New-York tribune., 1897-01-24
MY MATRIMONIAL AGENCY.

Nv scben,e was that marriage should be ar
ranged between Uncle James and MISS Stupps
Not that II was my business in the least-put
that did not hinder me from interfering; nor thar
/ thought the chief parties concerned were al an
suited TO each other-I never troubled my nean
about such minor details. / have always peen
fond OF interfering with other peoples anaifs;
not for their good at ALL but simply for my own own
pleasure. l have the greatest sympatn! WIN
people who put their fingers into neighborins
pies. provided they confess they do it for their
own enjoyment and not for the advantage OF tne
pies: men do not kill foxes for food Dut from
love OF sport; women interfere with their nelsh-
bors for exactly the same reason. Put your nm.
gers dear ladies. into one anothers pies. py an
means: but remember that II Is the hnsei anu
not the pie which derives pleasure from the op-
eration, Having so much to see after In lmpor-
tant matters, Providence seems sometimes III
need Of local agencies to manage minor al1alIs
in remote country districts-at least so thouen.
IN nv young days-and / was more than ready
TO undertake the office of Providence's local
agent Therefore l decided that uncle James
should marry Miss Stubbs.
We met Miss Stubbs while we were traveilng
In Switzerland. She little. timid, washed-
out old maid Her besetting sin was gentleness,
she was too gentle for anything. once when IN!
brother Tom was little boy he was naughty
and mother thought her wisest course lay IN tne ~.
proverbial soft answer. Tom bore mo'neI Soi. SOL.
Youthful flesh and blood after all. and naught!
ct that: so at last he exclaimed, i Wish' mo'hei'
you wouldn't be so silly and gentle.
Miss Stubs always made me recall that carry
remark Of Toms she was so very silly anu
gentle" Then she added to her gentleness gen
tility. which is also trying virtue TO oniooKeIs.
What with her genteness and her gentlnty, she
smoke so softly that one could only hear half that
she said, and that half was by no means st'l.u-
lating mental food. She had pale hair ana pale
eyelashes and pale ideas: but underneath All
that the sweetest. most unselhsh nature ina.
woman ever possessed. At first iaugheu al
her she seemed so dull and colorless' put as
grew to know her better discovered many Vrt-
nas and no faults in the faded little woman
She took a great fancy to me-because was so
young and strong and full or hfe' sne saIouaiu am,
told me all her dreary history Her parents
were gentlepeople of good family. and late IN
life her father came into small estate ior wnlcn M
ne had been waiting for years but tne es'ase .
was so greatly impoverished and so heavily en-
numbered that he was ruined by his succession
TO 1t; and he died Of the disappointment leaving
his wife and only child with mlserane pi'tamce'
while the estate which was strictly entalIeu.
passed on to a distant cousin Mrs Stuops sur
viyed her husband several years. but now she
too was dead. and Miss Stubbs was as lonely as
che was moor There was something very pitiful
TO me about Miss Stubbs; she seemed 10 nave
missed all that makes life worth nvng-to nave
sat alone on the bank wnIe she e e sndder ~
by: and it has always seemed TO me saooer 10
die Of starvation on the bank than to be dashed
10 pieces by the current
"My dear" she said TO me one day when we
bad become intimate with each other. don't say
Won want TO see life-seeing is dreary work;
never wanted to see life wanted TO i've me- pu'
have never done either
II. Were you unhappy when you were young
/ asked. -, door. ,u, no, bannv
either am not complaining. for every one was
very kind to me- and ready to give me Lite
scraps Of their lives TO share; but no one seemed
realize that wanted ,,ifare6 life OF my OWL"
1T is kind of you be sorry for me. my dear
Madge but really am not complaining. l nave
had a very peaceful lot compared with many
Yemen But have always had the feeling that
there is such great deal to be got out OF li1e'
and that I have somehow missed IT all; Ihere Is
plenty going on somewhere Du' al" a'""'' '''
II think I know what you mean: 1t IS duil TO
sit in the boxes when one wants 10 De Oh the
stage" -. o,.or aver had the
hoxes. I have had to be content with the dress
circle ,o.I T osLed with
The male blue ewes filled with tears. Yes, dear
Madge And l should like to tell you ABOUT IT,
only there is nothing to tell l., s I,
"Oh, please tell me as mucn as thvie 10 ''' "
there Is nothing" coaxed. inogicaliv; ,,,.
IF there were more TO ten, l thih i an an, ~. \
mind so much said MISS otupps, sa' IL
either have a sad story than none az all. AS !. .
Ca haven't even the right TO be unhappy tna'
isn't of course equal TO the rlght TO pu napI, ~,
which some fortunate women nav ., W. &, 30 ,'or
,ar than nothing Why. Madge, my youth is over
and 7 have nothing left to remember u ID! -ho'
even a love-letter think If had hao Jus' o,s ons
loye-letter that could keep always anu it%r CO..
over and over again. | should be content. ioi
,hen I should feel that had one flower ieit out
of the summer Of life -, ,a
"Rut do tell me what happened urseu'
Nothing happened. | once met so'hc ons s
,,hor, T loved verv much. and thlnk ne ioNeu
me: but / am not even sure OF tna.' on,,ld
times feel I'd give everything nave II as So q
only he sure Of that. but I'm not. ne wa. -. q
% on,S " wan who had his way TO make In the
yworld: and ny dear father-as nave to,u sua "a
hefore-thought a great deal OF ou FANNY amy as ana g
nos,tion and considered the man loNeu WaS
Posi,,o,d rond enourh for me- So he just put stop
TO our friendship ,..
"What else could do? MY dear 1a'hei Mos
,,.r,, stern man and dared not disobey MIN.
And as | gazed into the tlmid race l ieaileu
that poor Miss stubhs had not needso mucn -,
coercion 10 make her give up her oas ui ie"" "'
her stern fathers command ,os
what was your lover like? / asked
"Oh! my dear. he was the handsomest man n
.vsr saw with such attractive manners, she
WAS he tall?" asked. being fve-foot ,nine
n,vself / had profound contempt Tor h''le
..Yes. dear. and such fine figure: rice nroao
.boulders YOU know. and a splendid carriage.
could not help wondering now me t maiI' =
some man could have fallen In love WIN sucn a
coinr,ess nonentity Of a woman. but-as | nave
Frequently noticed-there Is no accounting iof
tastes. ,,, <o, noor N,sa stnbbs. n
..amed 40 sad to go through life without ever
rsslly living az she had done ana mus ~ was
49, nv great scheme occurred to me. What q
nod th,ng n would be II Uncle James would
NARY Miss Stubbs and so give her some comlor,
- The end OF her life. I said comfort, tecause
Was afraid happiness was no longer possible 70
her: that had disappeared forever with the van
ished fairy prince Of her youth; but comrort,
abIe old age is not thing to be despised ano
et present the little woman was poor ana deso-
late felt that Uncle James was an inadequate
substitute for the lost hero whom MISS Stubps
had described to me; but, on the other nan l.
what man with the smallest pretensiCr to nero
lam would throw the handkerchief 10 a plain
frightened little spinster Of an uncertain age?
Isncle lanes was mothers only brother. he
was a worthy. middle-aged bachelor-rathei
short and increasingly stouf-and was tn'
anotheosis OF commonplace respectability. Ht
possessed q kind heart and a dogmatc manner
ard he lived chiefly at his club. and thought Q
great deal too much about things to eat ron
said that his highest feelings We're aroused onI!
by pork chops but Tom was always rather So
we're on Uncle James. When my uncle ddn
ahn h. food q the club be talked aDOul