Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-12-22
From Harper's Monthly for December
MRS. FLINT'S MARRIED EX-
PERIENCE.

The deacon forgot he was not in 6
prayer-meeting, and so dropped into
the hymn book, as Mr. Wegg did into
secular poetry.
'H'm, we'll, there's a good deal to be
thought of for and against it. too re.
marked Mrs Gold, not willing to give
an easy assent, and so cheaper herself
in the eyes Of her acute adorer; but
when her thoughts were sternly sifted
down they appeared to be slight mat
ters, and the deacon soon carried is
point He wasted no time in this
transaction having shook hands on
it, as he expressed himself, he proceed
ed a: once to arrange the programme.
We'll, Sarepty, we're both along in
years, and to our time o. life delays is
dangerous. l think we had better get
married pretty quick Pm keepin' that
great lazy Polly Morse, and payin' cash
right along; and you don't need to fix
up any, you've got good clothes enough;
besides, what's clothes to worms seech
as we be !? The catechism says, mans
chief end is to glorify God and enjoy
Him forever and if that's so-and l
expect tits so-why, tain't nothin' to
be concerned about what our poor dy-
in bodies is clothed in'
Mrs Gold did not agree with him at
all; she liked her clothes, as women
ought to, but his preternatural piety,
awed her, and she said meekly enough,
well, | don't need no great lot of
gowns. | shan't buy but one, / don't
believe
A faint color stole to her cheek as
she said it, for she meant wedding
dress; and Decon Flint was acute
enough to perceive it, and to under
stand that this was a point he could
not carry.
'One gown amt neither here nor
there, Sarepty, but | aim to fix it on
| your mind that, as | said afore, delays
is dangerous. | propose, with the Di-
vine blessin', to be married this day
two weeks. | suppose you're agreea-
ble?' The widow was too surprised to
deny this soft impeachment, and he
went on: 'Ye see, there's papers to he
drawed up; you've got independent
means, and SO have |, and it's jest as
well to settle things fust as last. Did
Ethan Gold leave lfe-interest in your
thirds, or out an out p
The widows lip trembled her dead
husband had been careful of her, more
careful than she knew, till now.
l. l,1 al Il, II
he left me use and privilege for my
material life of everything that was
his'n, and all to go to Mindwell when
Pm gone
DO tell He was forehanded, de-
clare fort p exclaimed the deacon, both
pleased and displeased for if his wife's
income was to be greater than he sup
posed, in case of her death before his
there would be no increase to his act
ual possession.
well, | always calculated you had
your thirds, an probably, knownin'
Ethan was free-handed, you had 'em
out an out. This makes some differ
ence about what papers I'll have to
have drawn up. Now l guess the best
way is to have an agreement like this:
| agree not to expect you to hev and
to hold none of mine but | to have
the use of your'n, and you to have your
livin' out of mine. You see, you don't
have no more'n your livin' out of mine.
You see, you don't have no more'n
your livin' out of yourn'n now; that's
all we any of US get in this here world:
'hevin food an raiment, let US there
with be content, as Scripter says You
agree to this, don't We p
Bewildered with the plausible phras-
es, ballasted by text, unaware that
even the devil can quote Scripture to
serve his turn, Mrs. Gold did not see
that she was putting herself entirely
into the hands of this man, and meekly
agreed to his arrangement If this
story were not absolutely true, should
scare dare to invent such character
as Deacon Flint, but he was once liv-
ing man, and hesitating to condemn
him utterly, being now defenceless
among he dead, we can but hope for
him and his like that there are purify
ing fires beyond this life where he may
| be melted and refined into the image
of Him who made him man, and gave
him long life here to develop man.
hood Not till after he was gone did
Mrs. Gold begin to think that he had
LEFT her to explain his arrangements to
| Mindwell and Sam and instinctively
she shrank from doing so. Like many
another weak woman, she hated words,
particularly hard words; her life had
flowed on in a gentle routine, so peace
fully that she had known but one sor-
row, and that was SO great that, with
the propensity we all have to balance
accounts with Providence, she thought
her trouble had been all she could bear;
but there was yet reserved for her that
sharp attrition of life which is so differ
ent from the calm and awful force of
sorrow-so much more exasperating,
so much more educating. Some in
stinct warned her to avoid idremonstrance
by concealing from her children the
contract she was about to make, and
she felt, too, the uncertainty of a wo-
man unaccustomed to business about
her own clear understanding of the sit
uation; so she satisfied herself with
telling Mindwell of the near approach
of her marriage.
'Oh, mother so soon p was all Mind
we'll said, though her eyes and lips
spoke far more eloquently
We'll, now the things settled, l
don't know but what it may as well be
over with, We amt young folks,
Mindvell. 'Tisn't as if we had quite
a spell to live
Tears stood in her eyes as she said
it; certain misgiving stole over her,
lust then it seemed a good thing that
she could not live long.
J MindualI foroad bock tho cob tbot