Her Uncle's Strategy

The following true story might perhaps fnrnish matter for a little comedy. It is generally the case that the more beautiful and the richer the girl is the more difficult are both her paronts and herself in the ehoice of a husband, and the moie offers they refuse. The one is too tall, the other too short, this not wealthy, that not re&pectable enougn. Meanwhile, one ! Bpring passes another, and year after year carries away leaf after leaf of the blo om of youth, and opportunity. Miss Hari'iet Selwood was the richest heiress in her native town of i shire, England, but sne had already ! corupleted her 27th year, and beheld almost all her young friends united to j men whotn she had at one time ov other discarded. Harriet began to be set down for an old maid. Her parents becamc really uneasy, and ?he herself ' lamented in private a position which ' is not a natural one, and to which j those to whom nature and fortune I have been niggardly of their gifts are obliged to submit; but Harriet, as we have said, was both handsome and very rich. Such was the state of thïngs, when her únele, a wealthy merchant in the north of Kngland, carne on a visit to her parents. He was a jovial, lively, straight-forward man, accustomed to attack all difficultiea boldly and coolly. "You see," Baid her father to him one day, "Harriet! continúes single. The girl is handsoine; what she is tohave for her une, you know; even in this loving town, not acreaturecan breathe the slightest imputation af;ainst her, and yet she is going to be an old inaid." "True," replied the uncle; "but, look yon, brother, the grand point in every afEair in this world is to seize theright moment; this you have not done - itis a miafortune; but let the girl go along with me, and before the end of three ' months I will return her to you as the wife of a man as young and j wealthy as herselt. Away went the niece with the uncle. Ontheway home be thus addi'essed her: "Mind what I am going to say. You are 110 longer Miss Sel wood, but Mrs. Lumley, my niece, a youtjg, wealthy, childless widowj you had the mtefortune to lose vour husband, Col. Lumley, after a happy utiion of a quarter ot u year,by ■ a fall f rom his horse while hunting." "But uncle - " "Let me manace, if you please, Mre. Ijumley. Your fatlier has invested me with fall' ppwers. Here, look you, is the wedding rlnsgi ven you by your Inte husband. jewels, and whatever else you need, your aunt will supply you with; and accustom yourself to cast down your eyes." The keen-witted uncle i troduced his niece everywhere, and the young widow excited a great ■ tion. The centiemen thronged about i her, and she soon had her choicfi out of twenty suitors. Her uncle advised her to take the one who was deepe3t in love with her, and a rare chance decreed that this should be precisely the most amiable and opulent. The match was soon concluded, and one day the uncle desired to say a few words to his future nephew in private. "My dearsir," he began, "we havetold ! you anuntruth." "Howso? AruMrs. j Lumley's affections - " "Xothing of the kind. My niece ia sincerely attached to you." "Then her fortune, I suppose, is not equal to what you told me?" "On the contrary it ia larger." "Well, what is the matter, then?" "A joke, nn innocent joke which came into my head one day when I was in a i good humor - we could not well recall it afterward. My niece is not a widow." ! "What! is Colonel Lumley living?" "No, no - she isa spinster." The lover protested that he was u happier fellow than he had conceived himself; and the old maid was forthwithraetamorphosed into a young wife.