How the Widow Won the Deacon

 

A humorous short story about a widow, Mrs. Stimson, and her relationship with Deacon Hawkins. The story revolves around the widow's unspoken desire to merge her farm with the deacon's, and the deacon's obsession with beating a rival, Squire Hopkins, in a horse race.

Here's a summary of the key plot points and themes:

• The Widow's Intentions: The Widow Stimson, though seemingly uninterested in winning a man, subtly desires to combine her farm with Deacon Hawkins' for mutual benefit. She is aware of her own successful management skills and believes a larger farm would be even easier to run.
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• The Deacon's Obsession: Deacon Hawkins is preoccupied with outdoing Squire Hopkins, particularly in owning the faster horse. This rivalry is a significant element in the story. He has a new horse that he wants the widow to judge.
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• A Sleigh Ride and a Race: The deacon takes the widow for a sleigh ride, and they are interrupted by Squire Hopkins who challenges the deacon. The deacon, driven by his desire to beat Hopkins, accepts the race, despite the widow’s extra weight in the sleigh.
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• The Widow's Sacrifice: During the race, the deacon’s horse falters, and the widow, 
• realizing she is weighing him down, deliberately jumps out of the sleigh into a snowdrift. This act allows the deacon’s horse to surge forward and win the race.
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• Victory and Revelation: The deacon, initially focused on the race, realizes the widow's sacrifice. He is overcome with concern for her well-being and is also touched by her efforts to help him win. He rushes back to her and asks if she is hurt, while the widow celebrates his victory.
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• The Resolution: The story concludes with the deacon, moved by the widow’s actions, holding out his arms to her, implying a romantic development. The sisters at the Sewing Society believe that a woman who would risk her life like that for a husband is mighty anxious to get married.

The story is described as handling an amusing situation lightly and with grace, and the text notes that it reads easily but is difficult to achieve. The humor comes from the characters' quirks and the unexpected turn of events during the race. The author’s talent for using gentle humor is noted. The source also mentions that editors did not want Lampton’s short stories because they liked his poems so much.