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


A "wife!r 1t is sacred word, however il
may have been degraded in this world, since
Eve lost Paradise Aud the wife of a month
live she in cottage or in palace-the Wite,
mean, who embodieS all the strong strange
beautiful significance Of that soul-breathing
words sacred creature, yelled in her OWL
dreams, hallowed by the sweetest smile that
the Father of Love and Light ever drops upon
the heart of an earth-dweller Such wife
was Emily Young--the flower of Georgian
soil, transplanted by her husbands heart and
hand to the suow-topped hills of New Eng Gland
But we must not stand in the way of the
impatient villagers.
Hush! IL is Sunday morning and the great
church is crowded to OVERLOOKING Never die
| it hold such cOngregatlon-neyer did Sab
bath congregation compress so much excite
ment ] wonder if some OF those young mef
in the gallery will not feel tempted to hurral
when their straning eyes light upon the goo'
minister again Those restless women, too, II
the corners of all those pews How they fid
get and thump with their knuckles the stub
| byheaded children who are 40 presuming a
| to fdget too and climb the seats to peep about
They were sorey disappointed last night; they
meant to have caught glimpse, at least but
the travellers came in long after nightlall,
Hush every breath is drawn, every sound
hushed save the fall of pew-cricket which
child has overturned by a quick spring
for-here come the minister and his wife
" That she That our minister's wife .
The unbroken silence was most omlnous
No rustling back into seats, no dcep-drawn
breath of satisfaction, broke the suflocating
stiffness of that crowded church, ~ q white,
wllowy, young beautiful fair vision iloated up
the broad aisle to the minister's pew
Oh! she was too young, too fair, to cling thus
to the gray-headed, care-worn man at her side
and if they had blamed him, instead Of her
so gently, at least, rs they had been won't to
blame him for his imprudent acts-it might
have been better.
Her dress-her dress :" repeated one, in
an agitated whisper just as the bride, passing
into her pew, lifted her gossamer VEIL and
turned her rose-lit face, with n tmid blush Of
ohild-like pleading on one-half the congrega-
ton
There had been spring snow storm 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 falleni She only knew that
she was brde-and, M bride. she thought
she must dress SO, in her gauze-like wedding
dress of tieecicst muslin with costly but
slight scarf of white and azure, and the fairy
hat her city mlliner had loaded with bridal
flowers, Emily Young made her first appear
ance before her astounded parshioners
"Why did not her husband teach her bet
ter ;" do ! hear you ask MIR Young was no
dabbler in the department Of a lady's dress.
| He had, however, suggested to HIS wife, as she
was dressing for church thaeinorning-
at is colder here than il Georgia, Emmy
hadn't you better put on your blue merino -
And sho had answered, with the halfquizi.
cal. half-wilful smile of petted chid-wiie, y
"A bride in blue how ridiculous"
But if you should take coldi"
sob no, indeed have always been used to
dress in white; and you know ! am hall
smothered with flannel Wrappers
So the poor bride decked herself like 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-
tering that large church, she first encountered
that avalanche Of curiosity. But she bravely
ran the gauntlet OF those hundreds Of searching
ewes vet not unscathed, if one might Judge by
the deeper crimson that now and then dyed the
rose, Of her cheeks lnvountarily she turned,
on entering the large, empty pew, TO secwheth-
or her husband was not 10 follow her. Then,
in On instant, remembering that the minister
was in his own church, and that she was his
wife, she took her scat with graceful dignity,
and opening her gilded Bible, dropped her veil,
to screen the heart that, a. she fanoied, showed
it, beatings too plainly through the transpa-
rent. ingenious face.
She sat forcbly upright, trying TO still her
pulses but she trembled, in spite OF herself,
with deeper chill than that Of the atmo.
sphere-the chill that freezing looks were cast
ing upon her-until her husband arose in the
pulpit. =,
II was not until then that his people had
leisure to take special notice Of him. Tears
came to the eyes OF many as they now looked
up 10 him whom they had not hoped to ~ee
again on earth. Health had dyed his once
hectic check with steady glow. Happiness
had stolen back upon the track OF Time, and
given him one of his younger years to live over
again but the frosts Of sorrow had not fallen
from his head That head was now bowed in
emotion unuttersble ~ he stood there, silently,
tsarfnlly, stretching out his hands in Messing
.v.r h,s long loved flock