The Placer herald., 1872-06-29
MY WIDOW.

iliC iHuiI ptSt ioi'y LbluC a
fool of himself by matrimony.
Allen shook his head, and said Clara My
ers might be very pretty, but he liked some
body maturcr and settled. (N.B. He mar
ried his housekeeper the next week, and she
is mature enough for Methusaleh HIMSELF.
Everybody thought was trying a dan
gerous experiment; but didn't pretend to
suit everybody, SO simply suited myself l
went quietly to church with Clara Myers,
and married her one glorious January morn
ing, when the old St. Paul's was tinged
with gittering icicles, and the brisk winds
was freighted with thin particles of flying
snow, like a battalion of diamonds on double
quick.
She was nineteen, and was nine-and-thir-
ty. She was as beautiful as rosebud; |
was rough old codger, sound enough at
heart, but, like winter apple, unpromising
on the exterior.
In short, we were as much alike 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. No
body could look into Clara's blue eyes and
not believe her, you see.
The next day made a will and bequeathed
all my property Internationally to my wife.
care you sure you are doing wise thing,
Mr. Fol.iol ?" said Mr.. Mardyn, the lawyer,
pushing his blue spectacles up on his fore
head, until he looked like an old bald gnome,
with a double pair of eyes. "You see she
is very much younger than yourself, and"
"PIease he so kind as to mind your own
husiness!" said brusquely. "Don't be Of
Tended Mardyn, but people really seem to
suppose am not able to attend TO my own
affairs"
"Just as you please" said Mardyn, in a
rage. 81 am mere tool in your hands. "
"That's it exactly" said |. So signed
the will and went home to Clara.
ooh, PAUL. you must not diel' said Clara
with a scared look, when told her what |
had done. "Nobody ever loved me as truly
as you have done, and don't know what |
should do if you were taken away"
"There was a young Birmingham, if all
reports are true" | mscievously began;
but the curl on Clara's lip stopped me.
ga mere butterfly" she said, haughtily,
"without either brains or principle. Paul!
Paul! have found shelter in your true
heart, and | mean to nestle there alwaysp
And then she cried-this foolish little wife
Of mine.
Jones and Tewksbery might have called
this policy. Farnum would have said it was
acting But it was very pleasant, and felt
more than ever like man who has found
some precious jewel and wears it like an am
ulet on his breast.
So things went on until the firm of which
| was managing partner needed to send some
one TO Calcutta to see after turbaned scoun-
drel of an agent who had absconded with
more money than we could well afford to
lose. Morrison was old and feeble Hewitt s
wife lay very i'll; so was the one to 60 !
kissed Clara good-by as checrfully as could
fully expecting to be back in three months
or so.
had to follow the agent up into the
mountains of India fell i'll of one of those
burning climate fevers in the bungalow of an
cid native priest, and months flew by until it
was more than year before | found myself
on The deck of the "Blueeyed Mary, steam
ing into New York harbor.
And all this time Clara had not heard
word from me. | had written to her to pre-
pare for what seemed almost like my rising
from the dead; but had afterwards found
my letters in the pocket of the negligent ma
tive servant who had undertaken to deliver
the mail to the Calcutta office. "But i:
don't matter so much now," | thought t,
myself; "she will be more delighted, poor
little girl!' And then a cold chill seemed to
creep through all my veins, like November's
wind suddenly breathing across bed Of flow
ers.
Clara had heard nothing of me for nearly
fifteen months. What might have hap
pened in that time? All that Tewksbery
and Jones and Allen, and all other prophetic
ravens of my acquaintance had said recur-
red to my mind like the burden of an uneasy
dream. ! had been counting the hours and
the very minutes, until we could touch port; ;
but now that my feet rang once more upon
the pavement of my native city, | actually
dared not 90 home! turned into down
town restaurant, where had been wont to
go in the days of my bachelorhood, and SUNK
into that dark corner. The twilight was
just falling, and l was sheltered by the par
tition. Hush! That was Tewksbery's voice
harsh and jarring as of old.
"Just what might have been expected, y
said Tewksbery. pretty and young wld-
ows don't 90 begging in this markell?
"Folliot might have known it!' growed
old Farnum. "Poor Foliot! There were
some good points about him, too. Sad thing
that, very sad thing!
"We must all die, /" said Towksbery grave
ly.
eyes, but fellow would naturally prefer
dying in his bed to being carried on Oy an an
East India fever and be buried in theJunscs.
/ shuddered. Had come home to my
own funeral as it were?
"And she is going to marry young Blrm-
ingham, after all" added Fanum.
Tie paper dropped from my hand. =,
E.lts ,hor,I |