The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1863-04-16

mesticated were nearly related to the
Blairs. Phillip Denny, his host, the
only brother Of the late Mrs. Blair, was
one of the wealthiest men in the valley
but, though violently religious, bad the
reputation of great penuriousness. He
had but one child, a daughter, and as
she is to he no unimportant character
in this "simple story" it is time she
was known to my reader. So, my dear
sir, or madame, allow me to present to
you Miss Katherine Denny, the beauty
and belle for many miles up and down
the valley of the Juniata. She was a
superb creature-a perfect Irish Juno
with the queenliest of forms, the
blacklist eyes conceivable, and out OF
which flashed FIRE, beautiful, but dan.
gerous, like lighting from midnight
cloud. Katherine had been for some
while the leader and life of gay society
in that region, and had won for herself
the name of being an arch coquette.
But soon after the advent of that raro
ocis, minister, young, rich, and hand
some, she became. to the great dismay
of be worldly admirers, suddenly Seri-
ous. She cut the vain bows from her
bonnet, and the equally vain beaux, at
her side: she joined the "class" spirit
ual in the conference room, and forsook
the class Terpsichorean in the ball
room of "The Golden Horn" She
walked demurely to meeting, and sung
hymns and talked theology with the
young minister, until his susceptible
heart was affected to the degree that
he found himself preaching with her
commendations in view, and yet blush
ing and stamering painfully when he
marked her great black eyes fixed upon
him in sermon time. She was thus Gin
the full tide of successful experiment. -
when, with the strange want of tact
which the most artful women often dis
play when their hearts are touched, she
grew impatient Of the slow and sure
policy, and resolved to conclude
her conquest by ,oatp de-naai,a, she
suddenly made her debut as an erhor,
ter!
She proved herself, possessed of rare
talent, of absolute genius as a speaker
She talked like an inspired prophecies,
and electrified her audience with her
wonderful burst of eloqueace. Her
warnings and denunciations were al
times fearfully grand, and produced
the most striking effect upon impressi-
bic hearers. Bui, as for Elbridge, she
had mistaken her man. Though, as
an orthodox Methodist, he advocated
woman's religious rights, and believed
in the spiritua. equality of the sexes,
his natural delicate sensativeness, and
his early prejudices, were certainly op
posed to the unmaidenly course which
katherine Denny was pursuing. He
was panied, disappointed, i'll at ease
every way, but did not presume to ad
wise against that which he believed the
result of an imperious sense of duty on
the part of the beautiful religious en-
thusiast. One Monday, while taking
his morning walk, musing on these
things, and striving to reconcile old
taste with newly-formed principles he
overheard part of conversation be-
tween two of his church members who
were at work in field by the roadside.
There had been a meeting of exciting
interest the night previous, and one of
the men said to his companion
''Did you know that Tom Henderson
had got religion?"
"You don't say so (! How ?''
"Why, he happened in at the meet
ing last evening, just for deviltry; but
when Katherine Denny come to free
her mind, he 'ew dreadfnlly religious,
and lay in the power all night long"
Now Tom Henderson, known through
all that region as the widest, profanest
jockey and frolicker; and though good
natured and good-looking, withal, the
plague and pest of the honest and
peacefully-inolined. Here was indeed,
cause for rejoicing, and Elbridge felt
rebuked for his little faith, and worldly
fastidiousness. "Dear Katherine" he
soliloquized, "wby shalld / question
your right to exercise all your gifts in
doing good If your words have car.
ried conviction to the heart of this one
sinner, great is your reward for the
sacrifices of your womauly delicacy.
But poor Henderson may be standing
in want of spiritual consolation l will
60 to him." ee
On reaching the the abode of the
Hendersons, the clerical visitor was di-
rected by a staring, red-haired girl to
a back yard where he found the young
convert, seeking Consolation" in a
cook-fight.
CHAPTER ".
Before progressing with my story, /
must tell my readers something more of