St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1898-02-26
THEY BOTH FELT BADLY.
nut the Widow Probably Suffered the


More, Owing to Her SensibiIity.
The truth about Mrs. Greenleaf's
heart is of the kind that is stranger
than fiction. Though she has been 1e
years a widow, and though grown-up
children sustain her white hairs, her
heart Is as fresh and responsive as the
heart of q gladstone girl. It has with
stood experiences that would absolute
ly have annihilated less robust sensi-
bilities. It reminds one of that kind Of
grass that thrives. and grows green,
and thrusts up new sprouts on being
cut and stamped upon, and divided at
the roots. It is a phoenix, rising soli-
tary and triumphant from the fires OF
denunciation; it !: isithe tender May
flower, smiling on the bosom of the
snows Of neglect. In short, the vigor4
and versatility of her heart are the
wonderof all her familiars no less than
the despair Of the hapless ones on
whom, from time to time, she turns the
GatHng guns Of her affections.
She knows the little woman who
keeps the little bakery shop around the
corner, and she likes to go in sometimes
and sit awhile and detail the emotional
situation for the benefit of customers.
eyes, she said, the othernight, when
she was comfortably settled in the cor
ner behind the stove, where the sanded
floor had not been stained by muddy
little feet in quest of a doughnut, "yes,
for month / have been perfectly
happy. We were to be married on the
18th. The gentleman was year and
four. months younger than am, but
that didn't make any difference we
loved each other dearly. And had
nearly all my things ready-just think
of It'll I was to be married in white, at
his request. I said it seemed absurd
for an old, white-haired woman like me
but he said my skin was as fair as a
girls, and that 8 white dress would
just set OF my hair"
The widows hair is her especial joy.
No maiden ever cherished a crowning
glory of chestnut or gold more proudly
than she her white locks. And, in
truth, they are of SO brilliant and daz-
zling whiteness as to win for her that
second glance that novelists bestow on
the heroines from whom they are so
cruel as to withhold the fatal gift Of
beauty, even when not surmounted by
an astonishing creation in green velvet
aud pink roses, completed and apoth-
eosized by a long, drooping bird Of para
disc tail.
'sWhat's the matter?" asked Mrs.
Brown, when she had tied up loaf OF
bread for customer who loitered
toward the door and fumbled at the
latch with one eye and bothsears on the
widow. ..sDid he run away ?o She was
thinking of the termination Of other
perfectly happy weeks.
"Oh, dear, no." cried Mrs. Green1eaf,
'.he feels just as bad about it as I do.
You see he has got an old mother out in
Kansas, and when his folks out there
heard he was going to get married,
they wrote, that they were going to
send the old woman out here to live
with him. OF course, he wouldn't take
me out of my easy, care-free life to be
domineered over by mother-in-laW.
So there it isl"
\ "Of course, " 'shewent on, after chok-
& fng down suggestion of tears, 1T amt
like needed home. Iget$25 I month,
and never question about how it is
spent. All 7 have to do is to dress, and
go. Dress and go! What kind of life
is that? I really had ought to have
something to do, and I'd rather work
very hard with this gentleman than to
live as I do without him. What Is
good time beside loyer?"
And Mrs. Brown looked anxiousiy out
of the window for a customer, and
longed for the relief of smiling into
bag of eggs.-Chicago Times-Herald.