Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1894-01-26
WAS IT A RUSE?
BY S. A. WEISS.

Alice Wren was very pretty little
woman-a widow of thirty or there
abouts with soft. appealing brown
eyes and dimple in each cheek, and
the more Mr.. Bowers looked at her
across the boarding house table the
better he liked her.
He was himself a widower of forty,
and had been paying some attention
to maiden lady with auburn hair and
sharp black eyes, who, he considered,
would be a good manager for his
household; but from the moment
when pretty Mrs. Wren seated herself
opposite him nt Mrs Brooks table,
and said, in her sweet, low voice. "Tea,
if You plensc, with sugar and cream,
he felt mn intutiyc conviction That this
was the woman whom kind fate had
especially designed for him,
From his landndy he gnincd some
information concerning her; that she
had been recommended to the summer
boarding-house by Mrs BROOKE own
pastor, whose relative She was; TINT
she had lost her husband nearly two
years since, and was very well off rs
regarded money; and finally that she
resided with sister in Mr. Bowers
own city all Of which was very salts
factory to Mr.. Bowers.
So, forthwith, he commenced an
assiduous courtship. of the widow, and
so favorablv were her attentions re-
ceived that one old bachelor Mr..
Boggs wagerod silver dollar with
another old gentleman Mr.. Wingo-
that the couple would be engaged be-
fore the end of the second week
As it happened, it was ON the very
evening Of tins wager that Mr.. Bowers
and the fair widow were seated III /,
little rustic summcr-house on the awu
as the sun set slowly beneath the dis
tant mountain tops. She was looking
at the evening star and he at her.
81 think, She said, pensiyeIy, "that
that must be the star of my destiny.
else | would not love it so.
"And | believe you are mine, hs
answered, tcnderly, "else-may Isly
it, Alice?7
"say what?' she answered, iuno-
Gently.
You know that love you sou
Her long lashes dropped.
eve have known each other for so
short time, She murmured.
For whole week, dearest, and in
that time have become better oc-
quainted with each other than would
have been possible in months Of or
binary intercourse. Oh, Alice, say
that you Will be mine ~
And when, an hour thereafter, the
couple returned to the house, md en-
tered the supper-room in the full glare
of the gaslight, Mr. Wingo quietly
slipped silver dollar from his pocket,
and with, sigh, laid it upon Mr..
Boggs' knee, under cover Of the table
cloth
OF course Mr.. Bowers called upon
his betrothed as soon as she returned
to the city, and between them ar
rangements were made for a speedy
marriage.
But in all this time he was ptr-
posely nursing in his breast a guilty
secret which the widow little sus-
pected For not once had he hiuted
to her that in the home to which he
proposed to take her he had three
rough and unruly boys to whom She
was expected to be a tender mother,
1T will never do to let her know it
before We are engaged, Mr.. Bowers
had at first said to himself
And when he found himself en-
gagged, he was still haunted by the
doubt whether she might not, forget
tul OF her plighted word, be tempted
to ''throw him oyer" when She found
out about those terrible children.
But at last matters had progressed
SO far-all but the date Of the mar
riage beng fxed-that he felt that
he could not longer, with propriety,
withhold from her matter which SO
nearly concerned her.
"Alice, darling, he said, one eve
ming, with sicbly smile, Il have IA
little surprise for you I have been
so absorbed in you that I forgot to
tell you about my-my three little
boys at home
"Why did you not tell me before?
because ahem las I said, | was
thinking Of you only. But surely,
darling, you will not object to being a
mother to my poor motherless little
ones? You cannot care so little for
me, Alice, as to make this a ground
for refusing to become my wife? No,
mol yOurs is too noble a nature fol