Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1916-06-23
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.


his bald pate trying to find a soft spot.
I took Off my hat and sat down and
famed away the insects. After about
five minutes and with a lonesome
smile on his face the man woke up
and whispered:
"Oh, mother, that is so nicer
"But l am not your MOTHER" I re-
piled.
Then who are you?"
II am only the widow Brixs, SIR"
"And what do you want here?'
II want to see your WIFE"
But you can't unless you can fly.
Her soul passed into the beyond about
three years ago, and since then / have
had to go it alone"
After look around and seeing the
dirt and dust and cobwebs and con-
fusion that prevailed said:
"You seem to have made hard work
of it going it alone"
Eyes, it's little tough to be with
out wife when you have had one for
twenty years. 1 do my own cooking,
washing, mending and bedmaking."
'This Is a tavern, and what about
the travelers?' queried
"Oh, there are no travellers but me,
and don't travel very much except in
my dreams. All the travellers go to
Mrs. Carson's boarding house. and
am rather glad of it, as my style of
cooking might bring about tragedy"
"Mebbe you want to bust up Mrs.
Carson's boarding house?" answered.
But how will / do itY' he asked,
with a little animation in his voice.
"yes, believe l would like to bust up
her house, because 1 have asked her
three times to marry me. and three
times she has throwed me down.
IF you will hire me I'll bust her
boarding house within a month";" 1
said.
"Lordy me! But how would you do
it?" he exclaimed.
Il should begin by busting, mop
ping, washing windows and making
this old pigpen look like a first class
hotel at Newport presume there is
weeks work In the kitchen setting
things to rights. but I am a worker.
When 1 got things cleaned up should
want you to buy some provisions and
see that the word went around that
the Paradise was ready to entertain
all patrons on a scale of unexampled
magnificence."
"Great Caesar! he whispered as he
held up his hand. "Say, gal, you are a
wonder! What. about wages?"
"You are too poor to pay any wages
for the first month at least"
"Doggone me If 1 amt, but I'll tell
you what TN do, and I never broke
my word yet5to man. woman or tele-
graph pole. If you will work for a
month and get things shipshape will
marry you-yes, by gosh, I'll marry
you! That win be better than wages"
"But 1 shall have something to say
about that" replied as rose up.
1t was three days before the news
got around in Jackson's Hollow that
a new move was on foot at the Para
disc hotel The idlers dropped in to
the number of twenty or more, and
when they saw me flying from room
to room with broom and mop they had
many compliments for me. In fact,
more than a dozen of them offered me
their hands and hearts in marriage.
In each case Ireplied that was high
ly fiattered, but had no time to fool
away.
It win surprise you to learn that in
months time the old shebang was
doing a good tavern business, and Mrs.
Carson's boarding house was almost
deserted.
When the month was a little more
than up the landlord came to me as ]
was frying pancakes for the break
fast of a dry goods drummer and said;
Matilda. what about our gettin'
marriedY
told him to go away until had
fried six or eight more pancakes and
thought the matter over, and the re-
suit was that we were married that
evening, and forty-nine lovers and
travellers kissed the blushing bride
All went as happy as the pig in the pc
tatO patch for a week or more, and
lH6n my HuSUduU CdlllC AllIO Tue hAlCh
en- one day and found me using kero
sene to hurry up the fire. With an i'm
pulse, which was very creditable II
him, he reached out and cuffed me OF
the ear. That ear tingles yet, al
though many years have passed since
/ got the cuff. He. lodged the stove lie
which l threw at him, and half al
hour later he was as dead as Hanni
bal the Great He had died while sit
ting in his chair. He had used toC
much energy in cutting me and ha(
burst blood vessel. called in doc
tor.
would it surprise you to learn tina
your husband is dead2" he asked O
me after he had paved around TO
awhile.
mot Bit" l replied. HE was To-
good for this world anyhow"