The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-02-18
DEAR MR.. MORTON.
[cassell,s Magazine.l

''Tom's widow is coming to tea this even
ing"
"My dear. don't speak of her in that way.
Toms widowl There is something CHASTITY
in the very sound"
"You needn't be afraid mother; she never
shall be my widow"
81 thought you admired her, Tom," said
Hilda.
$50 do, immensely she's the jolliest lit
tie woman / know, but mean to leave dlt-
ferent sort of widow"
some whose appearance will be better
adapted to weeds"
"One who will show little more feeling
when am gone" said Tom. "Mrs. Nor
toms husband can scarcely be year dead,
and yet she is the gayest and merriest OF you
ALL"
'sRose. Just imagine Toms ideal widow!
A heart-broken creature, all Grape and pock-
et-handkerchief, who will be forever talking
about her lost darling"
'AIy dear" said my mother again.
''The mater thinks it unlucky to talk about
my widow How do you know it is not L
who am to be the bereaved one bewailing
the loss of my sainted wife, and expecting
sympathy and consolation from my sisters? ?"
WELL" said Hilda after few moments
reverie, 81 admit it does surprise me to see
Freda Morton, loving and warm hearted as
she certainly is, appearing to feel the loss of
her husband so little"
Perhaps she disliked him"
''Rosel dislil1ed dear Mr.. Mortonv"
''Oh, that is merely little conventional
way of speaking of him; she evidently con-
siders it the correct phrase. 1t is quite COM
patible with indifference, if not dislike"
81 think she was fond of him." said Hilda
"She avoids speaking of him as if it panied
her to do so; sometimes even her voice
seems to choke when she mentions him."
"And at other times she makes the most
hippant remarks about him and his tastes
and habits. She certainly is puzzle to
me-"
81 am sorry you do not care for her, Tom;
often thought how pleasant it would be to
have her as a sister-in-law."
''Your visions may be realized without vic
Thinking me-"
"Do you mean Edmund?"
81 do; think Edmund is very much smit-
ten, and that she knows it, and does not OBJ
ject."
81 never thought of that" said Hilda;
"they never seem to speak to one another"
''No, but when either speaks to any one
else, the other listens. Watch, and you will
see."
81 would rather she was married to you
than to Edmund"
SORRY can't accommodate you. Good
by, mother, I'm Off"
voft Gaming bOmp m tea Tom 2'
asked my mother.
Certainly, mother. / wouldn't miss Mrs.
Morton on any account"
Mrs. Morton and her sister, Mabel Heath,
had now been settled in Longmede for some
months. They brought letters from an old
schoolfellow of Hildas and mine, who was
now married and living in Liverpool. Ma
bel Heath and her sister were dear friends
and neighbors of hers, she wrote, and she
was very sorry to lose them, but they had
now no reason for remaining in Liverpool,
and their means being diminished by their
recent loss, they were anxious to find some
quiet country place where they could live
economically. She had advised them to try
Longmede, having heard much of it from
Hilda and me, and feeling that she might
trust to our kindness to make them welcome.
The letter was hastily written, and seemed
to take for granted that the circumstances of
the sisters were already known to us.
However, this was Helen Fordham's way;
her letters generally were somewhat incohe-
rent. SO Hilda went at once to call upon the
new corners, whom we found established in
pretty rooms in the house of the late doctors
widow, who had managed to retain her old
home by letting part of it.
We were somewhat surprised to find both
sisters mere girls, Mrs. Morton, although in
reality the elder, appearing the younger OF
the two They were in striking contrast to
each other, Mrs. Morton being small, fair
and childish looking, while Miss Heath was
tall and somewhat stately, with dark hair
and eyes, Both wore deep mourning, Mrs.
Morton's very becoming little cap constitut-
ing the chief difference in their dress
We soon became very intimate with both
girls. They refused our invitations at first
on the plea of their deep mourning, but after
little time they consented to come to tea,
and later on to a quiet game Of tennis. Mrs.
Morton soon proved herself an excellent
player, and she and Tom fraternized over
the game. Tom made no secret of his ad-
miration for her, and Hilda and l soon de-
cided that it would be very pleasant II Tom
widow, as we had begun to call her, were TO
become Toms wife. Now, however, Toms
manner, more than his words, put an end TO
this castle in the air, leaving new field oil
speculation in the suggestion he had thrown
out concerning Edmund.
Edmund was a surgeon, and had been for
leI,f, 10 No af
home, recovering from somewhat severe
illness, and looking for suitable employment
on shore. He was far quieter and more re-
served than Tom, and the possibility of his
being attracted by the pretty little widow
had never occurred to any of us. Now, how
ever, enlightened by Toms hint, we watched
him closely. and before the close of that
evening had discovered that Tom was right,
and that Edmund was absorbed in studying
her every movement, and listening to her
every word; while she, on her part was full
~ conscious of his admiration, and did not
apparently dislike it. 1t was rather dsap-
pointment TO us, as we would have preferred
her marrying Tom; however, we resigned
ourselves to the inevitable, and began to
speculate on the course of events and make
nlans for Edmund's future, with Mrs, Nor
ton as his wife.
One day not long after this we called at
Mrs. Mortons lodgings, to ask her and
Mabel Heath to join us in a walk.
The ladies were up stairs, the servant said
and she asked us to wait in the drawing
room while she went to seek them. The
drawing room door was partly open, and we
went in without making any noise There
was a deep bay window at one side of the
room. looking into the garden; it was partly
screened off by heavy curtains, and contained
a writing table and couple of basket chairs.
We did not at first perceive that this recess
was tenanted, but presently we saw, by
means of the reflection in an opposite mirror
that Freda Morton was standing by the table
arranging the contents of her little writing
desk. Presently she took up small case,
evidently containing photograph. anu
looked long and earnestly at it. Then Sne
raised it suddenly to her lips, and kissed IL
passionately many times.
Hilda and waited breathlessly for lew
moments: then moved across the room and