The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-04-29

that INCLUDED lively defective sEox ana
mce ant spyfng on his neIshBors vas
IartIeul axIy IN his line. but for many
wears now, though be had been regular
In ffniIanee at church. he htd never
ofacISfed at communion and his den-
coriaI services had gradually lapsed
INTO the passing OF the Contribution
box. 4 task oe which he never wearied.
r was such d keen pleasure 10 make
,Sther people yield thelr pennies for q
good cause without adding his own!
Deacon Baxter had now been q Wild
.cSvar for nine years. and the commun-
lty had almost reiinqhished the idea OF
his seeking d fourth wife. This was q
matter of some regret. for there was q
general feeling that it would be 4 good
thing for the Baxter girls to have some
one. to help With the housework and act
as q buffer between them and their
grim ana irascfbIe parent. As for the
women OF the village. they were lnorti-
6ed that the Deacon had been able to
SECURE three wives and refused to be-
ifeve that the universe held anywhere
a creature benighted enough to become
his fourth.
The first, be it said. was a mere igno-
.ant girl. and he beardless youth OF
twenty. who may not have shown his
true qualities SO early in life. She bore
him two sons, and ft was matter OF
comment at the time that she called
them, respectively, Job and Noses. hop
inE that the endurance and meekness
connected with these names might
somehow help them in their future re-
Iatfons with their father. Pneumonia,
coupled With profound encouragement.
carried her Oh IN d few years to make
room Tor the second wife, Waftsdl's
mother. who was OF dIfereHt fiber and
greatly his superior She was me.
handsome girl, the orphan daughter of
up country gentlefoIks who had died
when she was eighteen, leaving her
alone IN the world and penntless.
Baxter, after a few days acquaint-
ance, drove into the doOryard or the
house where she was a visitor ana,
showing her his Two curly Headed boys,
suddenly asked her to come and be
their stepmother. She assented. partly
because she had nothing else to do
with her existence so far as she could
see. and also because she fell in love
with the children at first sight and for
got. as girls will, that It was their
father whom she was marrying
She was as pIuclzy and clever ana
spirited as she was handsome. ana she
made a brave fight Of 1t with Foxy,
long enough to bring daughter into
the world, to name her Waitstill and
start her a little way on her life jour
ney-then she too. gave up the strug-
gle and died Typhoid fever it was,
combined with complete loss of illu-
sions and a kind OF despairfng rage at
having made so complete failure Of
her existence
The next year Mr.. Baxter, being un-
usually busy, offered man good
young heifer If he would jog about the
country little ana pick him up
housekeeper a likely woman who
would IL She proved energetic, econom-
zeal and amlable be eventually raised
to the proud position of his wife. II
she was young. healthy, smart. tidy,
capable and a good Manager, able to
milk the COWS, harness the horse and
make good butter he would give dol
4af and a half q week. The woman
was found. and, Incredible as it may
seem, she said yes when the deacon,
whose ar1or was kindled at having
paid three months wages, proposed a
sypeedy marriage. The two boys by
this time had reached the age OF dis
cretion, and one of them evinced the
fact by promptly running away to
parts unknown, never TO be heard from
afterward; while the other, q reckless
and unhappy lad. was drowned while
running on the logs In the river. Old
Foxy showed little outward sign OF his
loss
His third wife. the one originally Sc
cured for a housekeeper bore him a
girl. very much to his disgust. sirl
named Patience, md great was Wait
stills delight at this addition to the
dull household The mother was a
tfmtd, coiorless docile crea ture, but
Patience nevertheless was sparkling,
bright eyed baby. who speedily became
the very center OF the universe to the
older child. So the months and years
wore on dreariiv enough until when
Patience was eight the third Mrs.
Baxter succumbed after the manner OF
her predecessors and slipped away
from life that had grown intolcrable.
The trouble was diagnosed as oliver
complaint" but scarcity OF proper
food, no new frocks or kind words.
hard work and continual bullying may
possibly have been contributory causes.
DR.. Perry thought so. for he had wit
messed three most contented deaths In
the Baxter house The ladies were all
members OF the church and had pre-
sumhbly made their peace with God,
but the good doctor fancied that their
pleasure In joining the angels was mild
compared with their relief ut parting
with the deacon.
Il know 1 hadn't ought to put the.
care on you, Waitstill. and you only