The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1896-05-22
Nhflrmorrat-S Star
A PATHETIC STORY.


OF an uptown hotel Office, c0nycrsing
in an insouciant and nonchalant man.
ner with the naughty and imperious
clerk. as reporters always do, when Il
nicc-looklng old gentleman. with just
enough provincialism in his appear
ance to show that he was not Il New
Yorker, though he might have come
from Philadelphia or any other rural
district, came up to the register, as il
he had been there before. and wrote
his name and address. In a few min
utes the clerk had sent him off to his
room with a bell boy, and resumed his
conversation.
''Queer old chap" he said, nodding
in the direction of the departing
guest.
The reporter whirlcd the register
around to look at the name.
'Yes?n he replied q~uestioningly. Il
see that he has signed himself and
wife. Where's the wife? In the ladies'
parlor?"
''That's the queer part Of it," con-
tinucd the clerk, with an evident pur-
pose of telling a story, and the report
er became interested. "Thcrc isn't
any wife. He's a widower, and has
been for fifteen years, but he has been
signing it for the ten years that have
known him. He is now GO, and was
married at 40, and the omance is as
pretty as it is pathetic"
Sand unusual" ventured the re-
porter, ''if he is faithful to the memory
Of n woman, and that woman his
wife. Widowers are not all So"
THAT is why this ones story is the
more interesting. Let M tell you.
At % he was a poor young clerk in Il
Western town, and vas r0mantically
and deeply in love with a pretty girl
of 20. 1t may be said that she was in
love with him, too; but he had queer
notions, and as they were both poor,
and a rich mar was anxious to marry
the girl, he never told his love, but
let concealment, like a worm in the
bud, feed on his damask check, as it
were, and he pinned in thought and
with a green and yellow melancholy
sat, like patience on a monument,
while the other man married her.
"At 81 she was a widow and poor,
for her husband, has d~issipatcd his
fortune and our friend here, still a
bachelor and as much in love as ever,
was a successful merchant. This time
he was Drawer, for he was possessed OF
the sinews of war, and within a years
time he had married her. 1t was
rather hasty on her part, possibly
but lie had waited long enough and
was so imDortunate that she compro
missed with him on one year instead o.
the regulation two of w%idOwhood
They came to this hotel OF their wed
ding tour, and were here two weeks
and one of the proprict0rs Of the hote
informs me that he has never seen
couple more suited to each other ant
better satisfied with each other. Aftc
that he came to the city in the sprini
and autumn to buy goods, and sh
always accompanied him, and the
seemed to be no further away from tn
honeymoon season with each recurrin
year.
"At last, after the fifth spring triI
he did not come, but his manager die
, and he said that the wife had died an
the husbands mind was affected
though they hoped he would con
around all right in time. In the 70
lowing spring he came again, but
was not the same man any more. II
mind was clear on all business ma
tiers, but he was queer about his wifi
and a saddcr-faced man couldn't |
found anywhere. The old clerk wi
had been at the counter on his prev
Gus visits, was there when he can
again, and after greeting him plea
antly turned the register around #
him to sign it. He responded as usua
and when the clerk looked at the nan
it was followed as before by 'and wife
as he had been accustomed to sign i
The clerk was about to call his atteI
ton to it, but a second though
prompted him not to notice it, and
sent the guest to the bridal chambe
the room he and his wife always 0
cupie1, as they did on their first visi
During his stay of a week he hi
very little to say, and If any referen'
was made to his wife he responded
IL she were still alive and was wit
him at the hotel. At the table, to
he had a place for her, and her mca
were served as If she had been the
to eat them. When he was ready
20 and came for his bill it was mat
out as usual, and he paid for two pc
PIE without comment. Ten years ag
when ! came into the office, | receive
my instructions concerning our pee
liar guest, and have, since my fir
meeting with him, acted with hi
exactly as If lie were accompanied
his wife. ! have learned that he ft
lows the same course in all that
does in any way connected with he
He buys two@railroad tickets, tv
theatrc tickets, two places in any co
veyance, two everything, where s.
might have gone with him and
trips where she would not have d
companied him in life, such as sho
trips from his town or to affairs OF al
kind where it was probable she won