Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1917-12-20
An Adroit
Match Maker
tcopyrieht. 1917. western Newspaper union.i
ByELlNoR MARSH

Will uO CulluFcQ. LON Grklne, lor
nephew, was the mostly likely person
to inherit her property, but he had
never received any intimation that she
would leave it to him. He did not
live with her, nor had she ever espe-
cially favored him. Still he was her
only near living relative, so it was
inferred that he would be substantially
remembered in her will.
One evening, on going to his bach
elOr room before dinner, he found a
package there with a note from his
aunt. The note read:
Dear Tom: | saw this smoking
jacket at the wc,nans exchange today
and it occurred to me that it would
fit you. l hope you will enjoy many
an after-dinner smoke in it.
"Your affectionate IA
'Aunt Eliza"
What under the sun had induced
his aunt to give him smoking jacket
Tom could not understand. His room
was simply sleeping place for. him,
and, with no one there but himself,
he would never have thought of re-
naming in 1t for any other purpose.
When Tom came from his club that
evening, before going to bed he
thought he would have smoke. So
he lighted pipe, and putting on the
smoking jacket, after looking at him
self in mirror, he sat down to enjoy
his final days Whit. Naturally his
hands found their way into the side
pockets and in one of them was
crumpled bit Of paper. Taking it out
he saw writing on it, which he read,
as follows:
IF this jacket falls into the hands
of bachelor, I can give him some
thing to think about. 1t was made by
girl twenty years old, who is forced
to earn her living with her hands.
That is all have to say about myself.
Your Imagination may do the rest if
you are disposed to pursue it,"
THAT'S pretty plain bid for a hus-
band" said Tom to himself. "She
knows that all have to do is to go
to the Woman's Exchange with the
jacket, ask who made it, enter upon a
correspondence. with her and, presto!
we are changed from two lonely per-
sons to one happy couple. But not
for Tom; he has all he can do to pro-
vide for himself, without furnishing
living for a family"
But his curiosity had been kim
died. He wondered what sort of
looking girl she was. Blonde or bru-
nette? Tall or, short? What harm
could come from a mild Irritation with
her? There is always a pleasant an
ticipation in an expected meeting of
this kind. At the end of week Tom
took his jacket to the Woman's Elk
change and asked the manager-a
woman-who made it.
1--WE never give the names of those
who deposit goods with us for SALE"
was the reply.
Tom saw at once that he was
baked. He could think of no possible
way of learning the name of the
maker of his jacket. He gave the
matter up reluctantly. One day he
said to his aunt:
"Aunt Eliza, found in the pocket
OF that smoking jacket you gave me
note from the girl who made it,
Tom gave the good lady as, nearly
as he could remember the reading of
the note, and told her that he had been
refused her name at the Woman's
Exchange.
Mrs. Crawford explained to her
nephew that goods We're left for. sale
at the Woman's Exchange by persons
who had been brought up in comfort.
and some of the depositors We're re-
ceiyed in the best society. Many of
these did not care to have it known
that they made money in this way,
though there was no disgrace in what
they did. II think they will tell me
at the exchange" added Mrs. Craw-
ford, "the name you wish to know. I
will get it for you and introduce you
to the girl, but you must promise me
to keep to yourself the fact of your
knowing her secret"
Not long after this Tom was invited
to dine with his aunt, and on reaching
the house found there young lady.
He asked Mrs. Crawford if she was
the girl who made the smoking jacket,
and was informed that she was.
The girl was evidently lady. She
was plainly dressed but in excellent
taste; and when Mrs. Crawford re-
marked that she made all their own
clothes, was not too proud to acknowl-
edge the fact.
Well, to make long story short,
few months later Mrs. Crawford, find
ing these two in love with each other,
made a settlement on Tom which en-
abled him to marry.
Immediately after the wedding,
while surrounded by his and his wife's
relatives, he took from his pocket the
note he had found in his smoking
jacket and handed it to his wife.
What's this?" she asked.
"The note you wrote. to catch a
husband"