The Placer herald., 1874-08-29
LOOKING FOR A WIFE.
BY A CLERGYMAN.

| He had completed his fiftieth years in the
itinerancy. had just commenced to travel,
| consequently his experiences and advices
were very important to me, as he thought,
and as l ought to have thought
must confess, however, that made a
liberal discount on his words, in view OF
the progress of the times, mentally main
tanning that the Methodist preacher of to-
day was different species from the similarly
fifty years ago. 3 .s
| The kindly but somewhat forgetfu old
worthy. after tangling up my name and
personality with four or five other pn-feather
dominies, at last succeeded in placing me,
and then said he:
Well, Brother n, let me see, are you
married yet?
Of course / promptly responded in the
negative, without saying a word about my
prospects. Perhaps there was something
mournful in my tones which led him to con-
tinue:
"Well, brother, time enough, dent be
discouraged. Trust in the Lord; he will
bring it about all right. You know Solo
mon says "a good wife is from the Lord
and know that's the truth. Matilda and
have lived together man and wife fifty years
come October and she's been a good wife
Why, once wanted to locate, and says she,
mo, Samuel | married you for a travelling
Methodist preacher, and don't want you to
stop now.' We've moved thirly-five times
think of that-and not word of complaint
has she ever uttered"
And the good old mans eyes filled with
tears and his voice grew husky as he thought
OF the long and toilsome years of his pilgrim
age, frightened by the presence of his noble,
uncomplainng wife, Then he chuckled as
old men do when some favorie, well-tried
form of thought or expression strikes them
"Why, | know she's good wife, tell
the storekeepers that anything they can sell
to her III pay for-she's so economical and
careful you see. And she always was.
| noticed that more than fifty years ago,
when | first met her. | had been sent to
Norwalk circuit, and put up the first year
at the house of proud sort of a woman who
was dreadfully down on the Methodsts, as
people often were in those days. You see
she had two or three daughters, and was
wondrously 'fraid the young domonie might
take notion to one of her girls. So she
kept talking and limiting and insnuatiDg and
disparaging, and at last one day says she,
I'D as lief one OF my girls would marry
dog-whipper as a Methodist preacher.
couldn't keep still any longer, and so spoke
right out: They'd make better wives for
dog-whipper than for a minister. | would
not marry one Of your daughters unless you
r;,,, ,,o .hov,,c1 1olare N ,,o,r o., ,o1,,
her, and then went ont. We both felt re-
lieved
"Well, next year, after was ordained
deacon, stopped at the house Of Matilda's
father. He had several daug Matilda
was the fifth one. | never talked much
with any of them, for was very strict about
keeping the rules for a young preacher in the
discipline, especially about talking sparlngly
and conducting prudently with women; but
noticed that her father set great store by
Matilda. She seemed kind of responsible
like. always working around and looking
after the children and such like; and when
see how much confidence her father placed
in her, the thought came to me that hus-
band might trust her too. Still, mind you,
| had no thought of marrying, YOU know,
only these ideas would come to my head.
"Well, one evening came home from
visiting, and found all the young folks had
gone out for sleigh-ride. Caleb Benedict
ii nice, smart young fellow, had taken Ma
tilda, her mother said. So we had prayers,
and then went up to bed. There was.a
window right at the foot Of the bed, and
through it could see out into the road. 1t
was bright moonlight, and somehow every
time | heard sleigh-bells would sit up in
bed and look out to see who it was. Don't
you see, wanted to see Matilda when she
come back. The truth was, | was under
concern of mind about Matilda, don't you
see?'' and his eyes sparkled and his mouth
pursed up as be thought of that night when
he first found out he was under concern of
mind about Matilda. "Well, he went on,
Il thought I'd speak to her. So the next
day, as l was reading and she was tidy
ing about the room, | said, says |, Matilda,
would like few moments conversation
with you alone. Can | have them? She
said Yes And do you believe it, to this
day she says she thought | wanted to talk
with her about the stale of her soul. Well,
when we were alone, said, thinking about
Caleb Benedict all the time, Matilda, are
you keeping company with any young man?'
You see, wanted to make sure before
went any further. So she said NO, she
wasn't keeping company with any young
man. Then | felt better, and proceeded,
Did you ever say you never would marry a
Methodist minister She was all taken
aback, and said, No, she had never said
So. y"
Then" interposed l, ".you did some
very special pleading, imagine?' thinking
he might 60 into interesting and instructive