The Western outlook., 1915-03-27
HER FINAL EFFORT
Outdid All Her Former Successes
as Matchmaker Ex-
traordinary.
BY LAWRENCE ALFRED CLAY.

Ifcopyrieht 1915, by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate)
| 1t was said of Aunt Mary Baker
of Wellsville, shortly before she died
at q good old age, that she had made
more matrimonial matches than any
Eve women in the state combined.
She was only thirty-five years of
age when her husband died, and in
stead of looking solemn for a year
and then marrying again, which she
could have done, she said to herself:
mo, no. There is work to be done
and my mission shall be to do it."
Did she mean that she was going
into the cause of temperance? That
she was going to smash show win
dows and set houses afire in the
cause of woman's rights? That she
was going to work up taste for
mutton instead of missionary in the
cannibal islands? That she was 60
ing to furnish hundred bucksaws
and like number of sawbuks and
coax the tramps of America to take
off their coats and get up a sweat?
Nothing of the sort. She wasn't
even going to give turkey dinner to
one hundred poor families and give
half of them collie from overeating
Aunt Mary's mission was to be the
bringing together of loving hearts and
stand by them until minister had
made one heart out of the two. The
hearts wouldn't be loving hearts ex-
actly until brought face to face, as
it were They would first be lonely
and discouraged hearts.
She didn't propose to NEEDLE with
the male and female who stood a
fair chance with their natural attrac-
tons, but to search out those on
whom nature had vented her spite by
giving them homely faces, lop Shout
ders, protruding teeth, bowlegs and
other handicaps 1t was not only
merciful mission, but glorious one.
Aunt Mary was called home at the
age of seventy-two, and the number
Of matches she had arranged since
she took up the business averaged two
per year. She lived with relatives,
who found no fault with her within,
and she drove about the country with
an old horse and buggy looking for
despairing hearts, Many a widow
would have been glad of her assist
ance, but she would not give it. When
she had heard of homeless old maid,
living from five to twenty miles away,
Aunt Mary would drive to the address
and introduce herself
81 have come to arrange a marriage
for you"
"But am so homely that no man
ever even walked home from prayer
meeting with me- might be the re-
ply.
Eyes, you are very, very homely,
but ! hope to find a husband for you.
He will be as homely as you are, but
you must expect that. Homely men
and women make the best husbands
and wives. You look to me to be
good-hearted woman"
''They say l am"
"Are you quick-tempered?"
mo"
Good at housework?"
u am told So"
"How about romance?"
i've got over expecting a prince to
come along"
And the age is about thirty-five"
About that, but this is making a
business of getting married, isn't II? %
my DEAR" replied Aunt Mary, 'if
you were only eighteen you would fall
in love with young man because he
wore cute necktie- A youth of TWEEN
ty would fall in love with you because
you sang alto. To make a sensible
marriage you must mingle business
with it, at least enough to know how
the first months rent is to be paid"
But who is the MANI" would be
asked.
81 don't know yet, but I shall find
one fer you"
And good Aunt Mary would go driv-
ing about the country asking: do