The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-12-25
SCARED BY A MOUSE.

Mr.. Peletiah Merritt was a young
man, emphatically. Some men are
born young, and some have youth thrust
upon them. He was of the latter sort.
Though he certainly was born. accord
ing to the best authorities, at very re-
cent period, he never yet had been
young in spirit. His solemn face, his
whity-yellow hair, his peuted- lips, all
indicated long frocks and a cradle, up
to his fifteenth year. He was conscien-
tious and sincere, but he took. such large
views of life, and was so precise and
methodicalin all he planned and did,
that his good intentions often fell under
the suspicion of conceit, and that not
without the appearance of evil. At the
time we introduce him to our readers he
was full-fedged from college and his
course of theological studies. Of life,
character, human nature, he was entire
ly ignorant. A theological training does
not include these branches, and this
Guileless creature was sent forth to
preach the Gospel without one particle
of serpentine wisdom. Harmless he
might be, but as useless as a physician
who, deriving his knowledge from books
alone, should undertake to practice on
that knowledge. So it was web for him
and for Christendom that he decided to
go on mission. Peletiah was SO hon
estly good, so pure in mind, SO gentle
and earnest in character, that flock
not critical about intellect, and aspect,
and manners, and "go," could not fail
to be won by his works and words
But to be missionary, one must
have a wife. Our hero's instincts re-
.volted from the idea of going, to q SEM
mary and selecting q wife to order, or
taking somebody on recommendation of
the Board. He had certain old-fash-
toned and delicate ideas about mar
riage, and did not desire to select wife
as he would horse, simply for her
good qualities, pluck, endurance, tenn
per and health. So he waited, and kept
his field waiting, till he should genuine
ly fall in love, proposing, if he were
luckless enough to adore an unfit person,
to sacrifice his. own feelings to-, duty,
and 60 out alone with an arrow in his
heart.
In the meantime, he went to Bliss
not the state of bliss, but Il town of that
name in New England, so called after
its pioneer settler-to visit his Cousin
Harry Marsh, a young doctor who lived
there, and had recently gone into prac-
tice with his father; and it happened
that the day after Peletiah arrived at
his uncle's, there came into town, also
on a visit, a very nice young girl.
Harry and Peletiah met her at pic
mic, and admired her nightly, as young
men always did admire Louise, Grant.
She was pretty, not beautiful, with the
most charming manners, gentle, cor
dial, sparkling; eyes like robins, and
the sweetest voice; aud having truly
feminine gift at hero-worship. On find
ing that Rev. Mr.. Merit was going on
a mission, she treated him with defer
ence and respect that put Peletiah very
high in his own esteem.
Yes, he fell in love with Miss Grant
with his own full consent and knowl-
edge. If she had been made to order,
she could not have suited his ideas of a
wife better. She was intelligent, sweet
tempered, cheerful, well-educated, sound
in mind and body, as her orthodox
opinions and rosy cheeks testified; and
she was earnestly religious. Surely,
with all these other gifts, she must be
courageous-the only quality he had not
yet seen tested, and to crown all her
virtues, she evidently looked up to and
admired him as woman should prop
erly and scripturally look up to and ad-
mire her protector.
In the meantime, unobserved oy Pc
letlah, who was absorbed in himself and
Miss Grant, Harry Marsh also had fallen
over head and ears in love, as the phrase
Is, too, and with the same fair lady; but
his style of the tender passion was not
like his cousins. He loved Lou Grant
because he could not helpit. He made
no analysis of her character or his own
needs. lie loved her just as man COM
monty loves, forgetting himself and his
merits, and considering her above all
other things. He, too, had a great re-
spect for Peletiah, and seeing that the
studious youth was also captivated by
Louise, he resolved not to plead his own
cause till Peletiah had decided his
future
Perhaps his virtue would have been
rewarded, rs virtue sometimes is in this
world, by sad disappointment, but for
he intervention of one of the weak things |
# creation; for Louise Grant was an
little woman, and had
brown halo of self-sacrifice, devotion,
md lofty heroism, about Peletiah, great /
T than he deserved, and it would have /
een easy for her honest soul, capable
f all woman's devotion to GOOD, to