The Washington critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1885-1888, 1885-11-02
MY WIDOW.


widow when I'm here, alive and flour
ishing, to tell my own story Just wait
until I've finished and you will see.
She was very pretty, too, with pink
apple cheeks, and eyes of that peculiar
translucent beryl- green that you see so
seldom slender, 1.-the figure, and a
step as noiseless as if she wore the
famous shoes of silence.
depend upon it, old fellow, she's
married you for your money" said
Fitz Brown. ut doesn't stand to rea-
son that a girl of 1S should tie herself
to fat old heather of 81 unless there
is some such motive lurking under
meath"
There was no use arguing with Fitz
Brown. lie was stubborn, opinion
ated old fellow ut best, and he was
determined not to like Lucilla from the
very first. How he did cxult when he
came down to my Office and told me
that Harry Sykes was spending the
evening with Lucilla-that same reck-
less young good .for-naught who had
been wont to hang around her before
we were married. And Lucilla had
told me she was going to take tea with
her mother.
Nevertheless put on bold face
"Well, let him spend the evening"
said /. where's the harm?"
yes; but-but the curtains were
not drawn, and-and II ism { necessary
for him TO sit ON the same sofa with
his arm around her waist"
| I want strniUht homo but Mr. Gvlyna
had departed, and Lucilla was darning
my stocking by the fire.
'Lucilla,' said ! sternly, 81 must
forbid any more of Harry Sykes Wis
its here
eyes, Josiah, " said my wife, Harry
is rather tiresome.
more young gentlemen visitors in my
| absence"
"No Josiah"
Could Fitz Brown himself have cx.
| pected more complete and dutiful ac-
quiescence in all my demands?
Lucilla was plcternaturally affection
ate the next two or three days She
hung round me in the most bcwitching
manner, scwed my shirt buttons on,
ran for my slippers, and would insist
on toasting the bread herself until her
pretty face was the color of scarlet
tomato, because cook is so careless,
and dear Josiah likes his toast Drowned
| just So
And when / departed for the Office
Lucilla herself stood on tiptoc to tic the
worstcd muller round my neck
"For If you should take cold, dear
est, and anything should happen, it
would break your dear little wife's
heart"
Under these harmonious circum-
stances that sudden voyage to India
came like a thunderbolt across the
serene horizon of our matrimonial life
Glow shall | live without you six
months, my dcaresty' sobbed Lucilla
her lovely beryl eyes swimming in
tears. But we cannot control neces-
sity, and after mournful farewell, in
which my wife fairly succumbed and
went into Mysteries, ! departed on
necessary business for the firm of Minor
& MortIalle, /, myself, being the afore-
said MoTtlakc.
How it happened that my name was
enormously dragged into the details of
that massacre, in which the barbarous
coolies murdered so many of the for
cign population, when / was actually
ten miles farther up the country, |
never knew, and then my long fever,
during which found it impossible to
write or obtain an amanuensis, served
to complicate matters. When | rGcOv-
cred ! resolved TO proceed Immediately
back to my native land.
"I'll not writc,' mentally decided.
"l'll surprise Lucilla bless her dear
little heart! How delighted she will
beI'
So / took passage in the first Eng
lsh steamer that sailed Half way
across we hailed an English craft, out
ward abound. and there was an eN-
change OF newspapers and other civil
ties. AS unfOlded II London paper,
scarcely more than six weeks old, |
saw, under the obituary notices, my
own name.
II don't think I'm dead" said I,
stretching out my arms and legs, Civ.
ing myself Il pinch, and feeling the
strong pulses that projected healthy
currents through my veins, "and yet
this evidence is certainly convincing
that was murdered by barbarous ma.
tives on the night of the 2jth of May.
| L WI NltNI lllNlN iANAAlAltN libN lhAO4l
solabc she must be " So ii hap
pened, you see, that | was going home
to comfort my widow.
1t was late in the afternoon when We
entered port and the shadows of the
autumn evening were gathering round
as / crcpt up the doorsteps of my own
mansion and entered stcalthily rs Il rob
Der. Were the shutters down, the
windows drapcd, the house dressed in
seemly habiliments of woe? Not at
all; lights glowed brilliantly behind
the curtains, gay voices echoed from
the parlor, and-could my ears have
deceived me! No, surely that was Lu
elias laugh ringing mcrrily on the air
"a little hystcrical, perhaps"
thought, but nevertheless, instead oi
boldly entering the drawing-rOom and
confronting my wife, | instinctiycly
passed on to the glazed extension room
behind, communicating, by draperic'
of purple silk, with the larger apart
ment-a room where ! had been wont
to keep my books, and which | digni
fled by the title of library 1t wa
but family lighted by the borrowc,
ustur of the drawingroom chandelier
and as entered ! stumbled over some
thing-it was my own portrait lgno
mmiously turned with its face to thI
wall | crept forward with an omin
Gus rorcboding--a sudden disagrccabl,
recollection Of Fitz Browns croakin.
predictions, But rs put aside tn,
Tyrian folds of the curtains u most un
welcome vision met my eye. Gloss
beside her ON the sofa, actually play
ing with her soft little hand, and bend
ing dcyotcdly over the border OF Tn,
Widows cap, sat Harry Sykcsl
"What nonsense, Harry 20 said my
widow coQuctlshly, but she didn