The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-06-21
I'm and Out of Love.

widow2
Don't you give me credit for any
common sense.Or discrimination at all
How do you know that rose is red
How do you know lobster salad from
sardines?
knew she was Il widow from the
very moment [ took the corner seat in
the car, opposite to her little black bon
net with it's huttering wreath of Grape
her two tiny, black-gloved hands.
How envied that muff.
Don't tell me of your ,Yenuses, your
Madonnas, and your Marys, Queen OF
Scots-they couldn't have held q can
die to this delicious little widow.
never did believe in grand beau
ties!
A woman has no business over-awing
and impressing you against your will.
And she was one of your dimpled,
daisy-faced creatures, with soft, brown
eyes, long-lashed and limpid, and red
mouth, which looked as if it was just
made to be kissed.
And then there was a tangle of gOl-
den spirals of hair hanging over her
forehead, and braids upon braids pin
ned up under her bonnet, until hair
dresser would have gone frantic at the
sight.
Just as was taking an inventory of
these things, in that sort of unObservant
| way that I f1atter myself belongs to a
man Of the world, she dropped her muff,
and, Of course, it rolled under the car
seat.
Wasn't down on my knees at once
after it9 / rather think so.
"Thank you, sir" said the delicious
little widow.
"Not at ALL | replied. "Can't I do,
anything more for you?"
"No, thank you-unless you can tell
me what time we get into Glendale"
"Glendale,n I cried. "Why | am go
ing to Glendale"
Of course we were friends at once,
and the daisy faced enchantress made
said, "some horrid, disagreeable crea-
ture should crowd in and bore her to
DEATH" and stepped right out of the
| musty, ill-ventilated world of railway
carriage into an atmosphere of Eden.
When a bachelor of forty falls in love
at first sight-Oh, trhGt fall is there
my countrymen. No half-measures, I
tell you. .--"
Before we had been speeding through
the wintry landscape an hour had al
| ready built up several blocks of ckateauT
FEspagne, in my mind.
/ saw my bachelor rooms frightened
by her presence.
I fancied myself walking to church
with her hand on my arm.
l heard her dulcet voice saying, "My
dear Thomas, what would you like. for
supper tO-night?' | beheld myself a
FesRfctfaolfs FsaRS ct ! fami1g member Of SO'iety-the
What would Bob Carter say now-I
meant then ?
Bob, who was always rallying me on
my state of hopeless -bachelOrhOOd,
who supposed, forsoOth because he
happened to be trifle younger and
| better-lOOking than myself, that [ had
no chances whatever.
I'd show Bob!
"What did we talk aboutq"
The weather, of course, the scenery,
the prOspects-all the available topics,
one. after another; and the more we
talked, the deeper grew my admiration.
She was sensible, and so original, and
so everything else that she ought to be !!
| discovered that she preferred a
town life to the seclusiOn Of a country
| residence-so did [. Who would stag
| nate when he could feel the worlds
pulses as they thrObbed?
She loved the opepa-so did /. She
| thought this wOman's suffrage move
menf all ridiculous-With bewitching
little lisp on the last syllable-I agreed
| with her.
She thought a WOman's true sphere
was home: my feelings surged up too
strongly for Utteranee,, and [ merely
bowed my assent. -
Here was a delicious unanimity of
sOul-a mute concord Of sympathy. .
What would Bob Carter say when he
saw this beautiful little robin lured in
to my cage. How I would lord it over
him. How / would invite him to chap
pen in at any time." How Iwould-fgu-
ratively, of course-hold up Mrs. Thorn
as Smith over his envying head. ut
tered an audible chuckle as thought of
these things, which I had some difficulty
in changing into cough.
sympathetically "Do, please, have
one Of my troches they are SO soothing
| to the throat"
Itook the troche, but I didn't swal-
low it. I would as soon have eater a
priceless pearl. / put it in my left
hand breast pocket, as near my heart as
practicable.
Her first gift
"a bachelor like me is used to such
| things,p said, in an off hand manner.
A bachelorm echoed my travelling
companion. "Dear me, then you are
/ not married?"
Unfortunately, no.n
It's never too late to mend," hazar-
ded the widow, roguishly.
That is my sole consolation" an
swered, gallantly..
"There is nothing like married life" ,"
| sighed the widow, with momentaTy
eclipse of the limpid, brown Orbs, be-
"But what's the use of my talking about
| it to you? You can't understand"
81 can imagine" replied mOdestly.
"You must find q wife as soon as
possible said the widow. looking in
tently at the hem of her pocket hand
kerchief. YOU'RE only living half a
life, now. All, you can not think how
much happier you would be with some
gentle, c1inging being at your side
some congenial soul to mirror your
own" .-..-
Instinctively l laid my hand on my
heart.
Do not fancy that shall lose an in
stant in the Search" I said. 4 have
already pictured to myself the pleasures
of q newer existence"
"Have you2 r The brown eyes shot
an arch, challenging sparkle toward
me. "Tell ME all about herr
"Do you really wish to know?n
"Of course / d0.n
[ congratulated myself mentally on
the fine progress was making, con-
sidering the small practice in love-mak-
ing that / had had. Bob Carter him
self, with all his ready tongue and
good looking face, could not have car
/ T;o1 IN, a f1irfa+ion moro neatly