Show HIS AFFINITY I 1 ly by LAWRENCE AWRENCE L ALFRED CLAY copyright 1810 1910 by br literary lr mr solomon jackson lived in the village of scarsdale ile he was a bachelor and forty yearn old one day he was driving through the streets of the town of glen hope 20 miles from home when he saw a woman standing at her gate mr jackson bulled up his horse and gazed at her in astonishment sho she returned the gaze with one of indignation ile he drove on after a moment hitched hla his horse and then returned lady permit me to hope that you are a widow he said 1 I am sir air she replied stiffly have you any business with me 1 I have I 1 will return in half an hour mr air jackson went to the nearest store and made inquiries ile he was told that the woman was the widow lester and had been tor for the last ten years nothing but words of praise could be spoken of her in halt half an hour he knocked at the widows door and when he be had bad been asked to sit down he be began widow have you ever heard that every man and woman has an affinity 1 I dont understand you there Is some bite one in this world for you and some one for or me I 1 knew you were tor for me as soon as I 1 clapped eyes on you you are nay my affinity we were bound to meet it has taken years and years but wo we are face to face at last widow the widow lester rose up and ordered mr jackson from the house and told him to take the rapid transit line in leaving without a word of protest he went three days later she answered a knock on the door to find the bowing and smiling mr jackson in her surprise she invited him in and he said widow I 1 am a lone man you are V he stood there with hla his hat off a lone woman you have about three thousand dollars worth of property I 1 have the samo same my hair would be gray it if I 1 use dyo dye yours would be the same I 1 have a squint to my left eye you have one you have a slight limp from falling down the cellar stairs probably mine was caused the same way dont you see the points of resemblance mr jackson went out of doors again and was warned that his next call would result in his arrest the widow was vas mad all through the only consolations she had was that he be mentioned tier her glass eye she had worn one for or years and only a few neighbors were in the secret slip she looked upon the nian man as halt half crazy but meant it when she threatened ill him in two davs ilava mr jackson returned lie ile got no farther than the doorstep this time hut but he stood there wit hat ha oft off and sald said widow I 1 enn can no more help it han han you could have helped having whoop ing cough when you wits was a child the more I 1 think about you the surer I 1 am that you are my affa affi affinity alty and the harder I 1 love you it me but file fate you have a gia gass 98 eye so have I 1 you the widow walked across the street to the house of the constable and hild had mr fr jackson arrested lie he was taken before a justice of the peace rind fined 10 lie ho cheerfully handed over the money and raid to his honor and the others gentlemen make no mistake im neither crazy nor it a nuisance I 1 am simply a victim of fate mrs lester is 19 my affinity I 1 shall marry her no law ever made can beat fate hii yon let IP the he wadow alone or you may find yourself in jail warned the and it was generally believed that would end it it did for a week then came mr jacksons knock on the door it opened to him but from a second floor window he was commanded to leave back again my dear widow as you fee ee ho be replied as he be raised his hat 1 11 I wanted to keep away but fate wa was IS too strong for ruc mo you are the magnet ue t that draws I 1 want to prove to vou that I 1 am an huno honorable rable man and then I 1 want to tell you that I 1 am fully to marry you the widow appealed to a passerby ird and mr jackson was facing the squire iaan an hour later the whole town had now become interested it was known who he was and that hla his vead b ead was wag level but his was a queer way of making love this time I 1 shall give you ten days in the county baill said his honor hono r after the widow had sworn that she ehe was being annoyed with pleasure judge was the reply many a man has gone to jail for the woman he loved and I 1 shall make no kick I 1 respect the widow lester in the highest I 1 also love her in the most honorable way it Is fate she Is my affinity the next time it may be thir thirty tyl was the warning as the prisoner waa removed to jail within an hour he had provided himself with writing material and was writing the history of ills ilia life when finished he sent it to the widow lester ile he composed verses and sent them to her ile he wrote that he was a martyr for her dear ake ile he recommended certain books for her reading during her leisure hours she had a rarden back rf ct her house he recommended something more efficacious fica cious than paris green for potato bugs not two hours a day passed that a messenger from the jail was not knocking at her door the widows first thought was to send everything back unopened but womans comans curiosity triumphed she read and looked grim then she read and felt a secret sympathy then sho she was real sorry that sho she had bad been the means of sending the man to jail ile he said a thing out of the way ile ho had simply been rather plain spoken mr jackson served out halt his sentence when his case had made an impression alth figh he be was not to know it in addition to his sonnets and idyls idels and poems he began sending abort a sort of diary as follows 7 a m awoke to think of my charming widow heaven bless her T 9 a mant m ant am suffering tor for the dear widow but am proud of the fact wish I 1 could suffer harder 11 a m it only the dear woman would send me a little note in answer but I 1 cannot expect it it grieves me to the quick to think I 1 have grieved her noon only boiled cabbage and musty pork for dinner but I 1 am not complaining I 1 trust that my affinity Is sitting down to a queenly feast when mr air jacksons sentence had expired the janitor warned him that he had better make for his homo home town on the canter mr jackson do any such thing ile he made tor for the widow lesters desters Le the widow had on her sunday dress and war wa looking as neat as a pin when the knock came at the door she was listening for it it was noonday noon doy and she had the table set and a boiled dinner ready mr air jackson was invited in ile he was invited to take the head bead of the table the conversation was general until the meal was finished then he produced and read a poem of 30 verses it affected the widow and there were tears standing in her eyes as she asked and now what do you mean by affinity I 1 dont know what the word signi signifies fles easy as easy my dear certain people are souli soul nates mates we are for I 1 instance n fate discovered when we were born that wo we should meet and love and marry but I 1 married mr U ater and you never married at all that was only that we might lovo love the more when we did meet la me but its all so curious but your heart tells you something it 1 I I 1 guess so since you jou went to jail they all say bay you are a good man none better affinity let your heart keep right on believing it at that moment the constable knocked at the door and asked of mrs lester want him arrested and jailed again maam oh lord not no she implied why I 1 expect ive got to marry him as 09 soon as I 1 can get mv my clothes rea ready dyll |