The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1871-07-04
SELLING THE DEACON.

as lief you'd marry Dan Blocker, the
idiot. as to become the wife of that pop
Inlay"
And Deacon Merriam deliberately tip
ped back his chair against the side of the
house, or rather against the sink-room
door-a habit that was a favorite one
with him-and seemed to regard the case
as settled.
Letitia began to cry little, then she
thought better OF it, and drying her eyes,
grew rapidly indignant.
He isn't popinjay" she said. "He
is as good as any body, and a good deal
better than Peter Bridge, if you did but
know it"
Peter Bridge was her fathers favorite,
steady wellto-do young farmer, though
people did say he was trifie parsimoni-
Gus.
"Well, don't know it, and nobody
else knows it, either !" he cried angrily.
Peter Bridge is king to him, and has
got four times the money to say nothing
Of the old Bridge farm, that is worth five
thousand, if it's worth dollar. tell
ye, Lefty, gal could do much worse
=
than to marry Peter Bridge"
And much better, I hope," said Let
ty. "At any rate I shall try for | would
not wipe my slippers on Peter Bridge
"Well, as said before, you never
shall marry Ross Harding" snapped
Deacon Merriam grimly; $50 that's the
end ont. And if you won't lave Peter,
why you can be an old maid, l suppose"
al shall not do either. have prom
ised already to be Ross Harding's wife,
and have no intention of breaking my
word-so therew And then, astonished
at her own temerity, Lefty burst into
tears. ..,. ....
The deacon sat silent a moment In
all his life long he had never encountered
spirit quite so rebelious as this.
81 never ~ he cried, and in his dismay
endeavored to regain the perpendicular.
But his chair was tilted back so far that
it required some exertion to do this; and
giving a spring, the door against which
it was leaning flew open, and over he
went among the pots and kettles, and
down came a pail of dirty water upon his
devoted head
We are afraid the deacon made use of
expressions that would be wicked for
even sinner to utter He ratified about
some time before he succeeded in getting
upon his feet, and when that difficult OPP
Grafton was accomplished his features re-
sembled those of an Indian chief with
the war-paint on. The wife and daugh-
ter fairly shrieked with laughter
/" Hush upw he exclaimed " It's a
pretty time, if I'm to be made a laugh
ing stock of in my own house. | won't
endure it,"
Just look in the glass" said Lefty.
The deacon snifiled, but he looked as
suggested, and sight of the crock did
not improve his temper particle.
" So you will marry Ross Hardinge"
he asked.
eyes, father" ....
"You won't, Miss Dsobedience. I'll
put lock on the door of your room, and
keep you on bread and water. III put
iron bars before the windows, and not let
you write word to communicate with
him"
But / am eighteen" cried Lefty,
turning as red as peony.
81 don't care if you are eighty-one !
No daughter of mine shall marry fool !;
if there ever was one"
The deacon was as good as his word
regarding the lock. He had one put on
the door of her room, and Lefty became
prisoner Then he told Ross Harding
that he never should have Letitia.
Why not? ?" asked Rosa, quite coolly
She never shall marry an idiot"
Ross smiled.
Look here, old gentleman, if you
wasn't to be my father-in-law, I'd make
you ask pardon for that little speech
As it is, / suppose III have to consider
upon it instead.
"And if wasn't deacon, I'd teach
you'better things, you puppy"
And with that the deacon hurried
away to the blacksmith's shop for the
iron bars to be placed over Letty's win
dows.
ga fool am II" Ross Hardinge NUT
tered, after he was gone. Wen see, old
gentleman; the case is by no means de-
cided. There are, perhaps, bigger fools
in the world than /, and one of them
may be deacon. like Letitia, and she
likes me, and Pm not going to give her
up without a struggle of some kind"
So he sat down and wrote this quix-
otic letter: