The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1918-01-25
A Widow; S
Bmdshot
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By c. B. Lewis
By c. B. Lewis


Copyright, 1917. by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate)
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
woman, and a widow at that, she
had to be content with saying:
''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 a guidepost when
a man driving horse and buggy ap-
peared half a 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 a 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
he 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 l was !" snapped the
widow. 81 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 a vigorous swat
and killed horsefy.
"And mine Is Sarah Blackwell, but
what has that got to do with it?"
"Well, madam, am a widOwer, you
see."
"And l am a widow, but that isn't
answering my question as to why
there isn't guidepost here to direct
strangers. 1t seems to be the most
shiftless county in the state"
1.-THE county is all right" he smiled.
IT 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, maam, / amt. They are pulled
up by the roots whenever a young
man around here gets hilarious and
goes buggy riding with his girl. If
there was guidepost here, which we
both 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 beer
sitting here. SO you are going to Be
rea, Ell? / have lived there myself
since it was town of four hundred
people, and if you follow me you won't
lose your way. / heard the other day
that a woman from Ryefield was think
ing Of buying the Clixton place. II
don't happen by any chance that you
are the woman?'
Eyes, 1t happens by good many
chances that / am. l have bought
the place and am now on my way over
for It."
"Shoo! That's right next door tt
me, and l 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 tc
move over from Ryefield the following
week, Hezeikak turned his old horse
into the pasture and went in to sup
per to astonish his housekeeper by say
ing:
swell. Betsy, have seen my SECOND
wife THIS afternoon"
"Was that the woman driving tn,
buggy behind yours as you came
along?"
"That's the one. How did you lik,
her looks?"
Il don't know whether she will eve
be your second wife or not. / don
think it will be for you to have al
the say about it.
When the widow arrived next weel
with her household effects, she fount
Hezeikak had done something for he
which he had never done for himself
He had moved the grass in the from
yard, cut down oil the weeds and bur
docks and thereby made great i'm
movement around the Mace He wa