Smyrna times., 1872-05-01
ms ce/Lu 10 cons.
My Widow.

Jones advised me not to marry her-he said
She was too young and pretty
tarnum advised me to be an old bachelor
tG.u me man past forty Slmp made fool of
himself by matrmOny
I"wGsbery-a man who is notorious for never
mlndlng his own busne>S-told me She nd
had love affair with Harry Brminuham
before he went South. nam
Allen shook his head, and said Clara Myers
might be very pretty, but he liked somrLodr
mhturer and settled. IN. Bile married his
houSekeeper the next week, and she is mature
enough for Methusaleh himsef.)
Everybody thought was irving a danperous
experiment; but didn: pretend to suit ever.
h"iyIso | simply suited myself. | went
quietly to church with Clara Myers. and mar
RED her one glorious January morning, when
the old 81. Pau!s was frnged with glittering
iclcIeS, aud the brisk wind was freighted with
the particles of flying snow. like battalion Of
diamonds on double quick.
She was nineteen, and was nine-and- thirty
She was as beautiful as a rosebud; | was a
r!0ugh OLD codger, sound enough at heart but, >
IKE winter apple, unpromising on the exte
rlOr
:, In short, We were as unlike as Nav and
November; and the good -natured world shook
Its head, and said mo good could come of
such an unequal match. >" But She said she
loved me, and | believed her. Nobody could
look into Clara blue eyes and not believe her
you see.
The next day made will and bequeathed
all my property unconditionally to my wife.
:, Are you sure you are doing a wise thing
Mr.. FollIot? said Mr.. Mardyn, the lawyer
pushing his blue spectacles up on his forehead
until he looked like an old bald gnome, with a
double pair of eyes. You see she is very
much younger than yOuSeH. and"
" Please to be so kind as to mind YOUR own
business" said |, brrsquey. don't be
offended, Mardyn, but really people seem to
suppose | am not able to alteud to my own
affairs"
just as you please" said Mardyn, in
rage; ~, am mere tool in your hands -
That's it exactly" said |. So | signed
the will and went home to Clara.
".Oh, Paul you must not die |" said Clara.
with scared look, when told her what had
done. Nobody ever loved me as truly and as
generously as you have done, and | don't
know what | should do if you were taken
away"
There was young Birmingham, if all re-
ports are true L mischievously began but
the curl on Clara's lip stopped me.
mere butterfyI'' she said hauehtilv.
without either brains or principIe PanIi
Paul! L have found a shelter in YOUR true,
loving heart, and | mean to nestle there
always!"
:. And then she cried-this foolish, soft hearted
little wife of mine
Jones and TOwksbery might have called this
poncy. farnum, would have said it was
acting, But 1t was very pleasant, and felt
more than ever like man who has found some
precious jewel and wears it like an amulet on
! bis breast
so things went on until the firm of which |
was managing partner needed to send some one
to Calcutta TO see after a turbaned scoundrel
OF an agent who had absconded with more
money than we could well afford to lose. Nor
rlson was old and feeble Hewitts wife layvery
| Ill; so | was the one to 20. | kissed Clara
good bye as cheerfully as | could, fully expect
ing to he back IN three months or so.
| had to follow the agent up into the noun
tans OF India. fell i'll of one of those burning
climate fevers in the bungalow Of an old native
priest, and the months flew by until it was more
than year before | found myself on the deck
OF the " Blue-eyed Mary" steanIng into the
New York harbor.
And all this time Clara had not heard word
from me L had written to her to prepare her
for what seemed almost like my rising from the
dead; but had afterwards found my letters in
the pocket of the neglectful native servant who
had undertaken to deliver the mail to the Cal
cutta office. =" But it don't matter so much
now" l thought; ''she will be the more de.
lighted, poor little girl!' And then cold chill
seemed to creep through all my veins like No
vember's wind suddenly breathing across bed
of flowers
Clara had heard nothing of me for nearly fif-
teen months. What might have happened in
that time? All that Tewksbery and Jones and
Allen, and all other prophetic ravens of my ac.
quantance, had said, required to my mind like
the burden of an uneasy dream | had been
counting the hours. and the very minutes, until |
we should touch port but, now tn It my feet |
rang once more upon the pavement of my ma
tive city, | actually dared not go homel [ |
turned into q down town restaurant where | !