Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1870-09-09
Through Five Houses.

Mrs Smith, wife Of the dry goods merchant
in the little town Of B, thought it would
do her good to take short stroll and make
call upon one Of her neighbors. Accord
ingly she put on her sun bonnet, locked up
the house, and iran inn to neighbor Jones'
Just vcross the way. And there she heard
piece of news.
"Thcy do say that our new minister's
wife isn't just the person she ought to be,
for The place." said Mrs. Jones, rocking to
and fro in her own easy chair, and knitting
all the while "a little Eighty, dressing
kind of thing, with her hair all hanging in
curls over her shoulders, and wearing a
gypsy hat over them curls, Mrs. Smith =
She draws, and she paints, and she plays
the palmer, and she works on all kinds of
embroidery patterns. But ha'n't heerd of
her making the minister single shirt since
she come here, Mrs. Smith And I'll bet
his stockings are full of holes, if the sober
truth was known about them, That hint
the kind of woman a minister wants for a
wife, Mrs Smith He wants woman that
has some sense, and some mind. And be-
tween you and me, she hasn't got any =
Only don't you ever 60 and say that l said
SO. Mrs. Smith %
Oh dear, no Mrs Smith would never
mention it, for the whole world! And what
pity it was And she must say good-by
now, and go and call on Mrs. Brown, and
get her receipt for making soda biscuits.
So to Mrs. Brown was related, under a
solemn vow of secrecy, the terrible tale of
| IL -. ,obt
'She is all the time. a paintings andssing-
ing and playing on the pianner, Mrs.
Bro wn, and that poor dear mans shirts are
never properly looked after and she has
embroidered every pattern in the milliner's
shop, but his stockings are one perfect mass
of holes, and he has to wear boots on pur-
pose to hide them and she curls her hair,
Mrs Brown and between you and me,
though you mustn't say that l ever said so,
they do say that her mind isn't very strong.
Isn't it pity that such nice man has got
such wife I wonder he lives with her as
patiently as he does. It's enough to make
him go out of his mind too, as far as shc
has gone isn't it, now, Mrs. Brown! Z"
Mrs. Brown assented, with round eyes Of
wonder And after Mrs. Smith had gone
home, it occurred to her that she had better
run across the street and sec if her cousin
/ by marriage, Mrs Green, had heard the
news.
,"Isn't it shame, Cousin Green ?" she
asked, as soon as she was comfortably seated
by the parlor window. "There's tho min
ister's wife painting her cheeks, and curl
ing her hair, and playing all day long on the
pianner, and spending all his money to buy
embroidery with; and the poor man hasn't
got but one shirt to his back and his stock
ings are so full of holes that ho can't ever
take off his boots for fear of showing them.
I suppose she isn't to blame though. for
between you and me and the gate post,
though you mustn't ever let out that said
it, she is just as crazy as loon And the
minister he is going the same way as fast as
ever he can, along with the trouble he has
had in watching her. and trying to make her
behave so that people wouldn't guess what
allied her! It is really awful to think of. I
suppose if they both get crazy, the society
and the town will have to put their heads
together and send them off to Brattleboro;
Cousin Green did not know. But the
question was very serious one, and ought
to be discussed, if not decided, at once
So. seeing that it was but eight o'clock
when Mrs. Brown had gone, she slipped on
her shawl and ran in to Mrs. Whites, who
was, like her, member of the minister's
church.
"Whatever are we to do now, with such
troubles coming upon US, Sister White p
she cried, in deep distress. "Here's the
minister's wife gone as crazy as coot at
last, and a painting her checks, and curling
her hair, and shrieking over the palmer all
day long, and spending all his salary for
embroidered muslin gowns, while he hasn't
but one shirt to his back, and one stocking
to his foot, aud has to sleep in his boots
And his brain is softening, or hardening, or
something, I don't know what, with the
trouble of holding her down when she goes
into her tantrums and they do say that
the town viii, have to send them both to
Brattleboro, if the society don't take hold
and help What do you think had better
be done in such case, Sister White 2"
Sister White was at loss to say. 1t
was a matter that demanded prayerful con-
sideration, she thought. But they didn't
hsve prayers, in that house, till Deacon
White came home from the grocery at half
past nine. So she had time to 60 up the
lane and tell her trouble to Mrs. Gray, who
had been her bosom-friend for years.
'pm sure, Mrs. Gray, don't know
what the Deacon will say" she sig hed.-
'Here's the church all going to be broken
up, just as he had set it agoing SO nicely
The minister's wife has gone crazy, and she
is all painted up. with straws stuck in her
curly hair, and she's been taking all the
salary to buy silk embroidered gowns
with and the minister hasn't shirt to his
back, or stocking Or shoe to his foot. and
he's as wild as hawk with holding her
, when she tries to kill herself or him. The
town is going to send them right off to Brat
tleboro, and ] suppose the society will ex.
peot the Deacon to 90 with them, and Lord
knows never expect to see him come back
alive if he does. It's the dreadfulest thing
ever heard of in all my life. And what
would you advise the Deacon and me to do,
Mrs. Grays'
History does not record the answer given
by Mrs. Gray. But it must have been
forcible, and to the point, for the whole
place was in an uproar on the following day,
and the greater part of the parishioners fully
expected to see their misister and his wife
taken away to Rrattleboro by the officers
of the town, if not exactly in chains, at
leas. by no means clothed, and in their
right minds.
And when, after long and patient inqui-
~ on the part of the minister's real friends,
it was proved that his wife's hair curled,
naturally and that she painted pictures, and