Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-06-13
A Widower Preferred.
BY LUCY.

handsome, but still sufficiently
attactive to be generally noticed
by passers by, and considered
distingue And rs Dame Fort
une had not been very kind tc
her Of late years, she had beer
looking about her hoping to fine
way whereby to procure fol
herself a little more Of the need
ful than Providence had seen I'll
to throw in her way. To this
end, therefore, she in desperate
moment wrote an advertisement
something in this wise;
"a middle.aged lady of educa'
tion and refinement wishes a
situation as housekeepcr fer q
widower, or governess for small
children; the best OF reference
given Address Mrs. Brown.
Many and varied were the
answers she received to her ad-
yertisement. The hand writing
of one among the many received,
from its tremulousness, seemed
proof Of the writer's assertion
that che was an old man who
wished a companion for himself
and his little daughter" and urs-
ing her to answer immediately
which she did IN prop,fa persona
he giving tho number OF his
Office, Broadway, Now York.
After mounting the four pairs
of stairs she was met by little,
wizen-faced being of seventy or
thereabonts who stated himself
to be the owner Of a cottage in
Madison, N. j., and who was
only waiting for warm weather to
install himself and daughter for
the Summer. SO Mrs Brown
was glad to accept his generous
offer of house and home, he
meanwhile merely requiring of
her a security of fifty dollars that
she would pay her expenses at
the St. James. Consequently to-
gether they proceeded, and here
securing a good room she was
left to her own meditations till
dinner time, when her friend,
after Office hours, made his ap-
pearauce and escorted her very
gallantly to the dining room.
Thus week passed by, when
her bill was brought in, which
she paid herself-not liking to
have it supposed that the fifty
she had so freely parted with was
by any means her all. Again
another week goes round, and
no prospect of warm weather or
of her leaving the hotel The
brokers' visits became "like an
gels, few and far between. ."
What was sho to do? What
could she do? She was getting
nervous, although not of the nerv
GUS kind; but she could not risk
being turned into the street. So,
at length, made desperate by her
troubles, she one day visited q
fashionable pawnbroker's estab-
lishment, where she found, not
the poor women we read of, who
came to leave their last article of
clothing or furniture for o little
pittance, but well-dressed women
some of them keepers of fash
ionablo boarding or lodging
houses-whose months rent be-
coming due must be paid in ad
vance, and they having no other
means of procuring it, must leave
their jewelry until better times
come and their houses get
full again. At this place Mrs.
Brown leaves her watch, and with
the sum advanced upon that set
ties up her second bill at her
hotel. Then. again, after a little
longer time, she must procure
more money in the same way by
disposing of her diamonds.
At length, patience having
ceased to be a virtue, she threat
ems the broker with exposure
and having, as she thinks, fright
ened him into doing the right
thing once more at his sugges-
ton, and he, politely accompany
ing her to the cars, leaves New
York for Madison. Twas now
hot and scorching everywhere -
how much more so in that great
Babylon, New York, At his sug-
gestioH she was to visit Madison,
and afer stopping there at the
hotel few days, he was to pro-
ceed thither; only now, as he
said, "waiting to procure the
necessary articles, which country
store could not furnish, for their
housekeeping.
Having arrived there, and the
hotel being within n short dis
tance of the depot, she wended
her way thither, and, having been
accustomed to travelling alone,
she found the landlord, who was
apparently in his worst of hu-
mors; for, after taking big oath
he swore that neither man nor
beast should again find shelter
beneath his roof. 1t seems he
had that day had his license re-
voked for selling liquor, and un-
less his bar was to be open to the
public, he swore his house should
not be. But Mrs. Brown, with a
smiling face, prevailed upon him
to allow her to &main a few days.
He evidently was not accustomed
to the smiles and soft words
which she assumed, and which