The enquirer southerner., 1874-04-24
'IaG
TIE
gnquirer- -sontberner.
FRIDAY, :: April. "a, 1874
THE MINISTER'S FIRST VISIT.

Scripture command, and text
from which many a minister has
drawn long Sunday discourse. 1t
means, or they make it mean to
their listeners. the house of the
heart, or the temple Of the brain,
or the mansion of the spirit, and
they exhort you to ''set these in
order, that you m1y be ready to
ride down the valley, without a
regretful look behin!, when Death
on his white horse drives ND 10
your doorstep.
But the command means qnife
another story to housekeepcrs. It
has a SAVIOR of dust and soap-suds
and q scent of whitewash in it, that
ministers dou't know much about;
and during some of their first visit
among their palishioners they come
in contact with some odd households
that turn their minds from the souls
orderly preparation to the hearth-
stones rug Of ashes or the ceilings
necklace of cobwcbs.
Ministers consider first visits
the tip-top Of duty, and in country
towns it is an event nearly as i'm
portant as Christmas, and every
housekeeper after attending the
regular installation ''sets her
house in ORDER, and tries to keep
it so, in anticipation Of this plimai
visit. Just SO had Mrs. Chase
attended to the gliding and shining
of her modest apartments, and as
she gently leaned her head back
on the white tidy of her rocking
chair, looked with pleased eye over
the success accomplished by her
tired muscles. Gradually the reins
of duty slackened in her fingers,
and her eyelids snapped together
like a snuffbox lid, and off she goes
into lands where they don't sweep,
or black-lead stoves. Immediately
the clock sung itself into perfect
quiet; and the coal in the McGregor
stove simmered through the CRATE,
sparkled a last faint glare and also
subsided into serenity, which soon
became cold serenity. 1t was a
blowy, snowy, cold day, but Mrs.
Chase was roaming in very comfora
table Eden gardens, and as her
house was set in perfect order, not
wrinkle slept in the corners of
her mouth: she even indulged q
tiny rumble of snore, and five lit.le
red noses and five little satchels of
primmers, and ten bootees loaded
with fresh white snow came like a
picture into her visions. But when
five loud "mothers" roared into the
atmosphere she Immediately became
conscious that "life is real,' and
came out of Eden to feel strong
gust of winter breathing in at the
open door that had just let in the
five little scholar Chases.
While she rubbed open Der eye
lids, and wondered chow she could
sleep SO" for two long hours, of
went the mittens, the caps, the
scarfs, the overcoats, the satchels,
and the boots; and the little rec
hands and cold noses made the
little tongues "boo~hoo' with q
very winter>like howl.
Twelve~year- old Tommie was ap'
pointed fire commissioner, and IL
the usual manner of boys who work
spry, the ash-pan and ashes very
quickly ornamented the oil mat
while clouds of gray dust settled
over shelf and chairs.
Already the crackle Of the new
fire made the youngsters happy anC
awoke the gingerbread feeling abou
the stomach, and poor Mrs. c., wh'
had been rubbing the cramp out o
her neck and shoulders, now bega1
to realize the mixture of snow
hillocks and ashes on the carpet
and the "toes up or heels down c
wet boots, and the general come to
pieces look of her house that sh
had "set in order. "
At this moment the bell rung ant
, every one of those FIVE chick
: started for the door, and vainly the
mother reached out for the las
ones heels, while she glanced il
desperate agony for the broom
e The little red-stockinged feet wer
, gathering back through the hall
and her inner sense told her it wa
the minister making his first visit
= (old Aunt Bethia told her afterwar
they "allus look surprisin days
Her face grew to cranberry hue a
he took her hand with theiusual ''sav
your soul !" style and hoped sh
was enjoying life. Tommie sa
down in his blue rocking chair
Bobbie got astried his sockin
horse, and, the rest of the student
stood in a row, justenjoying a lool
and doubtless classifying thei
object-whether or not he ha
candy and cents or tracts end Sc
mons in his pocket.
Conversation rolled glibly {
Mrs. Chase's tongue, while 81
kept her eye on the minister, fea
full lest it strayed toward the untit
hearth. Meanwhile the new Fl
ragged glaring,y and needed Il
cooling damper, but not for world
would she have drawn attention
the stove. So she talked al
~ answered upon all subjects, frc
Of the storm to the bible, composed
Ias he as possible, considering the pertu