Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1897-02-11
A Pretty Widows Story.
B7 W. J. HAMPTON.

Inc widow wes not wearing weeds.
neither was she plunged in calf of
dark despair, nor did she show aoy
signs OF those other dreadfuily woe
begone conditions which arc som,-
times attributed to the state of widow
hood, not only in America and it's en-
virons, but pretty generally over the
entire earth s surface.
On the contrary she was as bripht
ana vlvacious as summer girl, and
she was talking to the major in seven-
teen languages all at once. At least.
1t so seemed to him, for he hadn't the
slightest opportunity of introducing n
word INTO the conversation sidewise.
oven much less introducing it, ac-
cordlng to the ordinary rules of COLO
guy.
"Do you know, major" she was
saying as fast rs she could, and with
little gasps for breath between, as
women do when their conversational
locomotive begins to"run Wild" "that
| had criectly dreadful experience
once in my life?"
The major wanted to say that he
could not understand how such a
charming woman could have any kind
of an experience that was not as lovely
as she was, but he wasn't quick
enough.
"Wcll, I did," she ratified away,
'sanl, YOU know, it was during dear
Georges lifetime, and it was perfectly
awful. Ny, my" this with half Il
sigh, "youtwouIdn't think | had been
n widow ten years, would you?"
The major was on the point of say
ing that she seemed to him more like
a radiant suubenms or something like
that, for the major has tlatterlng
wish into execution the widow was five
lengths ahead.
Very few people do she twit-
tered. "Do you think l look very
old?" and she canted her head to one
side. and looked at the major as a bird
looks at IA bug it wants for dinner.
The major was abon. TO say that be
thought she was summer girl before
some one told him she was q widow.
but, as before, he was left at the post.
"But, as | was saying she con-
timed, II had this perfectly awful
experience. You know that dear
George during the last two years Of
his life. was suffering with some Pc
cnliar brain trouble that quite changed
him. His ha!lucination was that he
was some other person. and that while
yas his wife, | was not the sane
wife be had known in his sanity. THIS
seemed to be the only popularity of
his madness, for on all other points
he was quite sane enough to deceive
even experts. OF course. l had to
watch him all the time, for the ply
sician said his disorder might develop
at anv moment, aud he might do
something desperate. though 1t was
not probable that is would take such
turn.
"One morning he slipped away
from his attendant and escaped TO a
train that was just leaving the station.
The man had grown careless. because
c.orra was so rational all the time.
Int when he lost him he realized
That he had been neglectful, and al
once came after me to know what TO
10 I was not at home, and did not
come IN for two hours, and the man
80 90 silly. or something, that lie
didn't go to the physician but JUST
,r.,tad for me. When he told me OF
Georges escape I sent for the physl-
clan aud private detective, ana As
90 rossible the detective follo owed
nv husband. The physician eA-
conraeed me greatly by saying 'ha'
George yas perfectly able to take care