Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1851-07-17
THE DAILY SPY,
The Widow and the Wager;
OR,
LOVE AND IMPUDENCE.
CCoNCLUDED.1

NeVeTtheeSs, | was not daunted, and looked
around Tor something TO talk about on the beautvs
usual occupations, which found were all in a tone
with what had before remarked Upon the omen
piano lay Aud Robin Grey which had, no doubt.
oeeh sung IN ailusion to her late husband. On the
table was half finished drawing of AppolIo which
was no doubt meant to apply 10 Ter future one:
and round about were strewed the seductive poems
OF Moore, Campbell and Byron.
This WITCH thought ], SIS the very creature 7
have been signing after! would have married her
out of hedgway, and worked upon the roads fo
maintain her, but with twenty thousand-ave. and
much more, unless | was mistaken, she would
create fever IN the frosty Caucasusn
was in the most melting mood alive. when tbe
doos opened, and in walked the fascinating object of
my specuatIons. She was dressed in simple grew.
wholly without ornament, and her dark brown hair
was braided demurely a forehead which looked
as lofty as her face was lovely. The reception she
gave me was polite and graceful, but somewhat dis
tant; and perceived that she had either FORGOTTEN
! or was determined not to recognize me- | was not
quite prepared for this, and in spite of my constitu
tional confidence, felt not little embarrassed |
had perhaps, mistaken the breaking forth of Young
and buoyant SPIRIT under ridiculous circumstances
Tor the encouragement Of volatile coquery; and, for
moment, was in doubt whether | should not
apologize, and pretend that she was not the ady for
whom my visit was intended But then she was 50
DSN'N'iNi'
could have sent me down stairs, unless | had been
kicked down!
Madame, began, but my blood was in a tur-
mol, and have never been able to recolect pre-
csely what said. Something it was. however.
about my late father and her husband, absence and
the East Indies, liver complains and Life Insurances
with compliments, condolences, pardon, perurba-
tlon and r-plu-perfect mpertinence The lady
looked surprised, broke my speech with two or
three well-bred CALCULATIONS, and astonshed me very
much by protesting that she had never heard her
husband mention my father or his promising little
helr-apparent, William Henry Thomas, IN the whole
course of their union.
'Ah, madame,' said 1, 'the omission is extremely
natural! am sure am not at all offended with
your late husband upon that score He was an
elderly, slckly sort of man. My father always
told him he could not last, but he never thought he
would have died so soon after marriage He had
not time, Madame, to make his friends happy by in
Producing them to you.
| believe, upon the whole, must have behaved
remarkably well, for the widow could not quite
| make up hsr mind whether TO credit me or not.
which, when we consider the very slender materials
had worked upon, is saying great deal. AT
length contrlyed to make the conversation glide
away to Aud Robin Grey and the drawing of Apol-
10, which pronounced to be chef-d euvre
Permit me, however, said /, 'to suggest, that
the symmetry of the figure would not be DESTROYED
by little more of Hercules in the shoulders which
would make his life worth a much longer purchase
A little more amplitude in the chest too, and
tribe stronger in the legs, they say at the Insur-
| ance Office.
| The widow looked comically at the recollections
which brought to her mind; her rosy lips began to
disclose their treasures in half smile and this in
| turn, expanded into laugh like the laugh of Eu-
| phrosyne. This was the very thing for me. | was
always rather dashed by beauty on the stills, but put
1 L.
| could be otherwise than charming | ran over all
the amusing topics of the day, expended thousand
admirable Jokes, repeated touching passages from
new poem which she had not read, laughed, senti-
| mentallZed, cuddled the kitten, and forgot to 90
away till had sojourned full TWO hours. Euphro-
syne quite lost sight of any questionable introduce
ton, and chimed in with wit brilliant as her
beauty, nor did she put a single grave look when
volunteered to call the next day and read the re-
mainder of the poem.
1t is impossible to conceive how carefully walk
ed home. My head and heart were full of the
widow and the wager, and my life was more prec-
ious than the Pigot Diamond. / kept my eye sedu-
ously upon the pavement, to be that the coal
holes closed; and | never once crossed the
street without looking both ways, TO calculate the
dangers of being run over. When arrived was
presented with letter from my attorney, giving me
the choice of an ensigney in a regiment which was
ordered TO the West Indies, or of going missionary
to New Zealand 1 wrote to him, in answer, that
1t was perfectly mmaterial to me whether was cut
Oft with the yellow fever, or devoured by cannbas,
but that had business which would prevent me
from availing myself of either alternative for two
months, at least.
The next morning found me again at the door of
Euphrosyne, who gave me her lily white hand, and
received me with the smile of an old acquaintance
Affairs went on pretty much the same as they did
on the preceding day. The poem was long, her
singing exquisite, my auecdote Of New Zealand ir-
resistibe, and we again forgot ourselves, till it was
necessary, in common politeness, to ask me to din
ner. Here her sober attire, which for some months
had been piece of mere gratuitous respect, was
exchanged for a low evening Dress and my SOUL
which was trimming before, was in an agonyto find
room for my increasing Transports Her spirits were
sportlve as butterflies, and huttered over the flowers
OF her Imagination with grace that was quite mi
racuous. She rdiculed the rapidity Of our ac-
quaintance, eulogised my modesty till it was well
nigh burning TO a cinder, and every now and then
shapened her wit by delicate to Apollo
and the shoulders of Hercules.
The third and the fifth day, with twice many
more, were equally productive Of excuses for call
lng and reasons for remaining, till at last took
| upon me to call and remain without troubling my
| self about the one or the other. was received
with progressive cordially; and at last, with mix
ture Of timdity, which assured me of the autcipa-
ton Of catastrophe which was, at once to beside
the question with the Insurance Office, and deter
mine the course of my travels. One day found
the Peri sitting rather pensively at work, and as
usual, took my seat opposite to her.