Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-11-17
THE MINISTER'S HOUsEKEEPER
BY MRS. HARRIET BEECHER STOWE.

BY MRS. HARRIET BEECHER STOWE.
Scene-The shady eide Of blueberry pasture
Sam Lawson with the boys picking bluebcrrics-
Sam LOO.
"Wal, you see, boys-'twas just
here-Parson Carryl's wife, she
died along in the forepart O. March
my cousin Hubby, she undertook
to keep house for him. The way
ont was, that Hubby, she went to
take care O. Mis- Carryl in the fust
on't-when she fust took sick.
Hubby was tailoress by trade, but
then, she was one O these ere facul-
ties persons, that has a gift for
most anything, and that was how
Mis- Carryl come to set sech store
by her, that when she was sick
nothfil' would do for her but that
she must have Huldy 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 afore she
died, and got to seein' to every
thing pretty much round the place.
Wal, arter Mis- Carryl died, Parson
Carryl, he'd got SO kind O. used to
hevin' her round, taking care O.
things, that he wanted her to stay
along a spell-and SO Hubby, she
staid along spell and poured out
his tea, and mended his close, and
made pies and cakes, and cooked,
and washed, and ironed, and kept
everything as neat as pin-Huldy
was drefful clipper sort O. gal,
and work sort O. rolled off from her
like water off ducks back. There
warn't a gal in Sherburne that
could put sich sight O. work thro'
as Huldy, and yet, Sunday mornin',
she always come out in the singers
seat like one O. these here June
roses, lookin' SO fresh and smiling,
and her voice was jest as clear and
sweet as a meadow lark's-Lordy
massy-I member how she used to
sing some o. them are places where
the treble and counter used to 60
together, her voice kind o trcmblcd
little, and it sort o went thro' and
thro' fcller! tuck him right where
lie lived"
Here Sam leaned contemplatively
back with his head in a clump Of
sweet fern, and refreshed himself
with chew of young wintergreen.
"This ere young wintergreen,
boys, is jest like a fellcr's thoughts
O. things that happened when he
was young-it comes up jest so
fresh and tender every year the
longer time you hev to live, and
you can't help chawing on tho It's
sort o stinging-I don't never get
over liking young wintergrecn."
"But about Huldah, Sam?"
go yes-about Huldah-Lordy
massy! when feller is Indianing
round these ere pleasant summer
days, fcller's thoughts gifts like Il
flock Of young patridges-they's up
and down and everyw here, cause
one place is Jest about as good as
another, when they's all so kind o
comfortable and nice. Wal, about
Huldy-as l was sayin'-she was
jest rs handsome gal to look at as
fellcr could have, and / think
nice, wcll-behaved young gal in the
singers seat of a Sunday is a means
O. grace, it's sort o drawing to the
unregencrate, you know. Why,
boys, in them days I've walked ten
miles over to Sherburnc of Sunday
morning jest to play the bass viol
in the same singers seat with
Hubby. She was very much re-
spectcd, Huldy was, and when she
went out tailorin' she was alters be-
spoke six months ahead, and sent
for in waggins up and down for ten
miles round, for the young fellers
was alters 'mazing anxious to be
sent after Huldy, and was quite free
to offer to go for her. Wal, after
Mis- c rryl died, Huldy got to be
sort o housekecper at the minister's,
and saw to everything and did
everything so that there warn't a
pin ont Of the way.
"But you know how it's in par
ishes, there alters is women that
thinks the minister's affairs belongs
to them, and they ought to have the
rulin' and guidin' of 'em, and if a
minister's wife dies, there's folks
that alters hes their eyes open on
providcncc-looking out who's to
be the next one.
"Now there was Mis- Amaziah
Pipperidge, 4 widdcr with snappin'
black eyes, and hook nosc-kind
o like a hawk-and she was one Of
them up and down, commanding
sort o. women, that feel that they
have a call to be sccin' to every
thing that goes on in the parish,
and specially to the minister.
"Folks did say that Mis- Pip
pcridge sort o sot her eye on the
parson tor observation-disclosures, that
might have been, or it might not.
Some folks thought it was very
suitable connection-you see she
he'd good property of her own,
right nigh to the minister's lot, and
was alters kind o active and busy
so taking one thing with. another,
| shouldn't wonder if Mis- Pip
peridge should a thought that Provi'
dencc pointed that way. At any
rate she went up to Dcakin Blodg
ett's wife, and they two sort O. put
their heads together mournin' and
condolin' about the Way things was
likely to 60 on at the minister's now
Mis- Carryl was dead. You see TIL.
parsons wife, she was one Of then
women who he'd their eyes every
where and on everything. She wa.
a little thin woman, but tough IA
Inicr rubber, and smart as stcc
trap, and there warn't hen laid al
egg, or cackled, but Mis- Carryl wal
righ, there to see about it, and sh'
he'd the garden made in the spring