The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1875-04-15

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.Etea, and hea also told him that sh
l:had a lot os books in her bedroom
that usedto balong to her father-h
I:guessed there vas as many as fv
hundred, altogether.
oneday the minister plucked tw.
4or three posies, a rose and a few ger
anium leaves from the widows gar
den and sent tte wee boquct to Ne
Elissa by Johnnie. Johnnie told. hin
the next day that she kissed it afte
she thought heiwas out of the room
but he peeped through a crack il
the door,. and saw her do it. 81,
went to the Deaeon's often after tina
but he never could get 10 talk to he,
One night when none of the fami
ly were at prayer meeting but her
self and the Deacon came putting W
to them and talked new pulpit un
til they reached the.gate.
BY the last of September the min.
lister, like everything else, had ccas.
ed to be new. Martha Janson had
tried to get him, but failed; Amaran.
tina Peabody had tried, and failed;
Fannie Gauss had tried, and failed;
and he was looked upon as belonging
to "the church,
But he was not the church's. He
was not his own. Next to the Mas
ter he loved and served, he belonged
to Melissa Perry. But he did not
know it then.
One bright October day the knowl-
edge came to him with its burden of
sweet hopes and trembling fears
Would Melissa take what belongs to
her, he wondered. How could he ev-
er find out? The Lord through the
mouth of Johnnie 0sgood told him
now. One morning he went to the
widows and stayed with the minis
ter until the clock struck twelve,
when he caught up his hat andstart-
ed for home.
'Stay and cat dinner with me,
said the minister.
Il can't" said Johnnie; a have to
get, | have to wipe the dinner dishes
for Mclissa's, she's goin' to the but
ter woman's this aftiGsaTneH,:.,..s.;,. fttisT. ~:
don't vo,. Eo ass. 7sss ::-~-e..'
Johnnie meant the butter-woman,
but the minister meant Melissa. /;
He went to the butter-womdn's
(she was 4 member of his church),
and had been there an. hour when
Melissa came. She wore 4 dark cali
co dress and carrieda a bright tin pail
on her arm. On her way out to the
house Gt was more than mile from
the town. She saw little bunch of
scarlet berries lying in the road
There was no bush near them; they
were alone in their warm, bright
beauty, and she picked them up and
fastened them in her dress at the
neck, wondering where they came
from-just as the minister had often
ed wondered where she came FROM
The minister saw the berries, and he
forgot whether her dress was 4 cali
co one or not.
After she purchased the butter she
took the tin pail on her arm again
and went out at the kitchen door,
The minister saw her go and hewent
out at the front door and soon over
took her and insisted on carrying
her pail. They talked in general
way until they reached a bit Of a
woods through which they had to go,
and then he persuaded her to sit
down by him on an old log and rest
perhapsitwas the bright
day or the independent autumn all
made her forget that she was Dea'
con Osgood's "help" and she talked
unrestrainedly and with an intelli-
gcncc that surprised him. At last
with delicate tact he led her to talk
about herself and she told him how
her parents were both-huried in one
day leaving erpenniless and friend
less, and how she had been bound tt
Deacon osgood until she was eishtecr
years old.
"They are kind to you are the!
not?" he asked.
"Ycs, they are kind, but" an'
she stopped abruptly.
But what? Tellme meallaboutit, h