Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-01-28
THE WIDOW BARLOW.
BIZ NARY DALLAS.

THE WIDDOW BARLOW.
BIZ MARY DALLAS.
Peter Buskirk was very fond of
money; not so fond that he quite
starved himself to keep it, or hide it
up the chimney, or refused himself
fire or lights or a pillow; but yet so
very fond of it as to be on the verge
of miserhood without having quite
fallen over. Beggars reaped no har-
vest from his purse or kitchen, and
matchmakers could make no impress
sion on his bachelor heart. Peter
Buskirk saw through the latter as
well as the former, and buttoned up
his pockets as hastily in the presence
of the bewitching crinoline as in that
of a seedy gentleman with folded
document in his breast pocket. The
men wanted to rob him, the women
to mary him. The last was the worst
NOT that Peter hated women; on
the contrary, even at fifty, he was
susceptible; bright eye put him in
futter. But the fact was, women,
as wives or daughters, were expen-
sive. They needed clothes, and were
fond of dainties. They were pro-
verbally 1extravagant. Should he
marry one, e,she would spend his mon
ey while he lived, and squander it
after he was dead. And, with this
awful terror before him, Peter steer
ed clear of the shoals of matrimony.
There was one inconvenience in
this bachelor hood, however. Tha-
was the house keeping, for it inVolv
ed a servant-some one to make
beds, wash dishes, cook and iron-in
short, the servant-of-all-work was al
ways the bane of Peters life-eat-
ing and drinking in manner that
kept the master of the house in a
continual ferment; wasting butter
and fuel, and each change in the
kitchen incumbrance being followed
by the mysterious disappearance of
towels and napkins. and such small
ware. There was no rest for good
Mr.. BuskIrk. He tried Betty and Di-
nah, and Mary and Ann, and then in
despair flew to a certain Mrs. Brown,
the giver of tea-parties innumerable,
for advice.
Servants are plaques, she said.
Eat you out of house and home,
said Peter.
Not to be relied upon for honesty,
said Mrs. Brown.
Thieves! ma'am, thieves! said Pc
ter.
All, said Mrs. Brown, agentleman
has no timet to watch them. Now l
should advise marrying, Mr.. Bus
kirk.
Marrying!
Yes sir; wife can manage such
things SO much better. Besides, if
you choose smart, capable woman,
she will keep an eye on the servant.
1t would be much more economical
to marry.
Economical! yelled Peter; my
good ladyI Eco-I-O goodness
feathers and flowers, laces and silks,
and rings and-and ice-cream and
things; econonaicaA How many
yards do you take for a dress?
Well, sir, twelve or thirteen; some
times, when it's silk, you know, it
takes eighteen.
Eighteen yards, at five shilllngs or
so a yard, and not one dress, but
twenty. My good lady, 1t would be
enough to ruin a man.
Mrs. Brown reflected.
But if you could find an economi-
cal woman, Mr. Buskirk.
All, if l could find mermaid!
One who never wasted a penny.
She does not exist, ma'am.
Who lives on next to nothing. In
fact, Mr.. Buskirk, have such a la
dy in my eye. She is widow, quite
young one-Mrs. Barlow-and l
will have her at Peach House next
week.
Peter Buskirk grinned sarcastical-
ly.
Economy in hoops and bonnets,
he said to himself. They want to
marry me and spend my money.
And he went home wroth.
However, economy forbade him to
refuse an invitation to dinner; and
when, a week after, Mrs. Brown sent
her compliments, ETC., Mr.. Buskirk
donned his Sunday suit and went
over to the Peach House at five pre-
cisely. The parlor was full of ladies;
ladies in silks and muslins, with erin
olines and founces. Most of them he
knew well, and he looked in vain for
a stranger. Mrs. Browns note had
said:
'Mrs. Barlow will be with u.s."
But which was that economical
widow? Probably the lady in the
green silk near the piano. He could
not remember her.
Suddenly his doubts were set to
rest. Mrs. Brown ejaculated-Dear
me! where is consin BetseyP Mr..
Buskirk, you must be introduced to
Mrs, Barlow; and at these words,
something small and fat emerged
from between two portly danes, and
stood before him. It was a very
short and slender little woman, with
remarkably pretty face; she wore
no hoops, and her dress cleared her
ankles; the sleeves were close, and
the skirt had perhaps three breadths
in it; the dress itself was of very
plain brown, and she wore neither
brooch nor bow, only white linen