The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1858-12-30

view with Mrs. Newton.
+ We found her sitting in her orderly
arranged little parlor, her person as
neat as everything around her, and her
three children as sweet and pure as
May blossoms. Two were playing on
the floor, and the babe slept in the
cradle, that was drawn SO close to the
mother that she could touch the rocker,
if needed, with her foot. She was
sewing on shirt for her husband.
-Four ladies made up the committee-a
formidable number. Mr.. Newton was
away, attending the funeral of poor
laborer's child-so the coast was clear,
and the culprit in our power.
With an easy grace the minister's
wife received us, and after we were all
seated she stepped to the door and
spoke to her girl, who was in the kitchen.
A smart, tidy-looking domestic came
forward, and Mrs. Newton said to her,
with kindness of manner that could
not help noticing,
"Take Aggy and George into the
garden, Jane, and keep them until /
call you.'
Yes, ma'am." The girl spoke very
cheerfully. The two children sprang
up instantly from the floor, and bound
ing from the room left us alone with
Mrs. Newton and her sleeping baby.
A grave silence followed. The COM
mittee was embarrassed, bIt the min
ister's wife was entirely at her ease.
eve have come," said Miss Lane,
after sundry preliminary throat-clear-
ings and bridling motions of the head
peculiar to herself, "to have little
conversation with you about our church
matters"
Hadn't you better talk on that SUBJ
ject with my husband ?" was answered,
with the utmost self-composure. at
is his particular province"
"No, ma'am," said Miss Lane, her
voice gaining emphasis eve have no
fault to find with Mr.. Newton. He
does his part entirely to our satisfac-
ton"
"Oh! understood" Mrs. Newton
spoke as if light were breaking into her
mind
eyes, ma'am," Miss Lane went on,
cit is your duty in the church that we
have come to talk about, not your hus-
bands; and hope you will not take
it i'll of us if we speak out plainly"
"Not by any MEANS" replied Mrs.
Newton. 1 noticed a slight quiver in
her voice, a slight flushing of her
cheeks, and Frightening of her soft
hazel eyes. But it was plain that she
was fully selfpossessed, and in no way
intimidated by this unexpected citation
to answer for delinquencies.
"Not by any MEANS" she repeated.
"Speak out plainly, and if in any thing
l have been derelict, / will confess my
fault, and do all | can to lead better
life."
Plain speaking is always best,'
said our mouth piece, oracularly. ESQ
we will speak plainly. The fact is,
Mrs. Newton, you have failed almost
entirely to meet the expectations of our
people,"
"Indeed am grieved to learn this. "
Mrs. Newton spoke seriously, but with
no sign of disturbance. i was not
before aware that the people had any
special claims upon me-"
"No special claims upon your' Miss
Lane uttered the words in undisguised
astonishment. No special claims!''
she repeated, "and you the wife of our
minister!'
What do you expect of me ?"
calmly inquired Mrs. Newton.
"We have already intimated our ex-
pectations in various ways. There is
the girls senior class in Sunday-school ;
that, of course, we expected you to
take. And you are wanted OH the
Visiting Committee and in our Mis-
sionary Society. Unless our Ministers
wife takes the lead in the temporalities
of the church nothing will prosper"
Then" said Mrs. Newton, cit is
understood that while my husbands
duties relate mainly to the spiritualities
of the church mine have special regard
to its temporalities. D.
Certainly, ma'am! You have ex-
pressed the difference of relation ex-
actly," replied Miss Lane, led on by
the peculiar way in which Mrs. New
ton put the questions to admit the
lexistence of very wide range of du-
ties as required of that lady by the
congregation of ST. Charity.
"This is all new to me, ladies'" said
the minister's wife, Il was not aware
before that any one in the congrega-
ton regarded me as having failed in
duty"
"Every one SO regards YOU" Oul
apokes-woman was parsonage who
used great plainness of speech.
"This should have been stated IL
the beginning" said Mrs. Newton
F" How was / to know your views in the
matter? / saw all Of my husbands
correspondence, but not a word was
said about his wife or the parish re
ouirements in her case. Now it ap
pears that her range of duties is almost
as wide as his. fought to have known
this before / came here, ladies and
really think the complaint of failure il
duty is against you instead of me. Le
me ask, so as to reach a clear under
standing of this matter, what salary d.
you pay your minister's wife ?"
+" Salaryp' gasped Miss Lane, he
under jaw falling, and her eyes pro
i ;ectinU at least a ouarter of an incl