The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1915-04-16
Prudence and
Zubed.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Ey NJ. QUAD.

met at Speltl = SCHOOL ana were 1u1-
pressed witt zach other Zabed would
have married her If the Widow Pen
rose hadn't mixed In. She wanted the
young man for herself, and in awe
some whispers she impaired the infor-
nation that Prudence Smith was
knockkneed and would never be able
TO stand at washtub or run up and
down the cellar stairs The young man
was at once impressed. he ceased to
spark Prudence on Sunday nights and
assure her that he longed. TO jump
over precipices for her sake, and OF
course she resented It She went about
with her chin in the air and asked for
no explanations. and so relations were
strained for many long months. Then
Zabed's mother found out what was
the matter with him and set him
right. The widow had lied. Zabed
made it up with the girl. The doves
came back a-ain and turtled, new
date was s.; FOR the marriage. and
Farmer Smit. reached out his horny
hand for al and said:
"Zabed, o. an your buttons. you re
gittin' the roal thing, and you orter
be the happiest man in Woodchuck
county"
Zabed was for about two weeks.
Then Deacon Gray. who was a widow
er and wanted Prudence for his second
wife, gave mp some information about
Zabed. When he had sworn her to the
most awful secrecy he confessed that
the young man had live frog in his
stomach and would probably go mad
within two years and cut the throat of
his wife if he had one. The frog had
jumped down Zabed's throat one day
when he was drinking from the horse
pond, and, though thousands of in
ducements had been held out to him.
nothing could prevail upon him &c
jump out
Well, where is the young girl, nc
matter how her heart turks with love
who is going TO marry young man
with a live and growing frog in his
stomach? She can't be found She
wasn't found in this case. Prudence
Smith cooled off on Zabed Winters,
and he went about with his chin in
the air and was too proud to ask for
an explanation. 1t was a year before
one came. Then a lightning rod man
stayed overnight at Smiths, and after
tn fo a
Seeing he was posted on the subjev.-
Prudence made bold to ask him If he
had ever heard of a frog taking up in
side quarters, and he answered that
such a thing was absolutely impossi
bic and beyond belief Zabed Winters
had probably swallowed a small fiah
and the fish might be growing, but II
left alone he could IN time be fshed
for and CAUGHT That settled the frog
question. and Xabed was invited to
come around and make IN. lie got
hustle on him. and the turtledoves
sang soft ard low, a new Gate was az,
pointed. ard Farmer Smith stoppe,
chopping weed long enough to extend
q hand and say:
''Zabed vou gol burned lido, oun
you know when you've got COCO
thing? Don't fool around any more
Zabed didn't want to, but before il
had been decided which minister
should marry them old Mrs Snyder
struck his trail She was too old to
marry, but not too old to utter warn
ING for the benefit Of young man
who had put in a day hoeing her gar
den and refused TO take pay for it.
She told him right straight out that
engine, that she had six toes on her
right foot and only four on her left
that she had had ST. yitus' dance when
baby and that it was sure TO come
back on her some day. 1t might not be
year after marriage that Zabed
would come up from the cornield
some afternoon and find her dancing
all around the dooryard and kicking as
high rs n fence. That settled Zabed.
He wanted Prudence. but he didn't
want dancing dervish. More cold
ness, more strained relations. 1t was a
full year before old Mrs. Snyder was
proved a liar, and 1t took three months
longer TO make up and set another
date. Things had run Aoothly to
within fortnight of the4 when a
tin peddler came along and bought a
sheepskin Of Zabed and then told him
that Prudence Smith was deaf in the
right ear, nearsighted In both eyes and
would be tongue tied before she was
two years older. Zabed hadn't noticed
the deafness or blindness, but he be-
lieved in tin peddlers and at once grew
frigid. Result another year lost
Fate was still in the game, however,
and when everybody. including the
two principals. had made up their
minds that here would be no marriage
she came loafing around TO do her
duty. Farmer Smith and his daughter
were in the village one day buying
calico and brown sugar when Zabed
Winters appeared. He had eggs 20 sell
for hickory shifting. The lovers were
brought face 10 face. but they didn't
speak. They thought Of frogs and st.
Vitus' dance and six toed feet and
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