Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-02-19
My att t-mpt at Match Making.

| udQ silently NdlCuSo aunt lOT al
hour-my Aunt Katherine, who sat silent
| ly by the window with. her sewing
! Through the light meshes of the lace cur
tains the bright sunshine came in and fell
upon her soft dark dress, smooth hair, and
pretty white work, while the fresh breeze
1 floating in through the open window, blew
into bloom carnation pink upon her
cheeks. And sitting there in the breeze
and sunshn | saw that my aunt kathe-
rine was very handsome. At first
thought it was strange had never noticed
that fact before; but it was not strange,
for children never think anything about
their parents or guardians looks, except
/ that they be pleasant or unpleasant, and
| was little more. than a child. Ever since
I could remember, Aunt Katherine, with
| her dark dress, smooth hair, and gentle
ways, had taken care of me, and when
grew into a tall girl of fifteen old enough
to 90 to kissing parties and have young
beau she watched over me still. She was
my mother, my companion, my friend
never realized my orphanage or want of
other kin, but had been the same careless.
ighthearted, merry girl ever since l could
remember, that was on the June morn
ing l watched her at work in the sunlight
She looked up at last.
@Addie isn't it most school time ?" she
inquired.
Eyes, Auntie, am going in a minute /;
but first tell me-
What, child ?"
f'Why you never were married"
Because I never liked anybody well
enough to marry him. Now go and get
ready for school,"
She smiled as she spoke, and after a
glance at her face l smiled, too, and ran
off up stairs to get my bonnet and satchel
Coming down stairs again, put my head
in at the sitting-room door.
"Aunt Katherine?"
"Weu?"
'If you found anybody whom you liked
well enough, wouldn't YOU marry him?"
Il don't know-I suppose so. Why,
what in the world has got into your head,
Addie ?"
l laughed, slammed the door, bounded
through the hall into the road. Half way
to the school house met my teacher, Mr.
Charles Devereux.
~'Good morning, Miss Addie. Recita-
tions all ready ?"
Yes, sir" 1 answered, and he passed
OA4 dLtdN. 4 HdQlAlCAC0 bAA oAOnAl lA14lh-
ing of my Aunt Katherine. l thought it
would be nice plan for her to be mar
ried. The next thought was who could
she marry?
There were only half dozen unmar-
ried middle-aged men in the village
Aunt Katherine was twenty-seven, and of
course she wouldn't marry a very young
man. rapidly enumerated the half
dozen eligible ones and their suitability
for my plan.-'Lawyer Hyde, thirty; rich,
aristocratic, and stingy. Mr.. Leighton.
thirty-fve, handsome, good. well-off. but
a widower; and have heard Aunt Kath-
crime say she did not ike widowers. Mr..
Pierson, twenty-eight, handsome, wealthy,
but too fast; she would not like him. Mr..
Jarvis, thirty-six, small, grabbed, and un-
bearable generally. Howe, too homely to
be thought of; and Captain Haynes, with
Fellow, bushy whiskers, and nine thous-
and dollars worth of mortgaged property,
which he is always talking about, worse
yet. Rather a sorry array"
Just then the school bell rang, and l
went in to nv books and Mr.. Charles De-
vereux-aged twenty-eight, handsome, in
telligent, well educated, and unmarried.
The class in intellectual philosophy was
called first, and though | had carefully
committed my lessons to memory the
evening before, my late thoughts had
quite driven all remembrance of it from
my head, and my recitation was imper-
feet. Mr. Devereux looked surprisedlv
at me, but said nothing. In French gram
mar my performance was still worse.
Miss Addie," said Mr. Devereux, as
passed by him on my way to my seat, "do
you have any trouble with those French
verbs in learning your lessons?"
''Yes, sir, a little" replied.
''You want little reviewing, l think.
If l have time 1 will call in at your house
this evening, and help you little, while
you are studying"
Mr.. Devereux knew that always stud
led in the evening, and had several times
called in and spent an hour in assisting
me with particular difficult task design
ed for the next days recitation. So
was not surprised to hear him make this
offer, though little ashamed of the cause
of it, as my failure had resulted from my
willful inattention and carelessness. l
thanked him, however, with a flushed
face, and went to my seat. But it was
not entirely shame that flushed my face.
- - BSNNCNAS 4AA- OCfNlCllA NclAA4C III
the evening to explain my French lesson.
But he did not find me alone. Aunt
Katherine sat by the table sewing, and
looked even handsomer than in the
morning. Ny heart gave fiutter of i'm
patient anticipation every time Mr.. De-
Yereux looked at her, and, after the les
sons were through, did my best to make
her talk to please him. Ny aunt ALWAYS
talked well, but she quite excelled herself
in conversation that night / saw that
Mr.. Devereux was interested and was
delighted with the success of my secret
plan.
In the course of the evening John Au-
brey, my lover, came In. OF course
claimed JOHN as my lover, though he was
nice young man of twenty, and mere
child of a girl, hardly sixteen, he had
beaued me to parties and concerts all one