Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-07-23

for a spell, for the girls mistrusted that ]
overheard them talk but before long Bet
sy Jane gave little hem TO clear her throat,
and observed that they must be middling
busy down at Deacon Goodman's if Matil-
da was TO be married in a week or two. l
said, 'She isn't to he married till Spring
comes : and / was going on to tell the rest,
but they didn't give me time TO finish.
"'Not ill spring what on earth couId
that mcdng Now what possessed me |
could not tell. l don't pretend TO say that
l did right but you must remember that
il was only half an hour since had heard
myself nicknamed and called an old maid,
just because 1 wouldn't tell all 1 knew.
well, says l, strange things happen some
times. You haven't heard that the deacon
and his wife had a disagreement, and are
talking of a separation Now, mind,
didn't tell them that / had heard 50 ; | on
ly said that they hadn't heard ii. or course
they were amazed beyond all account.
They couldn't say much but 'Did / everP
and If that doesn't beat all 1 ever did hear
in my born daysr Their mother wasn't a
talking woman, and she asked me If
didn't think there must be some mistake.
said time would show. But the girls had
noticed for some time how red Mrs. Good
mans eyes had looked, and now 1t was all
explained.
at wasn't long after, as l sat by win
dow at work spied Lyddy Ann, with
shawl over her head, slipping across from
their side gale into Miss Jones, and in
III I pf fhn TpnpG
girls, with shawl and cape bonnet, going
hither and yon. Well, the long and the
short Of il was, that by the end of two days
there wasn't a man or woman in Shrews-
bury that hadn't heard that Deacon Good
man and his wife had had great quarrel,
that Mrs. Goodman had cried her eyes out,
and that the match between Josiah and
Matilda was all broken Up.
"Old Deacon Walker was greatly exe:cis-
ed In his mind when he found there was
no such thing as putting down the rumor,
for he vas a ueaceable man, and he and
Deacon Goodman had served the same
communion table for many year. lie
couldn't bear to so 10 his brother about
such unpleasant business, though he didn't
believe the stories. Amer making ii a sub
iGct Of prayer, he concluded it was better
that the minister should take il in hand,
aud so TO the minister he went. Parson Snow
don didn't believe the stories. 1t wasn't
long since he had called al the deacon's,
and all was pleasant enough at that time.
Still, he hated rumors and he hated misun-
derstan dings, and be would go and put
stop to such goings on in his parish. So in
the afternoon the parsons old yellow
chaise went jogging ard teetering along the
road to Deacon Goodman's house. He
hilched his horse, aud then raped at the
front door instead of going 10 the side porch
as usual, and Nancy-ihat was the hired
girl-supposing that lie must have come
on some solemn business, took him into
the great solemn paIlOr, where, l venture
TO say, not one of the family sat down six
tunes in year. The deacon was out do
ing some fall planting. His wife brought
out his other coat and helped him spruce
up "A little, and then he went with little
cough aud hem or two, and feeling very
siil, into the great stiff room. How dye
do, Parson Snowdon? Glad to see you.
And how is your wife?' The pars0n and
his wife were both pretty smart, and how
was the deacon and his wife? Well, both
cleverly, except that the deacons rheuma-
tism held on in spite of his good wile's
great cale of him, and she herself was
troubled with weak eyes. They looked
rcd aud walored all the time, and panied
her considerable. The parsOn had noticed
along back that her eyes had looked red,
and he was afraid that she was taking on,
maybe about losing Matilda SO soon. We'll,
no it wasn't exactly that, for Matilda was
going to wait a while till her cousin Spring
got home, and then, very likely, his wife
would go to Boston TO stay with her while
she set up housekeeping And he told
the rest, about her wishing him TO 90 with
hei, and about their never having been
separated since they were married, and he
repeated his lille joke about their never
having had a disagreement before.
"The parsons face grew broader and
shorter, and presently, as the full light
broke in, he brought down his foot with a
stamp, and threw back his head, and laugh
ed so long and loud that Nancy declared if
Parson Snowdon wasn't Il masler-hand to
laugh, then she didn't know; and Mrs.
Goodman ventured 10 show herself TO ask
him not to go home without taking along a
few notions for his wife. The chaise box was
packed with fall sweetings, pair of chick
ems, half peck of doughnuts, and cheese
to go with them; and soon the parson in
the best Of humors, went lettering home
ward.
"The whole matter was soon explained,
and the stories traced 10 the Snuiier girls.
They were dreadfully cut up, and laid the
whole on my shoulders but nobody else
bla med me and as for Betsey Jane and
Lyddy Ann, they knew il wouldn't do a
mite of good TO keep put out With me. 1t
was only cutting oil their own noses, for
they couldn't do without me anyway. The
best of it was when Lyddy Ann came 10 be
getting ready all of a sudden to marry a
widower with five children, and didn't
want a soul TO know of it Till the last min
ute, especially as she had always declared
that she would not marry a widower-no,
not il she had to live ali old maid Till the
Gay of her deaih-and the girls would new
er be done hecioring her!
| NOW, gus, let me give you one Pieco
| of advice never he telling beforehand who
you will or who you won't marry. Ac-
cording to my way of thinking, it is more
prudent and more modest to wait until you
| are asked.
"As for Lyddy Ann, she owned that
was all right in keeping things TO myself
and that she had been ugly in running oul
so against me, and she went on TO say thai
she had learned one lesson from me, and
one that she should try 10 indoctrinaie hel
slep-children with, and that was, not tC