Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1862-01-03

know she was taking notes Of his sermon
which she pronounced TO be 'the mos
impressive, touching, and sublime dis
course she had heard" aud then, too, sh'
knew he had fine ear for music by th'
way he scowled "when Ju!iet Lindsey
screamed SO loud in the gallery"
Was there ever choir OF singers whC
did not quarrel more or less? II so, i
was not the choir of Ellingwood, which
as long as Matilda Bliss led the van, were
in continued uproar. Besides being
pitched on three flats, Matilda 5 voice had
in it a slight crack, just big enough to lei
all the bad sounds out, while it resolutely
kept all the good ones in. Of this, how
ever, she was not in the least aware, and
when her fellow singers made an effort tc
di>lodge her from their ranks, there wa:
war at once, the five Bllsses with lew
others heading one party, while every
body else headed the other. The contest
was fierce one, but it ended in the re-
moval Of Matilda and the installation in
her place of Juliet Lindsey, on whom
the five Blisses ever after looked with
evil eyes. The widow sometimes groan-
ing audibly, dropped suddenly into her
seat when Juliet, on purpose TO tease her,
poured out some Of her loudest strains.
Once, as the people were leaving the
church, Matilda whispered TO Juliel's sis
ter Mary, asking her 'if her grandmoIh.
er were not in the gallery that day."
"Grandma why, no what made you
think so p exclaimed Mary.
"Oh - returned Matilda, i didn't
turn round when they were singing, but
heard a voice which sounded so much
like an old woman's that l thought per-
haps Juliet WAS sick, and your grand.
mother had taken her place - and with a
feeling Of relief the ama5le lady walled
away.
For few months after this the pew OF
tie Basses was vacant, during which
lime there ensucd a degree Of quiet, and
when they came again to church the sing
ing was Cf minor importance, as Matilda
had conceived the idea of becoming Mrs.
Slanwood. To accomplish this, the young
minister, full ten years her junior, was
each week invited to take tea at the
Mansion" as they termed their place OF
resideGce-MrS. Bliss and her other three
daughters usually managing to leave him
alone for some time with the learned Ma
lilda, who spared no pains 10 impress him
with sense Of her superior wisdom.
Many of his books were borrowed, look
ed through, marked, and returned, al
ways by Matilda herself who thus be-
came frequent visitor at lis study,
where she sometimes staid for hours,
greatly 10 the annoyance Of the young
man, who grew Gdsety under the inaic-
ton.
At last, one day he left for the city of
Elms, where rumor said there dwelt
dark eyed girl who would ere long come
to EIlingwood as The clergyman's wife.
But to this Mrs. Bliss was utterly incred-
ulous. "She knew betler-Mr. Stan
wood would never have given so much
encouragement TO Matilda if he had been
engaged to some one else. 1t was all
eer4alsehood. and SO they would find"
She changed her mind, however, when
on the first Sabbath after Mr.. Stanwood's
return, he brought with him to church a
pale, fragile creature, who leaned conf
dinghy upon his am, and then, the moment
he left her, shrank like startled iawn,
from the prying eyes which gazed so Gu
riously upon her. She was very beauti
rul--too beautiful for the envious Matl-
da--and forthwith from the mansion on
the hillside open hostilities were declared
against the neat cottage in the valley,
where the young stranger, scarcely yet
seventeen, first tried the mysteries of
housekeeping, OF which she was as igno
rant as the merest child. OF course her
mistakes were numerous and ludicrous,
elicting from that portion OF the villa
gers who followed in the wake of the
Dlisscs, many i!!natured remarks con-
cerning herself and husband, the latter
being severely censured for giving to
his people wife who knew no better
than " TO bake bread in the morning and
throw it away at night"
In Ellingwood, which boasted many
excellent housekeepers, who thought the
scrubbing of a floor or the busting of n
chair the chief end of woman, TO be ig-
norant of bread making was, Of course,
great fault, but it was soon forgotten in
the more serious accusations brought
against her by Matilda Bliss, who said
"she was neither scholar nor Chris
tisn." The former was proved by her