The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1878-03-08


Yes"
And where is she now? Still happy |
with her husband, | 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 IN
steadily. No; her husband is dead.
"Ah But still she never thinks of
sam"
There was dead silence.
Does she?7
How can tell?''
Are you still friends"
Yes
Then you ought to know. Tell me-
Il am sure Idont know why should
But, if | do, you must promise me, on
your honor, never to tell him if you ever
meet with him again.
Madam, what you say 10 me never
shall be repeated to any mortal man upon
my honor"
We'll, then, she does remember him"
But how"
"As kindly, think, as h e could wish
Il am glad to hear it, for his sake
You and l are the friends of both par
ties; we can rejoice with both parties
He drew his chair nearer hers, and
took her hand. One moment she re-
sisted, but it was a magic touch; the
rosy palm lay very quietly in his, and
the dark beard bent so low that it nearly
touched her shoulder. 1t did not matter
much. Was he not Samuel Paysons |
dear friend? If he was not the rose, had
he not dwelt very near it for long, long
time?"
1T was very foolish quarrel that
parted them," said the stranger softly.
did he tell you about it,"
"Yes, on board the whaler."
did he blame her much?"
Not so 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"
Il am sure she would" said the
widow, piteously. "She has owned it to
me more than thousand times"
"She was not happy, then, with
another"
"Mr -, that is to say, her husband,
was very good and kind" said the little
woman, thinking of the lonely grave on
the hillside rather penitently, @and they
lived very pleasantly together. There
never was harsh word between them"
"Still-might she not have been hap
pier with Sam? Be honest, and say Just |
what you think"
"Yes."
"Bravo, That is what | wanted to
come at. And now / have a secret to
tell you, and you must break it to her"
Mrs Cobb looked rather scared.
"What is it?"
Il want you to go and see her, wher
ever she may be, and say to her Maria
what makes you stare sou
"Nothing-onl'- Won speak so like
some one u,,' ! to huow.'
do I?-wcil AXE the rest of the |
message. Tell her that Sam loved her |
through the whole. that when he heard |
she was free, he b IN to work hard at
making fortune: iI1 has got it, and is
coming to share it with her, if she will
let him. Will you tell her this?"
The widow did not answer. She had
freed her hand from his, and covered
her face with it. By-and by she looked
up again. He was waiting patiently.
"Wen?"
Il will tell her."
He rose from his seat, and walked up
and down the room. Then he came
back, and, leaning on the mantel- piece,
stroked the yellow hide of Bowse with
his slipper.
"Make her quite understand that he
wants her for his wife She may live
where she likes and how she likes, only
it must be with him."
Il will tell her"
Say he has grown old, but not cold;
that he loves her now, perhaps, better
than he did twenty years ago; that he
has been faithful to her all his life, and
that he will be faithful till he dies"
The Californian broke off suddenly,
The widow answered still
Il will tell her"
"And what do you think she will say.
he asked, in an altered tone.
"What can she say but-oon,e'
"Hurrah,"
The stranger caught her out of her |
chair as if she had been a child, and |
kissed her.
@Don't-O, don't" she cried out. Il
am Sans Maria
"Well-I am Maria's Sam"
"Of went the dark wig and the black
whiskers-there smiled the dear face
she had never forgotten. l leave you
to imagine the tableau. Even the cat
got up to look, and Bowse sat on his
stump Of a tail and wondered whether
he was On his heels or his head. The |
little widow gave one scream, and then |
said
But stop Quiet people like YOU and |
me, dear reader, who have got over all
these follies, and can do nothing but |
turn up our noses at them, have no bus |
iness here. i will only add that two
hearts were very happy; that Bowse
concluded after a while that all was
right, and so lay down 10 sleep again
and that not great while afterward /
there was wedding at the house that
made the neighboring farmers stare.
Widow Cobb had married her first love, !
TT CVrSTaECE IT'S DCDJ-T lrInr