Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-03-27
A RIDICULOUS MISTAKE.

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elbow did you know that she was wild
ow?'
Don't you give me credit for any COM
mon sense or discrimination at all ? How
do you know that a rose is red? How do
YOU know lobster salad from sardines I
knew she was widow from the very mo-
nent I took the corner seat in the car, op-
posite to her little black bonnet with its
1uttering breath of Grape veil, and the AS
trachan muff that held her two tiny, black
gloved hands. How Il envied tina muff.-
Don't tell me of your Venuses, your Ma
d. mas, and your Mary, Queen of Scots /;
they couldn't have held candle to the de-
licious little widow. I never did believe in
grand beauties A woman has no business
nver-awing and impressing you against
your will. And she was one of yonr DIM
pled, daisy-faced creatures, with soft,
brown eyes, long dashed and limpid, and a
red mouth, which looked as if it was just
sangle of golden spirals of hair hanging
over her forehead and braids upon braids
pinned under her bonnet until hair-dress-
,r would have gone fra ntic at the sight
lust as | was taking an inventory of these
things, in that sort of unobservant way
may flatter myself belongs to a man of
the world, she dropped her muff, and Of
course, it rolled under the ess seat. Wasn't
II down on nay knees at once after it
rather think 500
'sThank you, sir, said the delicious lit
tie widow, -
Mot at ALL replied Can do any
thing more for you p
NO, thank you-unless you could tell
what time we get to Glendale p
Glendale, cried. Why am going
to glendale
Sc OF course we were friends at once, and
the daisy-faced enchantress made room be-
side her, lest, as she said, some horrid
disagreeable creature should crowd in and
bore her to DEATH and I stepped right out
of the musty, ill-ventilated world of the
railway carriage into an atmosphere Of
Eden. When bachelor of forty falls in
love at first sight-oh aohat a fall is there
my countrymen. No half-measures. tell
you. Before we had been speeding through
the wintry landscape an hour, [ had al
ready built up several blocks Of chateaMc
u Espag'ae, in my mind. [ saw my bache-
lor rooms frightened with her presence. [
fancied myself walking to church with her
hand on my arm. 1 heard her dulcet voice
saying, My dear Thomas, what would you
like for supper tonight p Ibeheld myself
a respectable member Of society-the head
of family. What would Bob Carter say
noao-I meant then Bob, who was always
rallying me on my state Of hopeless old
'bachelorhood; who supposed, forsooth, be-
cause he happened to be trifie younger
and better looking than myself, that | had
no chance whatever. I'd show Bob! -
What did we talk about
The weat er, of course, the scenery, the
prospects-all the available topics, ore af-
ter another; and the more we talked, the
deeper grew my admiration. She was SEN
sible and so original, and so everything else
that she ought to be-
4 discovered that she preferred town life
to the sec]usion of a country residence-so
do 1. Who could stagnate when he could
feel the world S pulses as they throbbed (
She loved the opera-so did I. She thought
this woman IS suffrage all ridiculous with
bewitching little lisp on the last syllable
Il agree with her. She thought Wo-
mans true sphere was home ny feelings
surged up too strongly for utterance, and
1 merely bowed my assent. Here was a
delicious unanimity of soul-a mute con-
cord of sympathy.
sWhat would Bob Carter say when he
saw this beautiful little robin lured into
nv cage? How would lord it over him.
How would invite him to 'happen in any
time How I would-fguratively, OF
course-hold up Mrs. Thomas Smith over
his envying eyes. 1 uttered an audible
chuckle as / thought Of these things,
which had some difficulty in changing
into cough
you've got a cold, said the widow SYM
pathetically.' DO, please, have one OF my
troches; they are soothing to the JhroaI.
Il took the troche, but I didn't swallow
! it. I would as soon have eaten a priceless
pearl. 1 put it in my left hand breast peck
ct, as near my heart as practicable.
Her first gift =
"A bachelor like me is used to sue
things said in an off hand manner.
"A bachelor!' echoed my travelling com
panion. Bless me. then you are not mar
ried p
Undoubtedly, no.
tits never too late to mend hazardet
the widow, roguishly.'
THAT is my sole consolation / answered
gallantly.
| There is nothing like married life,
sighed the widow, with momentar,
eclipse Of the limped, brown orhs, beneath