Year: 1876




and was eagerly interrogated by her {


to the luck he had met with. He tol
? her all, and little coincidence was sh
D enabled to offer in return
: For two or three days following Jo


Chiskweed said Very little, but b
e thought much One morning he met hi
. mother with smiling face and sort Q


triumph in his look. The old lady wa
, somewhat surprised at this sudder
. change in her sons manner.
ii why, what on earth's the matte
+ now, Joe? said she L hope you ain
I goin' crazy.


Not by long ehot." replied Joe
Il amt quite so big fool as that


Then what ails you 2
'Oh. I've got it all arranged at las
j I've got him now


Who F? WhatY


why. Melinda Martin and tha
vagabond. Reuben Sparks ha i
I'm surprise himp f1i


Well, how are you going to do it
Il oh, it's all right said Joe. laugh
ing slyly. I'll do it, darned if l don't
I'll fix the sneaking critter.'
i But how-how. Joe? Can't you
sp. eak outs What's got into the boy :?
cried the old lady, dying with curiosity
to know what was his plan


well, I'll tell you all about it, be.
gan Joe, assuming more sober tone.


We'll, wish you would


You know the widder has always
favored my keeping company with Me-
linda


'Well?'


And l do believe she's desperate
down on that feller, Reuben Sparks,
coming into the family


Yes


In that case she wouldn't very will
ingly let her property 60 into his
hands


But according to the will of old
Mr.. Martin the property amt to 60
out of her hands till she's dead
Just so, and now I'm coming to
the point; it's just right there I'm GO
ing to floor Reuben Sparks


We'll, let me hear


The widder Martin herself amt a
bad looking woman!' Joe remarked,
in sort Of mysterious tone of voice,
glancing up suddenly into his mothers
face.


No. But what has that got to do
with the matter 2 replied the old lady,
impatiently.


And she amt very old, neither
continued he, with the same air.
why, she can't be more'n forty
SO think she has good chance of
living forty more.


Well, and what of it?'
Just this said Joe; I'll marry the
widder +


Mrs. Chickweed, expecting, as she
was, something awful, wasn't prepared
for this. She uttered an exclamation
of surprise, started upward from her
seat, then sunk back and fixed her eyes
with vacant stare upon her sons
face.


Well, said Joe, L hope you don't
say anything that's agin it,


Mono 2 stammered his mother,
recovering somewhat from the shock
she had received but are you really
in earnest-will you marry the widder 2


To be sure l will; and that's not
the whole of tim going to see her
this very day. III marry her, if she'll
have me, and be revenged on Melinda,
for cutting me as she has for that blast
ed Sparks. III teach 'em what's what 7


Joe was as good as his word. He
sought the widow and made his propo-
sal. She was more astonished than
she knew how to express, but she was
more gratiied than she was astonished.
Fresh and fair a. she was, considering
her years, she had never given up the
idea of winning another husband; but
it had never entered her head that she
could possibly secure SO young and ss-
timable prize as Joe Chickweed.


Joe made it special provision in
his proposal that they should be mar
ried privately the day before the mar
riage of Sparks with the widows
daughter, and that it should be kept a
secret till the wedding had taken
place. To this the widow readily
agreed, although it was hard task for
her to restrain the enjoyment she ex-
perienced, and prevent the secret be-
ing discovered.


The evening before The nuptials of
Sparks and Melinda at length arrived,
and all preparations for the ceremony
on the ensuing day were completed.
When darkness had fairly set in, while
Melinda was SO occupied with the COM
pany and conversation of her soon-to-
be husband as to be oblivious to all
else, Mrs. Martin cautiously left the
house, and meeting Joe near at hand,
she hastened with him to the residence
of the Chickweeds. The minister, |
who had been duly admonished to Sc
crecy, was in attendance, and in less
than half an hour Joe was a married |
man and the no longer widow was ON
her way back home, parting with Joe
with single but very enormous kiss,
with which he was content to satisfy
himself, considering what was to follow
from SO doing on the morrow.


The wedding passed Of next day to
the entire satisfaction Of all parties.
The affair took place in the morning at
the residence of the bride, and at the
hour of noon all the guests, with the
exception of Joe Chickweed, who had
been formally invited, had departed.


Why he remained so long it puzzled
the newly married pair to surmise, as
they had not supposed he would be
present at all. Joe took it very easily,
however, and seemed quite unembar-
rassed with the occasional banterings
of the happy Sparks.