New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1883-04-11
CHARMING MRS. HILLWAY.

MIS- IAlllWdy udu 80 Iuiuv dUI0IrCrS
that young ladies who were of the social
circle which she adorned were some
times heard to say they might as we'll
make up their minds to live and die old
maids. The reasons were few and sim
pie. Mrs. Hillway was q pretty widow
who had not seen thirty winters, she
owned two or three houses besides that
in which she lived, and she had no
children to demand part Of her time and
income.
She would have been desirable had
she been rich only in personal charms,
or poor only in appearance, but with
both beauty and money she seemed to
two or three score Of men the most in
teresting woman that had ever lived.
Mrs. Hillway enjoyed her popularity
far less than young women who cnvied
her supposed. The most persistent ad-
orers Of rich and pretty widows are
somehow class by themselves, and not
one that is particularly interesting to
ladies who have had experience in mas
culine gender can be disposed Of by a
lady when they propose, but Mrs. Hill
way found, rs many lady in similar
circumstances had learned before her.,
that men who lay siege to pretty
widow with plenty of money are never
abashel by single "no,'' so before she
had been out of widows weeds year
she was not at all satisfied with the class
of men who haunted her parlors. None
of them were rude or presuming; all Of
them dressed well and tried to talk of
whatever interested their hostess; still
they werc-well, they were what Mrs.
Hillway came to call "widow-hunters.
Two pleasing exceptions to the rule
were Captain gaylord and Doctor
Whyde. The captain was old enough
to be the doctors father, but he was so
robust, manly, handsome and courteous
that many a lady much younger than
Mrs. Hillway would have favorably en-
tertained proposal from him. As for
the doctor, he simply writhed with an
g',ish when he thought of the splendid
fellow s advantage over modest, awk-5
ward young man like himself
He wished the captain had been kill.
cd during the war; he wished the war
had never existed, to teach the fellow
to carry himself SO splendidly and gain
official title that set him far above civil
ians in the estimation of ladies. And
the fcllow-confound him!-was Wild
over, SO of course he knew woman's
ways; that must be the reason that Mrs.
Hillway always greeted him more cor
daily than she did other middle-aged
men; besides people said the two had
known each other when Mrs. Hillway
was girl.
And yet the doctor, when not wholly
given over to jealousy, could not deny
that he himself was treated very gra-
ciously by the charming widow. She
never snubbed him as she did many
others, and he fancied she never was on
guard against him as she seemed to be
when some other men were talking to
her. He really thought himself worthy
of her consideration, for, although as
bashful as a boy, he was a year older
than Mrs, Hillway; he had income
enough to support two people, and his
life was pure and his tastes refined. But
how was he to make Mrs. Hillway
know all this? How among so many
men more brilliant and prominent,
could he ever summon enough courage
~ piOpOsc!
He trembled over the matter until one
New Years day; then, by making q
number of calls, and taking a few glass
es of wine from graceful fingers, he be-
came SO emboldened that he resolved to
propose that very evening, come what
would. He would delay his call upon
Mrs. Hillway until the very last; then
the chances would be in favor Of his
finding her alone, as she seldom was,
and Of her having seen enough stupid
and heavy fellows during the day to be
more than usually able to listen kindly
to q gentleman.
The doctor rang Mrs. HillwaY's bell
only q few minutes before ten. AS he
entered the parlor his flushed cheek
paled and his throbbing heart seemed
to stop beating, for in front Of the lady
sat the captain. Two young ladies re-
ceived with Mrs. Hillway, and the doc.
tor was obliged to be polite tothem; but
he was sure he was not succeeding al
all, for it seemed to him his spirits had