The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1859-01-27
The Village Wedding.
BY MISS MILFORD.

The sweetest flower of the garden,
the JOY and pride of Dame Wilson'S
heart, was her daughter Hannah. Well
might she be proud of her. At sixteen,
Hannah Wilson was, beyond a doubt,
the prettiest girl in the village, and the
best. Her beauty was quite in a differ
ent style from the country rosebud-far
more choice and rare. Its chief char
acteristic was modesty. A light, youth
full figure, exquisitely graceful and rap
i'd in its movements; springy, elastic
and buoyant as bird, and almost as
shy; fair, innocent face, with down
cast eyes, and smiles and bushes com
ing and going almost with her thought;
a low, soft voice, sweet in its monosyl-
lables; dress remarkable for its neat
ness and propriety, and borrowing
from her delicate beauty an air of SUI
periority not its own-such was the
outward woman of Hannah. Her mind
was like her person-modest, graceful,
and generous above all.
The generosity of the poor is always
a very real fine thing: they give what
they want; and Hannah was, of all
poor people, the most generous. She
loved to give; it was her pleasure, hel
luxury. Rosy-cheeked apples, plums
with the bloom on them, nosegays OF
clover and blossomed myrtle; these
were offerings which Hannah delighted
to bring to those she loved, or those
who had shown her kindness; whilst
to such of her neighbors as needed at
tentions more than fruit and flowers
she would give her time, her assistance
her skill; for Hannah inherited hel
mothers dexterity in feminine employ
ments, with something of her fathers
versatile power.
Besides being an excellent laundress
she was accomplished in all the arts Of
the needle, millinery, dress-making, and
plain work; capital cutter, and in
comparable mender, and endowed with
a gift of altering, which made ole
things look better new. As dairy
woman and rearer Of poultry, she was
equally successful none of her turkeys
and ducks ever died of neglect or care
lessness; or, to use the phrase of the
poultry-yard on such occasions, of ''il
luck" Hannah's fowls never dreamed
of sliding out of the world in such ar
ignoble way they all lived to be killed
to make noise at their death as chick
ems should do. og... ~ ~
She was famous scholar; kept ac
counts, wrote bills, read letters, and
answered them; was trusty accoun
tant, and safe confdant. There was
no end to Hannah's usefulness, or Han
nah's kindness; and her prudence was
equal to either. Except to be kind OF
useful, she never left her. home; at
tended no fairs or revels, or Mayings
went nowhere but to church, and sci
dom made nearer approach to rustic
revelry than by standing by her own
garden gate on Sunday evening, with
her little sister in hand, to look at the
lads and lasses on the green.
In short, our village beauty had fair
ly reached her twentieth year without
sweetheart, or without the slighest
suspicion of her having love-letter or
her own account, when, all of a sudden
appearances changed. She was mis-
sing at the accustomed gate;' ont
had seen young man go into Dam,
Wilson's, and another had deserted
trim, elastic figure, walking not unac
companied down the shady lane. Mat
tiers were quite clear. Hannah had 90
a lover; and when poor little Susan