The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1864-03-25
len to the New Meeting. All that alters the
question; right abodt face, march!

"uu snoy migut uS Weli tnako up now. um
compelled to say. however, that no such thing
meet him there did not enter his head. II Dea-
con Allen had heard that sermon perhaps he
would have been moro charitable, but fear
not.
Yet both these deasons-I say It without my
covert sneer-were sincerely good Christian
men. You sec, sincerely good Christian men
will sometime get born on opposite sides Of q
very tall fence with fragile breeches and knees
too stiff to climb. No wonder, then, that while
they run along parallel and "sauce" each other
through the knot-holes, the great Eye and
Heart Of the universe smilngly sees and loves
them both, having reference to time when the
old posts shall tumble, and, In the open coun-
try, the two good people shall walk hand in
hand.
CHAPTER II.
THE WIFE or ONE DEACON.
II Is one of the conpensations of nature that
deacons always have pretty daughters. Thus
on the rockiest sleeps ever saw grows the
lovely blue campanula. :,
II Is necessary that there should be rocks--it
Is necessary that there should be great, brown,
grim, ragged, ugly rocks that cannot he put
into bouquet holder, or yield their essence to
q handkerchief, but make very good cellar
walls. and look appropriate ut the base or in
the background OF anything.
1t Is therefore necessary that there should be
campanulas. Campanulas, which cannot be
quarried or built into Easements, but which
nevertheless, keep the things which must b,
grim and ugly from being TOO grim and ugly.
It Is necessary that there should bc deacons.
They are not good partners in the Deur Pas |;
if they could possibly be supposed to know
Brown Of Grace Church, and accept his invita-
ton to Mrs. Blummcrie's little supper, they
would be awkward, I fear, Mt handing their Ia.
dy out-possibly would 60 ahead Of her, and
keep on eating oysters when her empty plate
was making mute appeal for chocolate ice
Even ut the apple.parings OF their own rural
neighborhoods their aspect, when unayoidnbly
present, understand, accelerates the latent ci-
der in everybody's pippin; and their entrance
at quilting-bee is as gracefully apropos as that
of an elephant into tea party. Yet deacons
ore necessary.
The iron seriousness of existence. its undodg.
able, private, closet facts, are represented by
them and look to them. The commandments,
not only ten but innumerable, by which this
immortal life Of ours must be moro or less con.
sciously guided. take logical shape in them.
Because they have been groaning over their doc
trnal horn-books till the sterner revelations OF
right aud wrong force themselves into their
lives and talk as by very hydraulic press. the
WOrlu mas learueu tnat u u u very tOugu tninS
to steal, at least, II not to whistle ON Sunday.
Learning that from the Deacons, the world gets
a knowledge Of Mcum and Tuum, and Commcrc,
Is born. Strangely enough, in process of time.
that same Commerce brings over Paris hat,
per steamer .frago, for Mrs. Blummerie. Thus,
on this granite substratum OF q grunting,
wrestling, serinonizing deacon, swings at length
the delicate blue.bell of n fashionable bonnet,
and Nature has done her poetical justice to the
ages.
It Is necessary that there should be ,leacons'
daughters. II you ever "sat up" with one,
needn't waste ink to prove you that fact Per.
haps you never did. Let mo tell you, then,
what deacon's daughter is for. She is o prov
idential arrangement to keep the compact theo-
logic truth OF the deacon from becoming
stumbling stone and rock Of offence. She
makes the Longer Catechism, with all the proofs,
as pleasant rs fairy talo because you know
that IL the deacon knows you know It, he feels
safe about leaving you alone with her on Sum-
day evenings. You come closer to the deacon.
because she grows out Of him you rub against
his stanch soberness without feeling the scratch;
and come away better for the attrtion, because
she Is between. II he had no daughter, you
would not como near him, or como only to
break your head against him. You sleep with
your cheek on IN Alp when there is bed OF
campanula over it-n0t otherwise with any de.
gree Of advantage. Aud eventually. unless, rs
they say in Connecticut, he is o "tarnation
rocky" deacon. those little baby roots Of soft
fibre pierce him, grind him gently, work him
up into soil that gives back blessing to the
rain and wind and sun. Thus the deacon HIM
self Is better for the daughter.
A few of the reasons why deacons' daughters
are necessary. Put your arms around the waist
of m average one, give her kiss upon the
NIL oh rvnf har hnn N
mako change, and n number Of the co-existent
reasons will suggest themselves.-at least do
You that justice.
You will have seen before this that an n
man of an eminen.ly logical turn of mind and
have therefore felt conscientiously bound to
present the truth In tho form Of syllogism.
do not think II ever took that shape to Elisha
Allen. who. being the son Of the principal New
School Deacon Of Muskeogue, probably got II
by intuition. He knew at least that to his ex-
istence one deacon s daughter was necessary
and she, ESQ Fate will have II ever sncc the day
that Miss Capulet and Mr.. Montague were
spoony on each other), of all the girls In the
world, must bo the other deacon's daughter.
"It's all very we'll to talk o. troubles, Miss
Briggs"-.thus spoke the mother Of Lish Allen
to tho sister who had inaugurated mullins In
Muskeogue "but when you've ben and raised
q boy to the age o. my Lish, an carried him
through measles and hoopin' cough an scarlet
fever, to say nothin' OF chickin.pox, and fallin'
out o. the back garrct winder agin q stun boat.
and layin' for dead harf n day, besides cuttin'
all his fingers of with jack. knives hand runnin'
it's putty hard, jest as you'd sot yer heart on
havin' him we'll married an givin' him settin'
out. and leanin' on him for prop In your de-
at q trainin', an making up to that Becky
Townsend. Boys Is boys. that's sartin and
you don't expect to see m old head on young
shoulders, or CT ye do, ye get disappointed in
yer lookout but gracious sakes. haint there
gals enough, and putty ones tew, to our Meet
in, that young man hes got to strcak. of and
fall In love with one o. them predestination
galsi ka!kilate."
"Boys sometimes takes them shines md gets
over Ii, after ALL" observed sister Briggs. by
way Of tipping the consolation.can on the ma.
ternal machinery. "Moss-bunkers jump eout:
but then they don't always stay eout."
"Unlcss they git ketched," replied Mrs. AL.
len. Like most people whom habit hal made
controversial, .hs spoke somewhat triump mpbant.
ly, as II glad rather than otherwise that she
could trip up her comforter In the very arru.
ment meant 10 comfort her. "And Lish IL
ketched. jest what he might have known il
he de ew right In the face OF Providence. and
TUX home gal from spelin' school whose faith.
or don't believe that his father Is one o. the
!ect. Arier oil Deacon Allen suffered from
that air Adoniram Townsend Ef there. 6lial
ongratitudc that'it! But boys never has no
respect nowadays for nobody. They're all the
time ayin' right intew the face of Providence;
and amt right daown sartin' but it's flyin'
intew the face Of Providence to hep boys Ell
was that Miss Townsend. an that Becky wns q
boy land I'm orful glad amt, though didnr
GIT the prize for butter tew the fair butter!
white soap Icslled it), he'd be sure to 90 OF
an make up tew one o. our New School gals