Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1877-11-10

hI. TdlTWedtutT blduC6u up QllChly.
" 1t seems to me, Deacon Tbbs, that a
minister has q right as we'll as others to
enjoy all the beautiful creatures with
which his good master has filled the
world"
"Yes, certainly" replied Deacon
Tibbs; :" / only spoke of it because our
last minister used to ride considerable,
rather more than was beitting q minis
ter, our Merton folks thought"
Mr.. Fairweather had no answerready
to his remark, which had brought him
back to his first question. Was he fitted
to bo 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 no
small measure to his saddle exercise.
The steady, swinging trot quickened
perceptibly as large, white house ap-
peared in sight, until the colt came to a
stand-still in front of the wistaria- covered
door. Deacon Tibbs sprang out, offered
his hand to Mr.. Fairweather, and then,
catching sight of light-blue dress, he
called out
"Here, Melindy, come here ssand take
cafe OF the parson, while unhitch Paul.
Ny darter, Mr., Fairweather.
At the same time that Mr.. Fairweather
is shaking the small red hand in his thin
white one, will introduce Miss Melinda
Tibbs to my readers.
She is fair specimen of smart New
England girl. She has not naturally a
large frame, but as she has never been
pinched or stunted, she has grown to q
full size. Her face is plump without
being fat, her cheeks rosy, and her eyes
bright and full Of mischief. She seems
q personification of good nature, as the
young minister thought her, though had
he peeped into the kitchen window that
morning, as she sat by the little cherry
table pairing apples, he would have
known that even her brightness was
eclipsed by clouds. There seemed to me
just one quality lacking in her, and that
not unimportant-depth. Her rosy lips
were lightly pressed together, her brown
eyes roved carelessly from thing to
thing; she roamed from one subject to
another, never stopping to think on any
one of them. Evidently, If Miss
Melinda had any strength of mind or
character, she, as well as others, had yet
to find it out.
1t was very quiet evening the young
minister spent, and feeling tired and en-
barrassed he went early to bed, to gain
what rest he could for the next days
duties. After he had closed his door he
was attracted by Melinda's voice, and
unwillingly he was made O confdant in
what seemed then to be her greatest
trial.
It's too bad, pa, but ma wouldn't
get anything but baked beans and John
ny-cake for breakfast, and 1 don't sup
pose Mr.. Fairweather ever heard of
baked beans before"
time he did, then, Melinda but I agree
with you, don't b'lieve he ever did
hear of 'em before most like he's been
brought up on cake and custard."
Well, [ don't know, Jenny" said
Deacon Tibbs, "about the cake and GUS
tall, but it's nothing agen him if he is
not DER strong"
" He isn't strong" broke in Melinda.
I" | )uld beat him easy in good race,
and that's Just the reason why say be
shouldn't be made to eat baked beams"
Just the reason why he should, Me-
linda, . rejoined Mrs. Tibbs.
"Well, that's kind" soliloquized Mr.
Fairweather. "I'm glad to know what
I'm going to have for breakfast, and Us
| have heard of baked beans, I'll do my
best to prepare for them" al
But that proved hard work for if there
was one article of diet he detested more
than another, it was baked beans. And
the amount he ate of this New England
dish was evidently to be the standard by
which his abilities as man and preach
er were to be judged.
Mr.. Fairweather awoke in the morn
ing with weight of scarcely defined
trouble upon him, which for o moment
he could not assign to any event past or
to come. But when his breakfast, con-
sisting entirely of baked beans, flashed
into his head-metaphorically speaking
he laughed and said to himself:
"The johnny-cake will be a comfort
that's one good thing"
AS he entered the dining-room, he
glanced toward the large black pot in
front of Deacon Tibbs, but could not
see anything beyond generous slice of
pork nicely Drowned. The beans were
evidently baked by a good cook, little
moist to suit my taste, ] should judge
from Mr.. Fairweather's description, but
not beyond the point to which many
good housekeepers aim to bring them.
The young minister did his best, but
he found his second piece of johnny
cake-for he took o mouthful of this
with every mouthful of beans-rapidly
disappearing, while the generous supply
OF beans on his plate was not perceptibly
diminished. The worst of it was that
Mrs. Tibbs' eyes were from time to time
cast scrutinizingly on his plate. Twice
he helped himself again to vinegar ant
pepper, but after all he felt that, in the
eyes OF the deacon's worthy wife, he hat
made failure. For, when he rose from
the table, there were some beans left OF
his plate.
It was more than he could ask that
good sermon should atone for his tw,
misfortunes; of course the Tibbs famil,
would decide that a minister VIII,
couldn't eat baked beans, and knew
good horse when he saw him, must be
dandyfied jockey, and not at all the min
lister for Merton.
How he got through the rest OF tn
day he could not tell. He tried to preacl
his best, but at night he lay down wit
the feeling that some way or other tn
whole day had been failure.
1t was surprise to him when he re
ceived unanimous call to the Centrs
church at Merton. But after he ha
thoroughly looked at all sides of tn
questions, he decided that he might
better fitted for that place than any othel
So he accepted the call, was installed