The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1920-01-30
Trudence o0d
Zobed.
by n. QUAD.

have married her II the Widow Pen-
rose hadn't mixed In She wanted tn
y0ung man for herself. and In AVE-
come whispers she impaired the infss-
nation that Prudence Smith waA
knockkneed and would never b abb
b stand at a washtub or run up an
6swn the cellar stairs. The young maA
vas at once Impressed He ceased %
ozark Prudence on Sunday nights and
assure her that be I0nged 70 tsmp
ever prscipices for hsr saks, and OF
eeurss she resented ~ Che weat about
With her chin In the air and ssksd for
- explanations. ana % reia<tous Veps
strained Tor many long month"; Thaa
xAhsA's mother found out what We
o. matter win him and Get him
AghA The viASV had lied xased
Qn1s Il up with - girl. The doves
- back Again and turtled. . -
- was set for the marriage, anl
rmsr Smith rsached out his horny
hasd for q shake aad said:
~zabsd. goi durn your buttons. you're
Gitfix the real thing. and you ortss
- - hRppiest man In Woodshuck
seanty."
zabsd was for about two wsskA
1Aan Deacon Gray. who was q widow
- and wanted Prudence for his second
WITH, give up some information about
xabed. When be had sworiI her to the
most awful secrecy he confessed that
tho young man had i've frog In his
stomach and would probably no MAD
within two years and cat the throat Of
his wife II he had one. Tie frog had
jumped down Zabed's ttroat one day
when he was drinking from the horse
pond, and, though thousands OF In
ducemepts had been held out TO him,
nothing could prevail upon him to
Jump out.
Well. where Is the young girl. NO
matter how her heart turks with love.
who Is going TO marry young man
with live and growing frog In his
stomach? She can't be found. She
wasn't fourd IN this case Prudence
Smith cooled oil on Zabcd winters.
and he went about with his chin IN
the air and was too proud TO AJAX for
an explanation. IL vas year before
enc came. Then n lightning rod mnn
stayed overnight at Smiths. and after
supper he got TO talking about frogs.
Seeing he was posted on the subjs' Z
Prudence made bold TO AK him II be
had ever heard OF frog taking UP In
side quarters. and be answered that
Zach a thing was absolutely impoAaar
BILE and beyond belief. Zabsd Whtsus
had probably swallowed a small nnh
and the Hsh might be growing. but "
heft nlone he could In time be nshed
for and caught That settled the frog
| question. and Zabed was Invited to
come around and make up. He got q
kustle on him. and the turttedovss
sang soft and low. a new date vas ap
pointed. and Farmer Smith stopped
eAopping wood long enough to extend
. hand ard say:
"Zabed, you col burned Miot don't
you know when you've get rood
thingf Don't fool around any more"
Zabed didn't want to, but before II
bad been decided which minister
should marry them old Mrs Snyder
struck his trail She was too old to
marry, but not too old to utter q warn
ing for the benefit OF young man
who had put In . day hoeing her gar
Gen and refused to take pay for #
She told him RICH, straight cut that
Prudence Smith snored like q steam
engine. that she had six tDes on her
right foot and only four on her lefS.
that she hsd had St vitus' dance when
q baby ard that II was sure 70 ccno
back on her some day. 1t might not b
10 year after marriage that Zab>d
would come up from tbs co<nneA
asme afternoon and find her dancing
ell around the dOoryard and kicking ~
high az fence That settled Zabed
He wanted Prudence. but be DIDN'T
vant q dancing dervish More cold
ness. moro strained relations. II was q
lull year before old Mrs. Snyder va
psoved a liar, and II took three months
hnGer to make up and SET snoths7
Gate. Things had run smoothly ts
within q fortnight Of the date when q
nn peddler came along and bought q
sheepskin Of Zabed and then tod him
that Prudence Smith Vas deaf IN ths
hight ear, nearsighted IN both eyes and
would be tongue tied before she vas
two years older. Zabed hadn', noticed
the deafness or blindness. bat he be-
Beved in tin peddiers and ~ oucs grew
frigsd. Result. another year lost
Fate was still inetbe game. however
! and when everybody. including the
two principals, had made up theii
, Ands that there would Be no marrtage
~ came loafng around to do hss
! anty. Farmer Smith and biz daughter
Vsfs In the village one day bsyfn1
! calico and brown sugar when Zabed
Winters appeared. He bad eggs 20 sch
Cor hickory shifting The lovers we're
brought face TO face, but they didn't
, speak. They thought Of frogs and 81
! v1tVs' dance and str toed feet And
were turning away when Fathss
Smith reached out one hand for IN
daughter and the Other for 2abed Al
ssid: