McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1884-06-05
A GRASS WIDOW.

Mrs. Cleather was by far the pretti-
est and generally the most attractive
among the whole army of grass wild
Ows to be found in. gay and giddy
Nynee Tai, the hill station of the N.
w. z. India. Naturally, as is always
the case in this merry world we live
Tin, being beautiful, attractive and alto
gether charming, she won the hearts
and admiration of most of the stronger
sex and the envy, hatred and malice of
the weaker. That was only to be ex-
pected; it is the way of the world, and
it would have beeL altogether out of
the common if it had been otherwise.
Admirers she had many, though it
would have been hard to pick out
among the multitude (unless one was
behind the scenes) who was more IA
vored than the rest. She distributed
her attentions equally among them all
at least so far as the eye could see;
and riding out one afternoon with this
one, rowing on the lake with another,
or dancing with third, nobody was
quite able to fix on any one in particu-
lar whom they could tell of as her own
distinctive ''bow-wow," and whom
they could set themselves to manufac-
turing stories and scandals about.
Five months of the Nynee Tai season
had now gone, and the pretty Mrs.
Cleather had managed to pass I'M
scathed through all the fiery accusa-
tons of the host of scandal mongers
and gossipers of that festive Anglo
Indian community; until quite lately,
when she had evinced somewhat
greater Partially for one of her staff,
and set all tongues going al once.
e'Mind you," said Mrs. Allison to
Mrs. Barnard one day, "I've heard
queer stories about this young and in
nocent-looking Mrs. Cleather not that
I believe them still, there is no smoke
without fire, you know
"Quite so," responds Mrs. Barnard,
IN her squeaky voice and Mrs. Dawson
tells me she saw two people very like
Mrs. Cleather and Capt. Benn on the
lake=iast night at IL o'clock!"
"Dear me! And all this time her
husband shaving away in the plains!"
eyes; and you know they've been
very much together of late; they say he
is always up at her house every morn
ing about or IL, and remains there the
best part of the day"
stAh, it's crying shame" says Mrs.
Allison, s'for such scandals to be al
lowed to 60 on in public like this; why
does not Mr.. Cleather come up and
look after his wife?''
f'Well, L suppose, poor man, he can It
get away from his duties in the plains,
but L think some one ought to warn
him of the way his young wife is going
on.''
eyes, and if I only knew him a bit
better I'd do SO myself just out of pure
Christian charity
ssBut what could one tell him? You
see there is as yet no direct evidence of
anything exactly wrong
t'No, true, my dear, but if this kind
of thing goes on much longer there will
be, mark my word. The truth must
come to light some day"
Meanwhile pretty Mrs. Cleather, the
pride of the "bow-wows and the envy
of her sex, pursued the even tenor OF
her ways, utterly callous of what peo-
pie thought or said about her-a friend
of everybody who knew her well, and
could appreciate her pleasant manners
and conversation, and the enemy,
luOuSu uOI Va uCI OWu VI OGuSI >
who knew her but rightly or not at all.
The season was on the wane at Nynee
Tai. The rains were over and once
more the lake shone forth in all its for
mer glory, and the overhanging trees
and rocks covered with fern and moss,
with which its banks were surrounded,
made the whole more like picture in
fairyland than reality in the hills OF
northern India. Every one was MAX
Sng the most of the last few weeks that
were left of the season, and dances,
theatricals, picnics and designations OF
all sorts crowded one on the top of the
other day after day. Mrs. Cleathel
was everywhere, and the charm and
the spirit of every ball or picnic she
went to. Certainly she did give people
a faint excuse for talking, as Capt. Fem
latterly was never absent from her side
and had these last few weeks evidently
taken his place as chief of the numerous
staff of her would-be-admirers; but
then he was personal friend of Clea
theirs, her husband, and would no
that be sufficient in accounting for the
decided preference for him among the
others by the young grass widow?
On Thursday afternoon about the be
ginning of October Mrs. Allison, Mrs
Barnard and Mrs. Dawson had a small
and select picnic of their own at tn,
most delightful of all resting places
namely the inn known as Rest by the
Way, at Douglas Pale, half way dowr
on the road to Ranibagh. 1t is pic
turesque little house, situated in thu
middle of the valley and surrounded by
the most beautiful of gardens, redolent
whit the sweet odor of acacia anG
orange trees, and planted out in the
most artistic style with palms, grasses
trees and bushes of all sorts, western
as well as oriental. The garden pro
duces fruits of all kinds, cherries, ap
pies, plantains, strawberries, and, in
fact, everything the thirsty traveller
could wish for; added to which there