Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1872-02-29
MY WIDOW.

Jones advised me not to marry her-h'
said she was too young and pretty.
| Farnum advised me to remain an Ole
bachelor-told me man past forty simply
made fool of himself by .matrimony.
Tewksbury-a man who is notoriou:
! for never minding his own business-tolt
me she had made love affair with Harry
Birmingham, bpfore he went South.
Allen shook his head and said Clar;
| Myers might be very pretty, but he liked
somebody maturcr and more settled. On
B. He married his housekeeper the mex
week, and she is mature enough for Ma.
thusaleh himself }
Every body thought | was trying 9
dangerous experiment, but l didn't pre-.
tend to suit everybody simply suited
myself, l went quietly to church with
Clara Myers, and married her one glorious
January morning, when the caves Of, old
St. Paul's were fringed with glittering lei
cles, and the brisk wind was freighted with
particles of flying snow, like battalion
of diamonds on the double-qulck.
She was nineteen and | was nine-and-
thirty. She was as beautiful as rose
bud, with shy, pretty way, like timid
child, and am rough old codger, sound
enough at heart, but like a winter apple
unpromising On the exterior.
In short, We were rs unlike as May and
November, and the good natured world
shook its head, and said, "no good could
come Of such an unequal match" But
she said she loved me, and | believed her
Nobody could look into Clara's blue eyes
and not believe her, you see.
And BIC next day nIi,ic a will, and
bcqucatic'i ali my property, ncondltlon-
ally, to rly wife.
q j. Are YOU sure YOU are doing wise
thing Mr.. Folliott?" ?" said NIarllyn, the Law
yer, pushing his blue spectacles up on his
forehead, until he looked like a laid old
gnome, with double pair Of eyes. a on
sec, she is very rlucli ..ounger than your
self, and" 3
please to be so kind as to mind yoal
own business" said |, brusquely. "Don't
bc offended, Mardyn, Tut really, people
| seem to, suppose / am not able to attcn.|
| to my own affairs "
Just as you please" said Mardyn,
IN q ngc az am mere tool in your
hands.
"Thats it, exactly" said 1. So sign
ed the will and went home to Clara"
"Oh, Paul, you must not die said
Clara, with scared look, when l told
what l had done. Nobody ever loved
me as .trulc and generously as you have
done, and ! don't know what should Go
il YOU We're taken away"
- There was a young Birmingham. if all
reports were true | mischievously be
gan, but the curl ON Clara's lip stopped
me.
"A mere butterfly, she said haughtIy,
without either brains Or principle Paul,
Paul, have found q shelter i'll your true
EIoviB1 heart, and mean TO nestle there
l!a!waysF"
Ard then she cricl-this foolish, soit
hearted liitl" wife Of lninc.
Joues and Tcwksbury might have CALI
cd this roli"v@Farnern would have sald
it was acting. But it was very pleasant,
and iclt more than ever like . man who
has found some precious jewel, and wears
it. like an amulet, on his breast
So things went on until the firm Of
which / was managing partner, needed 10
send some one to Calcutta to see after q
turbaned scoundrel of an agent, who had
abscondcd with more money than we could
well afford to lose. Morrison was old and
fecble-Hewitt's wife'lay very i'll, so was
the one to 90. / kissed Clara goodbye as
| cLccrtullv as I could. fully expecting TO
be back in three months or 50. But-you
know the old French adage-" Lhomlne,
propose, ct Dicu dispose !"
| had to follow the agent mp into the
mountains of India-I fell i'll Of one ol
those burning climate feversi in the bunea-
| low oi an old native priest, and the months
flew by, until it was more than year be-
fore | found myself on the deck OF the
Bluc-cycd Mary stcaming into New
York harbor
And, all this time, Clara had never
heard word from me
i had written to her, to prepare her Tor
wLab seemed almost Ike my rising from
he dead, bat had afterwards found my
letters in The pocket OF tlc ncglcctiul ma
tive servant who had undertaken 10 de-
liver the mails to the Calcutta Office.
"But it don't matter so much, now
thought she will be the more delighted
poor little girl - f% ri
And then cold chill seemed to creep
through al my veins, like November
lwina suddenly breathing across bed o
flowers
I Cla., had heard nothing of Inc for near
" fifteen .nontEs-what might not har'
4 Fhappcned in that tilne2 All that, Tewks
Ibuly, and Jones, and Allen, aaiall tho
other prophetic rafcnsof my acquaintance
liiad said REQUIRED to my, mipd like TIM
lbdnsc,n cf an uneasy dream IL had. bael
cDunl!I,a the days, ,ilici honrs,2thc- Yer!
4 MINUTES until we-sI,ould toucl, port-a:3bu
now that l.ysfgoj rang ce-plorc 'N,oi
tho pavcnciit.0E ut native city5I actuai,
dared not 70 home. tss-N
4 turned into;a towrst0wn restaurant
where / had been Sort to go, the day;
of my baclelorllood, and siunk2in@ th..
dirk fcofner-thc twilight was Just falling
and WAS sheltered ~ the partition.
HUSH that was Tcwksburys voice
harsh and lilrinS, as VI OIL
ls sg Just what might 1hSvc'been expected,
said Tewksbury. Pretty ond young
widows don't go begging in this market
"Folliott might have known it," growlet
old Farnum. "Poor Folliott there wa
some good points about. him, too! sat
thing, that very sad thingp p
"We must all die" said Tewksbury
lsgravely.
"Yes, but q fellow would natural.
prefer dying in his bed to being carrie'
off by an East Indian fever and buried IL
the jungles p
L shuddcrcd. Had1 then-oome hom
to my own funeral as it were?
"And she's going to marry young Biz
mingham, after all !" added Farnum
Tic paper dropped from my hand.
,s"I could have told Folliott so, when
found out what confounded idiotic vii
! he had made said Tewksbury, So gol'
has fallen again. Just my luck l sol'
out to-nig gh,w ,,s.s ..1 a
| stayetl.to hear no more but staggcrc'
out in the darkness with one idea whirlin!
thr9 4 my dff1y q hbrfpHHl7 brfpHHlN7znpyelar T4f n MN .
It was Questionable what Tewksbu,
lad sid, | mishll have anticipated som
snth end She vas Toung, too lovely 70