Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1881-07-30

Tnots,,si.su do 10 rnllc' 'Klnu '0f tning, i /
guess. We are very matter of fact ~
and he smiled little wistfully. He was
beginning to feel In many ways how
much had been left out of his life.
That tea-time was wonderful one to
Amos Dale. The simplest act and
word of it seemed beautiful and full of
meaning to him. Afterward he watched
Mrs. Payne as she moved about in house
wifely fashion clearing the table; and
when she went away into the kitchen to
wash the dishes, for this she would do,
he would have followed her, but he did
not quite dare.
Hannah came home at eight o'clock,
bringing good report of the sick child,
and soon after they all babe each other
goodnight.
1t was the custom at the parsonage,
at morning prayers, for each one pres
ent to repeat text of Scripture. Tues
day morning the Rev. Amos Dale re-
peated-and his voice was triile husky;
"Be not forgetful to entertain stran.
gers, for thereby some have entertained
angels unawares.
Hannah followed with "Commit thy
way unto the Lord trust also in Him,
and He shall bring it to pass"
Then Mrs. Payne said, "The grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
ALL"
There followed moment in which
none of them cared to speak, and then
Mrs. Payne left the room without
word and went upstairs. When she
came down she was equipped for her
journey, and it was time to start for the
station.
When the Rev. Amos Dale, having
put Mrs. Payne on board the train, with
many little cares for her comfort, stood
watching itspeeding out of sight, all the
will within him rose and said, " She
shall come back"
And as for Emily Payne, all day her
thoughts travelled back to Fairfield, and
she kept wondering if there were ever a
man so pure in heart, so single in pur-
pose, as the lonely man whom she never
expected to meet again.
1t was wet afternoon in August that
Hannah Breeze, having been of an err
rand to Deacon Bush's, stopped at the
post-oflice for a pound of green tea.
Joel Bean weighed it out to her, and
: as he made up the parcel he said, glanc.
ing shrewdly at Hannah through his
glasses, at takes the Elder mighty
sight of letter. writin' to finish up that
there Comminterry business, don't it p'
"Spose likely, !" said Hannah, shortly.
eyes," said Joel, slowly, the Irvine
between his teeth, "about two letters
more or less week, on an everidge, al
lowin' me to be the Judge"
"Well," returned Hannah, who would
t not for worlds have betrayed that this
was news to her, 81 shouldn't wonder if
the Elder was capable of tending up to
, it without any of my help nor your'n,
. Mr.. Beam" and the discreet Hannah
. took up her green tea, raised her UNI
3, umbrella, gathered up her calico skirt,
l and went on her way.
One day in October the Rev. Amos
l Dale informed Hannah that it was nec-
essary for him to 60 that week to Bur.
lington, the city forty miles distant, to
see about the new hymn-books.
; "Umph!" said Hannah to herself,
"there'll be somethin' seen about be.
5 sides new hymn-books, l guess"
But she made everything ready fol
. him, and he went, and was gone two
days.
After that, according to Joel Bean
the "everidge" of letters on the Com
; mentary business was sustained.
r June again in Fairfield, "tossing thu
l. fields full o. blossoms, leaves, an birds. ;
The parsonage is bright and fresh with
e new paper, paint and carpets. In thu
9 sitting-room the tea-table, for it is eve
IS ning,is sumptuously set forth, and abou
:; it three women are lowering, HANNAH
q Breeze, Mrs. Bush, and Mrs. Robbins
o looking with critical eyes at the array o
n cakes, tarts, biscuits, preserves and colo
Q meats, to see if anything had been for
70 gotten.
g. Mrs. Robbins, being satisfied with he
j. inspection, returns to the subject the,
a have been discussing with ever new in
u terest-
d "Where is it you say she's been teach
e ing, Hannah"
"At Ashton, little ways out of Bur
u lington; her daughter was there Il
', school last year when she came to Fair
% field"
le "She didn't canvass for that Commin
u terry only few months, any way, dit
L. sbeP" asks Mrs. Bush.
70 "No," Hannah replied, rather con
,e temptuously, "'twan't no business 70
4 her, no way. She done pretty well a
n it, though, for all and she goes on
y to the front doorstep, the others fol
81 lowing.
- Chow awful rusty them laylock
+ + does look" Hannah remarks, lookin
"a disapprovingly up at the bushes.
!, "Yes, but the syringas have blowe
NJ out jest in time," says Mrs. Bush.
IL "And them red pinies, too," add
er Hannah, "they're handsome now"
At that moment they heard shril
Us prolonged locomotive whistle from tn
as direction of the station.
IL "There's the train Aow!" exclaim
Mrs. Bush.
" eyes, and there's your Mary, jest i
80 time, with the et-brier," says Han
w. nah, as girl of twelve with a handfu
le of wild roses comes in at the gate
IT. "Thank you, Mary; l wouldn't hav
~ missed them flowers, not for anything
IL You must come over tomorrow; there
:. be somebody for you to play with"
. "Yes'm," Mary replies with a sh
~ smile.
az "What is it about those brier-rosesP
40 Mrs. Robbins asks of Mrs. Bush as the