Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1898-12-01
MY MATRIMONIAL AGENCY.

did not hinder me from interfering,
nor that l thought the chief partie,
concerned we're at all suited to each
otber-I never troubled my head about
such minor details.
We met Miss Stubbs while We were
travelling in Switzerland. She was a
little, timid, washed-out old maid.
"My DEAR" she said to me one day
when we had become intimate with
each other, don't say you want to see
life-seeing is dreary work. | never
wanted to see life, l wanted to live
life but | have never done either.
l took her thin little hand in mine
and stroked it.
"Were you unhappy when you were
young?" asked.
"0h, no, not unhappy, my dear but
not happy, either. lam not complain
ing, for everyone was very kind to me,
and ready to give me little scraps OF
their lives to share but no one seemed
to realize that | wanted life Of my
own"
Poor Miss Stubbs!" | whispered.
ut is very kind of you to be sorry
for me, my dear Madge, but really |
am not complaining. l have had a
very peaceful lot compared with many
women !"
"But did you never fall in love ?" |
asked, with extreme boldness.
The pale blue eyes filled with tears,
Eyes, dear Madge And should
like to tell you about it, only there is
nothing to tell"
"Do tell me what happened?" l
urged.
Nothing happened. once met
some one whom | loved very much,
and | think he loved me; but | am
not oven sure Of that. | sometimes
feel I'd give everything | have if |
could only be sure of that, but I'm
not. He was young man who had
his way to make in the world but my
dear father-as | have told you before
thought great deal of our family
and position, and considered the man
loved was not good enough for me.
So he just put a stop to our friend
ship"
"And you tamely submitted ?"
"What else could do? Ny dear
father was a very stern man, and
dared not disobey him"
And as l gazed into the timid face
I realized that poor Miss Stubbs had
not needed much coercion to make
her give up her day-dream at her stern
fathers command.
"What was your lover like? ?"
asked.
"Oh, my dear, he was the hand
soonest man | ever saw, with such at
tractive manners" she replied
"Was he tall?" l asked. (Being
fve-foot-nine myself, l had a profound
contempt for little men,
Eyes, dear, and such fine figure
nice broad shoulders, you know, and
a splendid carriage"
81 could not help wondering how
fine, handsome man could have fallen
in love with such a colorless nonentlty
of woman, but-as l have frequently
noticed-there is no accounting fol
tastes.
l was filled with pity for poor Mis-:
Stubs; it seemed so sad to go through
life without ever really living, as she
had done; and thus it was that my
great scheme occurred to me.
What good thing it would be i
Uncle James would marry Miss Stubs
and SO give her some comfort at the
end of her life.
Uncle James was a worthy, middle
aged bachelor-rather short and in.
creasingly stout-and was the apothe'
osi. of commonplace respectability.
He possessed kind heart and a
dogmatic manner and he lived chiefly
at his club, and thought a great deal
too much about things to eat.
l divulged my scheme to mother.
Mother laughed.
II should be very glad for your
uncle to marry" she said, "as it wor.
ries me to think of him all alone, es.
pecially when he is equity. But how
could you expect him, or any other
man, to fall in love with that faded
old maid ?"
! "Oh, 1 don't expect him to fall il