The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-04-24

EN
afraid-no, stree. l. Ananlas, take
thee, EN- Bevis-no: that's not right.
Em- EN- - Emma-or Emmaline-ah!'
Mr.. Slime resorted to snoring once
more, and the widow, now Thoroughly
awake to the pertidy Of her star board
er, sat up in bed and fell to planning.
When the Widow Rowe!i fell to plan
~Ling-well, things usually happened.
For an entire week she watched and
waited and listened and peeked n
pried. and when Thursday evening
drew around she was possessed IN
some mysterious manner Of most OF
the details of the approaching elope-
ment. She knew that Hep Riddles
buggy had been engaged and that Hep
was to harness the sorrel horse. al
though Hep Riddle himself didn't
know what Ananias Slime wanted to do
with a buggy.
BY Thursday evening Ananias Slime
was %shivering with nervous dread. he
had a feeling that in some way or 9TH
er his elopement would be frustrated
Time and again be had found the Wild
Nv Rowells wits could Outmatch his
own. but so far as he knew not a soul
was aware Of the approaching a
rage w the prospective bride, the
minister and himself.
Ananias ate scarcely any supper, al
though Mrs. Rowell had prepared his
favorite dish of oyster stew. She sat
o~~4osk~ hS~o md hlisrSnd k,nn 0v0Q Af
him until he gulped down a huge cup
Of scalding hot tea and bolted away
from the table.
Little dear" murmured the widow
with a strange smile on her face.
Ananias locked himself into his room
and made an elaborate IL hasty toilet.
After many maneuvers he let himself
out and managed to escape by the back
hall door. There al no sign OF the
widow. and he hoped she had gone to
call upon one Of her cronies. 1t would
be i'll luck indeed II she had taken 1t
into her head to call upon EN- Bevis.
though the two rivals not the
best Of friends since Ananias came be-
tween them.
Still, the Widow ROwell was apt to
do the most banning things.
Ananias hurried to Riddles stables
and climbed into the buggy which a
grinning negro had prepared for him.
He drove rapidly out Of the yard. near
" losing a wheel in the turn. for he
was not q skillful driver.
Ounce Harbor folks are inquisitive
and prone to mind each others bust
ness to q most annoying degree: there
fore It had been decided that Em Be-
Wis was to wait for Ananias In Whip
poorwili lane by the brook. he would
catch her up into the vehicle. and away
they would go to Big Harbor.
Whippoorwill lane was there. and so
was Em Bevis, for Ananlas recognized
the white veil she was to wear about
her uncovered head.
He pressed her hand and received a
tender pressure In return. After that
they rode In silence through the woods
toward Big Harbor.
At last they reached the main street
Of Big Harbor. and the sorrel horse
chose to gallop madly until Ananias.
saving at the reins. managed to bring
him to a stop before the gate of the
parsonage.
"Belay there" yelled the little ex.
sailor angrily Just Is the minister
opened the front door and stepped into
the porch to meet them.
The prospective bride got out unaid-
ed while Ananias was tying the sorrel
horse and she was inside the house by
the time Ananias had reached the gate.
When Ananias Slime reached the par
lor. where stood the beaming clergy
man and his smiling wife and a couple
of servants for witnesses, he stood in
the doorway aghast at the sight that
met his amazed eyes. The bride was
there-a bride was there, indeed, but
not the one he had so carefully chosen!
Standing there In the modest splendOr
Of a gray satin dress hurriedly gar
nished with white lace and punches Of
artificial orange blossoms was the
Widow-Rowell!
EN- Bevis was nowhere to be seen.
Somehow be had been tricked by
the artful widow whom he had at first
courted, only to leave when q better
chance presented itself. Surely retri-
button "a close upon the heels Of
Ananias Slime!
I'VE are waiting, Mr.. Slime" remind
ed Mr.. Twigg. smiling benevolently.
Dear Ananias!" cooed Hetty Rowell.
fixing her agate colored eyes upon
him.
Ananias moved forward mechanical
~. There seemed nothing else to do.
Things were hideously mixed and a
bitter fate seemed to have driven him
straight into the arms Of the Widow
Rowell. He felt that she had outwit-
ted him again-never more would he
try to get the best Of her. He would
admit defeat. As for EN- Bevis. what
could he do about it now without
creating a scandal that would shake
the three villages to the core?
Nothing:
So .An'nii> went forward and was