The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-07-22
For tho National Era.
OUR MINISTER'S SECOND WIFE.
BY MARY IRVING


A "wife!" 1t is a sacred word, however it
may have been degraded in this world, since
Eve lost Paradise And the wife of a month,
live she in cottage or in palace-the wJe,
mean, who embodies all the strong, strange,
beautiful significance OF that soul-breathing
words a sacred creature, yelled in her own
dreams, hallowed by the sweetest smile that
the Father of Love and Light ever drops upon
the heart of an earth-dwelleri Such a wife
was Emily Young-the flower of Georgian
soil, transplanted by her husbands heart and
hand to the snow-topped hills of New England.
But we must not stand in the way of the
impatient villagers.
Hush! 1t is Sunday morning and the great
church is crowded to overlooking Never did
it hold such congregation-never did Sab
bath congregation compress so much excite
ment wonder if some of those young men
in the gallery will not feel tempted to hurrah
when their straining eyes light upon the good
minister again Those restless women too, in
the corners of all those pews How they tid-
get, and thump with their knuckles the stub
by.headed children who are 80 presuniing az
to fidget, too and climb the seats to peep about !!
They were sorely disappointed last night; they
meant to have caught a glimpse at least but
Tile tTtNtiftIb Cuiilc nv iobB Hio'i 'Su'i"'
Hush every breath is drawn, every sound
husbed, save the fall of II pew-cricket which
a child has overturned by a quick spring
for--here come the minister aud his wife
That she That our minister's wife
The unbroken silence was most ominous.
No rustlng back into seats, no deep-drawn
breath of satisfaction, broke the sufocatng
stiffness of that crowded church, as a white,
willowy, young, beautiful fair vision iloated up
the broad aisle to the minister's pew.
Oh! she nas too young, too fair, to cling thus
to the gray-headed, care-worn man mt her side;
and if they had blamed HIM, instead of her
50 gently, ut least, ms they had been wont to
blame him for his imprudent acts-it might
have been better.
"Her dress-her dress repeated one, in
an agitated whisper just the bride, passing
into her pew, lifted her gossamer veil, and
turned her rose-lit face with timid blush Of
child-like pleading on one-half the congrega-
ton.
There had been spring sn0w-st0rm the day
before, and the air was chill enough for cloaks
and furs. But what should Emily have known
of snow storms! She on whom even "a frost
flake had never fallen She only knew that
she was a bri,Ie-and, TX a bride she thought
she must dress So in her gauze-like wedding
dress of heeciest muslin, with II costly but
slight scarf of white and azure, and the fairy
hat her city milliner had loaded with bridal
flowers. Emily Young made her first appear
ance before her astounded parishoners
"Why did not her husband teach her bet
ter ~ do hear YOU ask Mr.. Young was no
dabbler in the department Of ladys dress
He had, however, suggested to hs wife, as she
was dressing for church tharmorning-
at is colder here than IN Georgia Emmy
hadn't YOU better put on your blue merino -
And She had answered with the halfauizzi-
cal, halfwIful smile of a petted child-wife,"
"A bride in blue how ridiculous"
3But if YOU should take cold?D
sob no. indeed have always been used to
dress in white; and you know am half
snothered with flannel wrappers
So the poor bride decked herself like a lamb
for sacrifice to be victimized by those whom,
for her husbands sake, she most desired to
please-his people.
Her heart flew up to her throat, when, en-
terinp that large church, she first encountered
that avalanche Of curiosity But she bravely.I
ran the gauntlet Of those hundreds of searching
ayes vet not unscatbed IL one might Judge by