Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-04-11
OUR MINISTERS wooING." !"


experience a sensation. For tho last
thirty and odd years the spiritual af-
fairs of the community had been pre-
sided over by the Rev. DIR. Fairfield.
But as somebody pathetically re-
marks, "to all things comes a changes"
and one day, as the good doctor was
returning from a pastoral call, his
steady-geing old horse was suddenly in
spired with crazy notion to run away.
The doctor was thrown from his car
riage, carried home insensible, and in
few days thereafter, calmly as he had
lived, he died; and they carried him out
and buried him where the shadow of
the cross on the little village church
fell daily upon his grave.
1t was his successor Maxwell Grey
mounted the pulpit; and Immediately
from one end of the village to the other
every gossip's tongue was set in motion.
Never a tea-drinking for the next three
months at which his appearance, his
manners, and his sayings were not dis
cussed, as if they, and they alone,
formed the only topic of consideration.
And when it came to be positively as
serted, by those who it was supposed
ought to know, that he wasn't even
"engaged," such setting of caps as
was Instituted.
Sheltered in the quiet, childless house
hold of good Deacon Thompson, Mr..
Grey had, happily, not even the faint
est idea of the controversies eXtant.
And when he met any of the village
girls, as he very frequently did, he lit
tie suspected that the deferential pO-
likeness with which he greeted them, so
unaccustomed to them and so habituat
to him, could have the least power to
thrill them, and set them dreaming, in
the way it certainly did. ...
Like every other place in the wide
world, Ryefield had its aristocracy;"
an aristocracy that prided itself on the
blue blood that flowed through its veins.
And met the talented, eloquent young
minister with enthusiastic welcomes,
thereby acknowledging his possession
of that unmistakable, indefinable quail
ity denominated "good breeding"
At the head of the. circle stood Es-
quire Willard, who was also one of the
pillars of the church; en- pGSsant, he
sometimes so FAR forgot himself Us 10
become one of the sleeperS.
Naturally enough, young Grey was
frequently in business consultations
with wit ntss the Squire a S9mgRUg RUg 9a5diFRgg at
tiops relative 10 church interests. And
one evening he started to go there,
leaving Mrs. Thompson perceptibly un-
.:That's che third time he's called
there within month"; she said to the
deacon al do hope he isn't paying
atteroion to Floy."
per husband looked up in astonish-
lent. And pray, why, wifeP" said
ne.
"Why notr" she echoed. "Why,
what kind of wife would Floy Willard
makeP She doesn't know the very first
thing about housekeeping; though l
can't say it's altogether her fault; she
seems clever enough; but her mother
always will take the whole charge of
everything, SO that there's no chance
for her to learn even if she wanted to.
But as it is, she's just the LATEST girl in
town, No kind of faeultYm Nike
Thompson had great respect for this
last.)
Just here the deacon mildly sug-
gested that there was really no neces-
sity for labor in this case, and looked
as if he would like to suggest that his
wife was meddling with what did not
concern her in the least
But Mrs. Thompson was not thus to
be appeased. "No more necessity than
in everybody's case, admit" she re-
joined; "but l think that everybody
should know how to manage, and 4
minister's wife above all, with house
always full of company, and visiting
and charity work besides. o, no, she'll
never doP' And she inwardly resolved
straightway to open Mr.. Grey's eyes to
the atrocity of Floy Wizards "lazi-
ness" and thus, as she said to herself,
crush the germs of any passion, or
rather "notion," as she termed it,
which sho feared might be growing in
his breast. "For," she added, when
body takes an interest in another,
they do like to see them do WE'LL"
Most worthy woman! She might have
spared herself so much uneasiness had
she known that, in all his calls at
Willard Place, Mr.. Grey had never,
oddly enough, been favored with even
a glimpse Of the young lady in ques-
ton. In her ignorance of this fact,
next morning, at breakfast table, she
very ingeniously led the conversation
to discussion of the Willards in gen
eral, and Miss Floy in particular;
which conversation had the sole effect
of inspiring Grey's mind with strong
interest in her behalf, and causing him
to wonder what had become of Mrs.
ThOmpsOn's wonted charity.
Peeping in at the Willard Place not
many weeks after this, you would have
found the house almost deserted. The
door of the wide Lall stood wide open,
and the low. windows that opened from
the parlor directly upon the shady
veranda were guarded only by the long
lace curtains that waved and puffed in
the idle summer wind.
Half hidden behind the snowy folds,
in huge armchair, and curled among
its cushions, behold at the moment
whereof we write. Miss Florence Will
lard!
A childish little figure, slender and
round; dainty head, crowned with a
rare glory Of soft, waving, shining,
brown hairi a complexion like a wild
rose; great wiStful, hazel eyes, and full
red lips, with a something almost sor-
rowful in their soft curves. And more
than all these, certain potent charm
and grace of daintiness, from the soft
lace about the throat to the glittering
buckles ON the little slippered feet.
Her father had that day betaken
himself TO the city, twenty miles dis
tant, on business cares intent. Her
mother had accompanied him on
shopping raid. The last remaining
servant had discovered that another OF
her relatives had shufiied of this mortal