The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-09-23

! vi, ltEt14S lHat tAt4 Wt4 LIZ HtAtlScl
and best. ] inferred from this last re-
mark that her husband had been af
fected BY paralysis, particularly as shs
had said on another occasion: 4 used
to sit at my window, and James sat a1
his, / sewing, be looking out of thu
| window at what was going on in the
| street He seemed perfectly happy as
long as ! was there. But then we car
never tell. / often wish now that ]
had lone more for him or could have
learned better what he wanted
what did the physicians say or doY'
I asked.
They said it was the breaking up OF
the system by old age. | never felt
that they quite understood the case"
Poor little thing! Married to an aged
paralytic and yet regretting his death
as the breaking up Of the one tie on
earth. What desolation-what utter
desolation her case seemed to mel ]
was moved to take her In my arms and
weep with her. which was a great deal
for me.
Not only was the late Mr.. Knapp old
and imbecile and paralytic, but he had
other traits which must have rendered
him highly Objectionable as a daily
companion.
Just about this time every afternoon
/ always gave James a bowl Of cream
with fresh sponge cake In It. He would
not touch II unless It was IN q certain
bowl nor unless It was fresh from tho
bakers. And yet they tried to per
suade me that be didn't know any
thingIy
From which / inferred that, added to
his other pe~culiarities, the late MI.
Knapp possessed an extremely I'M
pleasant temper.
"And, oh, Mrs, Curtis!' she walled,
after the poor dear was dead and
gone, they wouldn't let me bury him In
the family lot" From which / infer
red that the dean departed had come of
a family of unpleasant tempers. Such
heathenish doings / never heard tell
Of. Surely, however they felt toward
him during his life, nothing but a hend
would deny him the family resting
place after he was deadi
But I forgot my interest In Mrs.
Knapp and her affairs by reason of
some Of my own. had a delightful
letter from Tom Dixon, saying he
would be with us for q week. Now
Tom was a favorite cousin Of mine.
and I spent a good deal Of time fur
nishing up my little belongings so that
1 might look my very best when he
came. And then, / was putting finish
ing touches to Toms room, too, until
the minute he arrived, SO that / really
had no time to talk 10 Mrs. Knapp or
to listen to her IL she wished to talk to
me.
Dear old Toni How good it was to see
him that day with his blithe ways and
"bonny brown hairv' We talked and
talked till supper was called, and then
we still talked ali the way to the dining
room door, and yetwe found time to say
nothing about any one but ourselves.
AS we seated ourselves at the table /
saw Mrs. Knapp's vacant place flor she
was a little late) and realized that l
had not mentioned her presence IN u
household
.sWhy, we have a boarder, Tom,1 I
began, In answer to his look Of inquiry
at the empty place Just as l spoke
she glided LII.
"Why, who on earth would have
thought of finding you here?' and he
shook her hand In a grasp 81 hearty
that I could see it was painful to her
She colored family and said a little
~unsteadily, This is indeed a surprise,
Mr.. Dixon and l read between the
lines that the surprise wasSnot an al
together agreeable one.
But Tom didn't seem to 1otice any
thing (most men are dumb about such
things, you know, 50 | kept my eyes
and ears open and waited for develop
ments.
At last they came and in a most
startling n
so l hear poor Jim is gone at lastr'
said Tom, turning to Mrs. Knapp as he
buttered his seventh biscuit (Tom al
ways was rather a greedy youth and
enjoyed most heartily the good things
of this life, mothers cooking among
them).
aOh, MI. Dixon, how can you speak
of him in that wayv' exclaimed the
widow, hurrying from the room in a fit
Of sobbing.
Tom stared.
We'll, I'll be darnedl What under
the u is the matter with the woman
anyway" he exclaimed
you ought to be ashamed of your
self" replied | severely. mo wonder
the poor woma is shocked to hear
you speak of her husband in that way
after he's dead and gone"
Tom stared again. And then he broke
into such spasms of laughter that I
thought he had suddenly lost his mind.
1 had heard Of such things, but | had
fortunately been spared the sight Of
them so far.
Her husband!" he exclaimed, when
he could catch his breath, as he wiped
the tears from his eyes,. "Her hus-
band! She hadn't any husband. She
never was married. Jim was her old
black catr' And then he went off again