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

81 wonder how women manage
when they get served in the same
way?n said the stranger blushingly:
/ ''YOu never meet them roaming up
and down in that style"
mo- said Mrs. Cobb, with some
spirit, ''if a woman is in trouble she
must stay at home and bear il III the
! best way. And there's more women
bearing such things than we know of,
l dare say"
Like enough. We never know
. whose hands get pinched in a trap un-
/ less they scream. And women are toe
shy or too sensible-which you choose
for that"
''Did you ever, in all your wander
ings, meet with any one by the name
of Samuel Payson?'' asked the widow,
uncOncernedly.
The stranger looked towards her
+ She was rummagingat the table draw
er for her knitting work, and did not
notice him. When it was found, and
the needles in motion, he answered
/ her:
'Payson? Sam PaysOn? Why he
was my most intimate friend! Do you
/ know him?i
"a little-that isl used to when 1
was a little girl. Where did you meet
/ him."
ale went with me on the whaling
voyage / told you Of-and afterwards
to California. We had a tent tOgeth-
er, and some other fellows with us,
and we dug in the same claim togeth-
er for more than six months"
''I suppose he was quite well?'
"Strong as an OK, my dear lady.n
"And-and happy?" pursued the
widow, bending over knitting.
"Hum, the less said about that, the
better, perhaps. But he seemed to
enjoy life after fashion of his own.
And he got rich out there, or rather, l
will say, well Off"
Mrs. Cobb did not pay much atten-
ton TO that part of the story. Evil
IDENTIFY she had not finished asking
questions. But she was puzzled about
her next one. At last she brought it
out beautifully.
"Was his wife with him in CaIifor-
nia?"
e''His wife, ma'am? Why, bless you,
he has not got one"
"Oh, l Imeant-I heard"
Here the little widow remembered
the fate Of Ananias and Sapphria and
stopped short before she told such n
tremendous fib.
"Whatever you heard of his marry
ing was all nonsense, [ can assure
you. l knOwhim well, and he had no
thought of the kind about him. Some
of the boys began to tease him about
it, but he soon made them stop"
"How?n
''Hejust told them frankly that the
only woman he ever loved Tilted him
years before, and married another
man. After that no one ever men,
toned the subject to him again except
me-"
Mrs. Cobb laid her knitting aside
and looked thOughtfully into the fire.
"He was another of the class of men
was speaking of. have seen him
face death a score of times as quietly
as / face the fire. 1T matters very
little what takes me off," he used to
say; T've nothing to live for, and
there's no one who will shed tear
for me when / am gone It's n sad
thought for a man to have, isn't itm
Mrs. Cobb sighed az she said she
thought it was.
"But did he ever tell you the name
of the lady who Tilted him?"
az knew her first name"
"What was it?"
MARIA"
The plump little widow almost
started out of her chair; her name was
spoken exactly as Sam would have
said il.
"!Do you know her too ?" he asked,
looking at her.
"Yes.n
ultimately"
ayes"
"And where is she now? Still hap
py with her husband, suppose, and
never giving q thought to the poor
fellow she drove out into the world"
srNo," said Mrs. Cobb, shading her
face with her hand and speaking I'M
steadily. "NO, her husband is dead"
"Ah but still she never thinks of
Samr'
There was a dead silence.
f'DOes she%
allow can tell?'
care you still friends ?"
"Yes."
'.Then you ought to know, and you
do. Tell me-" .......
'I am sure / don't know why I
should. But ifI do you must promise
me, on your honor, never to tell him,
if you ever happen to meet him
again.
Madame, what you say to me new
er shall be repeated to any mortal
man, upon my honor"
"Well, then, she does remember
him."
"But howe"
"As kindly as I think he could
wish"
~ am glad TO hear it for his sake
You and L are the friends of both par
ties; we can rejoice with each other"
He drew his chair much nearer
hers and took her hand. One mo-
ment the widow resisted, but it was a
magnificent touch; the rosy palm lay
quietly in his, and the dark beard
so low that it nearly touched her
shoulder. 1t did not matter much.
Was he not Samuel's friend? If he
was not the rose, had he not dwelt
near it for long, long time?
at was foolish quarrel that part
"Did he tell you about it?''
ayes, on board the whaler."
"Did he blame her much?"
''Not so much as himself. He said
that his jealousy and ill-temper drove
her to break off the match; but he
thought sometimes if he had only
gone back and spoken kindly to her
She would have married him after
all.n
~ am sureshe would, !" said the wild
ow piteOusIv, "she has owned it to
me more than a hundred times"
'She was not happy then with
anOther?"
sMr. - that was to say her husband
was very good and kind" said the
woman thinking of the lonely grave
on the hillside rather penitently,
tand they lived pleasantly together.
There never was harsh word spoken
between them.r
"Still, might shenOthave been hap
pier with Sam? Be honest and say
just what you think"
"Yes."
'BravOI that is what ] wanted to
come at. And now I have a secret to
tell you, and you must break it to
her"
Mrs. Cobb looked rather scared.
"What is it ?"
'I want to 60 and see her wherever
she may be, and say to her: ''Maria
- What makes you start SOP"
"NOthing, only you speak so like
some one used to know"
''Do L? Well. take the rest of the
message. Tell her that Sam loved
her through the whole; that is, when
he heard she was free, he began TO
work bard ut making a fortune; he
has got it, and he's coming to share it
with her, if she will let him. Will
YOU tell her this?p
The widow did not answer. She
freed her hand from his, and covered
her face with it. By and by she
looked up again. He was waiting pa
tiently..1 4 i fl ElEEl fl
'Well?"
'I will tell her"
He rose from his scat and walked
up and down the room. Then he came
back, and leaning upon the mantle
piece, stroked the yellow hair of
BOwse with his slipper.
''Make her quite understand that he
wants her for his wife. She may live
where she likes, only it must be with
him.
AL 1,n H..