The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-10-09
Sure enough there it was.


'To let, furnished three story,
brown stone front, basement, " and rath-
er a full description of the advantages
OF the premises. with the emphatic ad-
dition, 'call only between 8 and 8 A. M"
&c So as to be sure am at home, the
rascal, said Rupert Smithson, laying
aside the paper. 81 am sorry, madam" !"
he said, d" that you have had the trouble
of calling upon useless errand."
"Then it is taken?' said a very dis
appointed voice, and the heavy Grape
veil was liftedto show a sweet, matronly
face, framed in that most saddest of all
badges, a widows cap.
"Well, no." said the perplexed bach
elor, " it is not exactly taken"
Perhaps you object to boarders ?"
"You want to take boarders ?" he
answered, thinking how ladylike and
gentle she looked, and wondered if she
had long been widow.
" Yes, sir; but would be very care
full about the reference"
"Have you ever kept boarders be-
fore ?'
"No, sir. Since my husband died,
six years ago-he failed in business,
and brought on severe illness by men,
tai anxiety-my daughter and myself
have been sewing, but we have both
been i'll i'll health all winter, and want
to try some way of getting living that
is less confning. L have kept house
several years, but I have no capital to
| furnish, so we want to secure q house
furnished like this one, if possible"
Quite unconscious of the reason, Ru-
pert Smithson was finding it very pleas
ant to talk to this gentle little widow
about her plans, and as she spoke, was
wondering if it would not make an
agreeable variety in his lonely life to
let her make her experiment of keeping
boarding house upon the premises
Seeing his hesitation, she said. earn
estly!
"I think you will be satisfied with
my references, sir. L have lived in one
house and have worked for one firm for
six years, and if you require it, can
obtain letters from my husbands
friends in Cincinnati.
Cincinnati ?"
He was pretty well known there.
Perhaps yod have heard of him, John
Murray, - street?"
"John Murray p'
into the pale face that was so pleadingly
raised to his gaze. Where was the rosy
cheeks, the dancing eyes, the laughing
lips that he pictured as belonging to
John Murray's wife? Knowing now
the truth, he recognized the face before
him, the youth all gone, and the ex.
preston sanctified by sorrow and long
suffering.
"You have children ?" he said, after
long silence.
"Only ole living, daughter, seven.
teen years old. L have buried all the
Others"
81 will letyou have the house on one
condition." he said, his lip trembling a
little as he spoke.
She did not answer. In the softened
eyes looking into her own, in the voice
suddenly modulated to tender sweet
ness, some memory was awakened, and
she only listened with bated breath and
dilating eyes.
con one condition, Katie" he said,
"that you come to it as my wife, and
its mistress. L have waited for you
over twenty years, Katie"
1t was hard to believe, even then,
though the little widow let him cares
her, and sobbed upon his breast.
This gray-haired, middle-aged man
was so unlike the Rupert she had be-
lieved false. Even after the whole past
was discussed, and Rupert knew how
he had been wronged, but not by Katie,
it was hard to believe there might be
years of happiness still in store for
them.
Rupert Smithson didn't put in an ap-
pearance at his counting house that day,
and Rupert the Second went home to
his dinner in rather an uneasy state of
mind regarding that April fool trick of
his.
&c 1 must run over and see if L have
offended beyond all hope of pardon"
he said, as he rose from the table.
But a gruff voice behind him arrested
his steps.
$50, so; you have advertised my
of his efforts he failed to look very
angry. y
applied for it?" inquired the daring
young scapegrace.
"I don't know. After the first appli-
cation my housekeeper told the others
the house was taken"
"Taken "
eyes, 1 have let it upon life lease,
too"
Here he opened the door.
"My wife /"
Very shy, blushing and timid "my
wife " looked in her slate-colored dress
and bonnet, as her three, hours hus-
band led her in.
After moments scrutiny Mrs. Kim
berly cried:
cit is Katie Carroll |"
"Katie Smithson /" said the bride
groom, with immense dignity, and my
Winnifred."
There was a new sensation, as a pref
ty blonde answered this call, but a
warmer welcome was never given than
was accorded to these by their new rel
atives, and to this day Uncle Rupert
will not acknowledge that he got the
worst of the joke when his nephew
played him an April FOOLS trick by ad-
vertising his house to let.