The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-12-14
Copyright, 1911. by Associated
Literary press.)
BY LAWRENCE ALFRED CLAY.

1t was matter Of gossip that Mr..
Clyde Vernon. the sculptor. was to
marry the young and rich WIDOW,
Mrs. Coleman, who had been out OF
mourning for year or more. AS
matter OF fact, both principals in the
case had been congratulated by inti-
mate friends. The widow had blush
ed and made no reply, and the gen
tleman had said that he was too
busy to grant an interview that day
There was more than a grain of
truth in the gossip. but gossip had
hurried things along too fast. 1t was
case of love. but love except in
those cases where an empty-head ed
New York girl wants 10 buy title
and "critter" with it can't be hur-
ried. Then the whole business can
he concluded in twenty-four hours.
Besides being young and. rich, the
widow was called handsome. Besides
being fairly well off, the sculptor had
a fine face and figure. and name in
the world, and among athletes he
had high rank. He wasn't crazy on
that subject, but he needed exercise.
and he took 1t this way.
There vas one thing about the
widow he had not yet come TO un-
derstand. She had inherited terror
at sight of two men exchanging
blows on the street. A lame dog or
a wounded bird brought out all the
sympathy in her. On an occasion
her only brother had been rendered
insensible by blow from a ruffian.
She classed athletics under the name
of rough house" and It so hap
pened that she had neither read nor
heard of MIR. Vernon's exercises. +"
/ The information came to her with a
great shock.
Through the newspa pers she read
that at heightened club. where a
scrap" had been put on. her adj
mirer had donned the gloves and
knocked ont Billy the Terrible. who
WAS a quarter OF an hour recovering
mis- terrible senses. What kind of
gloves were used the widow didn't
care. but there was one thing sure
Mr.. Vernon must be a brute to step
| forward and hit Mr.. Billy a punch
on the jaw that almost deprived him
of his life.
| She had read the sculptor as q man
| of refined and gentle nature, but she
| now saw that those sentiments were
| but thin veneer. The brute nature
| lay close to the surface. He might
+, use his fists on the gardener--on the
| cook--even on her. She could think
| OF him only with shudder, and she
could think Of The Terrible only as
! some guileless half-grown man who
had been cajoled into standing up to
| be knocked down.
! 1t was q dainty little note Mr., YER
non received few hours later at his
| studio, but 1t had a sting to 1t. The
| golden cord. II golden cord there had
been, was broken, and the silver bowl
| was mashed hatter than a pancake.
| The two were to be strangers hence
/ forth Yes. he was reading the dainty
! little note that sealed his doom while
one of his club friends was saying:
| Clyde, old man, that was one OF
| the prettiest punches l ever saw. He
] was about to swing with his left
! when you crossed your right, and. oh
1ordy, how he sat down and snored!"
! "Yes--ahem!" replied the sculptor
as he laid the note carefully aside.
! Shell have a. husband that can
/ protect her"
| "Yes-just So"
I've congratulated you once, but
shake again"
Yes"
Would Mr.. Vernon answer the
! note? Would he call and ask the
/ privilege of making an explanation?
Certainly not. No woman, except q
prizef!ghter's wife. could be made to
believe that boxing was not brutal
| ity. If the widow had wanted an ex-
PLANTATION she would have asked for
| it--even demanded 1t. And so 1t
came about that the gossips had an
| other thing to talk about. They
| asked each other why. but no one
| could tell The nearest that any one
got to 1t was to say that there was
another woman In the case--an old
love with whom the sculptor had
quarreled and made up again.
1t is easy enough to answer what
a widow does In town. There Is So
ctety and there is shopping. But when
she goes out to her country house.
what then? She wants a rest and she
gets It in part by going fishing. II the
lake or river or creek isn't too far
away. She may give It up for the
dey after nibble or two. but she has
rested and Rad time to think of many
things. 1t was so with the Widow
Coleman. After her trunks had been
unpacked and the servants had set
tied into their places she took pole
and line and went through the woods
to the creek. She fished and she
! thouxht ShA fished and shA med1-