Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-07-31
A MANS ESTIMATE
OF WOMAN.
IOrlginai.l

mond. that Ned Hargraves has be-
come engaged while have been
away"
Eyes" said one OF the ladies. "and
he's throwing himself away"
'In the opinion OF the men or the
women?"
Il never speak I'm praise or condem.
nation OF another" replied the lady
except for myself alone"
sand. without referring TO you at all
I must say that I never take wo
mans opinion OF another woman"
"why sop asked several ladies' nj
once.
"A woman is Influenced by her likes
and dislikes. She has no sense OF real
Justice"
And would you rely on n mans
opinion OF woman?"
"A man OF mature age"
yourself, for instance?"
81 am forty: too old to be caught by
sentiment. too young to be fooled as an
old man"
This bit OF conversation took place
when the ladies at dinners We're accus
toned To leave the men to smoke with
their coffee. and the hostess led TIM
TO the drawing room. where they spen,
an hour conversing on the topic OF tn,
relative value OF mans and a wo-
mans opinion OF women.
1t was about n week later that Aus
tin Hammond received an invitation
from one OF the party Informally for a
game OF whist. lie met there a widow
Mrs. Cheever somewhere between
twenty-five and twenty-five years old
She was modest and shy almost to
timidity. Nevertheless there was some
thing about her that grew upon Ham
mond. 1t was not her conversation
for she was not talker. 1t might
have been her eyes. set I'm small
oval shaped head. At any rate. there
was something away down I'm those
eyes TO excite n mans fancy and set
him wondering. About what? Ham.
mond ut least didn't know. but he won.
dered all the same.
Hammond asked permission 10 call and
became n frequent visitor Mt her home
with servant. He took her out oc.
casionally either 10 drive or to places
OF amusement, and It was not long be
fore his friends began to speculate
upon q probable engagement. One
morning he was surprised 10 receive n
note from the lady who introduced him
to Mrs. Cheever I'm which she said sub.
stantially that having heard OF his Mt.
tentions, she wished TO disclalm any
had introduced as n suitable person for
him TO marry. If he made match
with Mrs. Cheever he must do so on
his own responsibility. Hammond was
surprised.
Later on he received n second note
from another OF the ladies' DO had met
ut the dinner party. This note was a
positive warning against Mrs Chez.
yer. Hammond kept the note a secret
for two days, then showed IL to the
woman IL condemned. She looked
troubled, but told very straight story
which agreed especially with Ham.
mOnd's opinions I'm matters between
women. She said that she had robbed
the writer OF lover.
Hammond at last found the young
widow so necessary TO him that he
asked her TO be his wife. She declined
at first, giving as reason that she
would bring him nothing; indeed. could
not make even a respectable show Mt
the wedding. Hammond told her that
he could support her comfortably and
gave her n check for 81 900 to spend
on trousseau. This, after many prot
estations, she finally consented to nc
cept, and the matter was settled. The
final closing up of the arrangements
occurred ut IL o'clock one night. and
Hammond left his fiancce happy man
The next evening at he went to the
widows apartments 10 consult with her
as TO her preference I'm the matter OF an
engagement ring. There was no reply
TO his ring Mt the door Convinced that
there was no one within. he applied for
information at the Office Of the janitor
THE lady moved out this morning,
sir"
Hammond caught at banister for
support.
did she leave any message for-for
meY
"She left no message for any one,
sir. While her things was going into
the van she went round TO the bank.
came back and paid three months rent
and went away"
That was the last OF Mrs. Cheever for
Hammond.
He did not inquire AZ his bank II his
$1,000 check had been presented, but he
found IL charged against him when his
account was balanced lie kept away
from his friends as much as possible
and when rallied with queries as TO
when he was going 60 be married turn.
ed away with a sIckly expression, re-.
plying that he might possibly marry
marble statue or wooden Indian
squaw with bundle Of cigars in her
hand, but never woman.
One morning at breakfast no opened
note from the lady who had intro.
duced him 10 Mrs. Chccyer apologizlng
for her part IN a plot that had been
cOncOcted by the ladies Of the dinner
party I'm which he had expressed his
views OF women's testimony with re-
gard 60 women. One Of the party said
she knew woman II twenty three
who had divorced three husbands and