The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1872-03-28
eELEcTED eToRY.
MY WIDOW.
3 aaIaLzx BRorEE.

Z 3
old bachslor-told me a man past
forty siaply made q fool Of himself
by matriplOny.
1'swksbEFy--a man who is note
rious for never minding his own
business-told me she had made q
| love affair With Henry Birmingham
before he went West.
Allen shook his head, and said
Clara Myers might be very pretty;
! but he liked somebody matufer and
more settled. IN. Bile married
his bousskceper the next week, and
/ she is mature enough for 8Iethusalah
lIimseif!)
Everybody thought I vas trying
s dangerous experiment, but didn't
pretend to suit eyeTybody-so ]
simply suited myself, I went quietly
30 church with Clara Myers and
married her one glorious January
morning, when eyes of st. PauTs
were fringed with giitteEing icicles,
and the brisk wind vas fTeighted
with particles Of flying snow, like a
battalion OF diamonds on the double
quick.
She was nineteen and I was nine
and thirty. She was as beautiful
as q rose bud, With a shy, pretty way
like a timid child, and ] a rough old
codger, sound enough at heart, but
like a winter apple, unpromising on
the exterior.
In short, we were as unlike as May
and November, and the good natur-
ed world shook its head, and said,
mo good could come Of such an
unequal match" But she said she
loved me, and I believed her. No
body could lock into Clara's blue
eyes and not believe her, you see.
And the next day / made q win,
and bequeathed all my property, IN
conditionalIy, to my wife.
"Are you sure you are doing a
wise thing, AIr. FolliOttH said Mar
dyn, the lawyer, pushing his spec
tacles upon his forehead, until he
looked like bald old gnome, with a
double pair Of eyes. 'sYou see, she
is very much younger than yourself,
and"
please be so kind as to mind your
own business" said I, brusquely
Don't be offended, said Mardyn, in a
rage. Il am mere tool in your
hands"
That's it exactly" said I. So ]
signed the win and went home to.
Clara.
"Oh. Panl, you must not dieY'
said Clara, with q scared look, when
] told her what / had done, and I
don't know what I should do if you
we're taken awayr'
There was 3 young Birmingham,
if ali reports were true" 1 mis-
chievously began, but the curl on
Clara's lip stopped me.
"a mere butterfly" she said
haughtilY, without either brains or
principle. Paul, Paul, have found
a shelter il your true, loving heart,
and mean to nestle there alWaysr'
And then she cried-this foolish
soft hearted little wife Of mine.
Jones and Tewksbnry might have
called this policy. Farnum would
have said it was acting. But twas
very pleasant, and 1 felt more than
ever like a man who has found
some precious jewel, and wears it
like an amulet, on MS breast.
So things went OF until the firm
Of which was managing partner,
need to send some one to Calcutta TO
see after a turbaned scoundrel OF an
agent, who had abscOnded with more
money than we could wen afford to
lose. Morrison was old and feeble
Hewitt's wife lay very i'll, 50 was
the one to 60. kissed Clara good /
bye as cheerfully rs could, fally
expected to be back in three months
or so. BUt-yOu know the French !
adage-"ThOmme, propose, ct Dieu
dispose -
bad to foliow the agent up into the
mountains Of India--I fell I'll ofone |
of those burning climate fsvers in /
the bungalow ofan old native priest, /
and months few BY, until it was more |
than 8 year before found myself on /
the deck Of the eBlue eyed Mary"
steaming into New York harbor.
And, all this time, Clara had new |
er heard a word frem me!
/ had written to her, TO prepare /
her for what seemed almost like nv +
rising from the dead, but I had AZ
terWards found my letters in the /
pocket Of the negicctful native ser
want who had undertaken TO deliver +
the mails to the Caicutta oflce.
eBub it don't matter so much,
now = I thought, asho viii be the
more delighted, poor little girl y
And then a cold chill seemed TO
creep Through ali my veins. ike a
wind suddenly breath
ing across q bed OF flowers.
Clara had heard nothing OF me for
nearly fifteen menths-what might
lot have happened in that timef /
All that TeEksbury. and Jones. and f
Alien, and an the other prOphetlc /
ravens Of my acquaintance had /
said, reeurred to my mind ike the
burden Of an uneasy dream. ] had
been counting tho days, the hours.
he very minutes until We should
.ouch port; but now that ms feet
RRg once more upon the pavemsnts
og my native, citys I actually dared
pot go home.
i turned fnto a downtown restaa-
ant, where / had been won't to 60,
b the DAYS 81 my bachelorAood, and /
slunk in that dark corper; the tNi-
light was inst falling. and was
.heiarej by the partition. #
Hush that was Teuksuuryss
yoico, harsh snd iarring SIS ~ Old. /
HJust what might have been sK-
lecied. said IeRksbury. 'retty
md youag widows don't 50 begging
q this marketg
sFeliiott mlgAt have known its
roHled Old Earnum. "Roar FOL
fottl there was eone coed points
.beut him, too. Sad thing, thas
.ery sad thingF
aWe must 81 die said Tswks-
jury. graEeiY.
a1zas. bus q felioW would naturally
g. Ees- IA - l,-fa.. - - -