The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-01-21

first, and a mans voice exclaimed:
"Hillo, the hOuse?'
Who Is it?'' asked the widow some
what relieved to find that the depart
cd Levi was still safe in his grave upon
the hillside.
"A stranger" said the voice.
"What do you want?'
''TO get lodging for the night
The widow deliberated.
Cant you 90 on? There's a house
half a mile further on if you keep TO
the right hand side Of the road, and
I turn to the left after you get by"
"It's raining cats and dogs, and I'm
very delicate" said the stranger,
coughing, "pm wet to the skin. Don't
you think you can accommodate me?
l don't mind sleeping on the floor.
"Raining, is il? Ididn't know that"
and the kind hearted little woman un-
barred the door very quickly. "Come
in whoever you may be. l only asked
you to 90 on because | am a lone Wo-
man with only one servant in the
house,
The stranger entered, shaking HIM
self Ikea Newfoundland dog upon the
step and scattering a little shower Ov-
er his hostess and her nicely swept
floor.
"Ah, that looks comfortable after a
man has been out for hours in a
Storm" he said as he caught sight Of
the fire, and striding along towards
the hearth, followed by Bowse, who
snuffed suspiciOusly at his heels, he
stationed himself in the arm chair
Mr.. Cobb's arm chair-which had
been SACRED to his memory" The Wild
oW was Mortified, but her guest was so
weary and worn out that she could
not ask him to move, but busted her
self in stirring up the blaze, that he
might the sooner dry his dripping
l'clOthes. \ new thought struck her
! Mr.. Cobb had worn n comfortable
dressing-gOwn during his illness, which
still hung in the closet at her right
| She could not let this poor man catch
his death by sitting in that wet coat.
IT he was in Mr.. CObb's chair, why
should he not be in Mr.. CObb's wrap
er? She went nimbly to the closet,
took it down, fished out a pair of slip
pers from the boot rack below, and
brought them to him.
II think you had better take off
your coat and boots; you Will have the
rheumatic fever, or something like it,
if you don't. Here are some things
for you to wearwhile they are drying.
And you must be hungry, too. will
go into the pantry and get you some
thing to eat"
She bustled away ''on hOspitable
thoughts INTENT" and the he made
the exchange with the quizzical smile
playing around his lips. He was
tall, well-fOrmed man, with bold but
handsome eface-sun-burned, but heav-
lily bearded, and looking anything but
delicate, though his blue eyes glanced
out from under a forehead as white
as snow. He looked around the kitch-
en- with a mischievous air, stretching
out his feet before him, decorated
with the defunct deacOn's slippers.
"Upon my word this is stepping into
the old mans shoes with Vengeance!
And what hearty, gOod-humOred
looking woman she is; kind as kit
ten;" and then he patted old Bowse
upon the head. The widow, bringing
in sundry good things, looked pleased
at his attention to her dumb friend.
HIts q wonder BOwse does not
growI. He generally does when strang-
ers touch him. Dear me, how stu
pidw
This last remark was addressed
neither to the stranger nor to the dog,
but to herself. She had forgotten that
the little stand was not empty, and
there was no room on it for the things
she held.
"Oh, I'll manage that" said her
guest, gathering up paper, candle, ap-
plies and spectacles, (it was not with
out a little pang that she saw them in
his hand, for they had been the dea-
cons, and were placed each night like
the armchair, beside herr, depositing
them on the settee. "GiVe me the ta-
bIe cloth, ma'am-I've learned that
along with a score of other things in
my wanderings. Now let me relieve
you Of those dishes; they are too heavy
for those little hands'-the widow
blushed-"and now please sit down
with me, or | cannot eat a mOrsel."
al had supper long ago, but really L
think l can take something more"
said Mrs. Cobb, drawing her chair
near the table.
"Of course you can my dear lady,
In this cold autumn weather, people
ought to cat twice as much as they do
in warm. Let me give you piece of
this ham-yOur own curing, | dare
say"
ayes; my poor husband was very
fond of it. He used to say that no
one understood curing ham and dry
ing beef better that l."
"He was a most sensible man, am
sure. / will drink your health, madam,
in this cider"
He took a long draughtan set down
his glass.
"1t's like nectar"
The widow was feeding BOwse and
the cat (whO thought that they were
entitled to a share of every meat eat
en- in the hOuse), and did not quite
hear what he said. / fancy she would
hardly have known what nectar was,
so it was quite rs well.
"Fine dog, ma'am, and very pret-
ty cat"
"They were my husbands favor
ites," and a sigh followed the answer.
"Ah, your husband must have been
a very happy man."
The blue eyes looked at her so long
that she grew fiurried.
"Is there anything more l can get
for you, sir?' she said at last.
Nothing, thank you; have fin
ished."
She rose to carry the things away.
He assisted her, and somehow their
hands hada'queer knack Of tOuchingas
they carried the dishes to the pantry
shelves. Coming back to the kitchen,
she put the apples and cider in their
places, and brought out clean pipe
and box of tobacco from an arched re-
cess near the chimney.
aMy husband always said he could
not sleep after eating supper late, un-
less he smoked" she said. "Perhaps
you would like to try it."
'Not if it is going to drive you
away" he answered; for she had a
candle in her hand.
"Oh, no, do not object to smoke at
ALL" H
Shepu the candle edown-sOme faint
suggestions Of 'propriety' troubled her.
She glanced at the old clock and felt
reassured: it was only half-past nine.
The stranger pushed the stand back,
after the pipe was Lit, and drew her
easy chair a little nearer the fire-and
his own.
"Come, sit down" he said pleading
Iy. 'Tt is not late; and when a man
has been knocked about in California,
and all sorts Of places, for n score OF
years, he is glad enough to get into a
berth like this, and to have pretty
woman to speak to again."
california; have you been TO Cali
fornia?" she exclaimed, dropping into
the chair. Unconsciously, she had
long cherished the idea that Sam Pay
sOn-the lover of her youth, with
whom she had foolishly quarreled-
had pitched his tent, after many wan
derings, in that far off land. Her
heart warmed TO one who, with some
thing of Sans looks and ways about
him, had also been sojOurning in that
country, very possibly had met him.
perhaps had known him intimately.
At that moment her heart beat quick,
and she looked very graciously at the
bearded stranger, who, wrapped in
Mr.. Cobb's dressing gown, wearing
Mr.. Cobb's slippers, and sitting in Mr..
CObb's chair, beside Mr. CObb's wife,
smoked Mr.. CObb's pipe, with such an
air of feeling thoroughly and comfort
ably at home.
ayes ma'am, I've been in California
for Siy NyparS And bafnrn tbat / want