The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-03-14

sought to appease his fair friend with kind
words. She would not be soothed, however,
but continued to weep; and it was at this
| juncture that another individual appeared
on the scene in the person of Miss Mincer
This spinster also looked historical and
| ready for good cry; but at the sight of the
| widow is Toms arms she stood transfxed
on the threshold. "Ohp' she exclaimed
with look that said unutterable things;
| then turned on her heels and walked off
| almost running into Mr.. Leatherbridge's
arms as she did so.
The bootmaker had been lowering about
| the church, to mount guard as it were; but
| he happened to have got into the pulpit
| when Miss Mincer passed up the aisle, and
| he had not been able to get down in time to
| stop her. He now appeared at the vestIy
| door. and beheld the widow swooning, as it
| seemed, in an armchair, while Tom Phewle
| was chatting her hands, and calling lament
| ably for some water to fling into her face
ooh, Pm lostp' walled Mrs. de NIure
| when she recovered consciousness. "That
woman has seen me here; she will be saying
SO all over town, and my character will be
| gomez
"No, no." protested Thomas divining
| that he was on the brink of horrible pit,
and would be drawn into it headlong if he
didn't take care.
ooh, but l know the world" sobbed the
desolate widow. "Never mind, my kind
| friend; shall have suffered for your sake,
and that will be something
Enthusiastically don't want you to
suffer for me-" faltered Thomas.
"No," cried his astute uncle, catching the
| bull at the bound: "Tom's man, Mrs. de
| Mure, and since you're both here together,
ma'am, may as we'll tell you that he's long
| felt strong affection for you, and would
| have asked you to marry him if he hadn't
| felt shy"
"Well, but stammered the wretched
vicar.
'Silence, Tom," whispered the bootmaker
| in his ear, at the same time giving his arm a
| good pinch. ''Do your duty, man. Mrs. de
Mure, you've only to name the day, and 1
| am sure you'll make happy couple forever
after.'
And thus it was that the the Rev. Thomas
| Phewle unexpectedly found himself engaged
/ to be married.
*
| Some three weeks after this Lord Pen
| zance, finding that the Rev. Thomas would
not obey his motion, acceded to an applica-
ton for having that divine committed for
contempt. Toms wedding was at that time
not two days distant. Mrs. de Mure had
| caused the preparations to be hurried on
| Smartly, as it was part of her plan that the
Ecclesiastical Court should be defed by the
| wears going abroad with her for protract-
| ed honeymoon. Mr.. Leatherbridge, how
ever, was beginning to doubt whether it
| would not be better to yield now, since it
might be difficult to arrange for the carry
| Ing on OF duty uuIfnS The honeymoon If the
Bishop would not license locum tenentem;
besides which, now that Tom was going to
be rich, there was no conducting the church
at such high pressure as paying concern.
Thomas, also, was in favor of yielding. He
did not want to 60 to prison or to ramble on
| the continent for three months with no COM
pany but his new wife's. Both outlooks
seemed equally distasteful to him. Had it
not been for Mrs. de Mure he would have
| yielded; but the widow was combative, after
the manner of her sex. She wanted her
| husband to make a stir in the world; and
had been informed by the family LAWYER that
an order of commitment would probably
never issue. When it did issue, two days
before the wedding, the widow, seized with
| sudden alarm, posted down to Lincoln's
Inn; but was assured blythe man of law that
| it would certainly take several days before
the judges writ was put into execution.
He promised to get special information on
this point, and if possible to find out the ex-
act day on which Thomas would be arrested.
s'They are not likely to apprehend him Just
as he is about to be married. That would
look too brutal" said the lawyer.
Mrs. de Mure drove home comforted; but
alas! at that time the Reverend Thomas was
already iu custody. A writ ne ereat had gone
forth, and been intrusted to a quick detec
tive; so that at the moment when the widow
was fattering herself that the law could still
| be defied, her reverend swain was actually
on his way to Holloway Gaol.
sob, mercy on us! Then 1 am parted
eternally from my lovep' exclaimed the hor-
ror-stricken widow. when She heard the
news, and she tainted in the presence of Mr.,
| Leatherbridge, who had brought it TO her.
|
Let us now tread lightly over the events
which followed. Amonth elapsed, and then
mission and promised to ren9Hncs some at