The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 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
wbity-yeDOw hair, his pouted 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
methodical in 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-fiedged 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 well for him
and for ChristendOm that he decided to
90 on a mission. Peletiah was so hon
estly good, so pure in mind, so gentle
and earnest in character, that a 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 a sem
mary and selecting a wife to order, or
taking somebody on recommendation of
the Board. He had certain old-fash-
ioned 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 90 out alone with an arrow in his
heart.
In the meantime, he went to Bliss
not the state of bliss, but a town of that
name in New England, so called after
its pioneer settler-to visit his Cousin
Harry Marsh, 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 Il visit, n very nice young girl.
Harry and Peletiah met her at pie
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 robin s, and
the sweetest voice; and having a truly
feminine gift at hero o-worship. On find
4 hot Iv ttrac pr
mission, she treated him with defer
epce and respect that put Peletiah very
high in his own esteem.
Yes, he fell in love with Miss Gran
with his own full consent and knOwl
edge. If she had been made to order
she could not have suited his ideas of ;
wife better. She was intelligent, sweet
tempered, cheerful, well-educated, ,sounI
in mind and body, as her orthodox
opinions and rosv checks testified anC
she was earnestly religious. Surely
with all these other gifts, she must b,
ctiHrageous-the only quality he had no
yets seen tested, and to crown all he
virtues, she evidently looked up to anC
admired him as woman should prop
erly and scriptTally look up to and ad
mire her protector.
In the meantime, unobserved by Pc
l0llttl, WHO wis dDSOGDSOi Ill nlllSSlI tttl'
Miss Grant, Harry Marsh also had fallei
over head and ears in love, as the phras
is, too, and with the same fair lady; bu
his style of the tender passion was no
like his Cousins. He loved Lou Gran
because he could not helpit. He mad
no analysis of her character or his owl
needs. He loved her just as a man com
monty loves, forgetting himself and hi
merits, and considering her above a
other things. He, too, had n great re
spect for Peletiah, and seeing that tn
studious youth was also captivated b
Louise, he resolved not to plead his ow
cause till Peletiah had decided hi
future.
Perhaps his virtue would have bee
rewarded, as virtue sometimes is in th
world, by sad disappointment, but fc
the Intervention of one of the weak thing
of creation; for Louise Grant was a
imaginative little woman, and ha
thrown a halo of self-sacrifice, devotion
and lofty heroism, about Peletiah, grea
er than he deserved, and it would hav
been easy for her honest soul, capabl
of ali a woman's devotion to good, I
persuade herself into marrying tn
man simply because he was a mission
airy.
But it happened one evening both ii
cou sins called at Mr. Barnes's houst
where Miss Grant was staying Peletia
had resolved 10 offer himself that ver
night, and settled calmly into the mo-
comfortable chair, in order to Outsta
Harry; and conversation was procee,
ing in both fluent and brilliant MAJ
ner, while Mr.. Merritt, rs the othe
tossed the ball of words to and fro, a
ranged in his own Rind the heads of h
discourse to Miss Grant, and the affec
ing application thereof.
Suddenly loud shrek aroused hin
he looked UP and there was Louis
balancing herself on the piano-stool,
To which she had leaped, her cloth
gathered tightly about her, her ey
wild, and incoherent words issuing fro
her red lips.
"Oh, my goodness! o-O-oh! there
is! Oh!! it's coming this wayl" a
other loud shrek here, and still anot
er, as Harry seized the poker, and MAJ
frantic dabs at something in the cOrne
WHAT is itP' sternly asked Peletia
who thought of nothing less than n II
tlesnake, quite regardless of the il
probability that such beast would
trude into paTlor.
"Oh dear! ohl" shrieked Louis