The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1886-02-18
A CHARMING WIDOW.

''The idea of that little thing being a
widow!'
And a widow of four years stand
ing, 1t fairly takes ones breath away.
She doesn't look day over fifteen"
Except in a strong light. In strong
light she would be taken for every day
of twenty-one. never settle upon a
woman's age until | have seen her in a
strong light"
This rather pointed remark from the
lips of Miss Pickett. a spinster whose
age was frankly beyond despair, seemed
to produce an electric effect. Every
woman on the piazza, as though sud
denly reminded of a neglected duty,
began carefully protecting her eyes from
the glare of the sky.
Il wonder if she will get the English
man." began the first speaker again.
''She is putting in some pretty hard
work. Her slightest glances are the in
carnation of flattery."
"a great mistake. Never give a man
more than he expects-you will only
bore him."
q 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-housei in Santa Barbara,
even when nestled amidst all the lux
uriance of semi-tropical California, is
quite like other boarding-houses after
all. 1t contained the usual abundance
of idle women, the usual scarcity OF
vigorous men, the usual superfuity OF
gossip.
So it happened that the boarders at
Radcliffe Mansion-which, by the way,
was no more of 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 me at table,
and / used to watch her in a sort OF
amaze that anyone could be so young
anI fresh and fair and yet be widowed
Her form was absurdly slight for a full
grown woi,aan's, while her face was as
sweet and guiieless as child's.
She some way reminded me of d
pansy, particularly when she wore a
slightly fiaring hat, its duSky brlm set
ting off to perfection the transparency
of her complexion, the soft ba oy-llke
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 at,nos-
phere, was subiugated. Not a woman
grudged Mrs. Tyrrell her beauty, but
several drew the line at the English
man. Feminine generosity has its linz
its.
You see Percy Elliott was the only
eligible man at Radcliffe Mansion
eligible in the worlds acceptation of
the term, which has well-defned ref
erence to an irreproachable bank-ac-
count-and it was hard to watch him
slowly disappear down the widows lit
tie throat.
He was tall, nonchalant young fell
low, quite convinced of his own i'm
portance, after the fashion Of his coun-
trvmen. 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-
iieYed 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
a tremor. These equestrian duets slim
ulated the boarders 10 the liveliest spec
ulation.
Cora certainly was not oyerburdened
with money, though her taste in dress
skillfully concealed the deficiency.
Jewelry of every description she utterly
eschewed; but the gloom of her Grape
was eXquisitely relieved by flowers.
She was never without flowers upon
her breast; at first modest demure vio-
lets, suggestive of widowhood; then as
the days wore on, roses-white for a
long time, and finally pink.
/ came to measure the progress of her
affair with Mr.. Elliott by these roses;
when the pink ones appeared | was as
excited as a girl over her first offer.
1t was about this time that the board
ers learned through a cousin of Elliott S,
a lad who had accompanied him from
England, that there was another factor
in this interesting case. He said that
L eICN Was CilSdSCo W stL l4liSlSh Slll
and was to be married the following
winter.
My woman's curiosity so far got the
better of my manners that | finally
spoke to Cora about it. She looked al
me quietly for moment, and then
murmured:
''Yes, / know"
Then it is true?" l asked eagerly.
''That is Mr.. Elliott's affair." she an.
swered with shade of reproof.
The boarders, as if moved by one
common impulse. persisted in declar.
ing that Elliott didn't mean anything >
s'Of course he's getting all the fun he
can out of it." observed one experienced
matron; "but marriage is quite another
| matter"
Then there was the English girl-or,
rather, the rumor of her.
But was not SO sure about it. To me
it seemed very plain that from marked
indifference this nonchalant English.
man had gradually awakened into
vivid interest and as time wore on
could have sworn that Mrs Tyrrell was
becoming necessity to him.