Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-09-16
THE MINISTER'S WIFE.

ANU SOOO II OtOl COllO VI 1us INV, llbO
what 1 tell you! The idea of sober, re-
spectacle man of forty marrying a chit Of
girl like that! But it 'pears to me that
the longer I live the more convinced I am
that men are awful fools when it comes to
love. Whenever they get struck, as my
nephew calls it, it just pears to knock all
the sense out of 'em that they ever did
have.'' And Mrs. Hezekiah Winters set
tied her spectacles firmly on her nose, as
though she meant they should always stay
there, and then damned her needle ener-
getically through her sewing.
You see Mrs. Hezekiah Winters was a
prominent member of the sewing society
at L., and was generally first spokes-
woman everywhere.
II agree with you entirely" said Mrs.
Anthony Evans, meek-faced woman who
seldom had an opinion of her own, but al
ways agreed with somebody
"And be being minister of the gospel,
too,'' put is Miss Sophrenia Dobbs.
II don't knowwhat the world is com,
ing too, 1 am sure,' said Mrs. Eben Rick
field; and there was general sigh Of dis
satisfaction from all the members of the
sewing society.
Il know that the duty of every member
of this society is to convince that mex
perienced child of her duty as ministers
wife; and I am morally sure that some
thing dreadful will happen to those chill
dren of his afore six months. To think Of
the way she has started out already-got a
new croquet set!" And Mrs. Arimintha
Wright tossed this remark like bomb.
shell in their midst.
The ladies dropped the precious gar.
ments intended for the beathen amid such
calculations as dreadful" ''AtrociousP
"What could he expect of her?" ''Did
you ever?" And again old Mrs. Richfeld
tried to imagine what the world was COM
ing to.
'Now don't think it looks very well to
see the whole society swoop down on one
little person like Imogene,'' interrupted
Mrs. Arthur Wilton, who had not been a
member of the sewing circle very long.
''We had better wait until she is here to
defend herself said Mrs. Henry Parsons
a meek second to Mrs. Wilton.
II see plainly, Mrs. Wilton, that you
and Mrs. Parsons are taken by her silly,
childish ways. But formed my opinion
of her that Sunday when she laughed right
out in meeting just because little poodle
dog barkad at the choir
This awful evidence of the total deprav-
ity of the minister's new wife was revealed
by Mrs. Hezikiah Winters.
almost everybody laughed at that
responded Mrs. Parsons. "Anything seems
10 much funnier if you hadn't ought to
laugh"
ssAnd just to think of what she said to
me-" said the owner of the aforemention-
ed poodle. "Why, when sent and asked
her to join our society she said she had
two little heathens at home to sew for
and that they took the most of her time;
but if we wanted to sew for the neglected
children living under the shadow of our
own church spires. she would spare time
to help us. just as ii we wanted the low
er strata in our church," And Miss So
phronia Dobbs shifted the air disdainfully.
NOW this is enough for one time,' in
terrupted Mrs. Wilton. ''Would that
ministers could have two wives, so we
might divide the blame.''
The ladies looked bewildered, and some
of them laughed a little; then they launch
ed into discussion on the coming picnic.
1t was to be the regulation kind Of a
picnic for the ladies and children only, and
they were to have such a nice time, with
ham sandwiches. pressed chicken, and
lemonade made on the grounds, and bugs
and mosquitoes ad IN fnitun,.
When the day of the picnic arrived, Mrs
Merton. the much talked of minister 3
wife, went. People had said that they
ss'didn't reckon Mrs. Merton would go, as
the church was at the bottom of it," and
when they saw her there they said it was
''just like frivolous thing like her to 60
to every picnic.'
Nevertheless, church people at l.
were like church people everywhere; they
said good deal that they didn't mean,
and with few exceptions, blue-eyed. fair
faced Mrs. Merton was very cordially
treated, and her friends, when she made
them, were very true to her, and always
defended her when she ran the gauntlet of
society's tongue.
The picnic seemed success generally;
everybody was having ''such splendid