A Widow for a Day.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 219, 10 September 1887, Page 6

A Widow for a Day.

Not over ioo miles from the boardinghouse kept by a most estimable lady, where President Foshay, of Broadwayrailway fame, died recently is a hightoned boarding-house, and the lady who keeps it is a jewel in her way. She sets an excellent table and is kindness itself to her guests, and has folding beds in nearly all the rooms. This last fact is ver) gratifying to her lady boarders, who can thus transform their sleeping apartments into cosy little parlours during the day. Her ' second floor boarders ' consist of two married couples. The husband of one of the ladies is employed in the custom house and the other man is a theatrical manager, whose business renders frequent absences neccessary, and so the two wives are left alone the greater part of their time, and they passed much of their time in one room or the other. In each of these ladies' rooms had been a comfortable lounge, which was really quite a necessity, considering that the beds were turned into ostensible wardrobes during the day, and headaches and weariness made the ladies feel like often reposing for a while. Both the lounges were faded and worn and the good landlady had long intended to have them re-covered, but could hardly afford it. However, one day some men came up to the ' second story front' and cairied away the custom house man's wife's lounge to be refitted. When Mrs Dash, the manager's wife, discovered that her neighbour's sofa was to be tad and her own neglected, she went to the landlady, with fire in. her pretty eyes, and wanted to know why her own sofa was not to be done* as it was ever so much worse than Mrs Blank's, and ' didn't her husband pay just as much as the Blanks, and everybody knew that she didn't make half as much trouble as Mrs Blank and furnished her own towels besides !' ; In vain the poor landlady tried to | calm the irate little lady, telling her that in a very few day hers, also, should !be done. Back she went to her room the offending lounge out into the hall bathroom, and then sat down in her rocking chair and had a good cry, feeling greatly abused. The next day the lounge that had been taken away for repairs was brought hack in all the glory of new upholstery and cairied to Mis Blank's room. Now the the two ladies did not speak. The boarders took sides, and Mrs Dash, being younger and prettier, received ! rather the larger share of sympathy, and the poor landlady took to her bed with a nervous headache. The morning dawned, and pretty little Mrs Dash was just beginning a letter to her absent husband, who was in San Francisco, recounting all her woes, and how Mrs Blank had called her a ' hateful, spiteful, jealous little thing,' when she had refused to shake hands with her. Suddenly the bell rang and a card was brought to her from a gentleman friend of her husband asking to see her very particularly. The young wife went tripping down stairs, without a thought of sorrow or disaster, into the parlor, where the gentlemen met her gravelyandsolcn.nly, and after some preamble gave her a telegram announcing the sudden death of her husband in San Francisco. After the first dreadfui shock was over the poor little woman tried to rally and give instructions that the body should be brought back to New York for interment, and when the bearer of the sad tidings had gone Mis Dash crept slowly back up stairs, but there was no place whereon to throw herself to weep away the first bitterness of her sorrow, and she mechanic illy went into the bathroom and threw herself upon the despised old lounge, and there Mrs Blank found her sobbing and moaning. The memory of the old friendship came instantly to the surface and dissipated the little cloud that had come between them, and Mrs Blank, with her own sweet face bedewed with tears, drew the lonely little woman into her own room and down the newly- ! arranged lounge, placing soft cushions thereon, and bathing her forehead and offering hundred of tender womanly little services. The other inmates heard of the dreadful grief that had fallen on her young head, and began to come with their sympathic caresses, when suddenly she raised her tearstained face and sobbed. • How comfortable this lounge is now. It was too bad of the landlady, and she knowing I was going to be a widow so soon.' Again they all consoled her as well as they could until the bell rang for lunch, and they took turns in going down, so as not leave her alone. The landlady prepared a dainty lunch for her, which was brought back untasted. She could not eat. All the gentlemen felt very sorry for her, and three hurried away as quickly as possible, and in a very short time three messenger boys came to the house beaiing bouquets and choice confections for her. She ate a few, smelled the flowers, and declared that this blow would kill her, and, indeed, the poor child felt so. Finally her friends told her that she must make an effort to see the dressmaker, and a couple of hours were passed in selecting the suitable garments and bonnets sacred to grief, and then another long interval of sobs and tears and loving consolation, and the afternoon wore away. Earlier than usual the gentleman began to return to

dinner, and all proved that they had not forgotten the desolate little widow ;.. each carried something which he hoped might bring her a moment's forgetfulness. One contributed a lovely harp of immortelles, with a beautiful white dove attached,, and another gave her a handsome cage with a fine canary bird in ife. These two gentlemen at once regarded each other with infinite scorn. 4 To give her immortelles and a stuffed pigeon ! ' said one. 'To think she wanted a screeching canary at such a time,' said the other. This was all very well until the married men began offering their tokens of sympathy. The wives thought things were going quite far enough. Finally Miss Birdie Bell discovered that her own Charles Augustus had sent an» anchor oi violets and a box of choice candies,, and she went direct to her room, locked the door and wrote a bitter, sarcastic note, cancelled their engagement and returned his ring, and ho neither committed suicide nor begged forgiveness. Birdie shed a few angry, tears aad went to the theatre to skew him that he was entirely indifferent to to hen The old lounge had mysteriously disappeared from the bathroom before lundi, nnd just before dark it was brought back again gorgeous with a new and splendid covering of silk and plush- and brass nails. The landlady kept her council, but she never saw. the bill> and the sofa was quietly placed in the poor widow's room tnat she might have a place to keep in quiet , comfort. Charles Augustus gave a grateful sigh as he saw the sofo, but heaved a bigger one as he looked at [ the vacant space in his purse. 1 But good Mr Blank capped the climax when he rushed off and brought a tiny black-and-tan pup, n& bigger than a rat. His wife gave him>a freezing look, and then began to suggest that the poor, dear child should go and lie down and try to sleep in hs-7 own quiet room, and so try and rally from the shock, and she would giise her some lavender and valerian, aad finally the women half led, half earned her to her own room, where, as rm*y be imagined,, the newly covered sofa created quite a diversion, and then tlie little woman, being dazed and cuddled, and pettsd, was left to ' try and sJeep a little,' while they went to give their respective husbands some useful Wessons on the- conduct right and proper under tbs present circumstances. As soon as she word was. passed around, s She is asleep,' tae house became quiet as the grave, ?nd so remained for about an hour, when a sudden sharp ring at the door caused every one to jump. It was paid for and the boy sent away, and a council was held as to whether it was hest to rouse her or not, and it was finally decided that Mrs Blank should take it, and if she slept she should not be roused, but to give it if she should be awake. She was awake, and when the despatch was opened she read : 'To Mrs Dash: Yours received ordering my body shipped on ice. I j ain't dead, and guess I'll keep without ice till I return next month. "Who said so ? '