Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-04-06
The Two EjiIOWS

The Two Widows.
S9@e months ego there Gied III San Fear cisco
a respected c!tiEen-say Smith. though thst
was not his nsmc-leav:ng two itcoosoable
Widows to mourn lis Loss. His caler widow,
who had l,ti him il cousr qlennc of j, cree of
d'v'roo, had res uned her maiden name, aud
called hcrselt Ms Brown, aud the las: widow
monoI ol2,d the lamo Of widow Smith, 1"
Between these tTo there Cxstcd faicl hatred,
10 view OF which Widow Brown fit il her duty
10 forgive htr dead husband, AID to clrc nitrate
all her eoergcS 10 tho task Of getios fuaarc-
SIS he Til5uuo would say-;Rita WIDOW Smith
The departed Mr. Smith Nas buried 10 the
c'metely one Tuesday afternoon, and oa the
next Monday moroirg tho dil cJnsolate Widow
omlth presented herself at tho upcrintcnleni's
o1nco a1t asked PERMISSION to weep ut her hus.
bauG Grave aud TO decorate it with fl ,wtrs.
Permission was duly given. AID ,hl grave was
promptly rlauted Tiih r1ses. pibka, and other
attractive flowers. The Widow Smith. having
flushed ter task. Wln: a#sy, aud in tie alter
noon. tito Widow Brown appeared and told
tho superintendent that the late Hr. Smith
bad been her husband, ard that She
wished to relieve her breakiug heart By deco.
rating bis grave. The superintendent cxpIain.
Ell thita llqal widow had iuis ct: tho Cemetery
ard that he rather thought tbero vas no room
for turther decorations. Sill. i5csmuoh as The
WldcW Brown Wa7 very pretty womop, he
had no OF ,ctlon 10 letting her try to work in o
tew flowers edgeWisc. Tho Widow Bcowp,
however, was rot content TO ect a. second
c'ass mouruer ard tl)war planter. She dug M
the Widow Smiths hJwtrs aud planted The
grave with peonits al d tulrs. aud. a. her de-
parlure, Informed the superintendent that sho
should emo to tho cemetery daily to watch
over her wolk.
cemetery to Wattr her fl ;Wcrs, aud was filed
with Indignation at the wcrk Of Widow
browp. 10 her turn she tore up tho psopies
sud planted fresh rcsas, and, as sho went agay
she waroed the Superintendent NOT 10
let that STAINLESS Brown woman inter
fera With her husbands eravo. But the super
ut,pdent was peaceful and kind hearted man,
and he Widow Brcwn was, as has been ssid,
pretty woman. He feared to exasperatc Mrs
Smith, and he could not bring himself to dis.
please Mrs. Brown. The result WAS that for
the next ten days the rival widows worked %
that cemetery every day with q horticultural
srdor that has never been surpassed Every
morning the Widow Smith set out fresh roses
aud pluks, aud every afternoon the Widow
bloWn tore them up and set out new p,onics
and tulips. Betting was even oo each widow,
bnt tho sympslhies of San Francisco were on
the whole with Widow Brown.
At tho end of the ten days tho superin.end-
ent, who by this time WAS the helpless slave o!
the pretty Widow BroWo, at her insigatioo
secretly dug up the late Mr. Smith, aud buried
him IN suopY and remote o0rucr Cf the emc.
tery. Mrs Smith was, ef course, unaware Of
tbe removal OF her husband, aud when she
touod that the widow Brow1 no long ec tore 10
her roses sha telt that patory was hers. Nlrs.
Brown having planted the Gew grava with
spe1cli assortment of pconies, emplcyeG
her leisure in wa,cl lug tie futile and mis.;i-
rtcEsd manner u which Mrs. Slilh mourc,d
at tho empty grsva. Wheoevsr Mrs. Smith
appeared a: the cemstery, soc was sure 10 meet
hlrs. BcoW0, who never failed to address hcr
10 worcs that were osteDsby syupathetic tu.
which hsd q bollos and hear,ess scucd. Snc
would SLY, for example, 80 you're coicp
TO decC rae bis grsys again? In do hlm -o
much good, you knrW. He'll t.el slI toe II
hIwers sroElo over him. Go Oh, my DEAR
love to See yCu mOuruin' as his grave" Whiia
Mis- Smith wept aud Watered her flRars, Mrs
brown would Sit on neghboriug tomb stocc
aod ccn;ioue her pleasing remarks, occasionally
endlog With burst OF sughter. Tbs widow
Smlth lmaQlned that this Was oily the eouGuc,
OF defeated widow whose temper had bucu
soured by her failures, aud she Was TOO uBrei
| pleased with Der own victory to bu disturbed By
her llSals remarks.
The public believed that Mrs. Smith had
beaten Mrs. Browns 10 the matter of flower.
planting and bets on the latter lady were doly
| paid. The affair would have been at 40 erd,
had net Mrs. Brown delight in the wasted
efforts OF Nlts. Smith been too great to tc c)n.
| taneo. She told the whole story Of the re-
moVal CT MIR. SDUh TO an inlimate feusl,
Trend. uodsr soiunu promise OF s,cfrc;, aad
the story beiog thus published c,me rrompl7
| to the ears OF the widow Smith. Thst ercrpct;c
| woman armed herself with revolver and. c,Il.
| Ing oo tho superintendent, upbr5ided him fer
his Vislnous conduct, and demanded that be
| should put back them remains where they
50 happened that tho Superintendent had
| already repented, and had, unkooSn to Mrs,
| Brown, replaced Mr.. Smiths remains 10 their
orlgloal grave. Accordingly. hs assumed en-
sir OF astonlshnent aud grief, aud requested
Mrs. Smith to accompany him to the grave,
dug up her husband for the third time, and
convinced her that Mrs Brown was wicked and
war ton falsi6er. Mr,. Brown happeoed to
visit the cemetery at this inopDortuoc moment,
charged the Superintendent With having irh.d
with tho boisst feelings Of her nature, aid
bad she been armed. there il little doubt thai
she would haVs filled Mr.. Smiths grave IL
oveIaowiog with the Superintendent and th:
Widow Smith.
A crop cf lsw suits ia uov growing ovtr thc
remains If Mr.. Smith TIE WIDOW Brow
has brought an action against the Supcliotend
eut for inducing her 10 srend money uude
false pretensts for peores and tulips; ,h.
Widow Smith has saed him fer stcaliug bel
husbands csrpse aod burYine it all over tht
cemetery, nod the grand jury is expected 10 in
dict him fer body sua'chiug. Meanwhile TIT
Widow Brown has returned bis presents sot
assured him that she wra'd not marry him il
any c)rcsvabls way, and the wretched man
| ka id hot h.