The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-04-23
0Cult than bis previous ones.

1cult than his previous "IcS.
III you'd like to have !: home q your
OWE 'thOut payin' rent. you've only
got to say the word an I'll make you
Mis- Baxter" said the deacon.
'"There'll be nobody to Interfere with
you, an a handsome legacy If | die
first, for none O. my few savin's Is go
In to my daughters. ! can promise
you that"
The deacon threw out this tempting:
bait advisedly, for at this moment, H.
would have poured his hoard into the
lap Of any woman who would help
him to avenge his fancied wrongs.
This was information indeed. The
."few savings" alluded to amounted to
some thousands, Jane Tillman knew.
Had she not better burn her ships be-
hind her, take the risks and have faith
in her own powers? She was getting
along in years. and her charms Of per
BOZ were %lessening with every day that
passed over her head. If the deacon's
queer ways grew too queer. she
thought. an appeal to the doctor and
the minister might provide a way Of
escape and a neat little income to boot.
So. on the whole. the marriage, though
much against her natural inclinations.
seemed to be pr%ovidentially arranged.
II Jane TiIlman became Mrs. Baxter
she intended to get the whip hand and
keep it, but nothing was further from
her intention than to make the deacon
miserable if she could help 1t. That
was not her disposition. and so, when
the deluded man left her house, he had
made more concessions in a single
hour than In all the former years of
his life.
His future spouse was to write out a
little paper for his signature: just a
friendly little paper to be kept quite
private and confidential between them
selves, stating that she was to do no
work outSid" of The house; that her
pension was to be her own: that h
was to have 81 in cash on the first of
every month in lieu Of ages and that
in cast of his death occurring first she
was to have Il third Of his estate, and
the whole Of it if at the time Of his
deccase he was still pleased with his
bargain. The only points in this cOn-
tract that tn" deacon really under
stood were that he was paying only 81
a month for Il ~housekeeper to whom a
Judge had offered $40: that. as he had
expected to pay at least So. he could
get a boy for the remaining So. and
so be none the worse in pocket: also.
that if he could keep his daughters
from getting his money. he didn't care
q hang who had 1t. as be hated the
whole human race with entire impair
uality. If Jane Tillman didn't behave
herself he had pleasing visions Of con-
verting nos Of his fortune into cash
and having it dropped of the bridge
some dark night. when the doctor had
given him up and proved to his salts
faction that death would occur in the
near future.
All this being tremendously settled.
the deacon drove away and caused
the announcement of his immediate
marriage to be posted directly below
that of Waitstill and Ivory BOyntOn.
A spite match" the community in
general called the deaCOn'S marriage.
and many Il man and many a woman.
too, regarding the amazing publishing
notice in the frame up At the meeting
house. felt that in Jane Tillman Dea-
con Baxter had met his Waterloo.