The Press., 1915-01-13
ANANIAS
 ELOPES His Tale of Woe
By CLARISSA MACKIE


 Ananias Slime had at last made u his mind. Of all the desirable widow and spinsters in Quince Harbor non' seemed so attractive as Mrs. Elm Bevis who was the proprietor of the Quinc
 Harbor dry goods store. If any on had remotely suggested to Ananias tha the profitable little business had en hanced the charms of the Widow Be wis in his middle aged eyes he woul' have laughed one to scorn. Still, being half proprietor of a dry goods busi ness was infinitely better than bein, porter in village bank. Any ont would admit that!
 When he put the question to Mrs Bevis it was noontime and her two rosy checked clerks had gone home to din ner. Ananias had assured himself tha they two were alone, and he hat promptly possessed himself of the wid ow's generous hand and told her tn, story of his lonely life and his longin: for a home. provided she would pre- side over it.
 "Oh, Ananias," she simpered. q nev CT dreamed-I never thought-oh!' sh' shrieked as Ananias imprinted a kiss on her work worn hand.
 That evening Ananias called upol her and discussed their early marriage
 "There's only one obstacle to a fancy wedding" said Ananias when Elm Be wis had outlined plan for the cere mony to take place in the Baptist church. with her little niece as flower girl and white satin ribbons festooned from the tops of the pews.
 And that is?'' asked Elm in dis appointed tone.
 My landlady."
 ''Hetty Rowell? My land, you ain't engaged to her. he you?' inquired the widow sharply.
 Not If I know it." said Ananias eau tiously. "but somehow I never know where I stand with Widow Powell, Elm. I swan I never proposed mar riage to her in my life, but half the time she talks like she was engaged to mei I wish we could be married in a few days" added Ananias.
 'But what's your hurry?" protested Elm. I'd like chance to make some wedding clothes and get readyw
 ''I know it, my love" cooed Ananias In her ear. "but l am afraid of the Widow Rowell. Great blizzards. am talk in my sleep, you know, What If she should hear me saying some thing about you. It would be all up In the airy
 By the time Ananias went home he had persuaded his fiancee that she could select q very presentable trOus- seau from the stock of her own de partment store: so. relieved of this momentOus question, Elm agreed to elOpe with Ananias on the following Thursday. and Ananias wrote note to the Rev. Josiah Twigg apprising him of the coming event and asking him to consider the matter as entirely con- tidential.
 That night Ananias let himself into his boarding place and tiptoed up to his room with unusual caution. One never knew when the Widow Powell would bounce out. And one never knew in what part of the house she was seeking nights repose She had a pleasantly careless custom of taking prospective guests through her spa cious old house and permitting them to choose whatever room suited the mo- ment's fancy. provided it was disen- gagged. As for herself, she slept around n dinfo ta6 fuh @ho front chamber appealed to her. for she loved to hear the roar of the waves on the beach; the next night it might be small hall room for the moment unoc- pied that would tickle her restless i'm pulse.
 What Ananias did not know was that on this particular evening the widow had been approached by the proprietor of the Quince Harbor hotel and asked to accommodate a half dog en guests for whom he could find no room until the following day. Mrs. Powell sweetly assented and gathered up her own belongings and carried them into a tiny room next to the room of Ananias Slime. Here she dropped
 
 fortable cot and slept.
 The sound of the softly closed front door aroused her. If that was Ananias Slime tiptoeing in at such a late hour she would have a serious talk with him in the morning. Either he had been courting-and that was not to be allowed, for Hetty Powell felt that she had prior right to the affections of MT. Sline-or he had been to lodge meeting. and as 1t wasn't lodge night why. he must have been courting! So there the widows logical mind calcu- lated the matter. as we know, quite 
 She dozed ofr to sleep again and awoke to the resounding snores of MT. Slime in the next room.
 ".Drat himw she muttered. turning over. But she could not sleep again. She got to thinking about Ananias and where he had spent the evening. and she decided that 1t was Elm Bevis who had captured him.
 She was convinced of it when Ana nias ceased snoring and fell to talking. HIS WdS HIS ndDlL when the Qdy 0du been an exciting one.
 "Ahem-' babbled Ananias. "Ahem. next Thursday evening at 8 o'clock! My dear MT. Twigg, would you per-, form most interesting service for me? Of course l shall wear a white How CT in my coat-ahem! I'm not siree. I, Ananias, take thee, Elm Beyis-nO; that's not right. Elm Emma-Or Emmaline-ahr' MT. Slime resOrted to snoring once more, and the widow, now thoroughly iwake to the perfidy of her star board sr, sat up in bed and fell to planning
 When the Widow Rowell fell to plan. things usually happened.
 For an entire week she watched and waited and listened and peeked and ,ried. and when Thursday evening irew around she was possessed in 'ome mysterious manner of most of he details of the approaching elope- nent She knew that Hep Riddles ,upgv had boen enpaped and that Her,