The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-05-04
your romsncin' to be just that kind of q

unlike" and Mrs. Appledore drummed
a harsh accompaniment to her words or
the middle 9 of her piano. "To be
sure, you are the oldest, but age need
not make ones soul clod'
1T would be well for you to remem.
Eer that all the advantages are not on
your side," cried Mrs. Phlox, rising with
dignity. "There arc bodies, yes, and
dispositions, that are clods," and
Mrs. Phlox jerked on her calash and
went home.
The meeting house was full, and the
next day the Dixville Times declared
the lecture to have been most soulful
and eloquent dissertation, but Mrs. APP
rledores attention wandered, and she
only knew that the entertainment was
about to be concluded by DR.. Ollapod's
soDoious call for "moosic."
II am delighted said Professor st.
Clair Smith, bowing low before her g
soon rs possible after the "moosic"
81 never heard such delicious voice.
Mrs. Arpledore coughed behind her
hand to conceal her fattered embarrass
ment and turned a questioning look on
Professor Jackson Jones who stood
near.
" You always sing splendid" said
thai gentleman, drawing himself up.
{" 1 dare say put you out. That flute
obligato is deuced hard thing to do,
didn do myself justice tonight"
You've always dragged" said Karl
Leopold, who took every opportunity
to criticise the Harmonicnm doings.
Professor Jackson Jones pulled at his
cravat. and Mrs. Appledore's face was
full of resentment.
"I never heard anything finer in
Boston," said Professor st. Clair Smith,
coming to the rescue, sand 1 suppose
you know what that implies"
The night after the lecture was q
very stormy one, and Mrs. Appledore was
slowly twisting her hair in crimping-
oins when the door-bell rang.
could not endure the loneliness of the
hotel, dear Mrs. Appledore,' said Pro.
fessor st. Clair Smith, making q
"ourtly bow, "an1 have como to beg
for just one song"
The professor was, so far as outline
aud coloring go, handsome man. His
head was what is commonly called
dome-sbaped. His wavy hair and silky
beard were bright yellow red, and his
rather large eyes were blue. He sat
down in big rocking chair, and taking
a twin on each knee, "I renew my
youth in children" he cried, giving
them squeeze. "Do you know the
song, The old times were the best
tines ULun you and l were young p"
"Oh, yes" said the widow, ne1vously
turning over her music. "but l can't
say that feel so very DID,"
Dear me, what blunderer | am,
cried the professor, 81 was thinking of
my boyhood. I've always hated being
grown up. A man has so much to fet-
'er his imagination. You must have
ost your husband in the first flush of
Your youth"
1 did," murmured the widow, for.
getting that she was thirty-f7e when
he event occurred. " The twins were
babes"
Song succeeded song till the pro-
lessor proposed duets, and Mrs Apple
lore enjoyed the music so much that it
was midnight before she knew it.
Two months passed away. The pro
lessor came almost every evening. He
had hired small house little out OF
own that he might be undikturbed, he
'Aplained, and relative had come to
Keep house for him. He did not know
how long he should remain in Dixville.
he was preparing book for publica-
ton and writing several new lectures.
When his literary labors We're over be
vas going to take trip somewhere and
rest, thongh friends of his, influential
at Washington, were anxious for him to
accept consulship at an important
point.
The widows neat white cottage stood
by itself on the confines of the village.
Deacon Bliss's fields of dark green pep
permint and nodding wheat stretching
along the country road for nearly a
mile joined the garden Before her
abrupt refusal of him the deacon had
been accustomed to drop in for a little
visit or to bring a neighborly Offering
of apples or fresh vegetables. But
these calls had ceased, and cut off from
all her sources of news and pleasure
Mrs. Appledore stayed closely at home,
practiced he music and entertained the
professor.
But one sunshiny afternoon Mrs.
Phlox came busting up the prim gray
eled walk.
Rosetta Eppledore," she cbirped,
like an angry blue Jay, as sho opened
the door, "thou9h a clod, which there
are folks that think different, I've come
talk ?"
"The town talk p echoed her aston
ished sister.
eyes, the town talk," repeated Mrs.
Phlox, with wonderful emphasis. "Any-
body would be who had spent two
blessed months philanderin' with a
married man."
"Who is married ?"
Your Professor Smith"
II don't believe it,"
II s'posed you wouldn't, but I've
seen his wife," said Mrs. Phlox, with
evident satisfaction. Miss Merrills,
she twas Pearly Anu Truesdale,
wouldn't miss fndin' out ANYTHING ii
she had to walk ten miles. and she
called on her and told me. That niobt
i sez to John, John, sez I, "a sisters a
sister, specially if she's younger and a
wilder, and if be clod Pm goin' to
the bottom of this;' and says he, EN-
ma Jane, I think you'd BETTER and the
first thing he did the next ''mornin' was
to hitch up and take me over on the
mile strip where that fellow lives, in
Tony Allerton's cottage. He want in,
but she was, and she was washin'.
"I'm Miss Pblox," sez I, "an' come
to call" " Thank you," sez she, H" I'm
Miss Smith" an she set out the only