Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1873-05-01
sstItftsD sstorp. S
Mr.. Bonsall's Matchmaking.

Ny uncle. Alexander McFarlane.
was waiting breakfast, an event very
uncommon with him, for Aunt Nancy
was the soul OF punctuality. Never
theless she was a little late this morn
ing. Eight o'clock was the breakfast
hour, and it was now fully ten minutes
past.
Aunt Nancy was not my Uncle Nc
Farlane's wife. He was a widower of
some fifteen years standing Fifteen
years before his wife had left him del
icate little boy for a keepsake, and ha d
gone away, whispering with her last
breath that she was very happy. Her
mother and sister who had come TO the
house to nurse her, remained after her
death, according TO Uncle McFarlane's
particular request. He would be so
glad, he said, ifit were not exacting too
and Nancy stay with him, keep up his
house, and attend TO his little boy. SO
! Mrs. Howard, who was q widow with
a very straitened income. rented her
little house in the New England vii
lage where she had always lived, and
came to preside over Mr.. McFarlane's
spacious mansion and liberal house
keeping in Greenwich Street, New
YoIk-my Uncle McFarlane lived in
Greenwich Street, fact which marks
the date of my story with sufficient
eXactness.
Mrs. Howard had been dead three
months, and still Aunt Nancy presided
over Uncle McFarlane's household.
Neither OF them had ever thought of a
change as either necessary or desira-
BILE. Nancy had been fair, prim. and
somewhat quiet girl when she came to
live in Greenwich Street. She was
still fair, somewhat prim woman of
thirty-fve, with pretty, soft brown
hair, yiolet-blue eyes, and pure, soft,
somewhat changeful complexion. She
was not in the least like a modern
young lady's heroine. She had no
particular aspirations beyond the lim-
tied and old-fashioned one of doing
her duty in that state of life to which
it had pleased God to call her. She
did not consider herself a martyr to
uncongenial circumstances, because
she made Uncle McFarlane's shirts and
mended his stockings, and even the
fact of going down into the kitchen, to
do up his immaculate ruffles, when old
Mrs. Browns haads were too lame.
and the chambermaid's too unskillful
to be trusted with them, did not awak.
en- in her mind any desire to rush out
isso the world in search of a career.
No such fancy had ever entered Nancy
Howard's head. She was absolutely
! ''contented with represent condition. y
willing to 60 on making Uncle McFar.
lanes shirts, keeping his house, spoil
ing his child. and 'making it pleasant
for him. as she simply said. Her
great pleasures consisted in doing
muslin embroidery, visiting the poor
going to church, and reading the Eng
lish classics, with now and then nov.
ell. If she had any trials she kept
them to herself, confiding them to nc
spiritual director, newspaper editor OF
female friend. Such was Nancy How
I ard at five-and- thirty.
My Uncle McFarlane was fine gen
tleman in the true sense OF the phrase
He was unimpeachable in integrity
!, unspotted in morals, in manners abso
lutely perfect-a little set in his way
and possibly somewhat particular il
eating and drinking. He. was ais
given to amusing himself in quie
!, way with the peculiarities Of thos
about him. But he never willingl.