The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1885-03-04
WIDOW FOSTER.
She Was So Fascinating With
Her Fifty Three Summers.
How She Captured Youth OF Tender
Years, Curly Hair and winning Ways
An Isaac's Harbor IN. 81 Romancs
May and December.
Tcor. Boston Herald.l

This little hamlet, away up on the Nova
Scotian Coast hundred miles east OF Hall
flax, although an old settlement, Is little
known 10 the outside world The canning
of Holsters and the recent opening oil the
Gallagher gold mine by capitalists from
the States, constitutes its chief industries.
or sensations IL has few In the course of
lifetime and sensation OF social nature
IA almost unknown. Just now, however,
the town is all agog over recent mar
riage. Marriages in lsaac's Harbor take
place with the same regularity in propor-
tiou TO its population as In tho outside
world, and are soon forgotten; but IN this
recent case there are some peculiar cir
cumstances which furnish fruitful topic
for gossip.
A little over year ago, Rufus Hale, 4
young man, came to this town from New
buryport, Mass, and, backed by one o. the
principal owners OF the mine, opened
store, such as Is usually found in small
town, where everything from n barrel o.
-four to a shoe string Is sold. he hau
learned the drug business, and so n stock
became the village dru ;gist'
Rufus is very prepossesSing young tel-
low, about twenty one years OF age, small
in stature, with bright black eyes aud cur
ly hair and smooth tongue. II Is unnec-
essnry to state that he was al once made
favorlte by the village maldens, who have
igh re ,ard or young immigrants from
the States In general, and for cookbook
ing ON, s 10 particular. Though society Is
not so set aud formal in Isaac's Harbor ms
In Be ston and New Yolk, yet 1t is just as
lively in It's way, aud In society RUFUS at
once became a leadr. Many an OYSTER
stew party OF candy-pull were given by
the bellies OF the place, at all Of which Ru-
fus was the leading a ,ure, and, In fact,
they were really given in his honor
Some time last fall the family, with
whom the young man loarded, went TO
Massachusetts, for q visit, and he was
forced TO seek lodgings elsewhere. Near
the mine In which he, or his partner at
least, was interested, was boarding.
house, patronlzed mostly by the miners.
Here RUFUS, for a time, was forced to
make shift for his board and lodgings.
The landlady, Mrs. Foster by name, was a
respectable and thrifty woman who was
held in high esteem by the community. A
! little, inclined TO the embonpoint, never
! 'theless she was very fair looking, and
/ the ffty-three winters which IL Is al
le ed she has seen, had treated her gener-
ousy. Previous 10 his depar ture for an
( other world, her better half "had stamped
: his image" on six little childron; little
! once, but as years rollel on some cousi be
called little no longer. Tie eldest, a
; daughter, had arrived at the age OF
twenty -lour. While here Ru us fell sick
and Mrs. Foster, who had all the motherly
and domestic instincts Of a" "Mrs. BLrdell,'
nursed him through his Illness.
In due time he recovered the friends
with whom he lived returned, and Rufui
went back to live with them. But change
had come over him.
The merry maiden who passed him on
the street, to her intense surprise, received
only a formal salutation, when once II
would have been a neatly turnod cOmpli-
ment, or perhaps an escort for q distance.
Instead OF seeking the society OF th'
young and the gay, he would go ovel
and pass an evening with the widow
These visits increased In number beyonC
whata duo sense OF gratitude and cour'
tesy would seem to call ior. In vain tn
entertainments and parties were mad
more elaborate. Rufus would send hi
excuses and HE him TO the widows house
When these visits came to be OF nightly
occur ence n friend gently limited that his
conduct was exciting remark, but he wa
ever ready with glib excuse, or able Il
turn the conversation in other channels
When II was generally reported that Mrs
Foster had made tho remark, "If IN,
young girls can't attract Rufus attention
I can, \" the young girls in question becam
green with envy.
Matters eliminated a couple Of week
ago, when the couple left town one da
and went TO st. Mary's. They returne,
the next day, but Mrs. Foster had left he
name behind her and came back Mrs. Hale
Then the excitement burst out anew
Heretofore many had believed that tn
widow possessed no charms for Rulu
and refused 10 credit any OF the tale
which were floating about; but the pu Il
cation Of the marriage lett no room fC
further doubt. To say that the merr
maidens, merry no long r, were indignar
would be drawing IL mid.
"The mean old thing" they all exclaiI
with one accord, "its her fault; kno
Ru6e isn't TO blame"
And now. when q village lass meets Mr.
Hale In the street, she elevates her nose
little, and with "we-never-s r-speak-as-w
pass-by" look, contemptuously conten
plates the clouds or the dim distance Il
away. Isaac's Harbor is shaken from Gel
ter to circumference. II is sensatiC
. unique in her history.
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