Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-02-05
THE WIDOWS sTRATAGEM.

Deacon Bancroft, though very gooc
man in the main, and looked up to witt
respect by all the inhabitants Of the little
village OF Centreville, was rumored te
{ have, in Yankee parlance, "a pretty SHARP
eye to the main chance" popularity from
which even deacons are not always exempt
In worldly matters he was decidedly
| Well-to-do, having inherited a fine farm
from his father, which was growing yearly
and yearly more valuable. It might be
supposed that, under these circumstances,
the deacon, who was fully able to do SO,
would have found help-meet to share his
house and name. But the deacon was
wary. >Matrimony was to him, in some
measure. matter of money, and it was
his firm resolve not to marty unless he
could thereby enhance his worldly pros
perity Unhappily, the little village of
Centreville and the towns in the imme-
| date vicinity contained few who were
J qualified in this important particular, and
OF those there were probably none with
whom the deacon's suit would have pros
| pered. st.ya Isl
So it happened that year after year
passed away. until deacon Bancroft was in
the prime of life-forty-five OF thereabouts
and still unmarried, and, in all human
probability, likely to remain SO. But in all
human calculations of this kind, they reck-
| on i'll who leave widows out
Deacon Bancroft's nearest neighbor was
! a widow. !
The widow Wells, who had passed
through one matrimonial experience, was
some three OF four years younger than
deacon Bancroft. She was still quite a
buxom, comely woman, as widows are apt
to be. Unfortunately, the late Mr.. Wells
had not been-able to leave her sufficient to
make her independent Of the world. All
that she possessed was the small, old-fash-
loned house in which she lived, and small
amount of money, which was insufficient
to support her and little son of seven,
likewise t6be enumerated in the schedule
OF her property, though hardly to be classed
as 'productive"-of anything but mis-
chief
ThewidoW was therefore obliged to take
three orfour boarders, to exc out her scan
ty income, which, Of course, imposed upon
her considerable labor and anxiety. ISL
Is it surprising that under these circum-
stances SIN should now and then have be-
thought herself Of a second marriage as a
mode of bettering her condition? Or,
again, need we esteem it a special wonder,
if, III her reflections upon this point, she
should have cast her eyes upon her next
neighbor, deacon Bancroft?
|. The deacon, as we have already said,
was in fourishing circumstances, He
would be able to maintain d wife in great
comfort; and, being one Of the chief per-
sonages i'll the village, could accord her
prominent social position. He was not
especially handsome, OF calculated to make
profound impression upon the female
heart-thls was true-but he was of good
disposition, kind-hearted, and would, no
doubt, make very good sort of a husband.
Widows are, [ take it (if any shall do me
the honor to read this story, trust they
will forgive the remark, less disposed to
weigh sentiment in second alliance than
a first, and so, in the widows point of
view, deacon Bancroft was a very desirable
match.
Some sagacious person has observed.
however, that it takes two to make
match, q fact to be seriously considered;
for in the present case it was exceedingly
doubtful whether the worthy deacon, even
if he had known the favorable opinion Of
his next neighbor, would have been in
clined to propose changing her name to
| Bancroft, unless, indeed, a suitable motive
was brought to bear upon him. fa8 r9
Here was a chance for finessing, wherein
widows are said, as a general thing, to be
expert. sia56I "a
One evening, after a day Of fatiguing la
Dor, the widow Wells sat at the fire in the
sitting groom, with her feet resting ppon
| the fender.
eff I am ever so situated as not to have
| to work SO hard" she murmured. II shall
be happy. It's hard life, keeping board
ers. If I only was as well off as deacon
Bancroft A @t sff
Still the widow kept up her thinking,
and by-and-by her face hrightened up: She
had an idea, which she was resolved to put
into execution at the earliestpractioable
moment. What it was, the reader will dis
cover in the sequel. Al +
Henry said she to her son the next
morning, II want you to stop at deacon
/ Baneroft's as you go along TO school, and
ask If he will call and see me in the course
Of the morning or afternoon, just as he
finds it most convenient" ~ ~.
Deacon Bancroft was a little surprised
al Ing gunmr2ons However, about eleven
, O'Clock he called in. The widow had goi
! on the dinner and had leisure to sit down,
:, 81