TWO WIDOWS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 148, 21 February 1916, Page 4

TWO WIDOWS.

STORYETTE.

(ALL M'.'lirs BEIIIIVLD.)

The tv.o widows were Mrs. George Knowlos iiinl Mis. Reginald Loch. Death caiiK; to tli'j 'ionic ol each almost simultaneously. Un the Monday night Mr. George Knouies died Ironi pneiiinonia, alter a tortnight s illness, and t'.vonty-fo't 1 r hours later, Captain Loth slipped on th'.j icy pathway, struck his head against the kerbstone, was carried insensible to his home in Cromweil-pl.ic-c, and di -d before the grey streaks of a December morning heralded the advent of another day.

Mr. George Knowles was a solicitor in good practice, and sixty-five at the time of his death: Captain Reginald Loch was but thirty-live, and had but a paltry sixty pounds n year to leave behind him, to add to h : s widow's pension. Mrs. Knowles sat lies id- her dead in the large bedroom in their house in Blooinsbury-plaee. It was solidly and comfortably furnished, but contained none of the dainty and rare knickknacks which made Mis. Reginald Loch's bedroom like a fairy boudoir.

Mrs. Knowles was sixty-live, stout end florid, with a frank, kind face. that had nev:-r been considered beautiful by anyone hut the man who loved her. There was little in Imr appearance or manner to indicate the horrible heart-anguish she was enduring; and the servants passing noiselessly to and fro remarked In each other that 'missus was hearing up wonderful well,"

Mrs. Know lei's nature had never been an pxpan.-ive one, and she bad neither given nor cared to receive sympathy and confidence from outsiders. Her marriage had been an exceptional ly happy one Husband and wife were thoroughly congenial and sufficient the one 'a 'he other. Each was a tower of .-ti/agth to the other, and each turned to tlv other in the hour of joy and sorrow, certain of finding complete sympathy and consolation. This sympathy and support had never failed either during thirty years of married life. Two children had been born to the Knowles—a son and a daughter. The daughter was well married, and the s-n iv ; .s°the father's partner, and lived at home. The children had added to the happiness and brightness of the home circle, but they had not dominated it, or grown to be first in the heart of either parent, as is generally the case when husband and wife are not all sufficient to each other. Mrs. Knowles, sitting with cold, clasped hands, watching the still face that would never more light up with love at her approach. found little comfort ir Hie thought that siio had still a son and daughter left to her. She laved them, and they loved her, hut, oh, what a different kind of love it was to the love she had lost for ever!

She got the credit of bearing up well. and—if the truth must he told—cf also being slightly devoid of deep Ming. There was no danger of any such accusation being made against the young widow in Cromwell-place. She was not in the room with tier d. ad husband. He lay on a couth in the small morningroom off the hall, into which he had lieen carried the previous e\eniug. and which was now heavy with the p ••fume of the flowers in the many wreaths and crosses lying all about, and subtly altered fntm a cheerful, modern breakfastroom to a solemn chamber of death. Mrs. Reginald Loch had. been caivied from the room when the doctor pro. nouneed the dread sentence that life was extinct, shrieking hysterically, and had been more or less hysterical over since, getting only such brief snatches of sleep as were in leced bv the opiate given to Iter. Sim was surrounded by sympathising friend : . "."ho saved her from all need cf thinking or doinc anytime.'. She was to- m-r ous to | )P left alone, and too terrified to di-e to take another leak .- i ih ■ n'gid. ghastly form that lay below.

Her sminv, brown hair was ruffl-d. and her pretty face red and swollen with we-eping. bill she was young and pretty through it all. and l:-r late husband's brother-officers and friends were influenced by the fact, and one and all felt (hat no sacrifice on their pari e.;;l I be too great, if it saved Ihe voting, heart-broken widow otic care or one effort.

