The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1871-12-06
THE MINISTER'S H0USEKEEPER.
BY HARRIET BEECHER STOWE.

ing blueoerrles-Sam log:
wal. you see, boys-'twas Just here
Parsoa Carryl's wife, she died along In tt
iore-part of March-my cousin Hubby, sh
undertook 10 keep house for him. Tn
way ont was that Hubby, she went to tax
care Mis- Carryl in the fust On't-whe
she fust took sick. Hubby was a tailores
by trade, but then, she was one O'these or
facultlse persons, that has a gift for mos
anything, and that was how Mis- Carry
come to set sech store by her, that whel
she was sick nothin would do for her bu
she must have Hubby round all the time
and the minister, he said he'd make it GOO
TO her all the same, and she shouldn't les
nnthin' by it. and so IIu!dy, she staid witt
Mis- Carryl full three months before sh,
died. and got to seem TO everything prctt,
much round the place. Wal, arter Mi
Carryl died, Parson Carryl he'd got so kinl
q used TO hevin' her round, taking care o
thing s, that be wanted her TO stay along
spell-and so Hubby, she staid along a spell
and Toured out his tea, and mended hi
close, and made pies and cakes, and washed
and ironed: and KEEP everything as neat a
a pin-Huldy was a dretful clipper sort o
gal, and work sort O rolled off from he
like water off a ducks back. There warn
no gal in Sherburne that could put such 6
sight O work through as Hubby, and yet
Sunday mornin', she always came ont in
the singers seat like one o. these ere June
roses, lookin' so fresh and smilin'. and hel
voice was est as clear and sweet as a mead
ow lark's-Lord maSsy-I member how
she used to sing some O. them are places
where the treble and counte used to &C
together, her voice kind o. trembled a little
and it sort o. wen thro' and thro' a fel!cr
tuck him right where he lived"
Here Sam leaned contcmplativCly back
with his head in a clump of sweet fern, and
refreshed himself with a chew of yourg
wintergreen, boys, is Jest like a fcllar'.
thoughts O. things that happened when h:
was young-it comes up jest so fresh and
tender every year the longest time you have
to live, and you can't help chawin' on
tho It's sort o. singing, l don't never get
over likin' young wintergreen."
but about Huldah, SAM"
SO yes, about lIuldy, Lody massy
when a Teller is Indianing round these ere
pleasant summer days, a %feller's thoughts
gifts like a flock o. young cartridges, thev's
up and down and everywhere, cause ono
place is Jest as good as another, when they's
ell so kind o. comfortable and nice. Wal.
about Hubby, as l was sayin', she was Jest
fs handsome a gall to look at as a teller
could have, and | think a nice, %well-behayed
young gal in the singers seat of a Sunday
5 a means O. grace, it's sort o. drawin' to
The unregenerate, you know. Why. boys
n them days, I've walked ten miles over ia
Pherburne of a Sunday mornin' Jest to play
bass viol in the same singers seat with
Hubby. She was very much respected,
Hubby WIS, and when she went out to
failorin' she was alters bespoke six months
ahead. and sent for in wagons up and down
or ten miles round, for the Young fellers
was alters maZin' anxious to be sent after
Iuldy. and was quite free to offer to 90 for
per. Wal, after Mis- Carryl died. Hubby got
o be sort o. housekepper at the minister's.
nd saw to everything so that there warn't
pin out of the way.
But you know how lis in parishes,
here alters is women that thinks the min
Fter's affairs belongs TO them, and they
ught to have the rulin' and suidin' of 'em,
nd if a minister's wife dies, there's folks
nat alters hes their eyes open on prOvi.
ence, lookin' out Who's to be the next one.
Now there was Mis- Amaziah Peppe-
dge, a wilder with snappin' black eyes.
nd a hook nose. kind o. like a hawk. and
he was one o. them ur and down, com,
landin' sort % women, that feel that they
ave a call to be SEEM to everything that
oes on in the parish, and especially 10 the
E~iniSter.
"Fo!ks did say that Miss Pippcridgc sort
sort her eye on the parson for herself,
al, now, that might have been, or il might
pt. Some folks thought it was a very suita-
e connection, you see she he'd good prop
ftyyof her own. right nigh 20 the minister's
{, and was alters kind o active and busy
takin' Il thing with another, !
couldn't wonder if Mis- Pippcridge should
thought that providence pointed that
bay. At any rate she went up To- DcakiI
fOdgett's wife, and they two sort % pul
cir heads together a mornin' and condo
p about the way things was likely to gooI
the minister's now Mis- Carryl was dead
on see the parsons wife, she was enc O
EN- women who he'd their eyes every
here and O everything. She was Il littl,
in woman, but tough as Iniun rubber
d smart as 4 steel trap, and there warn
hen laid an egg, or cackled, but Mi
Rrryl was right there to see about it, an,
c lad the garden made in spring and III
elders moved in summer, and the eide
ade, and the corn huskci, and the apple
Il in the fall, and the doctor had nOthir
do but jest to sit stock still a mc1itatin
Jerusalem and Jericho and them thing
at ministers think about, but Lord,
assy he did know nothin' about wher
ything he eat or drank, or wore cam
I'm or went to, his wife jest led him 'rOun
temporal things and took care of hiI
re a baby.
Is Wal, to be sure Mis- Corryl looked up t
m in spirituals, and thought all the worl
him, for there warn't a smarter ministe
where round. Why, when he preache
DEGREES and election, they used to com
lar over from South Parish, and Yves
erbrune and Old Town to hear him, an
ere was SIGH a row O. Wagons tied alon
the meetin' house, that the stables wa
full and the hitchin' posts was full, clea
to the tavern, SO that folks said the dot
made the town look like q gineral trail
day, a Sunday.
"He was great on texts, the doctor wa.
hen he had a pint to prove he'd Just 2
rOugh the Bible and drive all the tex
cad O him like a flock O. sheep, and the
there was any text that seemed agin hil
~, he'd come out with his Greek an
brew, and kind O. chase it round a spell
as We see 4 teller chase a contrary be
Pather, and make him jump the fent
ter the rest, i tell you there warn't Il
1t in the Bible that could stand agin tn
ctor when his blood was up. The We;
|er the doctor was appointed to preac
? Election sermon in Boston, he mac
ch a tigger that the Brattlc street churc
Mt a committee right down to see if the
uldn't get him to Boston, and then She
rne folks, they up and raised his salar,
see there amt anything wakes foil
like somebody else wantin' what YOU
T.. Wal, that fall they made him a dOct
divinity at Cambridge college. and
ey sot more by him than ever. Wal, "
the doctor, of course, he felt kind
lesome and afflicted when Mis- Carryl W
ne, but rally and truly, Hubby was so l
everything about the house that the do
didn't miss nothin' in a temporal wa
S shirt bosoms was pleted finer than tn
er was KEEP like the driven snow, al
ere warn't a brack in his silk stocking