The Mineral argus., 1884-03-20

IL IS luSb Glle place. lue olu IellOW puts
his affairs in her hands, her habits of
economy and good management com
mend her to him, and they go in cozily
together through life, The world says
it's a most suitable match, and the only
objection, if any there is, comes from
the expectant nephews and nieces who
hoped the old fellow would make a sat
isfactory will and peg out before any de-
signing woman made his acquaintance.
In white caps and frills, with winning
ways, or. more often, manner that can
be characterized as having their eye
teeth cut, widows have been favorite
character with our leading play wrights.
Sheridan, in his famous play of 1.-The
Rivals" makes Mrs. Malaprop, one of
the most amusing widows on the boards
declare to Miss Lydia Langulsh: II
am sure l hated your poor dear uncle
before marriage as if he had been a
blackamoor-and yet. Miss, you are
sensible what a wife made! and when
if pleased heaven TO release me from
him, tits unknown what tears / shed |"
In Arthur Murphy's comedy of "The
Way to Keep Him" the author bestowed
great pains on the character oil Widow
Bellmour, part well calculated to set
off the finenesse and graces of a spirited
and accomplished actress. She is not
decidedly lady of fashion nor altogeth-
er woman of sentiment; yet she has
her gay fits and her grave ones, and
either trifies or declaims, as opportuni-
ty offers and the humor seizes her. She
has as much coquetry as iustifies a lib
ertine like Lonemore and q cox
comb like Sir Brilliant Fashion
in making their attacks upon
her. II have been married." she
says, "and am little in the secret. "
To win a heart is easy to keep it the
difficulty. In the 'Beaux Stratagem.
by George Farquahr, most charming
widow, all charity, appears, Lady Boun-
tiful. Her husband, Sir Charles left
her worth E1 900 year, and believe
she lays out one-half ont in charitable
uses for the good of her neighbors,
She cures rheumatism and broken skins
in men; sickness, the kings evil, chin
cough and chilblains in children. In
short, she has cured more people in and
about Litchfield within ten years than
the doctors have killed in twenty, and
"that'sa bold word" In the play of the
f'Two Orphans" Widow Frochard is
leading character, and in Mckee Ran
kin's EDanites" Mrs. Rankin has broken
up two companies, all on account of the
widow of the piece. In''The Almighty
Dollar" Mrs. Gilhory dashes all over
Europe, second Mrs. Malaprop, as a
gay widow Getchen i'll rip Van Win
kle" was punished for treating good
husband i'll by getting tartar who beat
her to death. In Lady of Lyons" Colo
mel DeMas says his profession is to
make widows, not wives, and
Widow Melnotte exclaims: '"There is
no divorce between mother and son !"--
sentiment peculiarly appropriate in
this age of divorce In Faint Heart
Ne'er Won Fair Lady" by 1. r. Planche,
which Alice Dunning Lingard and
Madam Vestris shone in, the Duchess
de Torenueva, though offered the crown
of Spain, prefers young lieutenant of
o'erweening impudence and noble blood
Guy Gomez. In Wycherly's Love
in Wood" Lady Flippant appears as
an affected widow in distress for a hus-
band, though she is ever ready to de-
claim against marriage; vet she says to
Mrs. Joyner, who keeps matrimonial
brokers' office. Ills well known no wom-
an breathing could use more industry
to get a husband than l have" In
The Plaindealer" Widow Blackacre is
petulant and litigious, and in every way
disagreeable. Shakespeare makes fire.
quent reference to widows. In ''Rich-
ard III. Widow Anne is wooed by the
ambitious Duke of Gloster in the funer-
al procession, where the memorable
lines occur:
'Was ever a woman in this humor Wooed,
Was ever a woman in this humor won"
Benedict, I'm Much Ado About Moth
ing," tells Beatrice: IF man 10 not
erect in this age his own tomb ere he
dies, he shall live no longer III monu-
ment than the bells ring and the widow
weeps," and in Hamlet" the Player
Queen in pledging fidelity to her hege
lord expresses just the opposite view
and says: Both here and hence pursue
me, lastin@etrife, if once widow even
| be wife" In Tanning of the
Shrew." Tranie the servant to Lucentio
SAYS; "If faith he'll have a lusty widow
now that shall be wooed and won in a
day" And Lucentio, i'll bidding the
guests to feast at his house, says: " Ano
then Hortensio with the loving widow
feast with the best" In Macbeth,
MacdufT exclaims in dialogue with NAL
colin in the kings palace: Each new
moon new widows howl; new orphans
cry, new sorrows strike Heaven on th'
face" In Henry WILL" when bluff
King Hal is putting aside his wife, Suf
folk says: Katharine no more he called