Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1907-07-31
A WIDOW ono A
WIDOWER

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the family hotel in Paris where he
was stopping as something of curl
osity. He did not look at all like the
man who travels. On the contrary,
they set him down as tiller Of the
soil and wondered how he had ever
found his way across the Atlantic. He
was slow moving and slow spoken,
with what seemed a religious turn Of
mind.
They had looked to see Mr.. Turner
register as Judge" or general" and
they had expected him to boast of his
herds Of cattle in Montana or his oil
wells In Texas, but he had disappoint-
ed them. His name went down as
plain Aaron Turner. After a week or
so it came to be understood that he
was a widOwer, having lost his dearly
beloved about year before.
When plain Mrs. John Gates arrived
Mt the same hotel few days later than
plain Aaron Turner, she also proved to
be something of an enigma. She had
no diamonds and no style. She was
dressed in mourning and was often
found with tears in her eyes.
In due time, which in this case meant
two days after her arrival. the widow
Gates was sought out by plain Mr..
Turner. His first excuse for present
ing himself before her was that both
were Americans. His second was that
both had lost their beloved partners
and that there should be bond Of
sympathy between them.
The fearful widow Gates was also
communicative. She had made the trip
with her husband in the hope that it
would improve his left lung. 1t had
been hard scraping to get the money
together, and the last SO had been
raised on the family sewing machine.
Just as the lung seemed to be growing
better her dear departed had been
taken off with typhoid fever and bur-
led among a race of people who drank
absinth instead of buttermilk and who
shrugged their shoulders instead Of
swearing right out. She resorted to
tears as she finished her plant. Mr..
Turner spoke consoling words. He re-
minded her that in the midst of life we
were in death and that human nature
was so constituted that it could not go
on grieving forever AS a matter of
fact, the widow felt quite chirked up
when he took his departure, and dur
ing the next two weeks they We're Of
ten seen together. They became quite
confidential before the widower decid-
ed to trust the widow with a secret.
He wanted to do something for the
minister and the Sunday school class
at home. Deacon Pegram would be ex-
pecting some sort Of present, and
there was his sister, who kept house
for him. Taken altogether, he would
be expected to make score Of pres
ents. While none of them would be Of
great value, each one would be cher
ished for the sake of the giver. AS the
two were going home on the same
steamer and as he had only a small
trunk with him, would the widow kind
ly take charge Of the packages as he
brought them to her?
The widow would and did. While
she was financially hard up, she was
also buying few presents, and all
could go into her trunk together. The
two did not go out together or shop to-
gether. For some reason they didn't
propose such thing, although Ii
would have been perfectly proper. The
Frenchmen realized that 1t would have
been proper. and when 1t didn't occur
they shrugged their shoulders and NUT
tered something about American &C.
centricity. BY and by sailing day
came, and the widow and the widower
took the train for Havre and found
They We're hardly settled when the
widower made proposition. There
was nothing matrimonial about it, He
had discovered that there was q pas
senger on board who knew him, and
IL he was seen acting as escort to the
widow there would be talk about it at
home. He therefore proposed that they
should seem to be strangers for the
voyage.
The widow was agreeable. She also
had reputation to preserve. On land
ing in New York she would &c TO
certain hotel, and the widower would
call there and say farewell and re-
ceive his presents. AS neither had
brought along anything dutiable. there
would be no trouble at the customs
house. Things were settled this way.
and no one aboard came to know that
plain Mr.. Turner and plain Mrs. Gates
had spoken words Of consolation to
each other on the soil of France. It
was only when the steamer had sight
ed Sandy Hook that the widOwer look
ed at the widow In a peculiar way.
She interpreted 1t to mean that the
custom house officers would soon be
aboard and asking for declarations.
and she returned his look with one
calculated to put him at hfs ease.
Plain Mr. Turner was one Of the first
ones ashore when the steamer locked.
He had nothing to do but to disappear.
AS the widow Gates had a mournful
and innocent look, the inspector pass
ed her baggage after perfunctory In
spection. and then she disappeared.
Two hours later the widower called
at the hotel agreed upon. There was
40 widow there. He called again and
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