Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1918-01-03

rail- renee at the back OF his garden
and had muse with himself:
Darn fine woman; darn fine!" he
began.
Cup with the lark in the morning,
and working like beaver all day.
makes the best hot biscuits and
custard pie of any woman in Stone
county,
The widower pulled silver from
the rail and chewed at it for a while
and then continued:
'Hezeikak, you want wife. You
are slow old poke and you want
some one to hustle you up. You haven't
made dollar in five years and you
won't in the next five unless some
body gets you out of bed before the
dew is off the grass.
II can't say that am so madly in
love with the Widow Blackwell as to
want to jump over precipice for her
sake, providing there was precipice
within fifty miles of here, nor to drown
myself in lake, providing there was
anything bigger than a duck-pond
within days walk of Berea.
81 like and admire her mighty dang
we'll, however, and if ] can get her
feeling the same way toward me love
will come, and so will matrimony.
Hezeikak, you have got to do little
conspiring."
Hezeikak kept up this thinking for
a long week and then finally got a
plot. He went over to the widow one
morning and asked: "Widow Black
well, did you hear any strange noises
around last night?"
mo, / don't think did," was the
reply.
"Some one was sure sneaking around
our place last night" he continued. 81
have found my spade and hoe gone
this morning. Have you missed any
of your tools?"
"Why, no. But let me see? Yes, the
ak and the long-handled shovel are
gone. There surely must have been
thief around here last night"
II not only heard him, but saw
him." said Hezeiakak in very solemn
tones. "From the back door I saw
him jump the garden fence, but
didn't yell at him for fear Of arousing
you"
my stars! How dare thief come
around here?"
widow, there are more thieves
around Berea than any other town In
the state-and far worse than
thieves"
what do you mean?" she gasped.
II mean robbers-burglars! / might
as well tell you the honest truth. It
is dangerous for widow to live alone
in this town. I should have told you
so the day we first met. but you had
bought the place and it was no use to
say anything to skeer you. And so
figured that could take care of us
both. ! have been doing that right
along, but last night they got the bet
ter of me-"
Mr.. Williams" said the widow in
anxious tones. "do you mean to tell
me that am in danger of robbers and
burglars?"
'Not with me around" he replied,
unless l sleep sounder than you do
shall be up and down a dozen times
through the night, and the next fell
low that appears will find me and my
gun handy. If you have reason to
believe that some unhung villain is
prowling around don't take the
chances of going to door or win
dow. You can be sure that Hezeikak
Williams is on deck looking out for
the unprotected"
The Widow Blackwell bought fifty
chickens and half of them were stolen
within month. She bought pig,
and but for its own sharp squeals 1t
would have been lifted from the pen
and carried off. On several nights
after midnight her COW was MIXED
dry by the marauder. Some one stole
her washtub and boiler and even car
ried off the family mop from the
wOodshed.
There was a secret which the widow
had not confided to Hezeikak, and
that was that she also was the owner
of shotgun left her by her late la
mented. When the thefts continued
and Hezeikak failed to bring down
any game, she loaded that gun with
fine birdshot and for three nights run
ming she sat by her bedroom window
with the deadly weapon across her
knees. On the third night she saw a
man moving about her grounds, and
without giving any warning she aimed
in his direction and pulled the trig-
ger.
The report of the gun was quelled
by yells, which she recognized as the
private property of Hezeikak Will
liams. Two minutes later she was
kneeling beside him. He was not dead
but his plot was. He had conspired
with himself to make her believe that
Il husband was badly needed around
her house for her protection He own
ed up to it like man, and after tax.
ing the matter under consideration