Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 208, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 August 1912 — One Moonlight Night [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

One Moonlight Night

By DONALD ALLEN

(Copyright, IMS, by Associated latent? Fran. There was no particular excitement when the Hon. John Watkins and his son James arrived at the mountain resort on an August day. The Hon. John was sixty-five years old and rich and a widower. His son was twenty years old and confiding and fat. But for the son’s confiding nature It would not have been known to all the guests within three days that the governor, meaning his old man, was on the lookout tot a second wife, and he wanted a young one at thatr The Hon. John neither denied nor confirmed the story. He simply looked about like a man who wonld marry If he found the right woman. There were mammas who secured introductions to him when they heard of his wealth, and there were a very few daughters who looked at him from afar off and wondered if they wanted another grandpa. It was when the Widow Savage arrived that the flutter began. She was fair and forty. She had the independent toss of the head that goes with widowhood after the first year. She had little ways with her eyes and mouth that made all the other women jealous the very first day. Of course, the stupid men simply looked upon her as a widow, but it was her own sex that unmasked her. When one of them said: “That widow has come here to catch a man!” all repeated it in chorus. , - , There were plenty of young people at the resort. Some widows, as soon as hearing that the Hon. John was wife-hunting, would have gone manhunting in. return. The Widow Savage didn’t. She eluded him. She didn’t coddle the fat son, as some women did. She forced father and son to keep their distance and selected only after three or four days. Her victim was a young man. He had already tangled himself up with a blue-eyed girl a year younger, but that fact did not sway the widow the least bit. When she got ready to appropriate him she did so. The blue-eyed girl made a very poor attempt to show the people she

didn’t care, and then it was noticed that the Hon. John was giving her all his attention. They sat together and walked together and talked together, and the fat son saw things and took his father to task by saying: “Now, goV, don’t make a fool of yourself. That girl won’t make a mammy for me. Why don’t you go for the widow?” "James, the widow is blase,” was the reply. “The second time a woman marries she marries for money. She marries to boss the resort. She marries hoping her husband will soon get off the earth and give her a third show.” “But she’s a staver, gov. Fine looker, and what a walk ehe has on her! If you are elected to congress next year what a team you’d make!” “But the Widow Savage, James, has almost snubbed me. I will confess that I had an eye on her for a day or two, but she is cold and distant—cold and distant She may argue that I would outlive her.” But, as if to prove that the Hon. John’s diagnosis was all wrong, the Widow Savage threw herself in his way the very next day and was most entertaining. The noee of Miss Blue Eyes was out of Joint again. Her second flirtation was spoiled by the widow. Her eyes flashed with apger, and when the Hon. John asked her to sit in one of the grottoes she coldly declined. "Forget her, governor, and go for the widow ” was the advloe of James, who didn’t do any flirting but kept his eyes open. ' "Blase, James —blase! Blase and hrtful! She’d twist me around her finger like a string. I will toy with her now and then, but my mind is made up on Miss Smith. In fact, I have already talked love to her and led her to expect a proposal." Miss Smith was walking by herself in the hotel grounds. She was thinking of widows as she walked—one widow in particular. Hiss Smith was classed ’way up at the head of smart, good-looking girls, and she had been humiliated. She bit her lip and gritted her teeth and felt the

tears start as she sauntered. Her mother had said it didn’t matter in the least, but it did matter. It mattered just the difference between victory and defeat, and —and— —— And then the Widow Savage suddenly appeared and took her arm and walked her up the path to the Outlook, and vAen they were seated on the rocks she softly said: “I am not your enemy, but - your friend. You don’t wish to marry that old man, Uo y®u?" . —- “Mercy, no!” was the reply, as Miss Smith forgot her desire for revenge. “Well, I do.” “But yon—yon got' Prank away from me.” “And I’m going to give him back. I was just using him as a means to and end. I called him a booby a moment ago, and ’ he’ll be on his knees to you tomorrow. The Hon. John is to be my next husband.” "But how —how do you work things so?” “By being a widow. Now, listen to me.” The evening came on with a full, clear moon. The moon so worked on the sentimental nature of the Hon. John, as well as the surrounding corn crop, that he Invited Miss Smith to wander with him. To his great Joy she accepted his arm. They walked as far as Seal Rock and then sat down and gazed at the moon. Porpoise Rock, Fish Rock and Whale Rock also were near at hand. After the silence had lasted four or five minutes the Hon. John cleared his throat. The noise set the frogs in the pond a-plping. After another interval he took Miss Smith’s hand in his. There came a third Interval, then he began to tell her his life history. It was a sad one. It was full of step-fathers and step-mothers and boils and colic and kicks from cows that cared not for hie forlorn condition. He had married and not been happy, and lost his wife and not been happy over that, and for years and years had lived a lonely life with only a fat son to cheer him. He was rich, but lonely. He was rich, but he yearned. He wanted a fireside with a cat and a wife. He wanted to come home after a hard day’s work tn seeing the district leaders of the Tenth ward and have some one call him hubby. At intervals of about a foot, as marked off on a tape measure, Miss Smith sighed and cuddled, but that was all. As the Hon. John brought his story dowp to date and his voice broke and he had to use his handkerchief to wipe away the scalding tears. Miss Smith’s own handkerchief got away from her and the night breeze carried it to Porpoise Rock. She twisted away her hand and ran after it and even disappeared behind the rock for an instant. She had returned and taken her seat again and surrendered her hand by the time the Hon. John had chased the tear away and was ready to say: “And now, love, it is for you to say whether this lonely life shall continue or not.” The hand he held squeezed his. "I have loved you since the first moment I saw you.” A harder squeeze. “And I ask you to be my wife.” “I will, John!” “By thunder, it’s the widow!” exclaimed the Hon. John, as he scrambled to hls feet. . “And we’ll say a month from today if that will please you!” The Hon. John hurried away to the hotel to consult his fat son.' “She’s got you tight, gov, and you’ll have to go through with it,” was the information extended. “Putup Job, but breach of promise and all that If you don’t stand by your word. Splendid looker! Splendid dresser! Superb walker! Say, parent, you Just missed making an ass of yourself. Get a move on you!” And the Hon. John did, and they say he has never regretted It.

He Began to Tell Her His Life History