The Penn's Grove record., 1885-07-11
THOSE AUNTS OF MINE.

llOCL AbNAS vi AANAA
Zone of these days you'll be rich
enough, Harold; and you say you don't
love me for my looks: so it won't mat.
ter much if I've lost all my teeth then.
and haven't any complexion left"
He smiled in a m%ournful way as ]
said this, and then kissed me and sigh.
ed.
you had better let it be broken of
Esther. Love in a cottage was all very
well when cottages are cheap, but love
in furnished apartments is a very diff
ferent thing. | should hate myself to
see you pinching to make both ends
meet; Pm not worthy of it."
Rubbish You're bilious"
"And, as to waiting, " he pursued,
''you know | was not born with the
knack of making money. We shall be
looked down upon by your aunts as
needy relatives to the end of our days,
whether we are married next month OF
six months hence. Poor Laural"
"And poor Haroldl" l SAID, stroking
his forehead.
His great eyes we're full of tenderness
as he looked up and said
"Won'tyou really do something that's
vexing, Este, and make me begin to
dislike your"
eyes. I'll tell Laura that she's a
burden, and that it is time she found a
husband for herself" And then i
threw my arms round his neck and
whispered, "Noble Haroldin lest he
should think for a moment-even a
moment-that | was in earnest.
We-my aunts and had been at
the seaside only a week or two when l
spoke to Harold Joyce for the first time.
l had more than once remarked to my
aunts how very affecti0nate that gen
tlenan was TO his invalid sister, and
how tenderly he lifted her out of the
bath chair when the sun was warm
enough to make it safe for her to lie
on the beach a little while. My aunts
would look at each other and say, "HOw
forward girls L nowadaysl'' OF, mo
doubt those young persons know some
thing about Esther's expectations, and
the bath-chair and the lameness are
part of their plan. They changed their
tune though when, n day, Harold
managed to stop a stupid doukey-rider
just in time to ave Aunt Ann from be-
ing knc cked oven. They very soOn af-
ter this asked Mr.. and Miss Joyce home
to tea, and said they really appeared to
be nice u~nassuming young people and
- Well, l somehow began to like
them very much also; and Harold used
to get Laura to show my aunts how to
work some patterns of her own plan.
ming in Berlin wool; and then he would
leave them absorbed in this and talk to
me-and caldwell, we kissed each
other one day and all was settled.
All was settled? All, my two aunts
had TO be dealt with first however be.
fore we became properly engaged 1t
was quite right too; and / told Harold
so; for had they not been my best friends
ever since my poor mother died and
left me alone-which was when | was
quite a WEE thingp They were sharp
and exacting and sDappish, often quar-
reling with each other about me, and
afterwards venting their spleen upon
the subject of their dispute. But in
their way they had taken great care of
me; and / could not think of keeping
them in ignorance of what Harold had
sailor rather what he had intended
to say; for he kissed me twice for every
word he uttered; so that the little
speech in which he had asked me M
day to be his wife was rather confused.
He gave a sort of sketch of the in
terview, and told me that he would
take care not to seek his second wife at
the hands of maiden aunts, and that it
was only for my sake that he had been
as humble as Uriah Heep while they
were cross examining him.
This was how they began he said.
Good afternoon, Mr.. Joyce. We
understand that you desire our niece
Esther in marriage" 1t was Aunt
Ann who spoke.
1--WE are informed that you seek the
hand of our brothers. daughter ;;
chimed in Aunt Polly, who had a nasty
way of saying in an improved form
just the same thing as her sister.
Then Aunt Ann looked over her
spectacles at the poor boy, and bit off
the end of her sewing-cotton very de-
cisively; while Aunt Polly rested her
on her fat little INST, and the fist
on the edge of Mr.. Tupper's book of
philosophy, and stared seriously at
Harold with some notion of reading
his very soul.
81 do he replied, rather stifiy, as
he told me afterwards. He did not
like the way in which those aunts OF
mine practically claimed to dispose of
me.
What are your means, sirp" inquir-
ed Aunt Ann.
"Ah, what income have you, my
dear Mr.. Joyce?" chimed in Aunt Pol
Iy, slmpering in a sell Unconscious way,
ike n who felt that her smile had
not lost its charms, although she had
turned forty.
ut was a struggle" said Harold,
mot TO tell them that this was a mat
5er for their niece TO be satisfied about;
hat she was of age. and free to act for
herself; so they need not care TO know
,he wealth of her future husband. !
mastered my first impulse, though; and
remembering that they were my dar-
nearest relatives, told them Just
low my affairs stood-that Lanra and
| Inherited three hundred a year be-
tween us, that we had found it more
han enough to support us hitherto, !