The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 18??-1882, 1881-08-05

But as time wore on, and the "dear
pastor as Perkins had been won't TO
call him, had seemed to consider it
more in the way of either his duty or
inclination to visit other houses than
hers,-she lost the kindness of her
tone, and began to give vent to Ian
guage more natural to her. Birds OF
evil omen flew from her mouth, and
she ran at once to Mrs. Martha Van
Ripper with her suspicious and sugges
tons. Martha was always ready and
acquiescent.
"Ganson was the one that was
anxious to get him here" said Seman'
tina, "and he's the one that's anxious
to keep him here, so he can have
somebody for him and that proud hus'
sy of daughter of his, to associate
with And they've got him {! He goes
there ten times where he goes any.
where else oncei Yes, the poor can
go, aud the sick can 60, and the un.
protected can go, (giving an uncon.
scious emphasis to the word 'unpro-
tected,o but as for Charles English,
he can spend his time counting up to
Ganson's."
She had friend-Miss Samantha
Perkins, spinster, who was a good
deal like her. Samantha boosted OF
some twenty-five "offers," and also
boosted of their contemptuous rejec-
ton. "The man amt born, that I'd
have /" she was accustomed to say.
Some of the wags remarked that they
guessed English was not born >" for
old Samantha although ten or fifteen
yeare his senior, was seen more than
once to put herself in his way, and
remind him of the trials Of the minis
terial vocation. and how it stood in
need of special and peculiar sympa.
thy.
person, he came slowly like an old
Dutch lugger fighting with head
wind. And yet when he arrived, you
you found that there was no fight IN
him. He was a kind and CHEEKY
soul. He was member of the Con-
gregational Church, and concerning
religious matters he never had doubt.
He slept good deal of the time, and
did good, old fashioned, honest snor-
ing which would not only awaken
everybody in the house, but would
arouse Van Ripper himself. Very Of
ten, he would start up soon enough
to hear the latter half of one of his
SHORES /!
His wife was as thin as a wafer-a
regular wind-cutter, a cross-cut saw
She never slept any, and this chiefly
because her husband slept a good
deal.
eyes," answered Mrs. Van Ripper,
"and that tn, when there's a CROWN
feelin on the subject of religion |!
Pretty time for man to be lookin
after a wife, when the blessin's just
agoing to be poured out ! There amt
much savin and sanctifyin grace, in
lookin forard to a weddin I've been
suspectin on it, long time !"
"And III bet you," added Seman.
tina, as soon as mother Van Ripper
paused for breath, "that that Georgi-
ana isn't any better than she ought to
be, either !"
The Deacon who sat little way off
in an arm chair; and who had not got
fairly started for Nod, stirred little
at the last remark, and without open
ing his eyes, sluggishly said: "Don't
be til hasty women"
eyes, don't be tn hasty!" retorted
his swift tongued spouse. "There
ain't no danger of you bein tn hasty
That's good gospel for you tn preachl
There can't nobody accuse you of not
practisin it
But Van Ripper had got all ready
for his trip, and would not be de-
tanned by the fiery criticism of his
wife. He had gone to-sleep.
Miss Perkins, thinking that possibly
he might yet be awake launched a
club at him. Looking straight at his
wife, with terrible appearance Of un-
consciousness of his presence, she
said. 81 do think it's kind of natural
for men to favor mean folks-specially
mean womenl"
Mrs. Van Riper's chin visited her
nose, and as it withdrew, she said,
and sighed as she said it. Experience
has been an awful powerful teacher
in my case !"
Now if there was one thing in the
whole world of which good old Jere-
miah Van Ripper was wholly innocent,
it was any thought favorable or un-
favorable of any woman, unless his
attention was directly called to it, in
some wakeful moment, and then it
was always kindly, just as it was to.
ward any person of the male persua-
sion. IfMrs. Van Ripper could thus
prevaricate about her husband, whom
She knew, how does the reader sup
pose her tongue dealt with those whom
she did not knowi
From this point, the stories of mis-
chief widened in the church and soci.
ETY., and there soon began to be pre-
ceptible falling off in interest and at
tendance. Indeed the superintend-
ent looked in vain for teachers of his
classes in the Sunday school-The
seats in the chapel became gradu-
ally vacant, and the Rev. Mr.. Eng
lish, Oike many another'in his place,
soon found that although the harvest