The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1899-04-05
Consulted Fer Relatives
Family ff1ass fa1seting to Calk Over
Eelen'S future State

~ cOulu De III ner own way, DuL With ii
Strong tendency to keep the run of
everything and everybody in her
own block and with mania
for including herself in any group
of relatives and friends" that
might be invited to attend any flu
neral within a mile of her own home,
received the following letter from her
niece recently;
Dear Aunt Sue: 1t may surprise you to
hear that want to get married. but know
that it will please you to learn that before
taking such an important step / mean to
consult you and all my other relatives and
then be guided by the opinion upon which
most of you agree.
You know that there has always been
more or less hard feeling and GOODNESS
among the folks ever since my sisters Ju-
dith and Emma were married, just because
everyone was not consulted in ad-
vance. Since Judith married Tom, you
know, Aunt Eunice has hardly spoken
to her, and Aunt Eunice's boys
won't even recognize Tom on the
street, not because they have a
thing against him, for he is very good
husband, but because they were not con-
suited. And it is just as bad with Emma
and Cousin George. He pretends that he
is heart-broken because she married Will
a man William was when she knew all
about it herself.
NOW, don't want to cause any more
dissensions in the family, and so propose to
have what you might call a mass meeting
of all our folks and urge general discus
sion and then take ballot to see who is
:he most suitable man for me to marry.
AS do not propose to have any vote my
self, for fear of hurting some ones feel
ings, 1 shall preside at the meeting. After
calling the meeting to order l shall an
nounce that 1 have received two offers of
marriage, one from a young clergyman
and one from young business man. They
are both splendid young men, have good
positions, and if / was mother am sure
that 1 should be perfectly willing for my
daughter to marry either of them. I'll
admit that I prefer one to the other and
if 1 felt at liberty to decide for myself
would not hesitate to make my choice.
However, l should not say at the meet
ing which one 1 prefer, because 1 know
that one of mothers cousins does not like
him.
IT have counted up all my relatives on
both sides, and find that in addition to ia
Their and mother, the four grandparents,
my brother, two sisters and two brothers
in-law, there are seven aunts, IL uncles.
% first cousins Is second cousins, three
great-aunts and my little niece. So you see
that it will be quite a mass meeting.
shall ask all who cannot come to send let
tiers expressing in full their opinions and
preferences in the matter l shall read
these letters aloud at the meeting which
will be held next Thursday evening. Your
affectionate niece,
HELEN.
P. S.-Do you know whether John Hud-
dington is really a cousin of ours, or do
we call him uncle because the families used
to be so intimate. He is living out in Omaha
now, and, of course, couldn't come to the
meeting, but if he is actually relative, l
must write to him and get his opinion by
letter. Please answer. H."
Aunt Sue was delighted with the let
ter from Helen, and after writing back
that John Huntington was a sort OF a
third cousin and that it wouldn't do any
harm to consult him, and also announc-
ing that she would come to the meet
ing early enough for dinner and to have
long private talk before the meeting.
the spinster lost no time in telling her
reighbors what a sensible niece she had
and that her brother had at least one
daughter who was credit to the fam
lily.
The plans for the meeting went eff
without a hitch, and of the II relatives
invited Ill were present but one aunt,
three Cncles, seven cousins and the
= little niece. The little niece, Judith's
child was reported as sick with a bad
cold, which caused Eunice to sniff and
intimate that Judith knew as much
about taking care of baby as she did
about whale, and that she had mar
ried the wrong man, anyway. But
the friction didn't develop and Helen
got her mass meeting into parliament
tary form without confusion.
''You have all learned, she said, "from
your letters of invitation what the pur-
pose of this family gathering is. | feel
very grateful that so many of you have
shown your interest in my welfare by
coming here tonight. Before asking for
remarks L will read two letters that I
have received, one from Uncle Joe and
the other from Cousin Susan. This is
the one from uncle:
"'My dear Niece: Your strange request
received. 1t will be impossible for me to
attend your foolish meeting, but 1 would
not come If I could, because it is none of
my busness-your choice of a husband.
Marry the man who loves you and whom
you love, and 1t is my earnest wish that
he may be worthy of you. I'll be at the
wedding, no matter what other engage
ments / have. Congratulating you in ad-
vance, am your affectionate
UNCLE JOE"
Murmurs of disapproval from the as
sembled relatives followed the reading
of this first letter. One aunt expressed
her gratitude that Joe wasn't OH her
side of the family, and said that he
never had amounted to much and never
would. Three other aunts and two
cousins said: 81 told you SO" in con-