The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-02-20

oy the thousand to express what
thetics and afiinities, and have spiritual ups
and downs like the cradle-holes In Q winter
drifted road, because they have so little work
they have time to waste in studying them
selves and their feelings-would have made
day, and lecture Thursday evening: PRAYER.
meetings in the ends of the town alternately
twice week; visiting such of his flock as
needed 1t, and all Of them OCCASIONALLY, and
writing sermons every week with conscien-
tious diligence: splitting wood, hoeing corn,
and, In short, farming his few acres 5y way OF
amusement and relaxation; his only reading
the county weekly paper, and the few solid
volumes OF theology on his bedroom shelves.
What life is this In comparison with that OF
odays Five hundred dollars q year were
wen-esrned, and hard-earned, too; no wonder
that the Gospel was q daily reality to this
prophet In the wilderness, and the devil . real
and roaring parsonage to be baffied, fought,
dened and exercised; and no wonder that
learning TO endure hardness as q good soldier
OF Christ Jesus, and to put on the whole arm
OF OF God, this militant parson longed to test
that hardness and use those weapons In lawful
warfare with the Enemy; and he did. He did
not forget God, but he could trust Him; the
devil was persistent and at hand, and he
preached about, prayed at, and wrestled with
him to an extent incredible to US who talk
about an impersonal principle Of evil, and con-
slider that awful solitude In the wilderness and
Its agonies only dramatization.
To Parson Robbins, as. to Luther, the En-
emy was real and active being, and the flock
whom he gathered into the old red meeting
house accepted his belief with equal earnest
ness, except few born skeptics who could
ners who would not.
Even Cad Culver believed in the devil, but
he was too lazy to repent of his sins and lead
. new life-far too lazy to begin . warfare
mind and body on the alert. To-day he was
not 80 much troubled about Satan as he had
been sometimes. His mind was given to an
other subject-whom he should marry; for
mafIiage n, TIL was getting to be the only way out
and feebler, and he contemplated with terror
the idea that he must do the work himself
and take care of her too, unless somebody
ders. He had announced his intention in the
store partly to fx it In his own mind beyond
recall, partly In the hope of some gratuitous
advice being offered, but nobody there had any
% give. Il did not occur 70 any of them that
Cal was In earnest, or, II ne was, that any girl
In Bassett would look at him in matrimonial
light. But this was not Calls opinion. He
knew he was handsome The straight regular
hss ses g0n hair
forest pool told him true story; and when .
hearty laugh parted the full red lips and
showed his regular white teeth, and his eyes
nashed With fun or glittered with humor or
craft, the too perfect face wore an added
charm OF bright expression. He was tall, too,
straight, and strong, and being the only man,
In AL the village, old or young, whose beard
had been allowed its natural growth, simply
because he was too lazy to shave, he was q
marked figure wherever he went, and In con-
slant request at raisings, apple bees and husk-
tngs, both as help in the work, which, being
only occasional, and followed BY feast, was
not Questionable to him, and also as "fust-
rate company guest who could play all
sorts Of games, and dance all nigot, where
any householder dared admit Of dancing. But
though the girls all liked his society, none Of
them wanted to marry him; and to-day, after
he had waited for some expression of assent
or opinion from the knot Of his comrades In
the store, and waited In vain, he sauntered
on to find his special crony, Jim Beebe, and
get him to 60 fishing. An hour or two after
Long Lake, diligently waiting for something
to bite, and Cal began discourse in . low tone,
out of consideration for the fishes.
"Ssy, Jim, I'm a-goin' to git married"
BE yet" Jim answered, meditatively, Civ
ing gentle motion to his rod to see II the
line was free.
ayes, 1 be; but, darn It ALL dono who rn
dreadful miser'ble along lon back" 'p' '''Ae'
"Kinder sure somebody'n hev ye, pears to
me, "earcasticaIly remarked Jim.
sWen, what ef bet Gals is most gener'ly
re,dy TO say snip when q good-lookin' young
gal ask says yes right OF"
Jim was disgusted with this conceit; he en-
no doubt that any girl in Bassett
would marry him, but Cal Culver was another
changed within the last hundred years, and
both Calvary and Jim might find comrades to-
day: However, Jim held his tongue, and Cal
"Trouble is to find lest the right one.
There's lots o. folks In the world, but come to
you want Jest the right critsur It's
\ life bixness, you see, and what on airth kin
man do ef he gets battered up tight to the
Cal was not "of the fashion of these
times" for ss yet divorce facilities were un-
known to decent Connecticut, and "till deatho
did not mean the "dying daily" 1t seems to
now.
"what sort o. head-marks be you sot on
specifyin'f' dryly remarked Jim, as he gave
& little twitch to his rod and landed q round
fat little "pumpkin-seed" in the bottom Of
the boat.
in'."
"Iknowed that afore ye told me; there's
got to be smartness some'eres," curtly put in
Jim, pushing an unhappy worm on to the end
"Git outI" laughed Cal. "You shouldn't
twit on fac's, Jim. I'm smart enough when
Pm q mind ter, but I'd Jest as lieves other
folks would take stiddy job ont. want q
strong healthy gal too. Mother she can't do
cot to s,ep ronnd Sey ..
our house while she lasts. / want somebody
that's got faculty too; fact is, woman that
hain't got faculty ain't good for nothin'."
put In Jim, who was getting interested in the
matter at last.
"Weil, / declare fort, I hadn't had q
thought o. Pyllythi Bangs. She is master
"Steeltraps amt nothin' to her," assented
Jim; she's too smart a'most. But she's got
amazin' faculty, everybody says. i dopo,
though, as I should really banker to marry
her, Cal. Them Bangses is dreadful queer
"wen, don't calkeriate to marry the hull
on 'em, Jim. I guess l could hold my own
with Polly, ef she is reel masterful Come to
that, & I've I've the biggest +, bones' anyway. can
Jim shook his head. He did not feel sure
Bangs, and proceeded as delicately as he knew
"well, I guess ye could ef it come to that.
But, Lord how be ye goin' to stop her
tonguei She'll talk We lame and blind ef ye
stroke her the wrong way; And she'll hetchel
the CID woman nan, mors,ily, :, :, " be- be afraid"
hook slowly into the water, having mated
Jim's pumpkin-seed while he talkedS"queer
how women-folks do ketch fire, come to git
'em together. The best on 'em can't live in
the same house two days 'thout some darned
thing or mother sprouts up to set 'em BY the
ears 1t does beat al"
"I expect Parson Robbins would say the
devil comes in thirdsman, Cal, them times"
al guess there amt no special call for an
extry devil; 'riginal sims actyve enough in
'em most times. But they're reel handy to
hey around, for all that Ishall begin square
and fair. Ef she wants to hetchel me she kin
try 1t on, but she'd better let the old woman
alone. 'Twon't be for long, anyway"
"Don't you reckon on that" put In the ex-
perienced Jim. "Old women last for ever m
ever. They don't know how to die when they
git started. Lordy! look at granny She's
been prayed for more times In meetin'; she's
been dangerous forty times since I kin re-
member; but she hops up every time like q
sure as you're born"
.Well, what do you keep hevin' her prayed
tort" coolly suggested Cal-an idea that
dckied Jim till ne dropped his rod over the
for fear Of startling the perch and
pumphin-seeds, which were now tempting