The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1879-04-15


man nearing seventy
Hardly conscious Of the reins, he had
driven some miles at an unsanctified
pace, when he almost ran over Mr.. Tor
rey, brother of the deceased Lucinda,
who was walking behind his carriage up
long ascent.
Going to Conference ?" asked that
gentleman, after an exchange of greet
iDgs. "Didn't you come roundabout
way ?"
"I'm inclined to think 1 did," as
sented the deacon, with a prodigious
show of candor. {" A roundabout way
and hard way. is your wife with
you 20
Yes, and the widow Vance. have
to foot 1t up hill, you see. Horse step
ped on rolling stone back apiece and
lamed himself"
" Your load is too heavy; let Sister
Torrey ride with me-"
But Sister Torrey being nervous, like
Lucinda before her, and mortally afraid
of the deacon's spirited steed, it was in
in the end Mrs. Vance who nestled into
the vacant seat. She was gushing
young widow whose mitigated grief
manifested itself i'm certain coquettish
bows of pale lavender. She protested
that she felt already acquainted with
Mr.. Phoenix through her late husband,
to whom he had been so kind. She was
so glad of this opportunity to thank him.
hn oh t.s I,.,y tof,, c..
the many favors he had conferred upon
her dear Charles, etc.
In the morning the worthy deacon
would have smiled inwardly at this eff
fusive panegyric. This afternoon he
Rugged it like poultice to his aching
heart. 1t soothed his wounded self.love,
and inclined him toward his fair eulo-
gist, to whom he recounted pleasant an
ecdotes of her husbands boyhood. In
deed, he made himself so agreeable that
she was rather sorry to reach Church.
vile, where the whole party were cor
daily welcomed at the house of Mr..
Zenas Torrey.
A proud man was Mr.. Phoenix. He
would not for the world have had his
recent disappointment suspected by his
wife's relatives, and during those three
days of Conference he carried himself
with resolute cheerfulness that some
times-out OF meeting, of course-verged
upon friskiness. Mrs. Vance told Mrs
Zenas Torrey that he was just splen-
did," which compliment Mrs. Torrey
repeated to him with asignificant smile,
limiting that if he thought of marrying
again, he need not search for a wife,
He looked confused, and hotly disclaim-
ed any matrimonial intention. AS to
the young widow, was he not double her
ageY Would June join hands with De-
cember?
| Alas what an Insignificant trifle can
turn the scale of human destiny! But
for a horses right fore-foot Deacon
Phoenix might have returned to his
home on the morrow as he had left it
free man. 1t was the lame horse that
kicked the beam and decided his fate
| On Friday morning, that meddling
quadruped having been found lamer
than ever, the deacon could do no less
than offer to escort Mrs. Vance home
She could do no less than to accept the
offer gladly. BY some mysterious law
of sequences, this led to second offer
and second acceptance, and almost be-
fore he knew it Deacon Phoenix had
pledged himself to escort the widow for
| life.
When, after gallantly depositing his
promised bride at her own door, he was
alone with his thoughts, he felt little
surprised at his own precipitancy; but
he told himself over and over again
what fortunate man he was, how hap
py he ought to be.
Contrary to his usual custom, he had
acted from impulse, and the result was
highly satisfactory. Highly satisfac-
tory" he repeated to himself as he
passed the entrance of the cross-road
which led to Miss Olives. Somehow
his reflections were less cheerful after
that. Perhaps the chilly rain-storm
just setting in depressed him, or perhaps
1t was the empty hearse that he met face
to face-for the best of US have our su-
perstitions. Certain it is, that as he
alighted from his buggy that evening
with weariness of limb and limpness of
linen, his countenance led Mrs. Dubbs
to fear the meetings had not been prof
liable.