The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1918-09-12
Getting Out
of It
@A%a
Copyright, 1918. by the Mcclure Newspa
per Syndicate)
BY DON LA GRANGE

marry againT
"Bless me, but what question" ne
replied as he choked.
'But l should like to know"
at amt likely that I would"
"You believe I'll go to heaven when
I die, don't your"
straight as a crow flies"
"And how'd ! feel lookin' down from
heaven and seem you around with an
other wife,"
''But the angels In heaven can't look
down on earth"
1T is said they can't, but how does
anybody know they can't"
"These are nice mashed taters," said
the deacon as he helped himself to
some more.
His wife was n Christian woman,
and church member, but nevertheless
there were times when she wanted to
know, you know, and he lound it safer
to choke her off than argue with her.
He was hoping he had in this case
when she said:
eyes, I've got a knack of mashin
taters, and you'll miss me when I'm
gone How about my question, MosesT
you'll probably outlive me ten
years"
81 probably won't, and I want to
know If you win marry againT
mo, sir, I shouldn't
The deacon was veXed with her per
slstency, and he brought out his answer
with an emphasis.
"All right" began the wife and be-
gan talking Of something else.
Next day she and another woman
were drowned by the upsetting Of a
boat on the river. The deacon, who
was over fifty, was overwhelmed for
a time, but gradually his grief wore
away and he was like himself again.
II is not contended that he was an
absent-minded man, but it IS stated,
and 1t IS quite reasonable, that after
the first month the deacon did not
think of that promise again for four
years. Then 1t came like a knockout
blow. Bit by bit he had come to be
friends with the Widow Stevens. He
had sat on her doorstep; he had sat
by her fire; he had hoed In her gar
den; he had split wood for her cook
stove Aye, he had called her Sarah
and she had called him Moses. One
evening he had had talk with him
self beginning with:
"By the great horn spoons, but that
wilder can make a custard fit for a
kingw
And then: Deacon, you have been
widower for four years-for four
long years. You have been sad and
lonely. 1t has come mighty hard"
And again:
"There's folks winkin' and blinHn'
around and sayin' that me and the
wilder will make a match Of It, but
let 'em wink and blink. 1t hain't none
Of their pesky business, and 1 have
told 'em So"
Then with a chuckle:
at wouldn't be bad match for
either one Of us. Home IS where the
husband and wife Is, and we've neither
one of us got a home 'cordln' to that.
wonder If l had better hint around?"
Three minutes elapsed and then the
deacon brought his fist down and ex-
claimed:
"Hlnt2 Hint? No. won't hint a
hlntl I'll just ask her outrlghtl"
And he was going over In his mind
what ne would say when thought
struck him and he fairly leaped from
his chair and gasped out:
my promise to my wife that /
wouldn't marry again.
For FIVE minutes Deacon Strothers
was ms weak In the knees as If he
had seen ghost. He had promised,
and that promise was like a wall across
his future path
"What al Martha ever poster ne
into making thai promise for?" he
asked himself at wasn't rlght-no,
It wasn't. Did ask her not to marry
again In case died first? No, of
course didn't. Jest left it to her
feelings In the matter"
Was there any way out of IT,?
Couldn't that promise be lodged?
II was an hour after the deacon's
usual bedtime, but he was still as live
~ as fox. He went over the matter
for ten minutes, and then said:
"Why did promise? Because Mar.
tha was in the best Of health, ana ap-
peared good for fifteen years yet.
Did she give me the slightest hint
that she was goln' to be silly enough
to get into "A boat the next day? No.
she didn't. DID she say she might get
drowned2 Not word Wouldn't
court hold That 1t was deception and
that | wasn't bound by my promise?
When Jabe2 Reed sold me n COW for
thirty dollars and never said a word
about her jumpin' fences, didn't the
court make him take her back? II
said he suppressed fact Didn't
Martha do the samcw
The deacon went to bed feeling bet.
ter but when he awoke next morning
his conscience began to trouble him
again.
"Ry heck. but sunthIn' has got TO
be did he exclaimed over his break
fast; and soon as the meal was fin
lshed he clnpped on his hat and went
out to look up Robert Rocbuck.
Mr.. Roebuck was known as very
plous God-fearing man, ana he would
see both Sides OF the case end render
fair decision. lie was given the
facts, and, after chewing on them for
five minutes he said:
nnnnrnn rntl nm. I, fnnl fnr ,,,nI.l,,