The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1919-01-17
Getting Out
H. Of It ~
Copyright. 1918. by the Mcclure Newspa.
per Syndicate.)
By DON LA GRANGE

Deacon Strothers and his wife
were eating supper when she said to
him across the table:
"Moses, If I should die, would you
marry againf"
"Bless me, but what a question:" he
replied as he choked.
"But l should like to know"
ut amt likely that would"
"You believe I'll go to heaven when
die, don't your"
straight as a crow flies"
sand hOw'd'I feel lookin' down from
heaven and SEEM you around with an
other wife ~
"But the angels in heaven can't look
down on EARTH"
"It 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 Christian woman,
and church member, but nevertheless
there were times when she wanted to
know, you know, and he found 1t safer
to choke her off than argue with her.
He was hoping he had in this case
when she said:
"Yes, I've got knack of mashin'
taters, and you'll miss me when I'm
gone. How about my question, Moses?"
you'll probably outlive me ten
years"
81 probably won't, and want to
know if you will marry again."
"No, sir, shouldn't"
The deacon was vexed with her per-
sistency, 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.
It Is not contended that he was an
absent-minded man, but 1t 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
kingl"
And then: "Deacon, you have been
q widower for four years-for four
long years. You have been sad and
lonely. It has come mighty hard"
And again:
"There's folks winkin' and blinkin'
around and sayin' that me and the
wilder will make match Of 1t, but
let 'em wink and blink. 1t hain't none
Of their pesky business, and I have
told 'em So"
Then with a chuckle:
'It wouldn't be a bad match for
either one of us. Home is where the
husband and wife is, and we've neither
pne of us got home 'cOrdin' to that.
wonder If l had better hint arOund?"
Three minutes elapsed and then the
deacon brought his fist down and ex-
claimed:
"Hint? Hint? No, I won't hint a
hint! I'll just ask her outright"
And he was going over in his mind
what he 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 as weak in the knees as If he
1ad seen a ghost. He had promised,
md that promise was like wall across
ais future path.
"What did Martha ever poster me
into making that promise fOrT he
asked himself. "It wasn't right-no,
It wasn't. Did ask her not to marry
again in case I died first? No, Of
course l didn't. / jest left it to her
feelings in the matter"
Was there any way out Of 1t?
Couldn't that promise be lodged?
1t was an hour after the deacons
usual bedtime, but he was still as live
ly as q fox. He went over the matter
for ten minutes, and then said:
"Why did promise? Because Mar
tina was In the best Of health, and ap-
peared good for fifteen years yet.
Did she give me the slightest hint
that she was goin' to be silly enough
to get into boat the next day? No,
she didn't. Did she say she might get
drowned? Not a word. Wouldn't
court hold that it was deception, and
that l wasn't bound by my promise?
When Jabez Reed sold me COW fo-
thirty dollars and never said word
about her jumpin' fences, didn't the
court make him take her back? It
said he suppressed fact. Didn't
Martha do the sameT"
The deacon went to bed feeling bet
ter, but when he awoke next morning
his conscience began to trouble him
again.
aRv hook but slInthin' has pot tn