Year: 1872

Deacon Bancroft, though a yer,
good man in the main, and looked III
TO with respect by all the inhabitant:
of the little village of CentrevilIe
was rumorcd to have, in Yankee par
lance, "a pretty sharp eye to til,
main chance''--a peculiarity from
which even deacons are not always
exempt.


In worldly matters he was decid
edly well to do, having inherited a
fine farm from his father, which was
growinglyearly more valuable. II
might be supposed that under these
circumstances, the deacon, who was
fully able TO do SO, would have found
help-mate to share his house and
name. But the Deacon was wary.
MatrimOny was to him in some meas
ure a matter-of money, and it was
his firm resolve not to marry unless
he could thereby enhance his worldly
prosperity. Unhappily, the little
town of Centreville and the towns in
the immediate vicinity contained few
who were qualified in this important
particular and of those there were
probably none with whom the Dea-
cons suit would have prospered.


So it happened that wear after wear
passed away, until Deacon Bancroft
was in the prime of liie-forty-five, or
thereabouts--and still unmarried, and
in all human probability likely to re-
main so. But in all human calcula-
tions of this kind, they reckon i'll who
leave widows out.


Deacon Bancroft's nearest neighbor
was widow.


The Widow Wells who had passed
through one matrimonial experience
was some three or four years Young
er than Deacon Bancroft. She was
still quite a buxom, comely woman,
as widows are apt to be. Unfortu-
nately the late Mr.. Wells had not
been able to leave her sufficient to
make her independent of the world.
All that she possessed was the small
old-fashiOned house in which she
lived, and a small amount of money.
which was insufficient to support her
and little son of seven, likewise to
be enumerated in the schedule of her
property, though hardly to be classed
as productive" Of anything but mis-
chief.


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


1t is surprising that under these
circumstances she should now have
bethOught herself of second mar
riage, as a method of bettering her
condition! Or again, need We es-
teen it special wonder if, in her re-
Elections upon this point, she should
have cast her eyes upon her next
neighbor, Deacon Bancroft The
deacon, as we have said, was in
flourishing circumstances. He would
be able to maintain a wife i'm great
comfort; being one Of the chief per-
sonages in the village, could accord
her prominent social position. He
was not especially handsome, or cal
culated to make a profound impress
sion upon the female heart-this was
true-but he had a good disposition,
kind-hearted, and would no doubt
make very good sort of a husband.
Widows, are, take it, (if any shall
do me the honor and read this story.
| trust they will forgive the remark. }
less disposed to weigh sentiment in a
second alliance than a first, and SO in
the widows point Of view, the dea-
con tcds a match.


Some sagacious person, however,
has observed that it takes two to
make a match, fact 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 the
next neighbor, would have been in
clined to propose changing her name
to Bancroft, unless, indeed, a suitable
motive was brought to bear upon
him.


Here was chance for some finess-
ing, wherein widows are said, as a
general thing to be expert.


One evening after a day of very
fatiguing labor, the Widow Wells
sat at the fire in the cosy sitting-room
with her small feet resting upon the
fender.


'If | am ever so situated a. not to
have to work so hard,r she murmur-
ed, Il shall be happy. It's hard
life, keeping boarders. If / was as
well off as Deacon Bancroft--"


Still the widow kept up her think
ing, and by-and-by her face brighten
ed up. She had an idea which she
resolved to put into execution at the
earliest possible moment What it
was, the reader will discover in the
sequel.


Henry" said she to her son, the
next morning, Il want you to stop at
Bancroft's, as you go to school, and
ask him if he will call and see me in
the course of the morning or after
noon, just as he finds it most conven-
lent"


Deacon Bancroft was a little sur