The Republican journal., 1871-11-23
The Minister'S Housekeeper.
Mrs. Stowe in Woods Il uousehsld Magazine.

The Minister'S Housekeeper.
Mrs Stowe in Woods Household Magazine
''But you know how It's in parishes,
there alters is women that thinks the min
ister's affairs belongs to them, and they
ought to have the rulin' and guidin' Of
en-. and II minister's wife dies, there's
folks tilat alters hes their eyes open on
providence, lookin' out who's TO be the
next one.
ridge, widder with snappin' black eyes,
and hook nosc-'o like u hawk-and
She was one % them up and down com
mandng sort o. women, that feel that
they have q call to be seein' to everything
that goes on in the parish, and specially
to the minister.
''Folks did say that Mis- Pipperidge sort
O sot her eye on the parson tor herself
wal-now, that might have been. ST it
might not. Some folks thought it was a
very suitable connection-you see she had
a good property OF her own, right nigh to
the minister's lot, and was alters kind %
active and busy-so, takin' one thing with
another shouldn't wonder if Mis- Peppe-
ridge should a thought that providence
pointed that way At any rate she went
up to Deakin Blodgctts wife, and they
two sort . put their heads together a
mournn' and condolin' about the way
things was likely TO go on at the minis
ter's, now Mis- CarIyl was dead. You see
the parsons wife, she was one of them
women who he'd their eyes everywhere
and on everything. She was little, thin
woman, but tough rs lnier rubber, and
smart Us a steel trap, and there warn't 4
hen laid an egg or cackled, but Mis-
Calryl was righC there to see about it,
and She had the garden made in the
spring, and the medders moved in the
summer, and the cider made, and the
corn husked, and the apples got in the
fail, and the doctor had nothing TO do but
sit stock still mcdtatin' on Jerusalem and
Jericho, and them things that ministers
think ahont--hnt nr*ly n,aeSy he didn't
know nothin' about where anything he
ate OF drank. or Wore, came from or went
to-his wife lest led him round in tempo
raj things and took care on him like
baby.
oval, to be sure Mis- Carryl looked up
to him in spirituals, and thought all the
world on him-tor there warn't 4 smarter
minister nowhere round. Why when he
preached on DEGREES and election, they
used to come clear over from South Par
ish, and West Sherburne and Old town to
hear him, and there was sich a row o
waggin3 tied along by the meetin' house.
that the stable was all full, and all the
hitchin posts was fun, clean up to the
tavern. so that folks said the doctor made
the town look like a gineral training day,
a Sunday.
''lIe was great on texts, the doctor
was. When he he'd a pint to prove he'd
Jest 90 tiro' the Bible and drive all the
texts ahead O him like a flock o sheep
and then if there was a text that seemed
agin him-why he'd come out with his
Greek and Hebrew, and kind O. chase it
round a spell, Jest as ye see a feller chase
. contrary bell wether, and make him
Jump the fence arter the rest-I tell you
there want no text in the Bible that could
stand agin the doctor when his blood was
up. The year after the doctor was APP
pointed to preach the lection sermon in
Boston, he made such a figger that the
Brattlc street church sent u committee
right down to see if they couldn't get him
to Boston-and then the Sherburne folks,
they up and raised his salary-ye see there
amt anything wakes folks up like some
body else's wantin' what you've got.
Wal, that fall they made him 4 doctor o.
divinity at Cambridge college, and so
they sot more by him than ever. Wal,
YOU see the doctor, of course, he felt kind
o lonesome and afflicted when Mis- Car
ryl was gone, but rally and truly, Hubby
was 50 up to everything about the house
that the doctor didn't miss nothn' in
| temporal way. His shirt bosoms was
plcated finer than they ever was, and
them ru11es round his wrists was KEEP
| like the driven snow, there warn't brack
in his silk stockings and his shoe buckles
was KEEP polished up, his coats brushed,
and then there warn't no bread and bis
| cult like Uuldy's, and her butter was like
solid Jumps o gold. and there waren't no
pies to equal hers, and 50 the doctor never
felt the loss Of Mis- Carryl at table. Then
there was Hubby alters opposite to him,
with her blue eyes and her cheeks like
two fresh peaches, she was kind O. pleas
ant to look ut, and the more the doctor
| looked ut her the better he liked her. and
and so things seemed to be goin' on
quite and comfortable eff it hadn't been
that Mis- Pipperidge and Mis- Deakin
Blodgett, and Mis- Sawin got their heads
together a takin about things.
a. Poor man. says Mis- Pipperidge,
what can that child that he's got there do
toward taking the care of all that place ?'
1T takes Il mature woman she says, 'to
tread in Mis- Carryls shoes
| "'That is does said Mis- Blodgett,
'and when things once get to runnin'
down hill there aint no stoppin' on 'em,
says she.
Then Mis- Sawn, she took it up. (Ye
see Mis- Sawin used to 60 out dress max
in,' and was sort O Jealous, cause folks
sot more by Huldy than they did by her.
Well, says she, 'lIuldy Peters is well
enough at her trade; | never denied that,
though I do say never did believe in her
way O maxim button holes, and | must
say, if twas the dearest friend had, that
| thought Huldy, tryin' to fit Mis- Kit
tridge's plumb-colored silk was clear
piece O presumption-the silk was .iist
spilled, so 'twarn't fit to come into the
meetin' house. | must say that Huldy's
gal that's always too ventessome about
takin' 'sponsbilties she don't know moth
in about
"'Of course she don't said Mis- Deakin
Blodgett. what does she know about
all the lookin' and seein' to that there
ought to be in guidin' the minister's
housep Huldy's well meanin' and she's
good at her work, and good in the sing
er's seat, but Lordy massy, she haint got
no experience. Parson Carryl ought to
have an experienced woman to keep house
for him. There's the spring house-clean