Litchfield enquirer., 1865-03-30


 3s94sfi1 $ltsse : H LITCHFI E
 In other respects; however, the village ire. covered itself. and F. have lo donht | lIat we should all have lived happily ever. afterwards. nao H not been Tor an event which occurred about year and a half after Miss Somerset $ matriage. That event was the death of MT. tionltons !n the shortspace of eighteen mouths the naxen idol had become widow. The vii iage received the news with astonislment. engagement, and perhaps some slight satisfation Mrs. f1oniton must expect grief and sorrow like other folks ;sshe had had her share of gae. ty and pleasure, goodness knewss nd. perhaps it would do her good This is what the old maids and the sourest of the matrons whispered to one another coming home from church after sermon on Christian charity But the village was not prepared for one startling consequence of Mr. Honiton's death. A few weeks after that melancholy event his widow-the idol came back to live among us, and took up her abode at the house of her papa, who. it should be- stated, had been in the mean time gathered to bis plebeian fathers leaving his house and property to his daughter. Mrs. Honiton did not show herself for some days after her arrival and during this period Of saspense the village speculated upon the ravages which: gtieflhad made upon her beauty, upon the tears which had dimmed the iustre of her eye, and the nights of watching which had blancbed her cheek ana clouded her fair brow. The vilhgeLatieasi the female portion ofit-was prepared for a walking monument of the profonndest sorrow a widowed presentment of the true ccnyention. al type, with weeds Hanging loosely about hei figure, scorning all grace and showing nenher shape nor make. , Miss Jane Morley and Miss Margaret Thompson, who had taken refuge from the slights of the world in stern tea meetings in connection with clubs and high persuasion pictured her in pair of flat soIed shoes, wear. ing scanty black stuff gown, short and with Eout crinoline, and carrying on her head a coal scuttle swathed in crape. .- >--~-~
 1t was a terrible shock to all these expectants when the widow made her first public appear ance among them. Lady Godiva riding through the village in the original Coventry costume could not have caused greater sensation- = Mrs Honiton was as beautiful, as radiant, as fashionably dressed and apparently as young as ever. It was evident that she had not been plunged into any violent grief; she had not cried her eyes out and spoilt her beauty; she had not been left destitute to give others the luxury of commiserating and helping her; and worse than all, she wore so very natty and re: tiring widows.cap, shat you could scarcely detect that emblem of her bereavement. I don't exactly know what ar, invisible perpke is, but Mrs Honiton's headgear was certainly an ir! visible widows cap. It was considered quite scandaIous that Mrs. Honiton should have got oyer her calamity 80 easily. In order, however, to acquit the lady of any charge of fheartlessnesz which may be founded upon these facts, may state that she gave her hand to MT. Honiton at the stern command Of her father, reserving hel heart to herself, and that aMr. Honiten vasslit tie better than an idiot, a,gentlsmaa who spent nearly the whole.of his time in thesstahle and the kennel, and placed his wife in the scale ol his affection after his horse, his dog, and his gun. Under these circ1mstances it woddphave been rank hypocrisy in Mrs. Honiton to show herself deeply grieved. But what aggravated the female community most deeply was Mrs Honiton's widows cap When isheoappeared in it for the first time in church she looked lnyeliar than ever. The maresL anspicion o black bonnet and her golden hair gave ar ssd ditional .piquancy to her beauty. And then hel weeds were. all SO fashionably made an6 so ele gantly worn that her figure really seemed to bt improved by them. H CT pink complexion stoot cut in charming contrast against her blael crape bonnet and this last mentioned portioI of her dress was dainty cockle-shell article So neat and natty that you siinight have imiasin ed it to be 6 wedding bonnet dyed black.si1s | Do you wonder that the wemen-folks wer, indignant? They .wopld have been moresthal women, more than mortal, If they had not They had suffered already as the handsSof tbi ensnaring syren 5 they had got rid of her ;ai they had fondlys hoped, forever, and here sh, was again, troubling their waters as of yore.- Her cap was assailed at once. It was asheart less mockery to put on q thing like that, ant her husband dead only six weeks and she youeb to be ashamed of herselft But Mrs. HoniIo, did not appear at all ashamed. She paid clos. attention to the service. and said, all tue re sponses, and sang all the psalms and with he calm, pale face and placed eyes turned upward looked like Ans angel--sat least that is wba young Parkinson thouehtA- Parkinson who ha, never closed either his eyes or hissmouth sine, the fair vision first burst upon him nt the yer, comnencement of the service. ss1efn p5A sses
 Such was tie state of affairs when Mf. Cbas Bevington came to reside in our village. MT Charles Bevington was a rising young barris ter-a handsome, ~dasiiing fellow, with s6Iacl Whiskers, and an easy nonchalant address Physically he was sort of prize man, a speci men of humanity who would have carried ol the gold medal atsan exhibition of his species He had broad forehead and a broad chest his frame was muscular and strongly knit hi hair carled all over his weliset head and Iii eyes beamed with avigor and yiyaeity. Witt all this be had 2 ready tongue, 2 wonderful fac ulty for talking rattling nonsense and he. wa Q bachelor Hewas the sort of person who, d soon as he is seen, provokss the emphatic com nentary, w hat q handsome manp His goot looks were as strongly developed, and, as whole, 50 complete and undenfable,s that evel married ladies, in the presence of their hua bands, could not restrain, their admiration; an, husbands could hear their remarks with com I placency, for it was startling fact which no body could deny. It was as 'natdra3 to say tha MT. Charles Bevington was handsome, 'asi would have ebeen-tosay thasarman seven fee Thigh was talEoi EikealE theothers, MI B6sing ton became .attraeted cbys thes ,beauty of tn young widow, and very shortly after. his arriva l in the village he came to me raving about her - wish you would marry her, | said ss; z. K ,s MT: Bevington Was staftled ats my ceminnai down upon him plump at the first word witi sstAssS e Spression of asgch wish as this.gs N nsrsa S5I s sS ne ls 2 . shsstsn mean ssasilY shsl say, ss rss,S;ssasseas. wish you would marry Mrs. Hoiiifon. for fhasrse hy you would do the village a Sirnal sarvicaS '
 should have thought quite the con trsrSSs j. he replied, for all the young fellows ara Jbsa