The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1868-01-29
NV Effort az Matchmaking.

came in and fell upon her soIt' uaiA -: u'e 80
smooth hair, and pretty white WORK. "n''e '"e
fresh breeze, floating In through 'ne open
window. blew into bloom carnauon PINK upon
Ler checks and sitting there in the breeze and
sunshine, | saw that my aunt katharine was
very handsome. A. first | thought II strange
Thai had never noticed that tact before out
:, was r,t >tranor. for children think nothing
about their parents or guardians looks; ex-
cant rbat they be pleasant or unpleasant and
7 r,s Iil,Dt. more than child. Ever since
couIJ remember, aunt Katharine, with her
dark dress, smooth hair, and gentle ways had
taken care of me and when | grew into
tall girl of fneen.:old enough to 90 to parties
and have young beaux, she watched over me
sill. She was my mother. my companion my
friend. | never realised my orPh"nAgc or
want Of other kim but had been the same care
less, ljght.heared, merry girl ever since |
could remember, that was on the June morn
iny watched her at work In the sunlight.
She looked up at last
"Addic isn't it most school-tlme ?" she
said.
" Yes auntic, am going in minute but
first tell me
What, child %
why YOU never were married %
"Bccau>e | never liked any one well enough
to marry him. Now 20 ard gel ready for
school,,
She smiled as she spoke, and after glance
at her face, | smiled, too. and ran OF up stairs
TO get my bonnet and satchel. Coming down
stairs again, | put my head in at the slI:l'S
goom door
Aunt Katharine %
" Well ?''
"If you found anybody whom you liked well
enough wouldn't you marry ,hm?'
~ don't know suppose SO. Why what
in the world has got into your head, Addle ?
laughed slammed the door, and bounded
through the hall into the road. Halfway to
the ~choohousc | met my teacher, Mr.. Char |
les Devereux.
" Good morning, Miss Addie. REGULATIONS
all ready ?"
Yes, sir" answered, and he passed on
ahead. sauntcred on slowly, thinking of my
aunt Katharine. | thought it would be a nice
plan for her to be married The next thought
was, whom should she marry.
There were only half dozen unmarried
miIdle-ased men in the village. Aunt Ka-
tharne was twenty seven, and of course she
wouldn't marry a very young man. | rapidly
enumerated he haI-dUz' n eligible ones and
their suitability for my plan Lawyer Hyde, |
thirty, rich, aristocralic and stingy. Mr..
Leighton, thirty five, handsome, good, welI-otf,
but a widower; and I've heard Aunt K2thar-
inc say she did not like w4uwers. Mr.. Plcrs0n,
twenty eight, handsome, wealthy, but too fast;
she wouldn't like him. Dr.. Jarvis, thirty-six,
small, grabbed. miserable and unbearable gen
erally Mr. Howe too homcIy to BE- thought
of; and Capt. Haynes, with his yellow, bushy
vhi>kers. and nine thousand dollars worth of
mortyayed property, which he is always talk
inr about; worse yet. Rather a sorry array.
just then the school bell rung. and | went
in to my books. and Mr.. Charles Devereux-
aged twenty eight, handsome, intelligent, well
educated and unmarried. The class in inteIlec- |
tual ~philoSophy WAS first, and though had |
carefully committed my lesson to memory the
evening before, my late thoughts had quite |
driven all rememberances of it from my head
and my recitation was imperfect. Mr.. Dever
eux looked with surprise at me, but said moth
ing. In French grammer 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 lesson %
Yes, sir, little" replied.
"You want Il little reviewing, think. III
have time. will call at your house this eve
ming, and help you a little while studying"
Mr.. Devereux knew that | always studied in |
the evening, and had several times called in |
and spent an hour in assisting me with a par
tculary difficult task designed 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 wiIliuI inattenon and care
lessness. | thanked him, however, with a
flushed face, and went to my seat. But it was
not entirely shame that flushed my face.
As | expected, Mr.. Devcrcux came in the
evening to explain my French lesson. But
he did not find me alone. Aunt Katharine
sat by the table sewing, and looked even hand
somcr than in the morning. My heart gave a
fuucr of impatient anticipation every time
Devereux looked at her. and after the lessons
were through, did my best to make her talk
to please him My aunt always ta1kad well,
but she quite excced herself in conversation
that NIGHT. | saw that Mr.. Devereux was
Interested and | was delighted with the sue
cess of my secret plan.
In the course of the evening, John Aubrey,
my lover, came in. OF course. | claimed John
as my lover, IOi hS wac q h'No SNNi'S
man of twenty seven, and | a mere child OF a
GIRL hardly sixteen, he had beaued me to par
ties and concerts all one winter and told me
dozen times that was the sweetest, prettlest,
most lovely girl in all Hartford. So that when
John first came in. | went and sat down by
him in cosy corner, and left aunt Katharine
to entertain Mr.. Devereux-a plan which |
thought at first seemed to suit all round.
But after little time l saw John casting
uneasy chances toward the place where Mr..
Devereux, looking superbly handsome, sat
talking with my aunt. -.
"You needn't be. jealous Of him. said
''he's only my teacher"
Holm started and leaned back IN his scat
without saying a word.
Neither of the gentlemen stayed very late
John going away directly after Mr.. Devereux'
and went to my room elated with my prosper
lily, or rather the prosperity of my plans
did not need assistance in my studies be-
fore Mr.. Devereux came again, and after