The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-06-14
A YOUNG MANS
SCHEME
By NJ. QUAD
By NJ. QUAD
Copyright. 1918, by Associated Lit
-erary Press.


The young man who uttered the
words was at work in the field. and he
Strengthened up to rest his weary back
and mutter:
"And I'll make her love me before
I'm through with her! She may think
don't amount to shucks. but all
want Is chance to prove that l do.
Durn farm work! Durn widders! Durn
love! Durn everything!'
He kicked the fence to show his dis
gust and YEARLY resumed work. Ebe-
nezer Schermerhorn. hired man. was
In love with the Widow Tompkias,
whose farm adjoned that Of his boss
on the west Ebenezer was twenty
four years old. plain of face and un-
calmly of form and without hundred
dollars worth of property.
One evening as he dropped in to see
the widow about borrowing some farm
implement next day he found her read
ing love story. She read few chap
tiers to him and afterward acknowl.
edged that she had always been ro-
lila lt1C anu tAul IL SuC cNCT lldl leu
again it would be to hero
The farmers hired man didn't rush
right off that night and try to be a hero,
but sat down and did some thinking.
Three or four days after Ebenezer's
thinking bee a tramp came along the
road and seeing the Young man hoelng
corn just over the fence. halted for a
word or wo. Ordinarily Ebenezer
would have leaped the fence and run
the wayfarer half a mile. but on this
occasion he invited him over to the
corn and sat down with him for con-
fdential conversation. The result Of
that conversation was that at
o'clock that evening the tramp appear
ed before the Widow Tompkins and
made threats of what he would do If
she didn't set out victuals. hunt up old
clothes and come down with a dollar
in cash.
Ebenezer was not far away-just far
enough to come running up and knock
the tramp head over heels and rescue
the widow. But as he started to come
running he fell down and got tangled
up with the bushes, and before he
could get away the widow had broom
sticked the tramp into fight. She
didn't say she was glad that the would
| be hero was so near ut hand. What
she did say was that she wasn't afraid
| Of any tramp walking the roads.
Ebenezer's first try was a failure
but within fortnight he was ready
for another Two or three farmhouses
in the township had been robbed. and
this fact became the basis for his sec
ond plan. One night at midnight he
left bis bed, descended to earth by
way Of window. and, armed with g
club. he became guard for the wild
ow's house. He circled around it ant
patrolled the garden and the orchard
and he felt that he would give veal
Of his life II robber would appear
He would first fell him and then arOus,
the house. and when the widow cam'
to know that he had been guarding he
for love her heart would melt towart
him.
But no robber came Instead Of tina
his footsteps awoke the widow, and
peering out she saw some one walking
about. and she got shotgun and raise'
window and blazed away. The gul
was loaded with bird shot to shoe
hawks that might, come swooping dow
on chickens. but in this case they an
swered just as well for man. Eben
eZer received about twenty Of then
and ran two miles to a doctor to hav
them picked out. He also had va
cation from work for week undo
the excuse that he had sprained hi
back turning over in bed.
Ninety nine out of every hundre
would be heroes would have given u
right here. but Ebenezer was a ma
to hang on 1t was while he was linn
ing around on his vacation and dom
a lot Of standing up and wanderin
over the fields that he came upon tn
widow fishing in the river at a certai
point He did not show himself. bu
fifty feet from where she sat under
: tree he discovered bumblebees' mes
| in the grass. 1t was large and III
eral nest, and 1t gave him though
The bees wouldn't bother anybody S
long as they were let alone. II stirre
up they would look for meat.
There was a haystack not far ava,
= and Ebenezer had matches In h
r pocket He retired behind the STAG
+, and collected hatful Of stones frol
: the plowed land. These he threw OF
: by one at the spot where the be-
p were pursuing the even tenor Of the
ways. The plot thickened. You ca
thicken a bumblebee plot in vel
short time. All you've got to do is
tread on their coattails. When the 1
!. sects found the rocks dropping on the
heads they swarmed, out of the gra
to look for the enemy. They shou
have seen the widow and descend'
upon her. and at her first shrek Z
e enezer would come charging dow
with wisp Of lighted hay in eth
e hand. But things went wrong. T.
e bees then went for him alone. TIL
ran him up and down the haystac
!. they ran him over fences and bac
:. they ran him across lots and in circle
and when they finally left him and
e fell down the widow came forward al
e asked:
IS But why were you such fool?"
e Because | want you to marry me
b he groaned In reply. And you SO
If you would marry hero. l thought
~ bees would attack you and could RI
in and save you"
:, why. you great idiot! I've be
d ready to say yes any day for the ID
three mouths"