She and her husband had got nil as well as most mailed couples, with ne. casional tiffs and period, of coldness, followed by demonstrative devotion when they again became reconciled. On the whole, they got on very well. and as Agnes Lech lay back on the soft cushions of a comfortable easy-chair. before her cosy bedroom lire, pressing a flimsy handkerchief, steeped with eau-de-Cologne, lo her burning forehead, and enveloped in clouds of billowy lace and clinging white silk, she was the very embodiment ol correct. inconsolable grief, and a far more attractive and to-be-pitied individual than the stout, elderly widow who, without any great evidence of heart-break, bad taken her usual place beside leer son at the ordinary dinner-table. Mr. George Knowles had been ( aptain P.eginald Loch's solicitor, and there was some dMaut conneet : on be. tween the two, which was deemed sufficient by the young widow to entitle Alfred Knowles to assume Hie rob- of cousin when, as his lather's suee sor, he came to talk over bu.-iness matters with her.

Upon learning how little see had 1 live upon, Mrs. Reginald la oh bitterl bemoaned her sad fate, Fortunately the rent of the house was paid to th

middle of llip following year, ;md there was no need for If.r tn li-;m In I pivliy homo. S*!lC declared, between her sobs, that it would break In i 1" ail tn da • n. and that if she had I" live mi hrea I and water, and to do all tli■■ Imu.v.-w ..•; k herself, she would tn t" > ; «.v on. The inure idea of tin- dainty, pi tl. little woman., either living mi h 'itniffaro, or -oiling her tap i I'm _■ a > n il!i sweeping and du.-d in.n. was -o awful I•• all to whom she t-milidcd li r p'i'i. lli.il they resolved thai, enine wli i mi '.hi. llio dear little widow ,lmuH nm Mill", r. Thus it came about that ;\\U r a -■'■ ret confabulation with old V ! m'! Marshall, the parlor-maid w!,.. ha I been undi r notice in l< a\e told h i mistress thai bath sba and eeak had mado up their minds thai lb >' could not part from la r. and that l!u"> v.. i : willing t i remain on without wa-.s width Mra. Loeh repeated lo all lei visitors, with tears in her eve-, and which wa.s quoted as proof of her kind and considerate treatment of her scr-

Mr?. Loch rather astonished Alfred Knowles and others, who deemed her incapable of any shrewdness, by suggesting that they should find a goodpaying guest to live with her, and lighten expenses; but even this suggestion came to lie regarded as one which had li.st originated in somebody else's mind.

In the course <n a few months a rich Scotch spinster was found, who was willing to pay a hundred and fifty pounds n year in return for the social advantages promised lo her by the widow. Having enterr 1 into this agreement. Mi -. Loch felt bound to carry it out, and then '"ore brought Ipt paying guest about as much as was compatible with the retirement prescribed bv decorum.

Mtanv.bil", Mrs. Knowles, in her huge, gloomy house in Bloomsbury,

.> as outv.i-nilv |i'.m -uing the even tenor f !n i u;iv, but in reality was inces-

santly* urging and grieving after tlm husband sh: bad lost. Even llm society of her - n. which had in a measure lightened hm solitude. I *<*.-. n to fail her. Alfred Knowles now frequently spent his evenings from home, and accounted for his absence by tolling Irs mother ihat he had been talking business with poor Agnes, and trying to cheer the poor little woman up. The ■ I her woman thought, with a P'tt;. that she too might have been pit-

ieil iind cheered up. But v !to cared now I' When .-he lost her husband he lost her only true and close friend, and it was but natural Ihnt (-'"' should be l°ft alone. She accepter] the situation as pait of h r r heavy

Miss MrVeleh was fort; and ill favored, but wshed to settle bers'df; and as her fortune was huge, >lm might liav done so. a- Mrs. Reginald Loch sweetly assured her sh« could easih do, hid she been satisfied to wed either of the two impecunious and un-intere-ting suitors suggested to her by i lie widow. Rut as many charming moil cam- In -e- the hostess, tlm Scotch |.w|v saw no reason why she should not find finiec.nc more to her taste. Then word-, were /".changed, when th» spiiistei perceived that the widow was the Hill-action, and Mrs. Reginald plaintively, but with a twinkle in her eve. implored her admirers lo "make themselves tree" with her guest, and they all had a goad laugh over Miss McVetih's matrimonial aspirations. Matters got worse. The Scotch visitor did not hesitate" lo call Mrs. Loch "a sly little flirt," and finally to announce her intention of taking her departure to some more disinterested chaperon. The widow's grief and perplexity brought Alfred Knowles to the point. He was decidedly the best-off of her admhers: and when he proposed, was accepted very sweetly. (The End.)