New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-25
A BOGUS WIDOW.

only he did not wish TO I'll any official place. not
temporarily. lie used TO say that as floor
member he willing to shine. but positively he
could not remember the first sentence of the ritual
IL placed temporarily in officers chair. He was
prompt and regular attendant; rain or shine work
no work, his fat jolly face was sure to be seen
at every meeting Of the lodge. but his great mod
esty, or perhaps his difident manner. or natural
bashfulness prevented him from being advanced
and this made him still more popular. especially
with the ambitious, for he was In no ones way.
He would blush, stammer and stutter over the
simplest lines in ritual, and then watch the
door, and soon as any brother would enter
whom he could induce to take his place he would,
with a sigh of .elief relinquish his position and
wiping the beads of perspiration from his brow.
would sink into some chair out OF sight, only
gratefully smiling the. member who had re-
leved him from his embarrassing position IN 'he
officers chair. And with all this he was a we'll
educated man and had travelled great deal oo'h
here and in Europe. Everybody liked him; IN rac'.
who could help it? He was charitable man. anu
whenever called upon was always ready to con-
tribute his share and goody share 1t often was
too; and being a single man, he was never III d
hurry to go home after lodge closed ana this
made him popular with those OF a social turn Oh
mind.
One evening he came to my desk and asked me
TO buy him a lodge certificate and have 1t FILED
out and properly signed and sealed, as he eNpec'eu
to go West to one of our then new States 10 as
sist as engineer in constructing new raliroau'
OF were all sorry to lose Jolly o'o'he,
Langdon but hoped 1t would not be FOR long, ana
wished him godspeed and good luck, and all hopeo
that he would return to us millionaire po
nanza king 'big gun" of some sort.
At first he wrote to me regularly and always
sent his dues would answer him and Keep MN
posted about lodge matters and what was soie
on, what the brethren were doing VINO were
elected and who were defeated and all ABOUT the
little lodge gossip which knew would interest
him. Then he began to change his address ana
move about from place to place. Next heaIu
from him at the city of Sacramento Then ne uiu
not write me for long time, and did not seho
any money to pay his dues and the last ie''ei ''''
I received from him was from small hiii's
camp in the then Territory of Nevada and grauu
allv the good brother passed from our minds' ana
when year after year passed and no news oane
from him we reluctantly deemed him dead ana
his name was stricken from the roll, and Brotner
Iangdon was only remembered by the older men'-
hers as the jolliest and bes-hearted reno" we ever
had among u.s.
One evening when returning from business my
wife handed a neat little note dehca.eiy ''eu'
highly perfumed and addressed in an elegant hiie
,adv's hand and upon reading it l found that IL
was sent by Mrs Langdon widow of my lriehd anu
brother VINO requested me to call on her the ioi-
lowing evening at the Fifth Avenue Hotel
have had all sorts of calls from all sorts OF peo-
rle especially from all sorts of widows. nave
mounted to the fifth story back" or descehded
49,, 20 tho basement 'front.': have penetrated to
the rear house top floor: have been in hospitals
and barracks. at the call of the widow or any "a
nv brethren; have been in all sorts OF places anu
under all sorts Of circumstances, ana no" " NC
asked to call upon widow at the ffth Avenue
Hotel was quite novel experience. for my numer-
o,,s widows did not usually live in fashionable
hotels nor send me their invitations TO can on thei
on rose-tinted 'billets'; so was anxious 10 e"'e
upon this new phase or feature or my Masonic USE
fulness On the next evening dressed 0lhd con-
fess TO a little extra touch in TINS respeeV anu
wendell my way toward that marble palace the
Fifth Avenue and inquired at the office for MIS-.
I.angdon. 800
AT first the great mogu behind the desk did not
know her. bat informed by one OF MS ASSIST
ants that the woman was a friend OF one Vi 'iie
guests and had received some Visitors III 'ile ia'-
ters parlors so a cailboy was sent up with my
card and q few minutes later / was permitted 10
go up stairs and was shown into one Of the numer-
Gus snug it'll. parlors, where touhd Woih""
gracefully reclining in large easy chair Upon
my entrance the lady arose and handlhg NE he'
card, politely began to apologize ior uouph'ie me-
a stranger to her. etc .
found Mrs Langdon to be unusually tall
woman of very graceful figure and OF about thirty
five summers-or rather say thirty-nVe au'uiii''
because her style of beauty rather suggested inc
mellow the glorious and aromatic autumn-perfect-
~ sef-possessed and with that refined and graceful
easy manner which suggests the best society WV" itn
her black lustrous and deeply expressive eyes ana
ringlets about heI head and shoulders she wa a
type of the dark Southern beauty, and as LOOKED
AT her | did not wonder that poor, good-natured
Brother Langdon was captivated py tIe ihaeii ~
the purpose of admiring her. started at once 10
lead the conversation on TO buslness-wthem an, am
had they been married. and when and where ala
her late husband die, and had she any papers oF
She seemed to have anticipated all this, and readily
told when and where she first met MI Lang SE.
was the sister Of one of the directors OF 9ht COIL
when visiting her brother thai she first became me-, MG
quanted with her future husband, ana Ihousn
Guardian. was much opposed to their union, they
got married in one Of the frontier towns ana they
was killed through an explosion which took place
Of the silver mines wheF sb Brg 6wed m bs
certificate also several of my own letters written
She , was very charming and winning in her con-
versation and while talking to her ! MAS c CON
possibly want of me, and l finally asked her in
What Way the lodge could be OF any service to her
She told that first Of all she desired TO dePoS
with me. and then she would ike to Know IL .re
financial embarrassment she found herself In Just
now that is she R95 PrS h 2GS in Shares
the company, and ne also owned consideraDe 3'oSSk
in various & Ssr S SnG on since Re arrarc
she could not realize ready cash on the shares
Of the silver mine. Sne also iHouSHt uiAs ~
COMPANY was inclined TO take advantage OF her
sudden bereavement and would not pay her me
nrice The shares were worth and she came TO New
York to dispose some Of her securities to better
advantage in this market Sne said with most
hewitchnp smile: Il do not require very much..,
Fonr or five hundred dollars would do her until
She could either bring the company TO terms or COZ
Loci some of he dividends other securities Whlcn
would soon be due Whew! Only five hundred dol
lars. ,. =. ~ at. ond 7 co,,d
not help thinking of poor Widow A., who only Just
wanted q ton OF coal TO help her through the
N;nter and moor Brother b. who had been sick for
six months and whose rent must be paid by the
lodge (S16) and ever many more VINO required
our aid In a modest way; and here was o woman
in a Fifth-ave. parlor wearing diamonds enough 10
nurchase an entire coalyard. with n bakery thrown
In Her modest request for few hundred d0iiars
almost took my breath away and II admired thls
superb beauty at first, ] row gazed in ainaZenent
md admiration upon her cool assurance
She must have noticed something OF th3t SORT IN
told her there were several very wealthy men IN