Daily American telegraph., 1852-07-20
AMERICAN TELEGRAPH.
From the National Era.
Our Minister'S Second Wife.
BY MARY IRVING.

brows, involuntarily, while her forehead flush
ed purple for an instant. She was herself
again the next moment But she was not a
little puzzled how to receive the news; espe-
cially as there was another visiter in the room,
into whose kindly credulous ears she had been
pouring hints of her influence over and mtl-
macy with, the good man himself ms ys-
tier. Miss Polly little. was one of the kndest
creatnres that ever wore the name OF old
maido She always believed everything that
every one fold her-at least, it 1t was TO the
ADVANTAGE Of any being; and il statements
would sometmes conflict with each other the
most that she would say was
"WelL it's very queer | can't see through
thatV
aYou don't tell So" she exclaimed, with
the broadest of believing smiles, the instant
after Aunt Liph had ended her say "Why !!
well, well it's queer world, and queer folks
in it Now, had kind of thinking he was
looking over this way--eh, Mrs Ray?" and
she looked good d-humoredy at her hostess for
her assent to this very unwelcome home
thrust.
Mrs. Ray repaid her by vinegar glance,
scarcely sugared by common politeness She
had resumed her needle-work, for q moment in
terrupted; and now she said, with more dig
nifty than ever
II should like to know what authority you
have for that report, Mrs. Brown Z"
"Why it's fact, tell you, us sure as you're
living, Widder Ray!" replied the astonished
gossip-monger.
Who told youan interrupted Mrs. Ray,
looking up curtly, in spite of herself
Why / was just now down to Deacon
Johnson's--you know, Polly, her child EMS just
over the whooping and | was fetching
Benny bagfull of onions to roast nights
they're the sovereignest cure for the hanging
on hack Of cough! Well, as was saying,
went down there, being out O sewing work
and down sits, to be bit sociable. SAYS to
Deacon johnson, Well what's the news, Dea-
conp Says he, You mind me that hain't
been to fetch any news yet; it's Office day.
and so off he goes"
Mrs. Ray had laid down her work, and was
listening attentively.
So there sat with Miss Johnson, a waiting
for him to come back; and Miss Johnson says
''Never mind Mrs Johnson. What wasn-
That's just what Pm going to tell you 1!
Miss Johnson says she, It's getting spring
like Yes saysI 'Isuppose our minister ii
be thinking so pretty soon, may be. When do
you expect him = for, you know, the Deacon
has the keys of the house and barn. [ don't
know says she; Il guess likely the Deacon
will get letter to-day And sure enough
hve minutes after, he came trudging up the
steps with letter open in his hand His face
was in kind of pucker; and down he sat-
with his hat on, to read it. Now it's my opin-
ion Deacon Johnson amt much of scholar
larnt man -
Mrs. Ray frowned and hemmed impatiently;
but there was no hindering the depression.
Because, though | don't set up for much
extra learning myself | was always brought
t0 fin hat + )l
stump me on the crookedest word! and Mr..
Young writes readable hand, for sure For
all that | got tired waiting for the Deacon to
finish and he wipes his Specs and fuses his
forefnger along the lines like snail, till at
last gets out of patience; and says l. Bless
me, Deacon, he might have writ three while
you've been reading the one! Here let's help
you along bitn Up | jumps, and makes a
catch at the letter. Deacon Johnson looks up
over his specs; then he takes them of kind of
slowly, and lets 60 the letter, WITH Well |
dare say-itsno pr-priyacyn (you know how he
sticks in his words) So read it with my
own good eyes-they are as good as they were
at sixteen, this day, without specs; and there
it was, in black and white J" she exclaimed,
triumphantly.
And he said he was going to get mar
ried?" put IN Miss Polly, who had been pla.
cidly and patiently listening to this long, shall
low flow of words
Got married, | tell you done-for-fxed-
clear finished up the business in q hurry, too.
Pm thinking! 1t puts me out of breath to think
ont! Why, there's his blessed wife that was.
hasn't laid still in her coffin more than a year |!
And he must take bout after new one-and
a furriner at thatlo
"a foreigner!" repeated Mrs Ray, quickly
and sharply. "What do you mean 2"
Il .&,, 4
down South there, where they live among the
niggers! don't mean she amt an English
woman, Mrs Brown, somehow, dubbed all
Anglo-Americans Enghh,l but such an one
as she's likely to be, had better have stayed
away from these parts. Such as hasn't been
used to brush a fly off their little finger, wont
go any great ways with us hard-working
women J" said she with sort of bitter en-
phasis.
"You don't say she's SoutherneraD said
good-hearted Polly Little, for the first time
seeming slightly disturbed must explain.
that, in Polly's vocabulary, Southerner," and
STAKEHOLDER" were synonymous
What else could she be?" retortcd Mrs.
Ray; then suddenly putting on an air of in
difference, she added, 4 suppose he didn't
mention the time of coming? ?b'
"Yes, he did, though. along about the last
paragraph; and it's right upon us too. for he's
to be here this very day week. The Deacon Is
going to get the house fixed right up: and
seems to me he said something or other about
getting you to help him. But he speaks so
slow, and | was so all Austered up with the
news, that didn't rightly take the sense of his
talking Bless me how Pm wasting my time
with you! can't stay bit longer. All Fvo
got to say is"--she jumped up and tied her
green calash--" that if any SLAYER womdn has
set up to come here and lord it over us farmer
folks she'll find herself pretty much mistaken !;