The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1888-09-28
A CHARMING WIDOW.

"Tho idea OF that little thing being
widow"
And a widow OF four years. standingI
1t fairly takes ones breath away. She
doesn't look day over fifteen"
Except in a strong light. In n strong
light She would be taken for every day Of
twenty-one. / never settle upon wom-
ans age until have seen her in a strong
light"
This rather pointed remark from the
lips of Miss Pickett, Il spinsusr whose age
was frankly beyond com pare, seemed to
produce an electric effect. Every woman
on the piazza, as though suddenly re
minded Of a neglected duty, began care
fully protecting her eyes from the glare
Of the sky.
Il wonder II she viii get the English
man." began the first speaker again.
she Is putting in some pretty hard
work. Her slightest glapces are the in
carnation OF nattery."
"a great mistake. Never give man
more than he expects-yOu will only bore
him"
81 am not so sure Of that. 4 man is a
very weak thing.''
"Wen, mark my vord-he doesn't
mean anything; he is only amusing him
self"
a boarding house in Santa Barbara,
even when nestled amidst al the luxur-
lance Of semi-troplcaI California, is quite
like other boarding houses after all. It
contained the usual abundance of idle
women, the usual scarcity Of vigorous
men, the usual suPerlUity OF gossip.
So il happened that the Boarders at
Radcliffe &ansion-vrhich, By the way,
was no more Of q mansion than any re-
spectacle two-story building, Int 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. Tyrrel sat opposite mo Mt the
table, and used to watch her in 4 sort Of
amaze that anyone could be so younGand
fresh and fair ard yet be widowed. Her
! form was a5surLly slight for a fun grown
womau's, lille her face was as sweet and
! guileless rs 4 child's.
| She some way reminded mo or q pansy.
particularly when she wore slightly
| faring hat, its dusky bvim setting OF to
| perfection the transparency OF her COM
| plexion, the soft baby-like rings of her
! hair, the large, tender, pathetic eyes.
! Beauty OF this sort WINS women as well
rs men. Even Miss Pickett, noted for
| the severity OF her mental atmosphere,
| vas subiucated. Not a woman grudced
/ Mrs. TyrreIl her beauty. but several drew
! the line at the EuSlishman. Feminine
! generosity Eas its limits.
You see Percy Elliott was tho only
| eligible man at Radcliffe Nansioa-
| eligible IL the worlds accertaticu OF the
/ term, which has Il wcil-JeGucl reference
/ to an i-rcproachablc bauk-account-and
It was hard to watch him slowly disap-
/ pear down the widow little throat
He was u tall, Lonchslaut young fcl-
/ low, quite convinced Of his own i'm
/ portauce, after the fashion Of his conn
trymen- y certain uarroEuess Of chest
| told why he was wintering IN this lar
/ western land; and frequent horseback
rides with Mrs. Tyrreli told that lie be-
/ Eoyed IN mingling business with pleas
Ure.
/ She was = wonderful horscwoman, rid
/ ing rs easily without the saddle as with
it, and jumping any fence without
trenlor. These equestrian ducts stim-
ulated the boarders TO the livelicst specu-
! Iation.
Cora certainly was not overburdened
| with money, though her taste in dress
skiIfulIy concealed the deficiency. jew
elry OF every description she utterly
escheETed; but the gloom OF her Grape was
. exquiaitely relieved by flowers.
She was never without flowers upon her
r.
| suggestive or wiGowlocd: then as the
days wore on, rcs cs--Yhits for long
! time, and finally pink.
l came 10 measure the progress of her
affair with Ir. Elliott by these roses;
when the pink ones appeared I was as cz-
/ cited rs cirl over her Grst offer.
II was arou5 this time that the bo9rtlcrs
| learned through n cousin OF Elliott's, a
lad who had accompanied him from
| England, that there was another factor
in this interesting case. He said
Percy was engaged to an English girl
and was TO DE married the following
winter.
Ny woman's curiosity so far got the
better of my manners that | finally
spoke TO Cora about IL. She looked ut
me quietly for moment, and then nur-
INJURED:
"Ycs, know"
"Then it Is truc?'' / asked, eagerly.
THAT is Mr.. Elliott's affair" she an
swered with Il shade Of reproof
The boarders, IS If moved 10y one com
mon impulse, persisted III declaring that
Elliott didn't mean anything
"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 girI-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 Englishman
had gradually awakened into vivid IN
terest, ard rs time wore on / could have
sworn that Mrs. Tyrrel was becoming a
necessity 10 him.
Ec tcas.d and tormented and even
bullicd the little widow, buJ at the same
time he BEGAN 70 follow her every move
ment with his eyes, 10 play with hi.
soup until she appeared at table, Il
wander IN his replies Whenever he was
addressed.
Laneuid he was at all times, but
there Is n natural and an affected Ian
Euor, and il seemed TO me that the les
ne retained the one the more he cultivated
the other.
Few men can resist the daily presencl
of soft tender eyes raised in appeal Il
their superior manhood-of an artless il
pCcence needing constant correction from
their large knowledge of the world.
Miss Pickett and Mr.. Elliott were al
ways at loCgerheads. Her keen sallie
We're continually wounding his self-love
his languid assumption of superiority wa
q perpetual insult to her progressiv
womanhoOd, and so their mutual an
tipsthy gradually expanded into soil
hatred.
Miss Pickett was too thoroughly fen
iniEc not TO be aggressive ia her hustilit.
sowheu / observed her closeted with NJ
Tyrrell for two hours one day, I easii
guessed what IL meant