The Opelousas courier., 1889-03-30
A HASTY MATCH.
why John Gregory Married His
Housekeeper.

why JOnn gregory maEEAeo LAS
Housekeeper.
John Gregory was a substantial bus
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 littlGeromance about John Greg
DRY, and if he ever did marry, erob-
ably money would have more b do
with determining his choice than any
softer sentiment.
So John Gregory, avoiding the mat
riInonial 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 napse
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 a 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-fve, into her pres
emit post. which she had now held for
eight years, there is nothing especial
to tell. Those of my readers who are
good at figures will find no difficulty in
computing from the data I have given
that che 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 a shrewd
twinkle of the eye, perhaps, that
evinced her worldly wisdom, and vas
scrupulously neat in her persoD 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 masteI's
taste. No one understood better just
how brown the toast should be-no
one could better determine just G-ow
much to broil the steak for breakfast.
So Mr.. John Gregory, who had q keen
appreciation of good fiying Tin q plain
way) and real, genulae comfort, felt
syfIstJ mis- housekeepelksWas a treasure to
him, and even an unprecedented fall in
the price of stocks could scarcely have
occasioned him any greater c%onsternaN
ton than the intelligence that Janet
intended leaving him. However, Janet
had no intention Of the kind. She
knew when she was we'll 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 il 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
the paper. which his Office boy had
laid on his desk, ready for perusal.
First, dispa4ching the leader, which
proved to BIO . grave essay on the state
Of our foreign relations, and then pass
ing on to the other editorial matter,
he at length came to the advertise
ments, to which, as a business man,
he regularly paid his attention. While
glancing yer these, he came at length
to n which he ut first read careless
y, 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!''
Supposing that the reader may feel
q little curious to know what it was
that Mr.. Gregory considered % singu-
lar, we will take the liberty OF CLAN
cling Oyer the paper which he had just
laid down, and read the advertisement
It ran as follows:
IMPORTATION WANTED-0f Janet Campbell
who came from Scotland in the year 1S43. u
she is living, and this notice should meet hel
sye, she vii md something very much to hel
avantase w calling on PeleR Brief, Attorney
Ea&aw, no. Court street.
Mess my eoulis' calculated Johr
Gregory. Wei, this il singular. III
think Of II beng my housekeeper, too.
I've heard Of such things before. but Ii
never came home 70 me, Is ] may say,
befores wonder, now. how muci
money she u likely to reeeive. for, b
course, Il Is money. Very much q hea