Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-03-27
Gales and Sketehes.
THE MINISTER'S DAUGHTER.
BY EDNA DEAN PROCTOR,

The Rev. Reuben Hyde was graduate
OF both Amherst and Andover. His par
ents, who had made great sacrifices to
give him such advantages, looked forward
to his becoming shining light in the
church, and even hoped that the first pull
pits OF Boston would be open to him when
he left the seminary. But alas for the
vanity OF human expectations. his sermons
were only dry statements of Edwards and
Stuart; and, after preaching as candid
ate" in several large towns, only to be re-
jected, disappointed and done with ambi-
tion, he driited into the small, remote par
ish of Marston, where kindliness and fire.
quent pastoral visits were more highly
priced than powerful discourses. His
slender salary was eked out by the pro-
ductions of the garden and field belonging
to the parsonage, the tilling of which oc-
cupied his leisure hours. and having,
through his failures, a dislike for the great
world, he rarely left home, except to '.ex-
cept to exchange with some brother
minister as unknown and unexpcctant as
himself.
Mrs. Hyde was an amable, industrious
woman, never absent from the prayer
meeting or sewing circle. and untiring in
her thrifty household cares. Their chill
drcn were Bessie, grave, patient, gentle
girl of ten, with a round. innocent face.
brown curls. and an appealing look in her
blue eyes that went straight to your heart
and baby Will, a vehement little fellow.
just entering his second year. and who
went far to prove the theory of some Scot
tish philosopher, that children inherit the
dormant rather than the active faculties
of father and mother.
Such was the Hyde family when, at nine
years old, | went to Marston to spend the
summer with my aunt, who was their
next door neighbor; and this was the way
Bessie and became acquainted
had been three days at my aunt's, and
had gone through and through the rooms,
and explored the garret. and examined
over and over again the. few picture books
among the Old volumes on the hanging
shelves. had found every nook of the
garden, and fed the chickens. and seen
the cows MIXED, and frolicked with the
two gray kittens, until the cat, alarmed at
our familiarity had carried them off to
their inaccessible nest in the barn; and
was beginning to be weary OF the stiffness,
broken only by the ticking ofthe tall clock
in the corner, and thinking rather sadly
of Ned and Fanny at home, when my
aunt looked up from her work and said:
You feel lonesome, don't you. Mary !?
Put on your bonnet and go out and play
with Bessie Hyde. There she is. drawing
her little brother up andldown the path
Charmed at the prospect of company,
and yet little afraid of strangers, acted
upon her suggestion, and going cautiously
to the foot of the garden. looked through
! 81,
her dark gingham gown and shaker bon
net. her brown curls clustering in her
neck, and her cheeks flushed with her
efforts to please Master Will, who was as
erect and proud in his clumsy wagon. as
if he had been heir to ali the Russias.
She saw me, and now and then looked
timidly towards me: and know not how
long we should have thus regarded each
other had not a great orange spotted
butterfly come t1uttering over the walk
and alighted on currant bush close be-
side the wagon. The baby shouted with
the dazzling rover, when it flew above
my head and disappeared In the near Or
chard. The child set up u scream of vex-
alton that might have been heard through
out the village. and scorned all his sisters
cured to me. The minister's garden had
only few pale flowers; but nv aunt's
was gay with various blooms. ran to
the beds and plucked nosegay of the
brightest roses, columbines, scarlet oera-
NUNS, and hurrying through the gate and
along the path, laid them down before
the riotous boy. He looked up, laughed
in spite of his tears, and then gathering
them in confused heap in his arms, and
doubtless thinking them so many captured
wings, he was soon the image of content.
THANK you," said Bessie, from under
her sun bonnet.
"How loud he did scream" said I.
"'Twas the butterfly that made him.
answered Bessie. And from that moment
we were friends.
The next Monday morning l went with
Bessie to the village school, and found It
SO attractive that continued TO accom-
pany her all the summer. The Marston
children were rather rough in their ways;
but we had rare fun during recess, and
there was really only one scholar of whom
we were atraid-Tom Stevens, a rude.
mischievous boy from the tavern at tho
end of the street, who delighted in tor
menting all weaker and younger than
himself. He knew Bessie was in mortal
terror of him, and so he was always teas.
ing her; but when John Farley found out
anything, Tom was sure to get his deserts.
John Farley was the Deacon's son, tall,
handsome, athletic boy of thirteen. full OF
mrth, and daring, and generosity.
Since the landing of the "Mayflower,
there could not have been found a man
more rigid and exacting in family disci-
pline than his worthy father. And John
was restive under such restraints because
he once ran away to the next town, to see
a travelling circus. to which he had been
denied admission and because one sum-
mer Sunday morning, in the middle of
Mr.. Hydes third sermon on the doctrine
OF election, looking toward the door, no
saw the dog sitting solemnly in the vesti.
bule, and before he thought, snapped his
fingers. so that Fido came bounding and
barking up the aisle--because of these and
similar misdemeanors, people shook their
heads when they spoke of him, and proph-
esied that he would come TO no good end.
lie was often away from school, busy with
hoeing or haying on his fathers farm, but
when he returned his first care was to