The Newtown bee., 1891-10-02
MT Norseman.

V she continued; ''but, after all, I'm a wid- ow of 40."
 She folded the note she had just receiv- ed and placed it in it's envelope.
 ''I think I'll say yes,'' she unused. ''I am lonely sometimes and that dear little girl he speaks of may be a very pleasant companion"
 The note that had set Mrs Vanderpool into this train of thought was from the most devoted of her admirers, MT Morse man.
 A widow with two hundred thousand dollars safely invested is sure to have ad- mirers and Mrs Vanderpool was hand- some woman, as well as a woman of means.
 Mir Norseman had iron gray hair and rather an elderly look about the throat and shoulders, but he was a man of ele- gant manners. He spoke of his "little place on the Hudson" in a way that made people understand that it was very fine one and that the prefix was the outgrowth of modesty The general opin- ion was that he had retired from busi- ness. He seldom spoke of the matter. He had, however, told the widow that he was still connected with certain mercan- tile enterprises 'Sas sort of sleeping partner.' For the rest, he dressed we'll, walked well, made offerings of roses at their most expensive seasons and pro- fessed himself madly in love with Mrs Vanderpool
 The fear of being married from mo- tives of interest had often intervened to prevent the widow from accepting the pointed attentions of men younger than herself. They did not arise in thinking of Mir Norseman, settled and solid as he was.
 "l'll do it," the widow said to herself. "A woman is much happier with pro- tector and I'm sure l should be proud of Mir Norseman; and, after awhile, one fades little and it Is great deal more comfortable to occupy a matron's posi- tion; Q widow who has no family Is al- ways sort of elderly girl.'
 Then Mrs Vanderpool sat down to her desk and, taking her most delicate pen, indited on her finest paper the following cpistle
 Dear Mir Norseman-I have received your note and read 1t carefully. Without actually giving you positive answer at this moment, will say that it's contents do not displease me. l am going into the country to pay wis 1t tomorrow and will remain away three days. On Thursday, shall be at home all the afternoon and should be glad to see you Yours sincerely, Adelaide VanderpOol.
 Having sent this billet douX to the lamp post box by a servant.M Mrs Wander pool prepared for her visit to an old aunt at - and shortly left New York be- hind her.
 This visit was, l regret to say, a sort of penance which Mrs Vanderpool inn posed opon herself, every Spring. The aunt was one of those ancient females who, having outlived vanity and the de- sire to dodge Time, delight in unpleasant "reminiscences and ill recording the pas sage of years.
 Mrs Vanderpool knew that her age would be mentioned within the first 10 minutes; that she would be forced to re- member things she desired to forget; that all those skeletons that most people desire to lock away in cupboards would be trotted out and that she would return to the city with large collection of an- cient goods to match-silks of obsolete colors, woolens of sort no longer wov- en, cottons of patterns at least 25 years old.
 She would sleep in sort of state bed room, where she always expected to see ghost; she would be obliged to read aloud from ancient devotional works printed with long SIS, or from some such novels as "Sir Charles Grandson and 'Amelia;' she would be requested to sing and accompany herself on little old piano of six octaves, which had not been tuned in 30 years and to assist in making very coarse red flannel petticoats for the poor of the church. Sunday she would spend in 8 draughty little church, where well meaning but inaudidle old preacher would read one of his old ser mons and where much hand shaking must be gone through in the vestibule. Moreover, there would be at least two wearisome tea drinkings-one at the res- idence of Col Whaekem, whose memory had grown weak and who always took her for her own grandmother; the oth- CT at that of Mrs Ledsky, who went to all the funerals she heard of and enter tained her guests with accounts there of. However, it was a superstition of Mrs Vanderpool's that it was her duty to visit Aunt Tabitha and she always performed it once a year.
 On. this occasion, the old lady's reminis- cences were more unpleasant than usual, the novels more wearisome, the sermons more inaudible and the tea drinkings more ghastly and it was with sense of relief that she found her visit at an end and bid her aunt good-by. Her trunk had been sent to the depot in the morn- ing and as she was fond of walking, she decided to follow it on foot.
 ssTake the road to the right then, Ade- laide, Aunt Tabitha had said. ssIt's bet ter paved.''
 Accordingly, Adelaide took the road to the right and found it much longer than she expected. As she entered the depot, her train steamed out of it and there was no other to New York for two long hours.
 The little wooden building was close and unpleasant and, after pacing it nery- ously for awhile, Mrs Vanderpool saun- tered out again and, turning down a we'll shaded road came to n little yellow house, tha front If which seemed t0 he a Uannral