The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-05-01

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it. OF course you can't go on as yOi
do now. 1t was well enough whel
the old lady was alive but her dealt
changes all that, and folks will talk
= Nancy's an old maid, to be sure
: forty, if she's an hour"
"Thirty-five ~ said my uncle. cor
recting him.
"Well, five years don't matte
, much. She's an old maid, as l said
Still, folks will and do talk, and yOJ
ought to get rid of her. The truth s
McFarlane, you ought to marry again
and of course you can't with Nan@!
in the house"
"YOu think so ~
"Why, of course, not. There's Mis-
Regina Schuyler, now. She'd juml
at the chance of marrying you bu
you don't suppose she would set III
housekeeping with Nancy Howard
81 must beg, BOnsall, that you vii
not bring Miss Schuyler's name intC
question: said my uncle. "Sucf
liberties are not to be taken with re
spectacle young ladies'"
"Liberty or not, she would have
you in q minute. And there's anOth'
er thing about it. Nancy Howard j:
dead in love with you, herself, and Oi
course you can't marry her-that Is
out of the question"
'Nancy Howard ~ repeated my
uncle, in q tone of bewilderment.
"TO be sure, man. Any one but
you would have seen it, though Nan
cy is not the woman to throw herself
at any mans head, I'll say that fol
her. Ny wife has known it this long
time, and 1 can see it, too. or course
you can't marry her. She is old, and
lpOor, and plain, and in delicate health
besides. So, of course, all you can do
is to get rid of her. Send her home
20 her native place with 4 pension
marry Regina Schuyler, and begin
life anew.
'Does Mrs. Bonsah really think
! that-that Miss Howard enteTtains
Mr.. BOnsall paused a moment: "WO-
men see such things more clearly
than men,"
tOf course she does. She was talk
ing of it last night. Nancy ought to
have change says she, if she don't
| she'll 90 off like her sister. She's a
quiet, patient creature says she :'but
| il is easy to see what ails her. Now,
you see, her being cOnsumptive is an
other reasOn.why you can't marry her.
So, there I've spoken my mind, as l
always do and 1 hope you will have
sense enough to act upon it."
''I shall certainly act upon it ~ said
my uncle, calmly.
fAnd soon, 1 hope :" said Mr.. Bon
sail, rising. "The sooner the better" I"
"The sooner the better!" echoed my
uncle. 81 quite agree with you.
Thank you, BonsalI, thank you ~
az think 1 did q good piece of work
this morning ~ said Mr.. Bonsall to
his wife, as he was preparing to go
out: 'I spoke to McFarlane about
Nancy !" And he repeated the sub
stance of the conversation. Mrs.
BOnsall was 4 quiet, klnd-hearted Wo-
man but, like her husband, she
sometimes spoke her Dlind. She did
so on this occasion.
"BOnsall, you are an idiot ! Most
men are in such matters, and you are
a perfect one"
Mr.. BonsaII looked as If some one
had thrown a wet towel in his face.
"Why, Mary Anne What's that
for ?''
'You'n find out soon enough. Go
long, do, and leave me in peace"
Mr.. Bonsall was always very meek
when his wife took these rare fits of
plain speaking, and he shut the door
without another word. Mrs. BOnsall
sat looking at the fire with an express
sion of vexation; which gradually
changed to one of kindness.
EAiter all it might be worse" said
she, speaking to the fire "Nancy is
a good soul, and as sweet as honey.
She will make him happy, and be
happy herself, and it will be good for
the boy. But think l see BOnsalPs
face when he hears of it =
For two hours my uncle sat looking
through his Office window without
even thinking of his letters. Then he
drew a deep breath, as Of one relieved
of q doubt, and turned to his cores
pondence. He did not go home to
dinner, but left the Office early, stop
ping at florists where he bought
some beautiful hOt-house flowers, and
two nice hyacinth bulbs in pretty
glasses, which last he sent to Mrs.
Saunders.
Il dluGlf may L ~ "a anu SNC -S---
Saunders ?' asked Alick at tea. Aunt
Nancy was sitting at her work-table,
fresh and neat from top to toe. She
was composed as usual, but my uncle
fancied he observed . slight change
in her manner toward himself. Prob
ably Alexis remarks might have dis
turbed her a little.
"Certainly, my son. And be sure
to ask, particularly, how Mrs. Saun-
ders finds herself. 1 quite forgot in
this morning. After Alice had
gone he said to Aunt Nancy :"
was the more ready to let
Alick go as 1 wish to consult
you on a matter Of great Importance
to us both" And then, in his usual
kind, somewhat formal manner, he
opened the subject. He was desirOus,
he said, of going abroad for some time,
perhaps for some years. He thought
the change would be good for Alick,
who showed signs of delicate lungs.
Aunt Nancy's heart fluttered, and her
color went and came; but she had
long been schOOled in self-cOntrOl, and
she made no other sign. ''It won't
be for long ~ said the quiet, breaking
heart to itself, little guessing what
was in store.
My uncle continued. 1 don't know
exactly how he worded it, but he
made it plain that neither he nor the
boy could do without Nancy. Would
Nancy consent to become his wife,
and be a mother to Alick, in fact, as
she had been in name? And so in an
hour the matter was all settled.
ave are asked to a wedding ~ said
Mrs. BOnsall to her husband some six
weeks afterward.
ga wedding-WhOse wedding "'
asked Mr.. Bonsall, not greatly inter-
ested.
"Nancy HOward's ~
"Nancy HOward's-yOu don't mean
=" The idea which occurred to Mr.
Bonsall fairly struck him dumb.
"Yes Nancy and McFarlane ~ an
swered his wife, enjoying her lords
discontinue. "Ihey are to be mar
ried at St Paul's, very quietly, and
sail for Europe as soon as possible
'The deuce they are. And after all
said to him :"
after all you said to him :" echoed
Mrs. Bonsall. "The moment you
told me what you said to him, and
especially as 10 Nancy being talked
about, 1 knew you had made the
match. You could have got him to
marry old Miss Paget in the same
way"
''But such a sacrifice, Mary Anne!''
"Oh, well, I don't know. l dare
say he might feel it little Of sacri-
flee just at first but by this time he
has persuaded himself that there new
er was such a woman, and the favor
was all on her side. I don't think, for
my part, McFarlane will ever regret
it.n
And / don't think Uncle McFarIane
ever did.-FrOHl The AIdine for AIqY
The race Of jokers Is not yet extinct.
a Hampshire wag put the following
advertisement in a weekly paper:
"WhO wants to buy a new mich COW,