Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-06-28
How They Fell in Love.


Elizabeth Stuart Phelps
They had grown up together, in
the full sense Of the term, and that
was the matter. They had eaten
each others mud pies, taken the
Group in each others snow forts,
cried out the sums OH each others
states, tipped over each others ink
bottles, soppcd up the ink with their
mutual handkerchiefs, "told" Of
each other in about equal proper
tions, and ''made up" in a common
exubcrance of sobs and sassafras.-
They had played at lovers behind
the wood-pile, been married by the
prize-speaker, been divorced by the
''first base" been reunited by the
minister's daughter, and gone to
housekeeping in the peat swamp at
regular intervals, as far back as
their memory extended. She had
blue eyes, and never understood vul-
gar fractions. He used to miss, so
that she might get to the head of
the class. One day she braided her
hair in two little braids behind, and
tied it with pink lutestring ribbon
at three cents Il yard. When they
walked home together, he touched
it gently, to signify his appreciation,
and she blushed like May flower.
1t could not have been long after
that before she grew shy at singing
school, and was apt to be going
home with her brother. In another
year, when he went to St. David's
College, she cried herself to sleep,
forgot to crimp her hair, and said
nothing was the matter. So, of
course, when lie came home on his
first vacation, it all happened as it
could not very well help happening
to the end of all young things
dreaming or old ones warming
She sat in the choir in 4 blue dress
with white spots, with pink bon
net and pink checks, and sang in 4
very sweet little country voice, that
quivered and curled about the pill
lars Of the sunny white meeting
house like incense in an open field
Oh a May day, you might have
thought, and you might not. He,
grown rather tall, rather quiet, with
long hair, and the unmistakable St.
David's shawl, sat below in his
fathers pew-box-and listened
One Sunday it Glanced that the
Rev. Mr.. Love, the recently-scttled
and very popular shepherd Of the
meeting house," felt moved in the
spirit to preach to his flock SER
mon Oh Christian amity, and to sug-
gest as it's most fitting musical ac-
compartment, hymn s57 of the
"Sweet Singer of Israel" Gust intro
duced). All, you excellent mothers,
with washing days on your minds,
and yc excellent fathers, struggling
to keep your faith under the dis
covery Of Toms first cigar, do you
never suspect i'll your stupid, good
hearts, the tears Of solid comfort
rolling into your spectacles as you
sing, and your soul aglow with
all the hidden meanings Of fellow
ship in the one Master whom they
who love not never know-do You
never suspect the flirtations conduc-
ted over that admirable hymn? 1t
may be very much too bad. but it is
very much the case. 1t is quite rs
bad in me to suggest the sacrilege
to your young people. Bless your
indignant souls, they stand in need
of no suggestion. Ask them. l do
not deny that it is atrocious in me
to spoil the hymn for you; but that
is another matter. She then in her
blue and white dress, with a sun
beam struggling through little
ground-glass gallery window upon
her pink bonnet, sang:
"Blest be the TIC that binds
Our hearts in christian love;
The fellowship Of kindred minds
Is like to that above"
1t struck him that her voice was
less like incense now, and more like
melted silver; which was very
good fancy, by the way, and he
would make 4 note of it against
some indefinite exigcncies as class
orator.
sour fears, our hopes, our aims, are one,
Our comforts and our cares"
faltered the little silver voice; and
50 trinklcd into this:
when we asunder part,
II gives us inward pain,
But we shall still be Joined in heart,"
and ho, turning round with the au
dience, back to the Rev. Mr.. Love
as was the fashion in the Rlooms-
bury First Church, lifted his face
"a lo... 3, i Al, IL. 4, olscl ,,ouu1e o..os