Perth Amboy evening news., 1907-01-25
WIDOW 0no A
WIDOWER

the family hotel in Paris where b,
was stopping as something of a curl
Osity. He did not look at all like tht
man who travels. On the contrary
they set him down as a tiller of tht
soil and wondered how he had eyel
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 OF
SO it came to be understood that he
was a widower, having lost his dearly
beloved about n year before.
When plain Mrs. John Gates arrived
at the same hotel a few days later than
plain Aaron Turner, she also proved tc
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 |lr
Turner. His first excuse for present
ing himself before her was that both
were Americans. His second was thai
both had lost their beloved partners
and that there should be a bond oil
sympathy between them.
The fearful widow Gates was also
communicative. She had made the triI
with her husband in the hope that IL
would improve his left lung. 1t had
been hard scraping to get the money
together, and the last $40 had beer
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 tc
tears as she finished her plant. Mr.
Turner spoke eonso,ing words. He re
minded her that in the midst Of life we
were in death and that human nature
so constituted that it could not &C
grieving forever. AS a matter OF
fact, the widow felt quite chirked uT
when he took his departure, and dur.
ing the next two weeks they were 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 a present, and
there was his sister, who kept house
for him. Taken altogether, he would
be expected to make a score of pres.
ents. While one Of them would be of
great value, each n 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 q small
trunk with him, would the widow kind
~ 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 a 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 a thing, although It'll
would have been perfectly proper. The
Frenchmen realized that it would have
been proper. and when it 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 widoweI
took the train for Havre and found
themselves on board of their steamer
They were hardly settled when the
wtdower made a proposition. There
VAS nothing matrimonial about it. He
hafh discovered that there was n pas
on board who knew him, and
II he was seen acting as escort to the
widow there would be talk about it at
home. He therefore proposed that they
seem to be strangers for the
voyage.
The widow was agreeable. She also
had a reputation to preserve. On land.
ing in New York she would go to a
certain hotel, and the widower would
call there and say farewell and re-.
ceire bis presents. AS neither had
brought along anything dutiable. there
would be nc 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 tol
each other on the soil of France. It'll
was only when the steamer had sight
ed Sandy Hook that the widower look.
ed at the widow In a peculiar way.
She interpreted it to mean that the
custom house officers would soon be
aboard and asking for declarations
and she returned bis look with one
calculated to put him at his 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 mournfull
and innocent look, the inspector pass,
ed her baggage after a perfunctory in
spection. and then she disappeared.
Two hours later the widower called
at the hotel agreed upon. There was