The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1886-02-18
A CHARNIING WIDOW.

=
ing! II fairly takes ones breath away
She doesn't look day over fifteen"
Except In q strong light In . strong
light she would be taken for every DAY
Of twenty-one. never settle upon
woman's age until have seen her in 9
strong light-"
This rather pointed remark from the
lips of Miss Pickett. . spinster who's
age was frankly beyond despair, seemed
to produce an electric effect Every
woman on the piazza, as though sud.
denly reminded Of q neglected duty,
began carefully protecting her eyes from
/ the glare of the sky.
| IT wonder il she will get the English.
man." began the first speaker again.
'fShe is putting in some pretty hard
work. Her slightest chances are the in
carnation of fattery."
"A great mistake. Never give a man
more than he expects-yOu will only
bore him.
81 am not so sure of that. A man is
a very weak thing"
well, mark my word-he doesn't
mean anything; he is only amusing
| himself.
A boarding-house in Santa Barbara,
even when nestled amidst all the lux
uriance of semi-tropical California, is
| quite like other clearinghouse after
all. 1t contained the usual abundance
OF idle women, the usual scarcity Of
vigorous men, the usual superiority Of
| gossip.
So it happened that the boartlei4 at
Radcliffe Mansion-which, by the way,
was no more of a mansion than any
respectable two-story building. bUt was
burdened with that title in Difference to
| the prevailing Californian tendency to
make everything greater than it is
were all more or less Interested in Mrs.
Cora Tyrrell.
Mrs. Tyrrell sat opposite Inc at table,
| and | used to watch her in a sort of
| amaze that anyone could be so young
and fresh and fair and yet be widowed.
Her form was absurdly slight for a full
grown woman's, while her face was as
sweet and gtjleleSs as child's.
She some way reminded me of
pansy, particularly when she wore .
slightly fiaring hat. its dusky brim set
ting off to perfection the transparency
If her complexion, the soft baby-like
rings OF her hair, the large. tender,
pathetic eyes.
Beauty of this sort wins women as
well as men. Even Miss Pickett, noted
for the severity of her mental atmos-
phere, was subjugated. Not n woman
grudged Mrs. Tyrrell her beauty, but
several drew the line at the English
man. Feminine generosity has its linn
it,.
You see Percy Elliott was the only
eligible man at Radcliffe Mansion
| eligible in the worlds acceptation OF
the term, which has well-defined ref
erence to an irreproachable bank-ac-
| aOf1nf-ond - hor6 fn watch him
slowly disappear down the widows lit
| tie throat.
He was a tall, nonchalant young fell
low, quite convinced of his own inn
| portance, after the fashion of his cOun-
| trymen. A certain narrOwness Of chest
| told why he was wintering IN this far
| western land; and frequent horseback
rides with Mrs. Tyrrell told that he be-
lieved in mingling business with pleas
ure.
She was a wonderful horsewoman,
| riding as easily without the saddle as
with it. and jumping any fence without
tremor. These equestrian duets stim-
ulated the bOarders to the liveliest spec
ulation.
Cora certainly was not Overburdened
with money, though her taste in dress
skillfully concealed the deficiency.
1
eschewed; but the gloom of her Grape
was exquisitely relieved by flowers.
She was never without flowers upon
her breast; at first modest demure VIC
lets, suggestive Of widOwhoOd; then az
the days wore on, roses-white for s
long time, and finally pink.
l came to measure the progress OF hel
affair with Mr.. Elliott by these roses
when the pink ones appeared l was az
excited as girl over her first offer.
1t was about this time that the board
ers learned through a cousin of Elliott S
lad who had accompanied him from
England, that there was another factol
in this interesting case. He said tina
Percy was engaged to an English CIR
and was to be married the following
winter.
My woman's curiosity so far got tn,
better of my manners that / finally
spoke to Cora about it. She looked a
me quietly for moment. and theE
murmured:
Eyes, know"
Then it is true2'' asked eagerly.
THAT is Mr. Elliott's affair." she an
swered with shade of reproof.
The boarders, as if moved by on,
common impulse. persisted in declar
J ing that Elliott didn't mean anything.
''Of course he's getting all the fun b
can out OF it. observed one experiences
matron; ''but marriage is quite anothe
matter"
: Then there was the English girl-or
rather, the rumor of her.
But ! was not so sure about it. To IN
it seemed very plain that from market
indifference this nonchalant English
, man had gradually awakened int
! vivid interest, and as time wore on
! could have sworn that Mrs. Tyrrell wa
{ becoming q necessity to him.
. He leased and tormented and evel
8 bullied the little widow, but at the sam
1 time he began to follow her every move
D ment with his eyes, to play with hi
, soup until she appeared at table. to wan
g der in his replies whenever he was ad
= dressed.
Languid he was at all times, but ther
is natural and affected languor, and
n | seemed to me that the less he retaine
a the one the more he cultivated the othel
ell Few men can resist the daily preSenc
: of soft tender eyes raised in appeal
: their superior manhood-of an artlei
d innocence needing constant cOrrectio
o from their large knowledge Of th
It world.
Miss Pickett and Mr. Elliott were q
ways at loggerheads. Her keen salliC
were continually wounding bis sci
love; his languid assumption of supe
Z iority was perpetual insult to her pr
gressive womanhood. and so their mu
y ual antipathy gradually expanded int
l. solid hatred.
b Miss Pickett was too thoroughly fem
. nine not to be aggressive in her hOstilit
= so when l observed her closeted vii
y Il NJ Eo,. fx..r, hours one flaK
r, easily guessed what it meant.
a.. It all came out the next evening. Q
p the hill behind the house. whittier Cor
v Elliott. and had strolied. Mrs Ty
. rell leaned back against a friend
mound and looked OUT int" the night
one of those exquisite. luminous, di
EnCtly Californian nights
q The scents of Thousand flowers
Dt that of the orange-blossom rising abo'
= the rest as the voice of the prima donI
y leads and accentuates the song Of q
= chorus-drifted upward to charm O
se senses
1e Cora sighed a little and then begA
q. miss Pickett said did not UnderstaI
a. men at all-that was too unsuspectin
J too con6ding. She said nan liked
play with such women. but that II
suspected most those women who treat
~ them best"
y s1AEis Pickett be hangedr' burst for
ri nom Elliott.
- Then Won don't think have done
d. very wrongs" and her velvet eyes loo
6. ed into his with troubled sweetness
It's '.Wrongi Hmephm
s1How dreadful &c seems to never &.
anyone! / belisEe ] W0uid rather Be
ways deceived than Gene to that I
g.