Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-04-25

Caleb Henderson and the widow City,
mer might never have been heard of
but for an old red bull that got loose
on the highway one day and entered
the widows gate and drove her up a
| cherry tree and frightened her so that
she had headaches for a week after.
! She was rescued after while. by
| Caleb. who was her hired man, and had
! been for year.
The bull was game, and he knocked
over a barrel of soft soap, smashed in
the smokehOuse door and uproOted
seven currant bushes, but he had to
go. Up to this hour there had been
no feeling of love between hired man
and widow. He, was twenty-five years
old and she ten years older. She owned
nice farm, and he wasn't worth a
hundred dollars, but he had done no
scheming.
1t was after the defeated and crest
fallen bull had departed and the widow
had dropped from her perch to the
ground with thud that love came to
both hearts at one and the same mo-
ment Cupid gave double dose with
out extra charge. There was an en-
gagement, and there was talk of hav-
ing the marriage come off along about
Christmas, this being early summer
For two months Caleb Henderson
was a happy man, and was proud over
the congratulations he received. It
was generally said that the widow was
little old for him, but it was always
added that it was nice farm and we'll
stocked. In the midst Of his great hap
piness trouble descended. Caleb was
mending a fence one day when two
young ladies from the summer hotel a
mile away came wandering over the
field after daisies. They made for the
hired man, and although he was rather
bashful he stood his ground. He had
never been close to angels before. He
was as red as a beet and hopping his
brow within three minutes. The girls
saw how it was with him, and they set
out to jolly and josh.
They were from the city. but they
despised city men. When they married
it would be some honest, Woodworking
farmer They did not demand style
nor too much education In place of 1t
they would have honest, enduring love.
Caleb had large hands and feet. So
had George Washington. Caleb had
freckles and his ears stood out. Wasn't
that the way with Thomas Jefferson?
Caleb shouldn't throw his love and his
life away on country woman. There
were hundreds of rich women who
would just scramble to get. him If it
were known that he was in market.
Caleb Henderson was flattered till
his brain whirled. The handsomer OF
the two girls made an appointment to
meet him at the same blackberry
patch at the same hour next day, and
when he went to the house to supper
he looked so queer and acted so abb
sent-minded that the Widow Clymer
remarked:
Caleb, you may be going to come
down with fever. | guess Ia better
make you some smartweed tea
"Oh, I'm all right was the reply.
"None O. your family ever had fits,
did they?"
"Of course not"
"See any blacksnakes today and get
shock?"
"Noap."
Caleb braced up and tried to shake
off suspicious, but when the widow
slipped out to the barnyard after sup
COW on the wrong side she said TO her
self:
81 can't tell what it is, but some
things going to happen. That young
man is either going to be sick, or else
something has happened today to put
a new kink in his brain. I'll keep an
eye on him for little while"
There were but few guests at the