New-York tribune., 1910-10-30
When the Widow Came

WTE had Just removed our coats, preparatory 10
w irving some Of the perennial pork chops after
which We meant to shift into other complete sets Of
the apparel Of the late aIes Sherwood, when there
came tinid little knock the door of the room in
which all three of Us were-it was Tracy studio.
Tracy went himself to the door and threw it wide
Qlater on when the landlord agent began hound
Us never opened the door until the person outside
identified himself by believing through the tran M
4 pretty young woman with golden hair and big
blue ewes stood in the door. She clad IN the
deepest of widows mourning. She was Mrs. Sher-
wood relct Of the man whose clothes all three OF Us
wearing,
can't answer for it that the bushes didn't man
tie to Tracy $ and NeWbOld faces. and | dare
my countenanCe too instantly looked as If | had
ll,nged it into pot of ships red lead Tracy knew
the ladv NeWb0ld and had to divine her identity
but we were accomplished dIviners.
As | have said were in our shirt sleeves and
the late Mr.. Sherwoods monogram was done in fine
large fancy silk script the sleeves of all shirts
can remember to this day the tintng OF the shirt
had on that occasion. It Of pale blue with in
distinct stripes of lilac In buvng shirts dodge the
combination Of pale blue and lilac even vet.
OF course the tind. sad eyed. little Mrs. Sherwood
had to glue her wide blue eyes upon these nonograTS
the very first thing Like woman for her to do that
now WASH it, Then she proceeded to glue her wide
blue eyes upon other things The room was Uttered
with articles OF apparel OF every imaginable sort that
had been employed for the OrnamentatiOn of the
late Nr. Sherwood. Was It any wonder that the sOr
rowing spouse Of the late Mr.. Sherwood glued her
eyes upon these things: Wasn't 1t her time to glue
Tracy grabbed hold of himself and gaspIngly IN
&c her III and placed the nOn-dubiOus chair
", - and we all Slid into our coats. Mrs. Sher-
for hp, ed our coats with q reminiscent gaze.
wood eEarni. .,ile lurled and fiickered about the
Yes. and q little a. rOseleaf mouth too, which
corners OF her pretty @'AAE only for myself;
made 1t all the worse. | Cal. - Nv have jumped
but l think all three Of Us would ~ y gracefully
out the window if we could have dore - --olite
and without leaving lady in that sudden, In
manner.
Mrs Sherwood had called to see Mr. Tracy about
having an oil painting painted from photograph of
her deceased husband. Tracvs very good friend and
patron the br1IsI woman OF society and charity who
had sent him the Sherwood wardrobe had also sent
her to Tracy in the matter of the oil painting.
This was Tracvs very first order. He would have
been ticed TO the verge of roous hystera over if
it hadn't been for those clothes that he and we had
on. As II
Ten7norarilv distracting Mrs Sherwood's atten-
ton Tracy signaled to NeWbod and me to beat 1t
out of the room: but w0uldn do any such thing.
We had been caught fair and square we considered,
and that being the case, what would be the use OF
beating it, Anyhow preferred to remain and
listen to the agreeable voice of Mrs Sherwood and to
basl, in her beauty and sweetness.
She STAYED chatting about how she wanted the
portrait painted for probably fifteen minutes. And
every ten seconds or she'd notice something else
that was entirely familiar her embelllshlng one or
the other of US, hanging from nails or heaped up
on the rickety ChaIrs-noW par OF toothplck
patent leather shoes. neCkue, now hat Il tor
got TO mention that the late Mr.. Sherwood s ward
robe included dozens Of dandy hats. now lurld
fancy vastcoat which of course she Couldn help
membering.-and every time she recognized any
thing that adorable but mOrtifving little smile would
III, Aer her eyes and urk around the corners OF her
mouth.
that was the worst. 1t wouldn't have been so bad
If She hadn't kept smiling that way.
Tracy painted the portrat--a trghttul daub-
and he was very attentive to Mrs Sherwood Tor
But he didn' t marry her. The impossible Newbold
dil that.