The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-03-20
MY LODGER's WIFE.

The alarm from Fenian outbreaks is too
recent to require any description here, even
If were capable Of writing one; but as
plain widow woman-which AMI have no
pretension TO write history. l only know
that down at Weymouth, as well as every
where else. we we're always being startled by
some fresh report Of what the tenians had
done, OF were going 10 do, generally the latter.
This was common to all places; but we had
special interest in them at Weymouth, be-
cause most Of the men, when convicted, we're
sent to Portland, and we sometimes caught a
sight of them on the platform of our station,
when they were changed to the little branch
line. 1 suppose almost everybody who reads
these words knows that Portland Island is
only two or three miles from our town, and
that there are nearly two thousand convicts
there. They have built the breakwater. and
made regular castle on the island, aud so
have done great deal of work there, If they
never did any before they came.
Now and then one escapes, but he is nearly
always retaken directly, or gets drowned in
trying to swim of to some boat. My hus-
band, who was q master-fsherman, saw one
drowned. Although he was a convict my
husband tried to save him, but he went down
like stone, not twenty yards from his skiff.
My husband was very much upset by it, for
instead of being forbidding- looking ruffian,
like Bill Skies in SOLVER Twist" he was
mild-looking, fair-haired young fellow, who
didn't seem above one or two and twenty.
However my poor husband was drowned
himself not very long after this; aud / have
lived ever since on a very little income he left
me, and by letting furnished apartments in
the season.
In the winter, Weymouth is very dull, and
j, living alone, would almost have been glad
to accommodate any one for nothing, in order
to have company in the house; so l was very
pleasedto to have chance letting my first-hoor
rooms to very respectable young man who
wanted them at reduced rate. l had been,
with many others, to the station, to see
batch of Fenians change for Portland, but we
were obliged to come back unsatisfed, be-
cause the railway companies would not allow
any strangers in; this was the more annoying,
as we all wanted to see Colonel La Traulle
a Fenian from New Orleans, who had fought
desperately when taken and he had been ter
ribly hurt about the head and rendered sense
less before he would surrender. AS il hap
pened we were not able to see him; so we all
went back as we came.
had been at home about ten minutes, aud
was warming my cocoa for my supper, when
/ heard q knock at the street door, and on
opening it I saw a very good-looking young
fellow-very slight, very dark, with a black
mustache, and altogether foreign air. He
spoke English, however, and said he had
been advised to apply to me for cheap apart
ments; that he was not very rich he had
come to Weymouth believing he should have
an appointment in one of the hotels-he
looked as if he would have made a capital
waiter-but was disappointed for the present
He wished to remain in the town, to be in
readiness, and SO had applied to me. was
glad he had done SO, and offered him my
rooms cheap. He agreed to take them, and
sent for his boxes from the station at once.
He had great deal of luggage-more than
most young men possess.
never had quieter, gentler lodger in my
life than he was; no trouble, no noise, never
out of an evening by any chances and his
manner was always SO soft and quiet, that,
as L used to tell him. it was more like having
girl in the house than a man. He would
laugh at this, and say the same thing had
often been remarked before. At first he
seemed to make no inquiries after any situa-
ton, or to visit his friends at all; but after
he had been with me about a fortnight he
went out nearly every day, and all day long
1 was glad to see that he did SO, for really he
mewed himself up in his room so constantly
that I began to fear he would injure his
health
What puzzled me not q little was the find
ing that he spent great part of his time on
the island-not that Portland is really an
island, only everybody calls it SO. Ia the
winter time there cannot be a more dreary
seem to rage there oftener and fercer than
they do anywhere else; the roads are bad, the
houses are small and mean, and, except for
the wild, romantic sea view which lies all
around you, and the awful Race of Portland,
which no vessel can cross, there is nothing
to be seen. My niece paid me visit about
this time, and nothing would do but that
must go with her over the island; did so,
and, to my surprise, 1 saw MIR. Lewiston
such was my lodgers name-leaning
against one of the huge blocks of stone
which lie about the quarries, and gazing so
thoughtfully out to sea, that he never no.
ticed us driving by. Then my nieces hus-
band came to fetch her home, and as he had
never been to Weymouth before, he, too,
must see the island, and / must go with him
and his wife, So second time went, and
a second time, to my great surprise, saw
Mr.. Lewis To-day he was talking to tall
man in plain clothes, who had just the look
of q warder out of his uniform; they were
in the middle of the road, so Mr.. LIE Wis might
have been asking his way; but was confident,
from their eager, hurried manner, that he
was not. Yet, when he recognized me, he
raised his cap, and the warder-I am sure it
was a warder-pointeda along path, as though
he was giving some direction, and then we
lost sight of them, but 1 did not forget the
incident.
few nights after this 1 was surprised, on
answering knock at the door, to find some
one inquiring for Mr. Lewis for he had never
name OF Brown, and was at once invited up
stairs. After visit of about h alf an hour,
he left; and then my lodger, who had seemed,
fonaia6 to avoid of lafa int,