St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-04-20
A HASTY MATCH.
Why John Gregory Married His
Housekeeper.

mess man, resident In the good city OF
Boston, and was well known on
Change some twenty years since Al
though well-to-do. and abundantly
able to support a wife. forty-eight
years had elapsed and still he was a
bachelor. To tell the truth, there was
very little romance about John Greg
DRY, and if he ever did marry. prob
ably money would have more to do
with determining his choice than any
softer sentiment
So John Gregory, avoiding the mat
rimonial snares which were laid for
him by enterprising matrons who had
large families of daughters to dispose
of, lived quietly in a modest house. for
which he had been fortunate enough
to secure a capable housekeeper who
understood his peculiar tastes.
Janet Campbell-this was the name
Of the housekeeper-was of Scotch
birth and lineage. but had been brought
to America while yet a child. by her
father. who fancied that he could sue
coed better in building up fortune in
the New World than the Old.
Apart from the fact that Janet's par
ents were dead. and that she, their
only child, after various mutations had
subsidized. at thirty-five. into her pres
ent post. which she h.si nov held for
eight years. there is nothing especial
to tell. Those Of my readers who are
r-xo,1 - S~,,.o. ~vr;ll 6rl ~ 1;Rc,,l&x- =,
computing from the data have given
that she had now attained the age of
forty-three-
Janet was not handsome. She never
had been. for that matter. Neither
was she particularly the reverse. She
had a plain Scotch face. with shrewd
twinkle of the eye, perhaps. that
evinced her worldly wisdom, and was
scrupulously neat in her person and
attire, though very little accustomed
to making a display in the latter.
But Janet was a model hOusekeeper.
No one knew better than she how to
prepare the coffee for her masters
taste. No one understood better just
how brown the toast should be-nO
one could better determine just how
much to broil the steak for breakfast
So Mr.. John Gregory, who had keen
appreciation of good living Tin a plain
way) and real. genuine comfort, felt
that his hOusekeeper was a treasure to
him. and even an unprecedented fall in
the price of stocks could scarcely have
occasioned him any greater cOnsterna-
ton than the intelligence that Janet
intended leaving him. However, Janet
had no intention OF the kind. She
knew when she was well of. and she
might have sought long before she
could have found more comfortable
quarters, or a place more to her liking
than was provided by her present en-
ployer. But a circumstance occurred
which, in the short space of twenty
four hours, changed the relation which
subsiste6 between the two.
This was the way it happened: One
morning. after completing his savory
morning repast. Mr.. Gregory took his
cane from behind the door and walked
down to his Office. Here, as was his
custom, he paid his first attentions to
tie paper. which his Office boy had
laid on his desk, ready for perusal.
First. dispatching the leader, which
proved to be grave essay on the state
of our foreign relations. and then pass
ing on to the other editorial matter,
he a. length came to the advertise
mcnts, to which, as a business man.
he regularly paid his attention. While
CHANGING over these. he came at length
TO one which he at first read careless
ly. then with an air of attention. and
finally. laying down the paper. pushed
up his spectacles and exclaimed:
BLESS my soul! Well. this is singu-
lar
Surprising that the reader may feel
q little curious 70 know what 1t was
that Mr. Gregory considered SO singu-
lar. we will take the liberty OF CLAN
cling over the paper which he had just
laid down, and read the advertisement
1t ran as follows:
INFORMATION WANrED-Of Janet Campbell.
who came from Scotland in III. year lss9. II
she is living and this notice should meet her
eve. she will nnd something very much TO her
advantage by calling on Pe,cg Brief. Attorney
n, Law No. Court street
BLESS my SOUR CIRCULATED John
Gregory. We'll, this is singular. To
think of it being my housekeeper. too.
Eve heard OF such things before. but it
never came home to me, as / may say.
before. / wonder. now. how much
money she is likely to receive, Tor. q
course, it is money, Very much t. her