The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1867-10-18
Skctth from gifr,
"DOING" A RICH UCLE.
Deaf Uncle Jeff. and the Little
Old Maid.
BY ABBOTT LEE.
TConcluded.l

TConcluded.l
The little old maids eyes were drowned
with tears--whatever poets may say in
rhyme of the superlativeness of the beauty
OF bloodshot orbs, and their red curtains
and all that, we have always been accus
toned to consider these sort of things very
unbeconing. But it happened that our ht-
tie heroine forgot to consult her looking.
glass upt II the occasion, and consequently
her eyes became something like the Rcd
Sea. The poor little body, however, pro
cceded as eXpeditiOusly as might be TO lay
her sea- ty wardrobe as stra;ghtly as pos
sble in a wooden box, which was both
large enough and small enough, and to oil
lect her needles and her knitting, and a
few letters carefully tied up with faded
red ribbon, aud dates which proved chron-
ologically that the paper had been made
full twenty years ago, all of them written
in neat masculine hand like that of a
school usher and dated as many years back;
to louk very particularly at and sigh over
morsel of sandy hair to stroke her pussy
for the last time; aud then to take her clogs,
her reticule and her umbrella-to look at
the old summer.house; to gather two or
three leaves from an old tree and then to
pass on through those inhospitabe doors
into the wide, wide, bleak and cold world
alone-alone
There are some hearts like somo vegta
bles-they take root anywhere. no matter
how blighting the atmosphere. Thus it
was with the little old maid. In spite of
derisioD, and scorn, and buifetings her
feelings had grown to the inanimate one
walls that surrounded her. simply because
they had nothing else to cling to ; and If
the mere impulses of loving nature could
thus attach her TO repelling and repnlsive
objects, how tendery might she have loved
what was really lovable
Poor little Fanny Carr, with the liberal
large, end inexhaustible sum of somewhere
about FIVE shilings in her pocket, looked
mentally round for a shelter for her head,
and having bethought herself of one of
Mrs. Pokenhams discarded servants, who
had married and settled determiu! 'ls n on
seekiisSG. isf shelter tnere.- l'-----.
III little cottage BY the the roadside, rs
clean as those dear cottages of England
ever are, with neatly trimmed garden
without, luxuriant in summer blossomings,
and with the whitest of curtains within,
and the reddest of red floors, and tho
brightest of round tables; and the most re
splenJant of fre-paces, sat the old maid
dressed as neatly as if fairy hands had been
her tirewoman and working at her nee lie
as blithely as birds perform their daily
task of singing. What though her Ave
shllings were very near exhausted, she
could earn almost six.pence a day, aud that
was independence, aud Independence was
happiness.
There came a great dust whilst the little
old maid was delving for happin IS and
six pence a day, and q noise OF carriage
wheels; and looking up to see what might
be coming, she saw a plain, respectable,
grave, steady, brown livery before. and a
Ser want sevted in the box behind, and 10 and
behold, it stopped at the very cottage door
where she was working, and so the little
old maid jumped up, ard threw down her
cotton and her scissors, and FASTENED to
tell them that it was mistake, when to
her particular astonishment, she saw deaf
uncle Jeffrey getting down the steps, aud
walking across the cottage garden, and
coming to the door. Aud having gone
thus far the old gentleman took hold OF
her diminutiye hand il his great gigantic
paw, and gave it squeeze, which, al
most made the little old maid cry out,
which however she did not do. for ladies
of all sizes very seldom cry out ar
squeeze of the hand, generally bear
ing that sort Of pain very philosophically,
and then uncle Jeffrey proceeded 10 draw
one of the brightly-rubbed wooden bot
toned chairs to himself, for his own partic
ular use, and set down upon it close to the
| title old maid.
81 hope you are wen, Mr.. Jeffrey"
shouted the little old maid 1T is very
kind Of you to come aud see me. hope
you are quite wel.'
"Quite well, thank you" replied uncle
Jeffrey, and now tell what you think has
brought me to see yon9
Perhaps" said the little old maid col
oring slightly with the remains OF well.
whipped, well.worn down, and wellsub-
dued pride, perhaps you wanted me to
do some plain vol for you, Mr. Jeffrey.
ain taking in plain work"