Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-05-10
"Not if you are my wife, 1 can tell

you." '>'
"But 1 don't want to be your wife,
Good-by, Mr.. Prindle."
"Good-by. But don't give it up: I
will ask you again." said Mr.. Prindle,
And he may not have been far from the
truth when he had called himself fool.
Precisely a week from that day Mc.
Prindle came again. "You may wear
the cap if you like" he said, meekly.
"Thank you. But you are wasting
your time. Please don't think any more
about it,
Another week passed. "WiIl he come ?''
wondered the widow.
He came. "Now, Maggie, this Is the
last time. Three times and OUT YOU
know. What shall it be-yes or no?"
"NO, most decidedly!" said the obdur-
ate widow.
mot if say love you, as didn't think
~, 'Not If you say anything. won't do it.
There!"
'Then must leave the place. couldn't
live here after this"
Sand what would the farm do without
you?'
81 will sell it. l don't mind that"
"Take my advice, Mr.. Prindle, and don't
do anything foolish. Go away for little
while, If you like, then come back and be
But Mr.. Prindle wouldn't take the
widsw's advice, and he would do some
thing foolish. So he went away, and for
a whole month no one knew what had be-
come of him.
Mrs. M'Bride spent that time in several
frames Of mind. She was glad, and she
was sorry; it was great pity, and yet it
was very silly. She really missed Mr..
Prindle, and she felt sorry for him. 'But
then couldn't do 1.-THE idea ~
About this time another idea dawned
upon the widows mind, and that idea was
Mr.. Plum. She had been so accustomed
to deal with young men on philanthropic
principles that she was slow to admit the
possibility of "such dreadful thing" Yet
If mans eyes mean anything when they
look unutterable things, then Mr.. Plum's
eyes meant precisely "such dreadful
thing"
Mrs. M'Bride felt that an evil day was
coming, and that she was powerless to
ward it off. Goodness did not cool Mr..
Plum, and she certainly could not "speak
first" Then came the bitter thought, 'It
is my money he wants !" whereas she well
knew that Mr.. Prindle's love had nothing
to do with her money.
Yes, it was her money Mr.. Plum want
ed; but he was perfectly willing to take
her with it. He had reflected much on the
subject. On one side was love and sal
ary of six hundred dOllars-a small fence
| to keep off the wolf from the door. On
the other side was Mrs. M'Bride and
well, why notp
1t was 10 have this question answered
| that he came one evening. The widow
was alone, and Mr.. Plum taking the tide
of his affairs at the flood, rushed at once
into melting eloquence. But fortune re-
fused to smile upon him. Mr.. Plum per-
severed; he stated his case-part of It
in glowing language; all in vain. Then
MIR. Plum forgot his manners, and asked
"why had he been led on to hope"
Poor sinful little widow she had hard
time of it. But she stood firm, and ex-
planned matters very clearly-also in part.
She was just in the middle of her closing
peal that startled her. A sudden convic-
| ti0n aashed into her mind that Mr.. Prin-
die had returned, and was waiting at her
door. Not for the world would she be
found by him alone with that angry, red
faced man!
With the energy of despair she turned
to Mr.. Plum and whispered, You must
go away-at once" She led him through
the sitting room into the kitchen, opened
the door, and locked it after him. Then
she went to the front door.
No Mr.. Prindle was there; only boy
with yellow letter in his hand. at is a
dispatch for you, ma'am," he said.
Mrs. M'Bride took it. Who was it
from? Had anything happened to any
body? And with trembling fingers she
opened the envelop.
1t was only business communication,
after all:
81 have good offer for my, farm, Shall sell
Bridget knocked at the kitchen door
just then, and Mrs. M'Bride let her in.
She was retreating to the parlor, when
she saw her dispatch lying on the floor
she picked it up, and sitting down by her
little table, she read it again. This time Is
began with "Dear James" "What I"
said Mrs. M'Bride; and opening her eyes
wider, she perceived she was holding a
letter written by some woman to whom
"James" was very dear.
"Poor little thing !" she said, not mean
ing dear James. "Ah, these men ~
Early the next morning Widow M'Bride
took walk. She went to the postOffice
and dropped letter in the box. Then
she went to the telegraph Office and sent
the first message of the day.
The letter was addressed to Mr.. James
Plum, and contained only the sweet little
missive.
The message was addressed to Mr.. Peter
Prindle, and contained only one word:
" Keep"
And Mr.. Prindle kept, from that day
forward, for better and for worse.-Har-
per's Bazaar.
Head Lettuce.