The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1878-04-23

she was puzzled about her next one. At
last she brought it out beautifully.
Was his wife with him In Califor-
mia ?''
His wife, ma'am : Why, bless you,
he has not got one."
"Oh, thought meant-I heard"
here the little widow remembered the
fate of Ananias and Sapphira and stop
ped short before she told such tremen-
dous fib.
Whatever you heard of his marry
ing was all nonsense, can assure you.
1 know him well and he had no thought
of the kind about him. Some of the
boys began to tease him about it, but he
soon made them stop"
"How?''
He just told them frankly, that the
only woman he ever loved, Tilted him
years ago, and married another man.
After that no one ever mentioned the
subject to him again, except me-"
Mrs. Cobb laid her knitting aside, and
looked thoughtfully into the fire.
" He was another specimen of the
class of men was speaking Of have
seen him face death score of times as
quietly as face the fire. 1t matters
very little who takes me off, he used to
say; 1--we nothing to live for, and there
is no one to shed tear for me when I'm
gone.' It's a sad thought for man to
have, isn't it Y''
Me- Cnhh cfosl,D DI el.n ansI a.
thought it was.
but did he ever tell you the name
of the lady who Tilted him ?"
&C I.knew her first name"
"What was it"
C Maria.'
The plump little widow almost started
out of her chair her name was spoken
exactly as Sam would have said it,"
''Did you know her too ?" he asked,
looking keenly at her.
g Yes"
Intimately ?"
Yes.''
"And where is she nowY Still happy
with her husband, 1 suppose, and never
giving thought to the poor fellow she
drove out into the world"
"No," said Mrs. Cobb, shading her
face with her hand, and speaking un-
steadily. "No, her husband is dead"
"Ahl But still she never thinks of
Sam ?''
There was a dead silence.
C Does she?"
&C How can tell 2''
&C Are you still friends ~
eyes"
"Then you ought to know and you
do. Tell me-"
81 am sure / don't know why /
should. But if do you must promise
me, on your honor, never to tell him, if
you ever happen to meet him again"
Madam, what you say to me never
shall be repeated to any mortal man,
upon my honor"
Well, then, she does remember
him."
But how?"
"As kindly, / think, as he could
wish"
81 am glad to hear it for his sake
You and are the friends Of both par
ties we can rejoice with each other"
He drew his chair much nearer hers,
and took her hand. One moment the
widow resisted, but it was magnetic
touch; the rosy palm lay quietly in his,
and the dark beard bent so low that it
nearly touched her shoulder. 1t did not
matter much. Was he not Sans dear
friend? If he was not the rose, had he
not dwelt very near it for long, long
time?
1t was foolish quarrel that parted
them,' said the stranger.
did he tell you about it Y''
Yes, on the whaler."
"Did he blame her much ?''
Not as much as himself. He said
that his jealousy and ill-temper drove
her to break off the match; but he
thought sometimes if he had only gone
back and spoken kindly to her she would
have married him after all. +"
81 am sure she would, said the wild
ow, piteously. "She has owned it to
me more than hundred times"
"She was not happy, then, with an
other l''
"Mr. -, that was to say, her hus-
band-was very good and kind" said
the woman thinking of the lonely grave
on the hillside, rather penitently, and
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