The native American. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1840, 1837-12-09


lettering my condition."
| "But who will cook for met" said the doctor,
in tone of despair.
"Money will procure good cooks"
"And nurse me when have the gout!'
"Money will buy attendance"
at is but Joke" cried the old bachelor,
Frightening up. 1.-The thing is impossible. You
cannot have the heart to leave me-"
"Bess me, DR.. Beaufort" said Mary, bustling
from her seat; 81 am tired of leading lonely
| life. Mr.. Archer has offered me comiorta-
bic home, and as | see no prospectof a better,
tomorrow, if you please, we will settle our ac-
counts She sailed out of the room, and the
old man sunk back in his easy chair, and fell into
profound reyere.
For twenty years Mrs. Grams had hundred
the doctor, and treated him as spoiled child,
attended to all his whms, and pampered his APP
petite, in the hope of inducing him to repay her
disnerested services by making her his wife.
But if Mrs. Grams was ambitious, the parson was
proud; he saw through her little manouvres, and
secretly laughed at them. The idea of making
such woman as Mary Grams his wife was too
ridiculous; and not wholly dead to natural afec
ton, the indolent divine looked upon his widowed
sister, her son. and pretty, unpretending daughters
as his future heirs. But what weak mind can
long struggle against the force of habit! Mrs.
Grams, step by step, insinuated herself into her
masters favor, and made herself so subservient
to his comforts, that he felt wretched without her.
Year after year she had threatened to leave him,
in the expectation of drawing him into making
her an offer of his hand Matrimony was the
parsons aversion and year after year he increas-
led her salary, to induce her to continue in his
service. This only stimulated her avarice to en-
large its sphere of action. He was rich, and old,
and infrm, and why might she not as well enjoy
the whole of his property part; and she lost
no opportunity of weakening the hold which the
i distressed Harfords had upon his heart. She
hated them, for they were his natural heirs; were
pretty and genteel, and young, and disdained to
hater her, III order to secure their unce's proper
lty. The return of Lieutenant Hartford frightened
her. He was, i'll spite of all her lies and mis-
matchmaking, great favorite with his uncle The
frequency his visits might in time diminish her
power and render her company less indspensa-
Fl BILE. Mary resolved to make one last despe-
rate effort on the heart of her obdurate master,
and, in case of failure, abandon his house and
services forever.
Two hours had elapsed since she Quilted the
room, but the doctor remained in the same atti-
J tude. His head thrown back, and his hands
tightly folded over his porty stomach. Atlength,
: with desperate effort he put forth his hand, and
rung the bell. The footman answered the sum-
!, mons.
, "Any thing wanted, sir!
g "John, send up Mrs. Orams.''
A few minutes elapsed, the doctor thought them
hours; the handle of the door slowly turned, and
. the comey person of Mrs Grams projected itself
4 into the room, her countenance flushed to fiery
red by leaning over the kitchen fire.
"Dinner will be ready, sir, in half an hour If
| leave the kitchen just now that careless Irish
. hussy, Sally, will be sure to burn the meat"
i ''Let it burn,'' said the DOCTOR with an air Of
= ludcrous solemnity. 81 have no appetite lust
I now.''
''La, sir, hope your reverence is not ill?"
'sNot i'll, Mrs. Grams, but only little guecr-
q ISL. Sit down, | have something to say to you''
Mrs. Grams took seat. The doctor drew close
up to her, and, screwng his courage to the PINCH
said, in hurried voice, "You leave me to-mor-
Irow?'
eyes, SIR"
"And you wish to be married.
| eyes, SIR ..M'
"Have you any objection to marry me?''
"Oh, la, sir, not in the least" replied Mrs
Grams, courtesying to the very ground.
'''rhen will marry you myself Mary; for, to
! tell the plain truth, cannot live without YOU.
, Now go, and send up the dinner
Mrs. Grams courtesied still lower, and with
eyes sparkling with triumph left the room, in
obedience 10 her future lords commands, without
uttering single word. Avarice, revenge, and
n pride were alike gratifed
The sequel Is curious. After Mary Grams
4 had attained the long-coveted dignity of Mrs DR..
Beaufort, she attended less to the doctors glsta-
! tiveness, and more to her own; she ate more, and
), cooked less; the consequence was, that fat and
2 Incidence increased rapidly, that before Don
a Pedro entered Lisbon the newly promoted Mrs.
= DR.. Beaufort expired one morning of obesity, in
; her easy chair, leaving the distressed doctor a
J. wdower in the first year of her nuptials. He
4 has lately followed his spouse to the tomb; and,
after all, the poor Harfords not only came in for
all their uncle's property, but for his we's saw
ings, destination certainly little anticipated by
herself or any of the young branches of the
=, family.
. The Morning .Ar.-There is something in the
!, morning air that, while it defes the penetration OF
lon md cbo IL, n