Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1872-08-03

breath, and nodded emphatieally at
her auditor, pale woman dressed
in deep mourning, with the unbe-
! coming frame work of a widows
cap around her face.
"And do YOU think / should suit
the gentleman the latter asked
timidly.
@Nou can but Try was Mrs. Mar
ley's encouraging response. 'Mr.
| AvenePs as easy as a lamb, and
not one of them as is eveTlastingly
checking of bills and counting nick
1 el pennies, and Harry's dreadful
pleasant tempered. ANY way, If
was you. Mrs. Hawkhurst, I'd go
and see"
| And Mrs. llaw khurst, holding her
pretty little daughter by the hand,
went up accordingly 10 the hand
some stone house on the hill
There she found Mr.. Avenel in a
state of temporary siege, for Others
! besides herself had seen the tempt
ing advertisement and made haste
10 answer il. There were fat wO-
men and short, Scotch women and
Germans, smiling, slOveny women
and trim, sharp-visaged women; wO-
men who had seen better days, and
women who evidently hadn't.
Mrs. Hawkhurst looked around
somewhat discouraged by the form
fidable array OF rivals
There's no hope for me-" she
thought, despairingly, aud was jast
about TO turn away with timid ,Ju-
liet clinging 10 her hand, when llar-
| nv Aveuel advanced.
did you wish TO see my uncle,
ma'm?" he asked, courteously.
"I-I called about the housekeep-
er's situation" meekly murinured
the widow.
| And Harry showed her in at once.
The fat aud the tall, the German
| and the Scotch, the sour and the
sweet, went. Mr.. Avenel decided to
engage Mrs. .Hawkhurst as his house
keeper, with permission to keep Ju-
liet with her.
''She is all have sir" said the
housekeeper, apOlOgetically, ''and
she viii try TO be useful about the
house"
GLOW old is she?" asked Mr.. Ave.
mel
Fifteen, sir"
"Well, let her stay,7 said the wild
over good humoredly. ''She'n eat
no more than a chicken, aud / dare
say she can do great many odd
things about the house"
Mrs. Hawkhurst proved herself
an executive Ofliceress of the great
est ability. Gradually 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 housekeeper
gliding about the halls, yet the SER
wants declared she was omnipresent.
! Mr.. Avenel found himself actually
the inhabitant of home once more
as the years slowly passed away.
He was sitting on the piazza one
day, smoking his cigar, and watch
I ing the graceful movements of Ju-
liet Haw khnrst, as she was planting
/ trailing vines in marble vase that
occupied the center of the lawn,
when Mrs. Marley came out.
A nice evening, sir" said Mrs.
/ Marley, "Oh, there she isl" -
''Who?" Mr.. AveRel asked.
''Why, that foolish child, Juliet, -
answered tho old lady sharply. /
ha'nt no patience with her, that ]
/ han't"
"What has she been doing now?"
asked the widower with an amused
face.
'Wby; she's refused Ben Nichols
| eldest son, as likely and forehanded
a young feller as there is in the
country"
NJ. Avenel started.
''E;en Nicholsl Why, Mrs Marley,
she is only a child
"She's seventeen next week, nod
ed Mrs. Marley, "and high time she
thought o. settling"
M. Avenel looked across TO where
/ Juliet stood in her pink gingham
dress, the soft summer winds stir
/ ring her curls, and her cheeks as
softly tinted as the standard moss
rose on the lawn. Seventeen, was
il possible that little Juliet Hawk
hurst had grown to be seventeen
/ years old! Oh, relentless time, that
would not stand stilll oh, cruel years,
that went by and stole the fair
brightness of childhood awayi So
| Ben Nichols had actually asked Ju-
/ liet Hawkhurst to be his Wifel
Il wish you an Harry'd talk Sc
riOus to her about il, went on Mrs.
| Marley. "Tan't likely she'll hev
many more such chances as that"
No; to be sure not" said Mr..
Avenel, abstractedly.
"And o course she'd oughter
think 1t over well" /" added Mrs.
/ Marley.
80, certainley-to be surer'
When Harry Avenel came home
| from the city that evening, he found
/ mis- uncle in brown study.
Harry" quoth the widoWer.
ayes, uncle"
"Pve been thinking"
$50 ] should conclude, sir, from
| the Ii shaped wrinkle between your
brows," laughed the young mer-
| chant. "Well, and what has been
the topic of your meditations, I'm
Gle Joe?'
"Why, was thinking what would
become of us if Mrs. Hawkhurst
were to take it into her head to
leave us"
Harry opened wide his merry ha-
eel eyes at the idea.
''What made you think of such
thing, sir?" he asked.
''Oh, 1 don't know. She has
good place here; but one couldn't
expect her 10 be contented with a
| housekeeper' situation always,
Harry?"
mo, to be sura not"
''She has been very essential to
our domestic happiness, Harry"
went on Mr.. Avenel.
"Yes-I grant you that, Uncle
joe"
"And really don't know how we
could manage to exist without her"
''Raise her salary, uncle" suggest
ed Harry.
''NO, L hardly think that would
answer my purpose; but Harry"
"Wen, uncle?"
Mr.. Avenel looked slightly sheep
ish.
Cant you imagine any other
uau of kaaninn her harasl1 lie aeI-oa