Newspaper Page Text
THE
By J. A. TURNER.
£ COUNTRYMAN,
-“INDEPENDENT IN EVERYTHING—-NEUTRAL IN NOTHING ”-
$5 for Four Months.
[X.
TURN WOLD (NEAR EATONTON) GA., TUESDAY, MAY 10, 18G4.
VOL. X
The Widow.
PART I.
“ In tlie winter of 1S33, 1 was hur
riedly, and, as I at the time could not
help thinking, precipitately despatch
ed to Guernsey, one of the hugest of
the islands which dot the British Chan
nel, in quest of a gentleman of, till
then, high character on the Stock Ex
change, who, it was alleged, had ab
sconded with a very huge sum of mo
ney intiusted to him for investment by
a baronet of considerable influence in
official quarters. From certain ciicum-
stances, it was surmised that Guern
sey would be his first hiding-place, and
I was obliged to post all the way to
Weymouth in order to save the mail
packet, which left that place on the
Saturday evening, or night, rather,
with the Channel-Island mails* Mr.
• had gone, it was conjectured, by
way of Southampton. My search,
promptly and zealously as I was aid
ed by the Guernsey authorities, prov
ing vaiu, I determined on going on to
Jersey, when a letter arrived by post;
informing me that the person of whom
I was in pursuit had either not intend
ed to defraud his client, or that his
heart had failed him at the threshold
of crime. A few hours after I had
left London he had re-appeared, it
seems, in his counting-house, after hav
ing a few minutes previously effected
the investment of the money in ac
cordance with bis client’s iiistnictibns,
and was now, through his attorney,
threatening the accuser, and all" his
aiders and abettors, with the agree
able processes that, in England, usual
ly follow sharply at the heels of such
rash and hasty proceedings.
My mission over, 1 proposed to re
trace my steps immediately, hut, un
fortunately, lound myself detained in
the island for nearly a week, by the
hurricane-weather which suddenly set
in, rendering it impossible for the mail
or steam-packets to cross the Chan*
uel during its continuance. Time
limped slowly and heavily away, and
frequently, in my impatieucp to be
gone, I walked down to the bleak pier,
and strained my eyes in the direction
in which the steamer from Jersey
should appear. Almost every time I
did so I encountered two persons, who,
I could see, were even more impatient
to be gone than myself, and probably,
J thought, with much more reason.
They were a widow lady, not certain- j
ly moro than thirty years of age, and '
her son, a fine, curly-haired boy, about
eight or nine years old, whose natural
light-heat tednessappeared to be check
ed, subdued, by the deep grief' and
sadness which trembled in his mo tree’s
fine, expressive eyes, and shrouded
her pale but handsome,f ive. lie lit Id
her by ihe. band, often clasping it with
both ids tiny ones, and looking up ti
ller as she turned desponJingiy away
from the vacant roadstead and raging
waters, with a half-frightened, half-
wondering expression of anxious love,
which would frequently cause his
mother to tend down, and hurriedly
strive to kiss away the sorrowful alarm
depicted in the child’s face. These
two beings strangely interested me;
chiefly, perhaps, because in my com -
polled idleness I bad little else, ex
cept the obstinate find angry weather,
to engage my attention, or occupy my
thoughts. There was an unmistak
able air of ‘better days’ about the
vvi iuw—a grace of manner which her
somewhat faded and unseasonable rai
ment rendered but the more sinking
and apparent. Her countenance, one
perceived at. the first glance, was of
remarkable comeliness; and upon one
occasion that I had an opportunity of
observing u, 1 was satisfied that, un
der happier influences than now ap
peared to overshadow her, those pale,
interesting features would light up into
beauty as brilliant as it was refined
and intellectual.
This introduces another walking
mystery, which, for want of something
better to do, I was conjuring out of
my fellow-watchers on the pier. He
Avas a stoutish, strongly-set man of
forty years of age, perhaps scarcely
so much, showily dressed in new, glos
sy clothes; French-varnished boots,
thin-soled enough, winter as it was,
for a diawiug room ; hat of the latest
gent fashion ; a variegated satin cra
vat, fastened by two enormous-headed
gold pins, connected with a chain ;
and a heavy gold chain fastened from
his Avatch waistcoat pocket over his
neck. The complexion of his.face
was a cadaverous white, liberally
sprinkled and reUevod with gin and
brandy blossoms, whilst the coarse
ness of his not overly clean hands Avas,
with singular taste, set off and display
ed by some half dozen glittering rings.
I felt a growing conviction, especially
on noticing a sudden change in the
usual cunning, impudent, leering ex
pression of his eyes, as he caught me
looking at him with some earnestness,
that 1 had somewhere had the honor
of a"previous introduction to to him.
That he had n£t Been, lately at all
events, used to such resplendent habil
iments as lie noAV sported, was abun
dantly evident from his numerous
smirking self-surveys as he. strutted
jauntily along, and frequently stop
ping before.sho. s that, having mirrors
in their windows, afforded a more com
plete view of Ins charming person.
This creature, I was convinced, was
in some way connected, or at any rate
acquainted, with the young and grace
ful widow. He was constantly dogg
ing her steps ; and I noticed with sur
prise, and some little .irritation, that
his vulgar bow was faintly returned
bv tlie lady as they passed each other;
and that her recognition of him, slight
and distant as it was, was not unfre-
quently accompanied with a blush,
whether arising from a pleasurable
emotion, or the reverse, 1 could not,
for some time, determine. There is a
mystery about blushes, I was, and am
quite aware, not easy penetrable, more
especially about those of widows. I
was soon enlightened upon that point,
One day, when she happened to be
standing alone on the pier—her little
boy was gazing through a telescope I
had borrowed of the landlord of tho
hotel where I lodged—he approached,
and before she was well aware of his
intention, took her hand, uttering at
the same time, it seemed, some words
of compliment. It was then I ob
served her features literally flash with
a vividness of expression which reveal
ed a beauty I had not before imagined
she possessed. The fellow absolute
ly recoiled before the concentrated
scorn which flushed her pale features,
and the indignant gesture with which
she withdrew her hand from the con
tamination of his touch. As be turn
ed confusedly and hastily away, his
eyes encountered mine, and he mut
tered some unintelligible sentences,
during which the widow and her son
left the spot.
‘The lady,’ said I, as soon as she
was out of hearing, ‘seems iu a cold,
bitter humor this morning} not unlike
the weather.’
‘Yes, Mr. Wat I beg pardon,
Mr. What’s-your-name, I ayouIq say T
‘Waters, as I perceive you know
quite well. My recollection of you is
not so distinct. I have no remem
brance of the fashionable clothes and