Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-11-03

THE MINISTER'S HOUsEKEEPER.
BY MRS. HARRIET BEEcHER STOWE.

oval, you see, boys-'twas just here
Parson Carryfs wife, she died along in the
fore part of March-my cousin Hubby, she
undertook to keep house for him. The
way ont was, that Hubby, she went to
take care O. Miss Carryl in the fust ont
when she fust took sick. Hubby was
tailoress by trade, but then, she was one
O. these ERE facultise persons, that has
gift tor most anything, and that was how
Mis- Carryl come to set sech store by her.
that when she was sick nothin' would do
for her but she must have Hubby round all
the time, and the minister, he said he'd
make it good to her all the same, and she
shouldn't lose nothin' by it, and so Hubby,
she staid with Mis- Carryl full three months
thing pretty much round the place. Wal,
arter Mis- Carryl died. Parson Carryl, he'd
got so kind O. used to havin' her round,
taking care o. things, that he wanted her
to stay long spell and poured out his tea,
and mended his close, and made pies and
cakes and cooked, and washed, and ironed,
and KEEP everything as neat as a pin
Hubby was drefful clipper sort O. gal,
and work sort O. rolled off from her like.
water off ducks back. There warn't no
gal in Sherburne that could put sich a
sight o work through as Hubby, and yet,
Sunday mornin', she always come out in
the singers seat like one o. these ERE June
roses, lookin' SO fresh and smilin' and her
voice was jest as clear and sweet as
meadow lark's-Lordy massy-I men,
Der how she used to sing some o. them are
places where the treble and counter used
to go together, her voice kind O. trembled
a little , and it sort o. went thro' and thro'
a teller tuck him right where he lived"
Here Sam leaned contemplatively back
with his head in a clump of sweet fern,
and refreshed himself with a chew of
young wintergreen.
"Ihls ere young wintergreen, boys, is
jest like a feller's thoughts o. things that
when he was young-it comes
up jest so fresh and tender every year the
longest time you hev to live, and you can't
help chawin ont tho It's sort o. singing
i don't never get over likin' young win
tergreen.'
''But about Huldah, Samp'
go yes-about Huldy-Lordy massy!
when feller is Indianing round these ERE
pleasant summer days, feller's thoughts
gifts like tlocks O. young partridges-they's
up and down and everywhere, cause one
place is jest about as good as another,
when theys all so kind O. comfortable and
nice. Wal, about Huldy--as l was sayin
she was jest as handsome a gal to look
at as a feller could have, and | think a
nice, well-behaved young gal in the sing
ers' seat of Sunday is means o. grace,
it's sort o. drawin' to the unregenerate,
you know. Why, boys, in them days, I've
walked ten miles over to Sherburne of q
Sunday mornin' Jest to play the bass viol
in the same singers seat with Hubby. She
was very much respected. Huldy was. and
when she went out to tailorin' she was al
lers bespoke six months ahead, and sent
for in Wagons up and down for ten miles
round, for the young fellers was alters
'mazin' anxious to be sent after Huldy,
and was quite free to offer to go for her.
Wal, after Mis- Carryl died, Hubby got to
be sort O. housekeeper at the minister's,
and saw to everything and did everything
so that there warn't a pin out O. the way.
''But you know how It's in parishes,
there alters is women that thinks the min
isters affairs belongs to them, and they
ought to have the rulin' and guidin' of 'em,
and if minister's wife dies, there's folks
that alters hes their eyes open on provi-
out who's to be the next
one.
"Now. there was Mis- Amaziah Piper
idge, widder with snappin' black eyes,
and hook nose-kind o. like a hawk
and she was one o them up and down
sort o. women that feel that
they have 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 for herself
wal now, that might have been, or it
might not. Some folks thought it was a
very suitable connection-you see she he'd
a good property of her own, right nigh to
the minister's lot, and was alters kind O.
active and busy-so, takin' one thing with
another, l shouldn't wonder if Mis- Pippe-
ridge should thought that Providence
pointed that way. At any rate she went
up to Deakin Blodgett's wife, and they
two sort o. put their heads together a
mornin' and condolin' about the way things
was likely to go on at the minister's now
Mis- Carryl was dead. You see the par
sons wife, she was one of them women
who he'd their eyes every where and on
everything. She was little thin woman,
but Tough as injer rubber, and smart as a
steel trap, and there warn't hen laid an
egg, or cackled, but Mis- Carryl was right
there to see about it, and she had the gar
den made in the spring, and the medders
moved in summer, and the cider made,
and the corn husked, and the apples got
in the fall, and the doctor had nothin' to
do but jest sit stock still meditatin' on
Jerusalem and Jericho and them things
that ministers think about-but Lordy
massy! he didn't know nothin' about
where anything he eat or drank, or wore,
came from or went to-his wife jest led
him round in temporal things and took
care on him like a baby.
Wal, to be sure Mis- Carryl looked up
to him In sprituals, and thought all the
world on hm-for there warn't smarter
minister no where round. Why, when he
preached ON DEGREES and election, they
used to come clear over from the South
Parish, and West Sherburne and Old
Town to hear him, and there was sich
row O. Wagons tied along by the meetin'
house, that the stables was all full and all
the hitchin' posts was full. clean up to the
tavern, so that folks said the doctor made