
the Oklahoma cucumber
mo. ! never heard of it.
Il sent and got some Of the seeds.
Here they are shall charge you but
little more than for the ordinary seeds.
and youca have two crops in place
of one''
well. I will buy them to help you
along
THAT is kind of you. need money.
but there are times when fairly long
for word of sympathy"
Il know you must. and for years I
have wanted to tell you how very. very
sorry L was and am. There is no one
In the world pity as do you. If
you have anything else to sell hring it
here"
Hiram had tears in his eyes as he
left the house. but before climbing
into his buggy he took out his mem
orandum book and made some entries
under the proper date.
1t took over thirty days for him to |
get around to the last widow. but be |
his business in good shane
4aiI dozen times his father had de- /
See here. boy. what kind OF game
ire you up to with the widows?''
I'm picking out the best of the lot
o propose to-" was always the reply.
soon as the last widow had bought
ONE Oklahoma cucumber seeds to helm
alram Spooner along with his laudable
mb1tions and to raise a double cron
I cucumber pickles the first one call
q on received note from Hiram. j
stated that his heart had been deem
touched by her kind words and. be-
Il sure In his own mind that It was
case or love at first sight with both
tnem: he had decided to accept her
enerous offer and hoped that If would G
no sacrifice on her part. At what t
ate should the wedding take placep 1T
Vas the betrothal to be announced /
once or later on: What minister a
q she prefer? How many and what
tests should be invited? Il
Ihe widow read the note over the X
st time with wonder. The second Q
NE she was amazed. and the third "
le gasped out: i
Why. what can the crazy donkey :.
ean?.' 3
The widow sat down and wrote a =,
tie repudiating everything. even ro D
z ok0homa cucumber seeds. These c
eos had been fed to the chickens Just Of
fore the note was written. in
Hiram came back with u written
itement that she had deceived him ~
u crushed his young and crippled ~
arr. She had led him to believe that W
loved him. and in return he had -
ven ner all his affections. To he
rown down now would be blow
1t he could never get over. No mon.
couid ever heal his feelings. but she
tse require hlm to an extent as a
raj lesson to her not to fool with
hearts Of the male sex. -
me negotiations consumed two
eks. and the widow. paid over to az
ram 800 rather than go into court
nttle game was worked ON every
gle one OF the widows. From some
got as much as $500 and from 9TH
only a single hundred.
lot until the very last did Hiram,s
ner understand what he had been
w. and then he indignantly ex-
lmed: I
orter to turn you outdoors or set Il
law on YOU IL
But you won't. 1t has long panied :
TO see you working away on this ~.
~ old farm and not coming out s25
ear ahead of the game.
And I've had a useless son to suD-.i
Z. growled the father
SUI useless no longer. hereby Of
you $1,000 for the old farm. and
can be my hired man at s20 / :.