Connecticut western news., 1872-06-14
THE HOUSEKEEPER'S DAUGHTER.

The husht heart of the lilyi
 THE HOUSEKEEPER'S DAUGHTER. "Inever did see such sight in all my life," quoth Mrs. Marley, elevating her two rheumatism-twisted old hands in the ar. "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 dawdling away their precious time, while poor, dear MT. Avenel, and Harry don't know any more what's going on than if they were boarders. Says I, Dear heart-alive, MT. Avenel, this is enough to make your poor wife turn in her grave Says he-you know his pleas ant way Well, know it is1f't just right, Mrs. Marley, but what can I do p And I answers, says I, Get a house. keeper Says he, sWhere2' Says I, Advertise Says he, Mrs. Marley, you've hit the nail on the head. I'll ad- vertise tomorrow And that's how that paragraph happened to be in the papers,"
 Here Mrs. Marley stopped to catch breath, and nodded emphatically at her auditor, pale woman dressed in deep mourning, with the unbecoming frame work of a widows cap around her face.
 "And do you think I should suit the gentleman ?" the latter asked timidly.
 "You can but try" was Mrs. Narley's easy as lamb, and not one O. them as is everlastingly checking off bills and count ing nickel pennies, and Harry's dreadful pleasant tempered. Any way, if I was you, Mrs. Hawkhurst, I'd go and see."
 And Mrs. Hawkhurst, holding her pretty little daughter by the hand, went up ac- cordngly to the handsome stone house on the hill.
 There she found MT. Avenel in a state of temporary siege, for others besides her self 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 Lad seen better days | and women who evidently hadn't. Mrs. Hawkhurst looked around some. what discouraged by the formidable array of rivals. a....
 "There's no hope for me-" she thought l despairingly, and was just about to rurr away with timid Juliet clinging to hel hand, when Harry Avenel advanced.
 "Did you wish to see my uncle, ma'm?n he asked, courteously.
 | CT called about the housekeeper'! situation" meekly murmurned tho widow | And Harry showed her in at once. The fat and the tall, the German an( the Scotch, the sour and tho sweet, went MT. Avenel decided to engage Mrs. Hawk hurst.as his housekeeper, with permission to keep Juliet with her.
 "She is all I have, sir," said the house keeper, apologetically, and she will tr, to be useful about the house.n
 "How old is she ?" asked MT. Avenel.
 "Fifteen, sir.''
 good humoredly. "She'l eat nc nor than chicken, and T dare say she can d a great many odd things about the house. | Mrs. Hawkhurst proved herself an exec utive officeress of the greatest ability Gradually the "chaos and old night'' c Avenel place was reduced to system an order. The wheels of housekeeping re volved so softly that no one lnew the moved, yet these were the results. Yo scarce ever saw the bousekeeper glidin about the halls, yet the servants declare she was omnipresent. MT. Avenel foun himself actually the inhabitant of hom once more as the years slowly passe away. .
 He was sitting on the piazza enc da, smoking his cigar, and watching the grace ful movements of Juliet Hawkhurst, : she was planting trailing vines in mal ble vase that occupied the center of tk lawn, when Mrs. Marley came out.
 !" A nice evening, sir" said Mrs. Narle, "Oh, there she is p'
 "Who?" Mr. Avenel asked. s "Why, that foolish child, Juliet" a, swered the old lady sharply. I ha'nt T patience with her, that I ha'nt."
 "What has she been doing now ?' aske the widower with an amused face.
 "Why, she's refused Ben Nicholo eldest son, as likely and forehanded young feller as there is in tho country"
 MT. Avenel started.
 Ben Nichols Why, Mrs. Narle, she is only child"
 "She's seventeen next week." nodde Mrs. Marley, "and high time she though O settling"
 MT. Avenel looked across to where Julie stood in her pink gingham dress, the so summer winds stirring her curls, and b, cheeks as softly tinted as the standar moss rose on the lawn. Seventeen, W. lit possible that little Juliet Hawkhur. had grown to be seventeen years old Oh, relentless time, that would nc stand still oh, cruel years, that went and stole the fair brightness of childhoo away! So Ben Nichols had actually aske Juliet Hawkhurst to be his wife
 "I wish you an Harry'd talk serio, to her about it," went on Mrs. Narle n " Tan't likely she'll hey many more sue IT chances as that" "No; to be sure not" said MT. Avent abstractedly. --+ e "And o'course she'd oughter think over well," added Mrs. Marley. ....
 70, certainly-to be sure p
 When Harry Avene1 came home fro the city that evening, he found his une in brown study.
 "HaTry," quoth the widewer.
 '"Yes, uncle.'' .+ o't -
 "I been thinking"
 !" So should conclude, sir, from the