Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-01-10

avid VI lIe coroner cullF anu put lcr
hrllls about his neck. "Oh, dad, love
you too Sometimes almost wish that
there wasn't any money for us to get
all mixed UP about"
Stick to that almost Dodie.'
"And say, dad. You don't mind me
giving you !: tip, do you?'
The colonel looked little unconl-
Portable.
Its about the widow, YOU brow"
"Whom do you mean:" 4le asked,
with dignity; Mrs. Bronson?"
Who else? You are not interested
fl more than one widow, are you? 1
heard the other day that her first was Il
butcher. Think of 1.-THE poor ltrlc
lamb."
"Hc was a Kansas City meat man."
said the colonel Indignantly, "and L
should think you and your aunt might
find something better to spend Your
time in than gossip
Whenever the conversation shifted to-
the subject of the widow, Captain .ral-
bot felt himself at a great disadvan.
tage, as is always the case With simple
innocence when it is called upon to
face adroit insinuution and the suspi-
cion that turks in a tone rather than in
the spoken words. III is true that lie
admired Mrs. Bronson, for She was
pretty and dressed in modest becom-
ing style, and she was bright and en-
tertaining talker. Yes; he must admit
that he liked her best of all the women
at the Balboa. The others who We're
of suitable age for companionsllip were
too dull or We're taken up with daugll-
ters or devoted to complaining hus-
bands.
Her father had been n Loyal Legion
man, as he was, and she could remem-
Der something of the war, just enough
for him to fix her age as 10 years less
than his own, and this gave one fruit
full topic of conversation. She admired
Scott and Dickens and disdained the
new stuff as he did. Longfcllow
was her favorite poet-and his. Her
tastes and interests were simple and
domestic, yet she was greatly diverted
by the coloneps experiences in bust
ness and politics. The other women
were civil to her, but little distant.
This may have been due to the suspi-
cious hints let fall by Josephine and
her aunt, or it may have arisen simply
from the fact that she was q widow.
All single women and most married
ones think that the widow should take
her place on the funeral pyre beside
the body of the husband, after the In
dian fashion.
When the fishing party had departed
the next morning, the colonel betooli
himself to the bowling alley, WHITTIER
none but few old enthusiasts ever
came. At one end of the long room in
little alcove there was a windoW that
looked out over the ocean. The widow
WIS fond OF this quiet, secluded snos,
and on days when Josephine and her
aunt were away the colonel usually
found her there. She had soft Grape
shawl over her rounded shoulders, and
she was busy over a beaded purse.
She scarcely looked up from her
work as he approached and seated him
self at her side. care you going to
play?" she asked, and he replied ac-
cording to the regular formula: Pres
entity. May sit here?"
"Certainly." She looked innocentlv
beyond him toward the alley. "Did
your daughter come down with you:'
Miss Josephine never played.
"she has gone fishing with her aunt
and the rest of them. Why didn't you
go too|
AS a matter of fact the widow had
not been asked. 81 do not care for
fishing" she said, and as she did so
she baited her hook with a sweet smile
and threw it out toward him. TIE
colonel's old heart gave youthful
jump and his hand trembled a little as
he readjustcd his eyeglasses.
II took pains to find out whether you
We're to be of the party" said he, "and
when 1 found you were not going i
decided that did not care for fishing
myself"
This was nibbling at rather close
range, but the widow pretended not to
notice 1t. She did not lift her long eye
lashes even the hundrcdth part of an
inch, which gave the colonel all the
better opportunity to admire them.
And through the whole morning he
circled round and round the bait. but
he did not bite, perhaps by reason of
an instinct that had come down to him
| from the gay days Of his youth and
perhaps because she was not ready to
land him yet.
1t is about half mile from the boat
landing to the entrance of the Balboa.
AS the fishing party walked this dis
tance one small detachment, consisting
of Miss Josephine and Mr. Grandin,
fell SO far behind and moved so slowly
that even the sympathetic Aunt IIar-
riet glared flercely at them as they
came upon the steps.
Mr.. Grandin was another wlA did
not care much for fishing. He was
saying: People were altogether too
thick in that beastly little boat. | have
not had word alone with YOU all
day."
Anything to say?'
"Only the same thing"
you may say it just once"
81 love you"
walk faster. can see my father
looking at us from the corner of the
piazza"
"And the widow is with him-your
Stepmamma that is to be-"
Don't you dare to say it. If l
thought SO. l would marry the first
man that asked me-"
II will be the first"
"Oh, Mrs. Fuller. we have had such
Z lovely day. Mr.. Grandin and stop.