The Van Buren press., 1897-03-13
NY AAralMoNiAh AGENCY

My scheme was That a marriage should
be arranged between Uncle james and
Miss stubhs Not that it was my husi-
ress in the least but that lid not
hinder me from interfering; nor that
! Thought the chief parties concerned
were At all suited to each ather-Ineser
troabied my bend about such minor
Getails | hafe always been fond Of
interfering with other peoples affairs;
iiot for their rood at NJ, bit simply for
my own plensnre. | have the greatest
sympathy for people who put their
fingers into miehbofing pies, provided
they confess t4Sey de il for their own
enjoyment and no far The advanthge
~ the pies; men do not XIII foxes for
food. bit from love Of sporf; women
interfere with their neiehbors for ex4
actly the same reason. Put your fin
gers, dear ladies, into one another's pies,
hy all fieans. but remember that il
is the finger and not the pie which de-
fives pleasure from the operatidnl Hay
irg 50 mitch to see after in inpoftant
matters, Providence seems sometimes
III need Of loeul apencies to manage
minor affairs in remote country dis
tricfs al least 50 thought In my young
days and was more than ready to
undertake the office Of Protidcnce's To-
ca apent Therefore decided tliat
Uncle Juines should marry Miss stubbs
We met Miss stubbs while we were
travelling i'll Switzerland SHE was d
little, iifnid, washedotit dld maid Her
bescttiur sin was gcnilcness; size was
TOO gentle for anything Once when
my brother Tom was a little boy ht
A9us nauglity, ard mother thought her
wisesi course lay IL the progerbial soft
answer Tom bore mothers soft ant
sweis as long as lie cotild, hut lie was
hu, youthful flesh and blood after an,
and nnughiy at That; so at last lie ex-
claimedt ''fwish, mother, youwouldn't
be 50 silly ard gentlel"
Miss stdbbs always nnde nc recall
FIAT caily rcnai1t Of TOMS; she was
So very ''silly and gentle" Then she
adsled to her Rentlencss gcntili,y, which
IS also a trying ,irtie to onlookers.
What with her gentleness and her gem
tility, She spoke so softly that one could
only hear half chat she said, ard that
half was by 10 means stimulating men
tai food She had pale hair and pale
eyclashes aud pale IDEAS; but thsier-
nrath all that, the sweetest, most MI
selfish natire thut woman ever pos
ssssed Al frst I laughed al her, she
scented SO dun and colorless; but as
grew 10 know her better discovered
many virtues and no funlts IN the faded
nttlc woman She took d great fancy
% me because i was so Young and
strong ana full OF life, she said-and
told ME an her dreaiy history Her
parents were gentlepeople Of good fam
ily, and late IN iife her further came into
> small estate for which he had Been
Waiting FOR years But the estate was so
greatly Impoverished and so heavily IN
epmncred that he was ruined bv his
fneeession TO IT.; anti he died Of the dis
appointment. leaving his wife and only
child WITH 4 miserable pittance; while
The estate. which was strictly ehtailed,
passed on TO distant cousin Mrs
ssnhbs survived her husband several
Senrs. but now she roo was dead, and
Miss Stubbs was as lonely as she was
poor. There was something very pitt
fnf to nic about Miss stubbs; she
seemed u have missed all that makes
rife vorth lNiae-to have sat alone on
The bank while the stream flowed by;
fnd it has rlways seemed to me- sad
Ger t5 Die of s;eryation on the bank than
to hc dashed 10 pieces by the current
NY dear, She said TO me ono day
wben we had bctonc intimate with each
other. Don't SAP you want 70 see life
seeing Is lreory work. never want
"a 10 see life I wanted TO i've iifei hu,
I nave never done ether
took her tsin little hand IN mine,
ara stroxtl t "Ncre you unhappy
Nhct you were yo6ngF' I asked.
"0h, 10 not sahapny ny dear; but
not h7ppv. either. an not complain
ire. f7r everyone Was very Kind % me.
rnd ready ta give me little scraps oi
their lives io share; hdt no one seemed
"a eoiitc That ! wanted q lifr Of ms
eNr
"po sfis stahs,r Whispered.
M r 5itf o. son to be sorry for me.
nie le7r ModEe bot really fam rot com
EsinirF : hate h5d rers peaceful
i5f eamrafed with mrus women Bui
! haes aisays ha8 iht ieel'ns that there
i sneh Fl efepi asel ts be- got out Of
lie. ata that J brfe somehsw missed Il
a1 There plenty feire on soue-
Nttfe baf au alrsy oat % 81"