The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1871-10-06

meals; our pursuits on that day beinl
ofan opposite character, for while
was poring over the columns Of some
trashy Sunday paper, she attended
church. or a Sunday-schooI, in which
she was teacher.
One Sunday at dinner, Miss Kate
mentioned that Reverend Doctor
M, would preach in the afternoon
in her church, and asked me, with
what 1 then construed into q sneer
whether I would not like to hear
him.
eff Miss Kate will permit me to &C.
company herr replied ], with the
Fifth Avenue bow.
''With the greatest pleasure" an
| swered she, eagerly, a slight tint OF
| the rose coloring for moment heI
usually pale cOuntenance.
1 thought I never saw her so pretty.
In fact, thought her very beautiful,
and believe me, kind reader, I think
| her so still.
We did go. I offered her my arm,
and cannot account how it happened,
! that when that little neatly gIoved
hand came, by natural sequence of
| position, within a few inches of where
| popular error places the heart, I al
most heard its beating, and I am al
| most certain Kate must have felt it,
| though she denies it to this very day.
As we entered the sacred edifce,
| the organ was already swelling its
| solemn notes, under the skilIful hand
of the performer. I had not been
within Gods house since the change
of my fortunes To be sure, at school
1 was made to attend divine service
| twice on every Sunday, and, during
vacation, my mother insisted on my
accompanying her. "For," said she
sit was so respectable; and you must
pay particular attention to the Rever-
end Mr.. SOftly's pronunciation, it is
! so aris5Ocratie."
But since then, as I had to work
hard six days in the week, I thought
was entitled to a days study of the
transcendental works Of Sylvanus
| Cobb, Jr., and Co.
Yet, with all this, I was not natural
! ly irreligiOus; only, having been
taught to consider religion as a mere
matter of form, shared with thou
sands the most perniciOus sort of
| heathenism-the care for my worldly
welfare, to the neglect of the immeas-
urably higher interests of my immOr~
| tai soul.
But when the first words of the
Episcopal service were uttered, on that
to me memorable Lords Day, when
the sOnOrOus voice of the doctor pro-
claimed to the congregation the touch
ing mum bers, "The Lord in His holy
temple; let all the earth keep silence
before Him." a gush of ineXpressible
tenderness and gratitude filled my
heart; and now I remember for the
first time to whom owed my preser-
walton, when, but few days before,
our train met with an accident by
which several lives were lost, while
mine was saved. Then, ] attributed
it to chance now, I knew it to be the
work of my Makers merciful pTovi-
dence.
I shall not describe my sensations
during the service, and the eloquent
sermon that followed. 1 shall not
describe them, not because I fear to
worry my reader, but because these,
being of the Spirit, may be felt, but
cannot be spoken. And when l incl
dentally glanced at my companion
when I saw the sincere fervoF of her
devotion, her face slightly flushed, her
lips gently apart, her blue eyes confid-
ingly, lovingly lifting up toward
Heaven-I thought 1 never saw any
thing so lovely! No! not even at a
caravansary-party on the Avenue.
On our return home, we scarcely
exchanged a word, and soon after din
ner Kate Withdrew to her own room;
but the following Sunday, and many
Sundays after, sunshine or rain, the
little hand rested within my arm on
our way to my young friends church
my church now, thank God!
Who cares to read the story Of love
and courtship of a railroad conductor
and a milliuer? do not intend to in
Hiof ~, Won
these few words you must grant me
leave to say, that, on the Sunday of
my first communion, asked Kate,
calmly, collectedly, in all sincerity of
heart, but without a shadow of rO-
nance, without falling on my knees,
without even placing my hand on my
WaistcOat-tO become my wife, and
heard, with unspeakable delight, her
eyes," as calmly, collectedly spoken,
but with a look from those mild eyes,
soft, yet full intelligence, which left
no doubt of the sincerity with which
this monasyllabIe was uttered.
Kate had scarcely ever been from
her beautiful native village, and / set
my heart on giving her weeks we'd
ding-tOur.
Iapplied to the Superintendent for
leave of absence, and was gruf1y an
sWered, "NovD
Old Adam not being quite dead
within me, for it is astonishing how
hard it is to kill the ancient gentle
man, gave a rather saucy retort to a
saucy refusal.
One angry word followed another,
| till at last, was told that my services
would not be required after the first of
the following month.
1 came home that evening crest-fal-
len, depressed, almost despairing. l
! told Kate my troubles.
! She chided me. Oh! how gently,
how tenderly, affectionately did she
/ chide me! and that, not for the loss of
situation; but on account of my petu-
! lance, so inconsistent with the duty of
q Christian.
eve are not so badly of, after, all, 1"
said she, in conclusion. 'YOu have
/ three hundred dollars in the bank-I
have nearly two hundred. Well, if
my Reginald will lend me his treas
ure, / shall take that little store Mrs.
Robinson wants to let, open a millin-
er's store, and you may look, in the
meantime, for something to do.
And she smoothed my ruff1ed brow
/ with kiss.
Itwas agreed. And thought then,
as think now, how wretched, how
fOrlorn is the condition of him who
hath no loving woman Tor a counsel
lOr in the dark hour of ftTial
/ went the next morning cheerfulIy
to my duty. The superintendent
| spoke cheerfully to me as if nothing
had happened. I even thought that hC
felt sorry for words spoken in anger.
1 certainly had no ilI-Wil toward him,
yet l considered that to respect oui
J own dignity as men was perfectly re-
concilable with our duty as Christians
therefore spoke to him respectfully,
] but without cringing.