The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-11-28
BAKED BEANS.

"Baked hcans be good enough for
any one, Melinav. When your father
came cGurtin' me he set store hv Han
nah's baked beans, and alters thought i
them hadn't been 50 nice, might never
have been Mrs. Tibbs after all ) AMI
Mrs. Tibbs smiled broad smile at her
little joke, which quite swept from her
face the previous look of vexsation.
/ Not so with her daughter Melinda,
who was pairing apples with very
/ downcast face, as she answered Gloomily :
/ "That WIS thirty years ago, ma, and
times have changed. and Mr.. Fairweath-
er isn't coming courtin'. But | do think
/ it's too bad to give him nothing bnt
/ baked beans when he comes here, when
YOU know how Mrs. Jones and Mrs.
! Johnson will lay themselves out.
Mrs Tihbs cut off Il large slice Of pork
! letting her knife come with decision
upon tle hard. wood table.
"Ii he's going to preach to lis, Me-
Indy, don't want a sermon of soups
and fancy cracker But good pl,te of
baked beans will make the kind o SER
mon for me-"
Mr.. Fairweather. the young candidate
for the Merton pulpit, was to spend the
approaching Sabbath at Deacon Tibbs's.
As Mrs. Tihbs and Melinda were dis
cussing his next breakfast, he was seated
in the cars with his Greek Testament in
his hand, but not evidently in his
thoughts. He was thinking ST Merton,
and contrasting it with the home h" Was
| lust leaving. The question i'll his mind
was, whether he WAS fitted I" taka
charge of n strong, powerful, bnt dnli
church, Evidently the people needed
waking up. Could he successfully Il" Ii.
Judging by appearances, most de-
cidedlv no! For Mr.. Fairweather,
though quite tall, WAS slight, with light
hair, grlvish-blue eyes and complex
ion to which any sudden emotion brought
1 change of color. AS you looked at
him more closely, you saw the thin lils
close firmly together, and the eyes re-
gar,led you steadily and squared y-bnt
not forciblv enough for Merton, would
undoubtedly he your decision, as it was
mine when first met him.
Mr.. Fairweather had not gone far in
his thoughts, when the cars drew up ut
the station He was met, shaken most
heartily by the hand, helped into a car
risge, and, before fairly aroused from
his reverie, was drawn easily along over
a jolting road by strong, Young, bay
horse. who carried himself with sturdy,
ringing gait, which suggested any amount
of unused power, and, though apparent
" slow enough, passed over Il mile in a
very short time. The horse was the
first thing that really attracted the min
istcr's attention. 1t seemed to him very
much like the people of Merton, for
both horse and people had considerable
in them, but both needed further bring
ing ont. So he broke in np"n the or
binary commonplaces, which were being
exchanged, by saying:
"That is very powerful horse OF
vours. Deacon Tibbs."
Eyes, sir" said the deacon, we'll
pleased. "Hn is, 7 might say, pretty
powerful for one of his breed. He's
young yet, only four years, but pretty
average good colt he is.
81 am wanting n good horse" added
Mr.. Fairw"uther. but this one, / sup
pose, is not for sale"
"Wcll, sir, he isn't; but to be frank
with you, sir, l wouldn't sell him to You
ANYWAY. Yon haven't the strength tC
have him ut the other end Of the lines,
for all he seems TO go along $" easy
like"
81 can see his easincss comes from
his strength" answered Mr.. FAIR
weather, "and | have seen so many
horses and people, too, who seem to he
going to the limit of their ability that
the sight is refreshing to me
81 am glad you like tn" colt" re-
spondcd the deacon, doubtfulr. But
don't it show trihc of familiarity will
things of which minister don't study
much %
Mr.. Fairweathcr glanced up quickly
at seems to me, Deacon Tibbs, that {
minister has right as well rs others tC
enioy all the beautiful creatures with
Which his good master hes filled tho
world"
eyes, certainly" replied Deacon
Gibbs; 81 on V spoke of it because olll
last minister uscl to ride considerable
rather more than was hctitting minis
ter, our Merton folks thought. "
Mr.. Fairwcather had no answer ready
to his remark, which had brought hin
back to his first question. Was he fitted
to be Il spiritual adviser to the Merton
people? On the very first subject men
toned, he had differed from one of the
deacons-and that to him an important
subject, for he owed his health in Nc
small measure to his saddle exercise.
The steady, swinging trot quickene,e
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