Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1872-12-19
The Sturw Tellfr.
A GOOD STORY.

tism-twisted old hands in the air. dust on
them beautiful velvet carpets; glass in the
conservatory windows all broken; chickens
scratching up all the geraniums on the front
lawn, and the lazy servants dawdllng away
their time, while poor dear Mr.. Avenel and
Harry don't know any more what's going on
than if they were boarders. Says |: Dear
heart alive, Mr.. Avenel, this is enough to
make your poor wife turn in her grave.
SAYS he-you know his pleasant way-'Well,
know it isn't just right, Mrs. Marley, but
what can I do? And I answers, says |,
Get a housekeeper.' Says he, Where ?
SAYS I, Advertise Says he, Mrs. Marley,
you've hit the nail on the head. I'll adver-
tise Tomorrow And that's how that para
graph happened to be in the papers"
Here Mrs. Marley stopped to catch breath,
and nodded emphatically at her auditor, a
pale woman dressed in full mourning, with
the unbecoming framework of widows cap
around her face.
"And do you think I would suit the gentle
man?" the latter asked, timidly.
"You can but try" was Mrs. Narleys en-
couraging response. "Mr. Avenels as easy
as lamb, and not one O them as is everlast-
ingly checking off bills and counting nickel
pennies, and Harrys dreadful pleasant tenn
pered. Any way, if were you, Mrs. Hark-
hurst, I'd 60 up and see.'
And Mrs. Harkhurst, holding her pretty
daughter by the hand, went up, accordingly,
to the handsome stone house on the hill.
There she found Mr.. Avenel in a state OF
temporary siege, for others besides herself had
seen the tempting advertisement and made
haste to answer it: There were fat women and
lean, tall women and short, Scotch women
and Germans, smiling, slovenly women and
trim, sharp-visaged women women who had
seen better days, and women who evidently
hadn't.
Mrs. Harkhurst looked around somewhat
discouraged by the formidable array of rivals.
There's no hope for me-" she thought des-
pairingly, and was just about to turn away
with timid Juliet clinging to her hand, when
Harry Avenel advanced
"Do you wish to see my uncle, ma'am p ne
asked, courteously.
81 called about the housekeeper's situ-
ation," meekly murmured the widow.
And Harry showed her in at once.
The fat and the tall, the German and the
Scotch, the sour and the sweet, went. MIR.
Avenel decided to engage Mrs. Hawkhurst as
his housekeeper, with permission to keep Ju-
liet with her.
.She is all I have, sir" said the house
keeper, apologetically, "and she will try to be
useful about the house"
"How old is she?" asked Mr.. Avenel.
Fifteen, sir"
"Well, let her stay" said the widower good
humoredly. "She'll eat no more than chick
en-, and I dare say she can do a great many
odd things about the place"
Mrs. Hawkhurst proved herself an execu.
tive oficeress of the greatest ability. Gradu-
ally the "chaos and old night" Of Avenel
Place was reduced to system and order The
wheels of housekeeping revolved so softly
that no one knew they moved, yet these were
the results. You scarce ever saw the house
keeper glide about the halls, yet the servants
declared her omnipresent. Mr.. Avenel found
himself actually the inhabtant of home
once more as the years slowly passed away.
He was sitting on the piazza one day, smo-
king his cigar, and watching the graceful
movements Of Juliet Hawkhurst, as she was
planting training vines in marble vase that
occupied the centre of the lawn, when Mrs.
Marley came out.
"a nice evening, sir" said Mrs. Marley
"Oh there she is
"Who?" Mr. Avenel asked.
"Why, that foolish child, Juliet" answered
the old lady sharply. 81 ha'nt no patience
with her, that ha'nt."
"What has she been doing now?" asked
the widower, with an amused face.
"Why, she's refused Ben Nichols eldest
son, as likely and beforehanded young feller
as there is in the country"
Mr.. Avenel started.
"Ben Nichols! Why, Mrs. Marley, she is
only child"
ashes seventeen next week" nodded Mrs.
Marley, "and high time she thought of set
Ting"
Mr.. Avenel looked across to where Juliet
stood in her pink gingham dress, the soft sum-
mer wind stirring her curls, and her cheeks
as softly tinted as the standard rose on the
lawn. Seventeen. Was it possible that lit
tie Juliet Hawkhurst had grown to be seven
teen years old? O, relentless Time, that
would not stand still! O, cruel years, that
went by and stole the fair brightness of child
hood away! So Ben. Nichols had actually
asked Juliet Hawkhurst to be his wife,
Il wish you and Harry'd talk serious to
her about it went on Mrs. Marley" ""Tan't
likely she'll hev any more such chances as
that"
"No; to be sure not" said Avene, abstrac-
tedly.
"And O. course she oughter think it over
well," added Mrs. Marley.
20, certainly-to be sure"
When Harry Avenel came home from the
city that evening he found his uncle i'll a
brown study.
Harry" quoth the widower.
eyes, uncle"
give been thinking"
$50 I should conclude, sir, from the H
shaped wrinkle between your brows," laughed
the young merchant "Well, and what has
been the topic of your meditation, Uncle Joe?'
"Why, was thinking what would become
ofus if Mrs. Hawhurst were to take it into
her head to leave u.s."
Harry opened wide his merry hazel eyes at
the idea.
"What made you think of such thing
sir ?" he asked.
"Oh! don't know She has good place
here but one couldn't expect her to be con-
tented with housekeepers situation always
Harry"
"No; to be sure not"
"She has become very essential to our do,
mestic happiness, Harry" went on Mr.. Avenel
"Yes-I grant you that, Uncle Joe.'
"And really don't know how we could
exist without her."
"Raise her salary, uncle" suggested Harry.
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