The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-03-07
WIDOWS OF ALL SORTS.
shcax General Character ana Ecoentrtc-
tiles In Particular.
from the Cincinnati ENQUIRER.

Isf4cNNAae 49, Ea-raI
--
shoax General Character ana Eccentrtc-
tiles In RArtioular.
from the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Young ladies are jealous Of her and
say, t'that horrid widow. I suppose
she is setting her cap for another hus-
band. Why, think OF it, Tom hasn't
been desaa.hree months, and do de-
clare I saw her smile at Mr.. Podkins.."
Yet she has . faculty Of succeeding,
and whether from experience, which is
the best teacher-and she has general
y been an apt %pupil-she has her pick
Of the beaus, and If tA late lemented
left q snug remembrance in the form of
bank stock or houses and lots, and not
too many pledges Of affection, she is by
no means q drug on the market, but has
the pick of the season.
A woman often marries the first time
to please somebody else. Her parents,
perhaps, or some ~unaccountable whim
which she cannot explain. A widow
marries to please herself. She knows
The little subserfuges of coquetry-the
tiny nothings comprised in the glance
IF an eye OF squeeze Of the hand; the
lie away look of longing, or the pert
~,idnancy of affectionate. interest that
lraws the crusty old bachelorout of his
she'll and carries in her wake the young
me, who lavishes upon her bouquets
md smiles.
When the elder Mr.. Weller said; @Be-
q Of widows, sammy" he seems to
ave struck q popular feeling. He re-
echoed the sentiments of young debut
antes and the innermostf feelings OF moth-
rs with manageable daughters.
There are various kinds of widows.
There is the blue eyed, mush and milk
widow, soft as pussy's foot, and always
performing the die-away act when any
body is by to catch her before shefaints.
She continually talks about the late To-
mented until you know of him as a
monument of unheard of virtues, For
IL ptulG " WllOW lf1oulio oIiGClSIJ. o1iC
leads a life of clustered retirement,
wearing an impenetrable veil which no
peering eyes Of curiosity can penetrate.
She can't eat, the wine has lost its flavor.
She reads over and over again his let
tiers and blots them with silent tears.
His picture Is under her pillow, her
room is decorated with mementoea Of
him. She wears the plainest Of mourn
ing. If she has achild, she1lspoil him,
and his every motion and look will re-
mind her of the only man who eyer
lived. She cultivates the clergy and
attends to her masses and vespers, her
prayers and confessions with a devotion
that is appalling. Men Of the world
shake their heads and wisely whisper:
Shell come out of all that" And sure
enough she does. The French prov
erb says. Its hard to grow old grace
fully 1T is hard for u young widow
to come out of her weeds naturally.
She fancies everyone is looking at her.
She wonders what they will say. But
she is lively and young, and youth is
full Of elasticity sad hope. If she could
travel, it would do hergood. Change
Of scene, say the wise medical men.
Her dress begins to change.
Jet ornaments appear, which are we'll
set off by her shapely arms and white
neck. Pieces of trimming appear on
her dresses, and bombazine is discarded
.or cashmere. SHE consoles herself,
with: "'It's black; the texture is the
7nly difference She talks the matter
ofdress over with other husbandless fe-
males. They lay aside folds to put on
ruches, and wonder when the box pleat-
ings com in. Some cynical man who.
had observed closely this transition, or
chrysnlis state of widowhood, reduced
iEsto a science, and he claims there are
five stages of widowhood;
/. The dress of black bombazine, per-
fectly plain; q thick Grape vail, q wild
ow's cap; no jewelry, except a jet lock-
ct; collar, &c., of Grape.
2. The veil thrown back over the
bonnet, a little trimming on dresses;
white collars.
3. The cap disappears; a lace veil is
worn instead of Grape; more trimming.
4 "Dressy" mourning of silk, with
feathers in bonnet.
s. Half mourning purple and pearl
color. Now comes the stage where she's
deemed dangerous. She has entered
the lists, and her winning ways and ex-
perience all make her one to be sought
and confided in. Young lovers tell her
of their firtations, and she. doles out
advice with the wisdom Of a chancery
Judge.
Men make fools of girls, but women
OF this class make fools Of men. The
widow spreads her web Of fnttery and
Irritation, and rs the poorinsect ventures
in she rolls him round and round in her
meshes, as o spider does a blue bottle
fy. Perhaps it is q hard fate for a man
whose only fault has been his modesty
to be roped in. to feed the hungry and
clothe the naked, but if the widow had
not proposed to him he never would
have had the courage to propose to any
body, and he gets o companion and a
ready made family instead OF toiling on.
through time solitary and alone, the
prey to envy and the victim of despair.
Then there are certain far-seeing
women, who, having been kicked md
cuffed about considerably by their first
husbands, who die and leave them moth
ing, fallin with some respectable, wheezy
old gentleman, who wants q housekeep-
er and somebody to mix his grog nights
and puta hot brick to bis feet. OF course
this lisa chance that is barred against o
Young woman. Shecould nos bea house
keeper. Society would consider it de-
cidedly improper. But for the widow
it is Just fireplace. The old fellow puts
his affairs in her hands, her habits of
economy and good management com
mand.her to him, and they goin cozily