The Wahpeton times., 1917-12-27
Widow :; 5
Bndshot
By c. B. Levi.
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copyright, 1917. by the Mcclure Newspa.
per Syndicate.)
! One summers afternoon woman
sat at country crossroads. She had
been there about fifteen minutes. Had
.she been n man there is no telling
what she would have said, but being
woman, and a widow at that, she
had to be content with saying:
"Drat such neighborhood to
lxoshen'."
Half mile away on the lowland
was farmers wife chasing goose,
while on the left hand, looking over
the roadside fence with one eye half
closed, was an old lame horse. The
farmers wife and the goose were too
fur away. But the widow was shaking
her face ut the horse and getting
ready to tell him what she thought of
crossroads without gui.lepost when
man driving horse and buggy ap-
peared half mile down the Hillsdale
road.
1t was Hezeikak, widower. and he
was in no hurry to get married again.
Neither was his aged equine in a
hurry. To prove that he wasn't, he
stopped every two or three minutes to
see If he could reach horsefly. These
sudden stoppings threatened to send
the driver over the dashboard. but
they did not break the tune he was
whistling.
Nearer and nearer the crossroads
came Hezekiak with his ancient rig
as the widow watched him. and while
lie was twenty rods away, she NUT
tered:
'He looks like half fool. but may
be he knows enough to answer plain
question"
"Whoa!" exclaimed Hezeikak, as he
came opposite. "Are you waiting here
for anybody?"
II should think wasl" snapped the
widow. Il have been waiting about
two hours for some one to come along
and tell me in the name of old Aunt
Hammer why there isn't guidepost at
these crossroads"
''Madam. my name is Hezeikak Will
Hams" said the man as he approached
her horse and brought his hand down
upon his neck with vigorous swat
and killed horsefy.
"And mine is Sarah Blackwell, but
what has that got to do with it?"
swell, madam, I am q widOwer, you
see."
"And I am a widow, but that isn't
answering my question us to why
there isn't guidepost here to direct
strangers. 1t se9ms to be the most
shiftless county in the state"
'Tbe county is all right" he smiled.
II have been living here more than
twenty years, and l vow I have nailed
a new guidcpost up here every year"
"But what has become of them?"
was her irritable denand. "Are you
going to tell me that this horse look.
Ing over the fence has eaten them uo
as fast as planted7"
'No, ma'am, ain't. They are pulle.l
up by the roots whenever yo,ln:
man around here gets hilarious an
goes buggy riding with his girl. Il
there was IL guidepost here, which We
both can see there amt, what tOv u
would you look for?"
"Why, Bcrea, of course"
"Oh, Lord, woman. Berea has BETS
In front Of your nose and only thrv,.
miles away all the time you have benn
sitting here. So you are going to Bx.
rea, eh? have lived there mysuf
since it was u town of four hundrSIl
people, and if you follow me you WORT
lose your way. heard the other d.y
that a woman from Ryefield was thi1iR.
ing of buying the Clixton place. It
don't happen by any chance that y.,u
are the wUman?"
chances that l am. have bought
the place and am now ON my way over
for it,
"Shoo! That's right next door to
me, and am glad of it,
1t is needless to say that in due
time both safely arrived in Berea, aud
while the widow went about closing
the transaction. and making ready to
move over from Ryefield the following
week, iezeikak turned his old horse
into the pasture and went In to sup
per to astonish his housekeeper by sly
ing:
swell. Betsy. I have seen my seco al
wife this afternoon"
''Was that the woman driving the
buggy behind yoNra a. YOU came
along?"
"That's the oaa. Hsv did you like
her looks?"
II don't know whether she will eyer
be your second wife or not. I don't
think it will be for you to have all
the say about It,"
When the widow arrived next week
with her household effects. she found
Hezeikak had done something for her
which he had never done for himself.
He had moved the grass in the fr,nt
yard, cut down all the weeds and bar.
docks and thereby made great an
provement around the place. He vas
also on hand when the goods arrived
to help unload and carry them In.
When the widow arrived she vas