The Ravalli Republican., 1898-03-02
A CAPTAINS WIDOW

When Matllua Hartley was ~
years Of age and living not the hap
piest Of lives with a Grabbed old
aunt, who had brought her up, there
came into the village of Rudlelgh,
where she had been born, and which !
she had never left since, dashlng
sea captain Of 36 or 3S, who spent
his money freely enough to make
an acquisition to the one hotel OF
the place. and who was SO far from
bashtul that before he had been
there a week every woman IN Rud.
leigh had either been stared at OF
:'fol]owed quito home, my dear. "
The young cham mbermaids had
each been kissed, the landlord S
daughter had been chuckod under
the chin, and the landlady herself,
striving to blush and failing be-
cause no red rose could be reddel
than she was already, declared that
a little more and she must really
"mention it to Mr.. Landlord. -
AS for Captain Waters, he consid-
cred all this the proper thing for
man of spirit to do and continued
the general admirer of the fair Of
Rudleieh until, falling one day in
to the society of Matte Hartley, he
became at once her particular slave
He courted her one week, proposed
the next and married her the third.
.-- Ho was well enough to do to retire
from u scafaring life, was owner
and hitherto captain Of the Amanda
and was, moreover, a widoWc1, his
first wife having taken advantage Of
his absence on a voyage to elopc
with a Frenchman, who, SO report
ran, had poisoned her.
This he told, with a grave face, to
little Matte before he popped the
question.
..: IF I thought women folk were all
alike, ia fight shy Of them, I can
tell you,' he said. but I'm sure
you have a heart, and true one,
Matte.
And SO Matte gave him her heart,
and her hand with it.
For year OF two they were hap
py; then the jolly, red checked cap
tain fell i'll, and in his illness a baby
that had come to them, a boy Of q
few months old, was stolen from i;
perambulator, which a careless
nurse had left standing by the road
side while she chatted with a beau.
There had been band Of gypsjes
in the neighborhood, and suspicion
naturally fell on them, but they
were followed in vain, and none OF
the rewards which were Offered
threw any light on the subject.
The agitation did the captain grea
harm and probably FASTENED hi
end. He died in few months, ant
poor Matte, broken hearted ant
desolate, prayed to die also. Wha
good could come to her now thu.
Frank and baby were both gone? Il
vain the old clergyman preache
submission and spoke Of "temptin
Providence by rebellion.
Matte heard none of the sterec
typed phrases that were poured int
her ear-heard nothing until on
day tall, bold faced woma
walked, unannounced, into her pres
ence and before the old clergyma
himself announced the fact that sh
was Captain Waters widow-th5
her children and his were at the h'
tel, and that Matte was mel
usurpcr.
That reused the widow at las
Her Frank SO vile creature! HI
Frank deceive her sol She cou
not, would not believe it. and no OF
else would. She ordered the WON;
out OF the house, and the WON;
went, but only to lawyers ha
by. There she produced proofs til
were conchlsive-a certificate sign
by q we'll known clergyman Al
letters from the captain, and in
certain church a register was foun
all that was necessary to establi
her claim
Matte asseverated in vain that
captain S first wicked wife was de-
that this woman was an impost
and that she did not believe 0
word of all The story. Other peo]
believed it. No one knew the c;
tain previous to his sudden appe;
ance at Rudlc:s:l!, and seafari
men are not always supposed to
too glad, especially in quiet inla
towns, to have d dozen wives apie
The end of all this was that t
new Mrs Waters took possession
the dwelling and property of
captain, and, disgraced and wrett
ed, Matte returned to the mail
aunt, who, having been opposed
the match, rather triumphed in
result as what she called ''j;l'
ment.
Mrs. Waters tried to make hors
friends in the village, but, on
whole, failel to do so. She '
coarse and vulgar. The servants S
she drank and her treatment of
child, little creature half the s
it should have been for it's age, :
such as shocked everybody.