Year: 1864

Deacon Bancroft, though a very good
man in the main, and looked up to with
respect by all the inhabitants OF the little
village OF Centerville, was rumo"ed to have,
in Yankee parlance, pretty sharp look
out for the main chance, peculiarly from
which deacors are not always exempt.


La worldly matters he was well to do,
having inherited fine farm from his faith
er, which was growing yearly more valua
bic 1t might be supposed that under
these cir, umstances the deacon. who was
fully able to do so, would have found
heipmate to share his house and name
But the deacon was wary. Matrimony
was to him, in some measure, a matter of
money, aud it was his firm resolve not to
marry unless he could thereby enchance
his worldly prosperity Unhsppily, the
little village of Centerville and the town
in the immediate vicinity, contained few
who were qualified in this important partic
uar, and OF these there were propahly some
with whom the deacon's suit would have
prospered


So it happened that years passed away.
until deacon Bancroft was in the prim, Of
hte-iorty fge or thereabouts-and It'll
unmarried and in all propahihty iikel to
remain so. Bur in ali human calculations
OF thar kind they reckon i'll who leave wild
ows out.


Deacon Bancroft's nearest neis shbor was
a widow.


The widow Wells no had passed through
one matrimonial experience, was some
three or four years younger than deacon
Bancroft She was buxom. comely wO
man, as widows are apt to be. Unturtu
nately, the late Mr. Wells had not been
able to leave her sufficient to make her in
dependent of the world All that she pos
sessed was the small old fashioned house
10 which she lived and a small amount OF
money, which was Insufficient To support
her, and little son Of seven, likewise to
he enumerated IN the schedule OF her prop
erty, though hardly to be classed as = roduc
i've of any thing but mischief.


The widow was therefore obliged to take
three or four toarders, to exc out her sc .nty
income, which of course, imposed upon he,
considerable labor and anxiety


1t is surprising that u;der these clrcum
stances She should now and then bethink
herself Of a second marriage to better her
condition? Or again, need we esteem it d
special wonder, if, III her reflection on this
pnlut, she should have cast her eyes on her
next ueighhor, deacon bancroft? The
deacon, as We already said, was in flourish
ing circumstances He would be able to
maln'aln wife In great comfort; and being
one OF the chief personages in the village.
could atfurd her prominent social position.
lie Was not especially handsome. or calcu
lated to make "a profound impression on the
female heart-thiS Was true-but he was
good dispositioned, kind hearted, and would
no doubt make very good sort of hus
baud Willows are, | take it, (if they do
me the honor to read this story trust
that they will forgive theoremafk,) less
dispused to weigh sentiment in a second
marriage than at first, and so, in widow
point OF view, deacon Bancroft Was desir
abie match


Some sagacious person. however, has oh
served that it takes two TO make match,
a tact to be seriously considered, for in the
present case it was exceedingly DOUBTFUL
whether the worthy deacon, even if he had
known the favorable opinion of his next
neighhor, would have been inclined to pro-
pose changing her name to Bancroft, nm
less indeed suitable motive was brought
to bear upon him


Here was superb chance for fnessing,
wherein widows are said, as general thing,
to he expert.


One evening after day of fatiguing la
Dor, the widow Wells sat at the tire in the
sitting room with her feet resting Oh the
tender.


If | am ever so situated as not to have
to work SO hard, | shall he happy It's
hard life keeping boarders. 1t Was only