The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-08-09

serve to be tested, and so it shall be.
But first promise me one thing /; prom
ise me that if this mi, acle of intuition
proves true, you will be my wife to-mor-
row. Ny darling, you shall not say
mo-" He prevented her, indeed, in a
lover-like way from saying anything.
And silence is "yes" to love.
The last day of August the whole vii
lage was thrown into q torment of ex-
cited curiosity. The excitement began
in one of the twin houses on the "Meet-
ing house hill" at five o'clock in the
morning. Miss Tabitha Butts stood in
her nightdress peeping through the
blinds of a dormer window. She never
could tell, as she declared afterward,
what made her peep.
She saw the back door of "Dick Sea-
mans" open, and Louisa Thatcher look
mysteriously out. Then she saw Tim,
the miller's boy, creep stealthily around
the porch with a pickax and a spade,
which he gave to Miss Thatcher, who
disappeared with them into the house.
Then Tim, stealing back again as far as
the lilac bushes. and cautiously survey
ing all approaches, put his hand over
his mouth and gave a low whistle. Inn
mediately from the horse shed by the
church a man came very quickly, and,
nodding to Tim rs he passed, fastened
to the highroad. Miss Tabitha was
sure, although his cap was drawn over
his face, that this man was the young
stranger to the village who had been so
infatuated with Miss Thatcher.
Then Miss Thatcher came to the door
again aud beckoned to Tim, and whis-
pered; and he went, around by way of
the church, down the plum orchard, to
the mill.
A pickax and a spade Miss Tabitha
had cold shivers; she could think of
nothing but a grave. When, two hours
a~fterward, the coast being clear, she
sped across the garden patch to the
ssmeetin' house she'd" her fancy lost
none of its horrors, for there, in the
MOI heast corner, was o space OF fresh
turned mold.
Miss Tabitha went home, put on her
sunbonnet, and was "down to the vii
lage in no time"
The next excitement was at the som
nolent dwelling of old Squire Wells.
MI. Mansfield had been closeted with
him an hour. And when the squire re.
appeared he nearly upset his ancient
wife in the hallway in haste to get his
hat and coat, and choked till he was
scarlet, screaming into her wrong ear
that he was going to q. on bizniss !"
OFF he went at such o novel pace that
the poor DANES feeble faculties aroused
themselves to concentrate upon one fatal
remembrance: "When an old horse
that has alters walked takes to runnin'
away, there's no ind O. damage"
Excitement third was a sealed letter
dropped by Mr.. Seaman's Err into the
post.ofice at ten o'clock, the hour Of
general delivery, directedto the trustees
Of the district school, which body, be-
ing in quorum on the spot, opened Mt
once the resignation of Miss Thatcher in
favor of the highly recommended candi-
date for the winter term, to whom they
had kindly given her the preference.
Excitement fourth attacked faxen
haired Nettie's mother, a pleasant faced
little widow, to whom Tim, who had
ridden to U. and back again ct break
neck speed, brought a note from the
minister of o., saying he would sup
with her that evening, "if agreeable,
as he was coming to Red Cedar Pond
"in virtue of his Office" a sentence
underlined like q pleasantly, that SO up
set the good widows brain as to spoil
the count of her one-two- three-foUrca cake.
Last of all, and the grand excitement
OF the day, was the ringing, at four
o'clock in tho afternoon, of the meet
ing house bell. "Who is dead ?" every
one asked, as the first few slow strokes
were counted; but once fairly set going,
the old bell tripped up all calcula.
tions fifty, eighty, a hundred still on;
quickly, jubilantly-ringing not for the
dead, but for the living ; ringing for a
wedding
Such as campering as there was up the
Mill bridge road! There was..no lack of
witnesses to the simple, solemn service,
and of the coming down the aisle, on
the arm of her proud young husband, OF
O delicate little bride, with mourning
laid aside for purest white, and day
lilies on her bosom.
Not married in haste to repent at
leisure were the two loving people who
took the evening train OF q. for O
far commercial city, preceded by their
good fortune in shape Of a strong box
filed with Spanish doubloons and English
banknotes ingeniously bequeathed by
all eccentric misanthrope, and discovered
in it's hiding place by a woman's wit,
kindled by a woman's sympathy.