Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-07-11
YOUNG WIDOWS.
4 Plea that They Are Neither Designing Mo-
Dangerous.

pretty young widow sat up in the ham,
mock and looked tragic.
MY dear, don't ever say such ride
ulous thing again"
The girl lapsed into apology.
well, of course. l know it's dreadful
to lose ones husband, and I'm sorry
for real widows. if they did care.
didn't mean to offend you. But you see
/ didn't say I'd like to become a widow
by the natural process | wanted To be
born SO, to have the freedom and none
of the hurt
But | wasn't offended. | was only
deploring your Judgment. Freedom A
nice widow has less freedom than any
mortal on earth. She cant avoid criti-
cism. She can't get simple justice.
Every move she makes is misconstrued.
She is always credited with diScredita-
ple motives. Sometimes | think that
the best thing to do is to have the game
as well as the name. or else to marry
again. i'm self-defence. Il don't want to
be Giddy. | don't want to marry. |
don't even want to be admired, but L
might as well be Il sly. designing cat
so far as reputation is concerned. It's
abomina BILE. It's cruel. It's wicked"
She stamped her small foot viciously
and the girl looked impressed.
IF | were a writer" went on the vic
tim of social prejudices. I'd write
reamS in defence of the widow. She is
like the mother-in-law. She's a tradi-
ton. It's a beautiful piece of logic.
There are designing and dangerous
widows: therefore all young widows
are designing and danEerous-unleSs
they are too ugly to count. Take another
cushion. take two cushions. I'm going
To tell you the story of my life. and it
viii probably make you very tired
The girl settled herself comforta bly,
and tried not look guilty. but remem-
bcred. with painful distinctness. the
conversation about the widow that she
had heard on the hotel veranda earlier
in the day.
"a Was an orphan" began the widow.
1T starts Well" suggested the girl.
Doesn't it? II gets better as | go
on. for was pretty and poor. | think
| may say | was pretty without cxag-
gcratins. That was years ago. I'm
- now
There's some salvage from tie
wreck remarked the girl looking jul
dically at the charming vision in the
hammock.
Il married early. ut IS. He was twice
my age, and the best man have ever
known. ] wasn't violently in love, but
| believed in him and he made me Won
derfully happy. He had q great deal Of
money. and there was nothing in the
world that money and consideration
could DO for my happiness that wasn't
done. After awhile / found that he was
all the world to me. Then he died. |
was left quite alone again. There was
mt soul 10 whom | could turn. |
vas p, and pretty. and very rich. and
lonely. -, my dear. how lonely"
p' N you suppose e, people We Were sorry fol
ing seriously. From the very start the,
smiled and shrugged their shoulders am
propheSied. For Il while | shut mySnl.
away from everything. but / knew tina,
was very unnatural and wrong, ana after
the first shock was past felt the natara
longing of a girl for some brightness anf
companonship and joy of life. | was sad
but my heart wasn't broken and Their,
were things worth while left, even if thu
best WAS gone.
so | liGhtened my mourning and trie,
to be little happy. That settled it.
difference that was absolutely indiffer
ent to men That only my sly way
turned a cold shoulder even to the mel
who had been my friends and whom
liked. | might as well have thrown my
self at their heads 50 far as avoiding
gossip was concerned.
Il was pointed out as a beautiful an,
dangerous young person. If a MAJ
stopned to speak to me on a hotel We
randa there was / buzz among the tab
bles and when he joined the men the,
laughed and clapped him on the shoulde
and ! Knew some one was quoting sam
had never written Pickuick Papers.
when a married man was nice to M
his wife WAS cattN. When young boy!
liked me their mothers rliied thei'
vered transparently to get their chick
out of my clutches-clutches, Whoi
there wasn't a man of them all who wa!
worthy to fasten my husbands sho'
laceS. and ! knew il so well that thel
bored me to extinction
- didn't care for men anyway. but
wanted women friends y good many
women were nice to me because ! coulo
do things for them. but they all saw
through ms little game. S" clever OF m
to pretend to he womcn's woman AM
not to care for men. Such good WAY ="
.lisarminE criticism. Of cotrS" when
was So intimate with Mrs So-and-so. Mr.
Sn-and-sos admiration for me WASH
chapcronage | could do 81 much NOR.
execution. O, ii took widow to he poll
tic.
these things asked the girl.
II, was in the air There were thou
SHltS Ol SlpllS. bdh NY ''iHT'i 'tf' 9
dozen times Il day and was insuted by :
host Of things that yet were not in t
form could resent. And then there are
always friends to tell you unpleasant
things for your soul good. OF course
they only repeat the gossip because 1
has put them in such a fine flow of in
dignation that they cant keep still. Thel
think such injustice is awful. They know
how ii must hurt you. and they realiz'
how sincere and frank YOU are. gh
eats"
The widow was ordinarily "a calm an'
self-possesscd young woman, but 10
once in way she was getting thing
off her mind, and doing it thoroughly
The wrath of years was in her rec
checks and flashing eyes, and her fist!
We're doubled up SUCCESSFULLY.
My husbands relatircs-torty-secoh
cousins-came tonne and advised me, an.
cautioned me and CRITICIZED me. 'ThcA
had heard such tales and they feared
hadn't been prudent. l wanted to 20
abroad, but | mustn't travel alone. Thai
wouldn't do at all. | didn't know any
woman who was free to go with me ant
whom | would enjoy as a travelling com
uanion. NV friends shook their HEADS
and said il was a pity l hadn children
to give responsibility to my menase
least, | took the small daughter of q
distant relative for year. didn't ike
The youngster but | thought perhaps Sh'
would remove the curse. | dragged mel
and her nurse and my maid around WIZ
me wherever | went and was palntullA
domestic No good at all. So clever OF
me-