Weekly Calaveras chronicle. (Mokelumne Hill, Calaveras County, Cal.) 18??-1874, 1867-12-28
MY EFFORT AT MATCH MAKING

I had silently watched my aunt fol
an hour-my aunt Katharine, who sal
silently by the window with hersewing
Through the light meshes of tue lace
curtain the bright sunshine came in and
fell upon her soft dark dress, smooth
hair, and pretty white work, while the
fresh breeze, floating through the win
dow, blew into bloom carnation upon
her cheeks. And sitting there in the
breeze and sunshine, | saw that my
aunt Katharine was very handsome.
At FIRST I thought it strange that [ had
never noticed that fact before but it
was not strange, for children think
nothing about their parents Or guard
ians' looks, except that they be pleas
ant, or unpleasant, and l was little
more than child. Ever since | could
remember, aunt Katharine, with her
dark smooth hair, and gentle ways, had
taken care of me, and when grew into
tall girl of fifteen, old enough to &C
to kissing parties and have young beauz,
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, light-hearted, merry girl evel
since l could remember, that l was or
the June morning l watched her al
work in the sunlight. She looked uI
at last
'Addic, isn't it most school-time?
she said.
yes, auntie, I am going in minute
but FIRST tell me-
What, child p
why you never were married.
Because | never liked anybody vel
enough to marry him. Now go on and
get ready for school
She smiled as she spoke, and after {
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 s::;rsingroom
door.
AUNT Katharine p
Wellr
IF you foutd anybody whom you
liked we'll enough, won't you marry
him ?
Il don't know suppose so. Why,
what in the world has got into your
head, Addie ?
l laughed, slammed the door, and
bounded through the hall into the
road. Half way to the school-house
met my teacher, Mr.. Charles Deve-
reux.
Good morning, Miss Addie. Reel
tations all ready?'
yes, SIR I answered, and he passed
on ahead. I sauntered Gu slowly,
thinking of my aunt Katharine.
thought it would be nice plan for hel
to be married. The next thought was,
who she should marry?
There were only half a dozen unmar-
ried middle aged men in the village.
Aunt Katharine was twenty-seven, and
of course she wouldn't marry very
young man. Irapidly enumerated that
half dozen eligible ones and their suita-
bility for my plan. Lawyer Hyde,
thirty, rich, aristocratic and stingy.
Mr.. Leighton, thirty-fve, handsome,
good, we'll off, but widower, and I've
heard aunt Katharine say did not like
widowers. Mr.. Pearson, twenty eight,
handsome, wealthy, but too fast; she
would not like him. DR.. Jarvis, thir-
ty-six, small, grabbed, miserable, and
unbearable generally. Mr.. Howe, too
homely to be thought of; and Captain
Hayes, with his yellow, bushy whisk-
ers, and nine thousand dollars worth of
mortgaged property, which he is always
talking about, worse yet. Rather a
sorry array
Just then the school-bell rang, and
went in to my books, and Mr.. Charles
Devereux-aged twenty-eight, hand
some, Intelligent, well educated, and
unmarried. The class in intellectual
philosophy was called first, and though
l had carefully committed my lesson to
memory the evening before, my late
thoughts had quite driven all remem-
brance of it from my head, and my
recitation was imperfect Mr.. Devereux
looked supposedly at me, but said
nothing. In French grammar my per-
Torrance was still worse.
Miss Addie,' said Mr.. Devereux, as