The Van Buren press., 1868-12-15

Not II It is going TO driAe ,onaway.
he an.wered for she had a candle i hel
hand"
"Oh. no, I do M. object 10 smoEs a
all" Sae put the candle down-sons
faint suggestion about "proprirIy
troubled hcr she glanced "a tho old clos
and felt rra,suret II vas only half pas'
nine.
The stranger pushed the stand bach,
sf,er the pipe Was ht. aud drew her ess,
char little nearer the lire and his own
"Come. sit down." he sail, pleading
~. 1T Is not late aud when man has
been knocked about In California, aud all
sorts Of places. for score OF years, be
10 glad enough to get into berth like
the aad To have pretty woman TO speak
to again
California; Have you been 20 Cal
fornias ssc exclaimed, dropping NIT
the chair Un,ons ciousl,, she nai lone
ch,rshea tic idea that San Pa sJw-tAy
lover OF her y0utI-- with "iD.u 81,
fJoii,.!y q'.s,tsle ;, hal pitched lis ,euL
after many wsnaerinys, il that fsr.0g
land Her heart w.imei 10 one who,
wi,h something OF Sam, looks AMI ways
about ia, hal also b.en s,jou. l z IN
tha, country, very possibly hal met ann
perhaps hal known him Intimately. AT
that moment her heart beat quick, and
she looked vtry graciously at the beard
cd stranger, vino, wrapped in Mr Cobb's
dressing gown, wearing Mr. C0bb's slip
pcrs, and sitting in Mr.. Cobb's chair. be-
size Nj Cobb wife. smoked Mr. Cobb's
pipe with such an air Of feeling thor
oughly AMI comfortably At home.
Yes. ma am, I've been in California
for six years And before thar | went,
quit round the world Ia a Whaling ship"
GOOD gracious" a.4 5
The stranger sent putt of smoke curl.
ing gracefully over his head. .ft..
It's very strange. my dear lady. how
often you see one TIM. as YOU 90 wan
dering about the world after that fashion.
"Anll what is that Z"
Men without house or home above
their heads, rowing here and there, turn
ing up in all sorts Of odd places-caring
very little for life Us a general thing, and
making fortunes jus, to fling them away
again--Snd all for one reason. You don't
ask what that isl No doubt ycu know
already very WELL
II think not, sir"
" Because woman has Tilted them"
Here was long pause. aud Mr. Cobb's
pipe emitted short puifs with surprising
ralility. A guilty conscience needs ~
accuser; the widows checks We're DYED
with bushes as she thought ofthe absent
Sam.
Il wonder how women manage when
they get served in the same way, said
the stranger, musingly. ," You neser
meet ,l,cm roaming up aud down in that
style" M I...4 liz ua}
No." sail Mrs. Cobb, with some
s 4 woman + N trouble, she
bearing such things than we know Of ]
dare s;e j" .t.s ss4... II. f,..-st.,
4 Like enough We never know whose
hand get, pinsltl IL trap aniess thes
scream AMI w,men are too Shy or too
sen ,il,Ic-whc eli you choose-ior thai
..Did YOU ever. Ia all touf wandcrlngs,
mcct any one hy the name OF Samuel
paysony' asked the widow, unconcern-
eddy r7w
The stranger looked toward her---she
was rummasing at the tahlefdrawer Tor
her knitting work, and did not notice hlm
When it was found, and the needles IN
motion. be answered her. 80 'f4 elh
\. Payson (? Sam Payson? Why, he
VA, nv most intimate friend. Do You
know him Z" ma ,.,, l..,as.
a litlie-thar Is, ! used TO when vas
,rl Where lid Won meet himf ~
lie went With me onl'I,e Whaling
voyage l toll SOU of---aai aitcrwArl'' ~
California. We stateat toselqeG ~ 4
some other fellows NTH IS, an ac dug
In tie same cl.,iui Tor more tam SIX
months wy ~
II suppose he was aaite web y. 81 {
Strong No al on, myisie,T laiyF n
..Ani--and happy! pursued The wild
ow, bending over her knitting. y,
"liam, the less said about that the
better, perhaps Bat he seemed to enjoy
life aitsr a fashion OF his own. Aud he
got rich out there, or rather | will say,
well 0 l."
| SIR, Cobb did not pas much attention
to that part of the story Evidently she
hal not flushed asking questions Bu'
she VAS p,G1ei about her next oie. : AT
last she bnoaght 1t ont beautifully.
| WAS hts wile vita him ~ California
| ali, wife, maaint WY, 6l'ss YOU.
be has not got ono. -,.
g"Oh. | thought meant--I heard
- here the little widow remembered
the fate OF Ananias and Sapph'ra, aad
stopped short before she told such \ tire
menlous al, .....,
| Whatever YOU heard Of marrying was
all nonsense, l can assure you kno"
| him we'll. aud he had no thought OF Tho
Kind about him Some Of the boys used
TO tease him about II, but he soon made
stop"
! "iIow ?"
/ .IIe lust told them frankly that th,
ONLY woman he ever lowell had Tilted hin
years before, auj married another man
4 After that no one ever mentioned thu
subject to him again, except me
Mrs. Goth laid her knitting aside, ant
1 locked thougt,fa,ly into the fire.
"iie was another speci,ncn OF the clas'
Of men Was speaking OF. have seeI
him face death . score oftimes as quietly
as | rsce the hre. II matters very llul
who Il kes me or, he used to say NV