The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-10-28


pap?"
mo, | hain't," he replied. I'm goin'
to town to ask the Wilder Ludden to
marry me-"
awful sudden, isn't it?''
YES, pretty sudden"
The Widow Ludden was not wealthy
but she had enough to get along with.
She was peeling potatoes at the kitch-
en- door when she saw him drive up.
She noticed that he looked rather
spruce and wondered what business
could have brought him there. She
soon found out. The deacon came
around the house. and after few re-
marks about the dry weather and the
later bugs he blurted out:
"Widder, hit a stone with the pint
of my scythe this afternoon and broke
the darned old tool beyond repair. At
the minute l hit the stone l thought
of you Rather curious. don't you
Think"
Eyes, it was rather odd" replied the
widow.
81 kinder took it that it was the hand
of Providence. You see, wilder, you
are alone in the world, and so am l."
Yes" sighed the widow.
"How much better it would be If we
were together instead of apart!'
deacon Bradley. that sounds to me
| like an offer of marriage. but surely
| YOU don't mean it SOP
"Darned if l don'tw was the excla
nation. She dropped potato.
"Well," said the widow as she re
gained the potato, you might as wei
get into your buggy and drive back
home and forget all about the hand Of
Providence. don't believe that Prov
idence works that way"
"Waal. maybe she don't" mutteret
the deacon, and he walked out to thu
street and climbed into his vehicle ant
rode off home.
When the deacon had called five o
six times more the Widow Luddel
spoke to the constable about it ant
complained that the deacon was an
noying her. The constable warned tn
deacon to haul off the chase, but re
ceived the reply:
II am dom nothin agin the law.
want to marry the widder and l al
dom my best to win her.
At length he took to calling nights
that is, he walked up and down l
/ front of the house and even in tn
garden. OF course, all this provoke
gossip, and the widow got so angr
about it that she had him brought b'
fore the Justice of the peace for NAL
ing a nuisance of himself When tn
Justice had heard both sides OF tn
story he said:
INV friends, don't like to make
court case out of this. Deacon Brat
lev. do you think it is fair to ammo
Mrs. Ludden in this way?'
Land o love. iedge. but wouidn
annoy her for the world was the II
DIV. "Why. Id have my right han
cut off afore I'd do any SIGH thing. 81
don't seem to understand how much
love her"
"Widow," said the judge as he turl
ed to her. Ibid the deacon ever coul
you?"
NO. sir" was the reply. HE can
in slambang and said he ought
marry"
lie did. eh? That's no way to wi
a woman. If he had come counting
the regular way. as | and most me
: had 10 court would you have locke
upon him with more favor?'
The widow unused for moment an
then replied:
Gle never even squoze my hand.
But I wanted to bad enough ha
shouted the deacon. Il wanted
squeeze and squeeze and squeeze, b.
I didn't have the spunk. If the Wilde
will let me begin over agin'-
deacon Bradley" said the judg
you are an honest, upright man. Yc
are well off. You are lonely. III
only trouble with you is that you don
know how to court a woman"
4 And then he turned to the widow ar
said
"Widow Ludden, 1t seems that Il
deacon is a little slow, but am SAT-
fed that he loves you and will NAL
YOU a good husband Why don't yt
two try it all over again and see If yc
can't come out all rightT
The two left the judges office
company, and that very night they b
gan all over again. and in less than
u -, 4h.ro vxaS n welding and n
Justice said to himself:
y "The law may be mighty goi
thing. but common sense is heap be
ter"