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

A Widow 5
Birdshot
Ngse@
By c. B. Levi.
By c. B. Levi.


copyright, 1917, by TIA Mcclure Newspa-
per Sylaecate)
One summers afternoon a woman
sat at a country crossroads. She had
been there about fifteen minutes. Had
she been man there is no telling
what she would have said, but being
a woman, and a widow at that, she
had to be content with saying:
t'Drat such a neighborhood to
goshen"
Half mile away on the lowland
was farmers wife chasing a 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
far away. But the widow was shaking
her face at the horse and getting
ready to tell him what she thought of
a crossroads without guidepost when
a man driving horse and buggy APP
,peared half mile down the Hillsdale
road.
It was Hezeikak, widower, and ne
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 horsef1y. 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
he was twenty rods away, she NUT
tered: 5sA
.'He looks like half fool, but may
be he knows enough to answer a plain
question: - .,.. g..
"Whoa!" exclaimed Hezeikak, as he
came opposite. Are you waiting here
for anybody"
II should think | was!' snapped the
widow. II 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 a ,guidepost at
these crossroads"
Madam, my name is Hezeikak Will
liams," said the man as he approached
her horse and brought his hand down
upon his neck with vigorous swat
and killed horsefly.
"And mine is Sarah Blackwell, but
what has that got to do with it?"
SWELL, madam, am widower, you
see."
"And I am a widow, but that isn't
answering my question as to why
there isn't budapest here to direct
strangers. 1t seems to be the most
shiftless county in the state"
''The county is all right" he smiled.
II have been living here more than
twenty years, and vow have nailed
a new guidepost up here every year."
But what has become of them?"
was her irritable demand. Are you
going to tell me that this horse look.
ing over the fence has eaten them up
as fast as planted?"
mo, ma'am, amt. They are pulled
up by the roots whenever young
man around here gets hilarious and
goes buggy riding with his girl. If
there was guidepost here, which we
fboth can see there amt, what town
would you look for?"
"Why, Berea, of course"
"Oh, Lord, woman, Berea has been
in front of your nose and only three
miles away all the time you have been
sitting here. So you are going to Be-
rea, Ell? I have lived there myself
since it was town of four hundred
people, and if you follow me you won't
lose youa. way. heard the other day
hat Vwoman from Ryefield was think
ng Of buying the Clixton place. 1t
lon't happen by any chance that you
ire the woman?"
"Yes, it happens by good many
..hances that am. I have bought
he 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, and
while the widow went about closing
the transaction, and making ready to
move over from Ryefeld the following
5S'eek, Hezeikak turned his old horse
ito the pasture and went in to sup.
Der to astonish his housekeeper by say
ag:
well, Betsy, have seen my second
wife this afternoon"
WAS that the woman driving the
buggy behind yours as you came
along?"
THAT'S the one. How did you like
looks?"
i don't know whether she will ever
your second wife or not. / don't
nix 1T will be for you to have all
4 say about it." Il.
When the widow arrived next week
h her household effects, she found
zeikak had done something for her
ich he had never done for himself.
had moved the grass in the front
f.1f dorp n tho rpoo6v ond h,,r