The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-06-01

"for II there was anything that pro-
voked her beyond endurance it was q
closemouthed person." But as he was
the minister there was nothing to do
but to take leave of him with q cold
ness and dignity which should give
some token of their displeasure.
AS il he couldn't tell them just as
we'll as not who wanted to hire Pamely
to do houseworkl But there was one
comfort-the committee knew there
was nothing going on in Brimblecom
that they couldn't find out.
And Just after she had expressed that
opinion Mis- Ichabod was so overcome
by some sudden thought that she fairly
gasped and leaned for support against
the town pump, which providentially
stood in her way.
ct heard that Joanna Leach wanted
to go home because her sisters twins
had the measles. The minister wanted
Pamely to keep house for himl' she
gasped.
"Well Mis- Ichabod, If you hain't
got an understandin' worth havin'l And
though 1 never breathed it to mortal
before, I've had my suspicious that the
exclaimed Mis- Hosea Blodgett.
"I never knew a man to have one
white eyebrow for nothing" said Miss
Nancy Perkins, darkly.
Before night the report had spread
all over Brimblecom that the minister
had asked Pamela Semple to keep house
for him. Mr.. Stockbridge was certainly
the last person TO be suspected of an
improperly, but appearances were de-
ceitful. He surely must know that he
ought to have housekeeper who was
at least fifty, and it was eminently
proper that she should be toothless,
cross.eyed and disfgured with the
smallpox, as Joanna Leach was. If
Pamela were an especially capable per-
son, the case would be somewhat differ
ent; but to be willing to bear with q
housekeeper who had no faculty he
must have a personal regard for her.
The Oldest inhabitant could not re-
member such an excitement in Brimble-
com. The Rev. Mr.. Caldwell's heresy
had been tame, and the report that DR..
Saunders had another wife living only
mildly exhilarating in comparison.
But several weeks went by before
any sound of it reached the minister's
ears. Happily for him Brimblecom
had wholesome fear of the minister.
But at length, owing mainly to the
efforts of Mis- Ichabod, Mis- Hosea
Blodgett and Miss Nancy Perkins, it
was decided that at the next church
meeting one of the deacons should
question the minister concerning the
matter. Such crying scandal must
no longer remain uninvestigated.
1t was great. day for Brimblecon.
There had not been such an attendance
at church meeting since the Rev. Mr..
Caldwells trial for heresy. Mrs. Dea-
con Simmons said it seemed so much
like county conference that she got up
at 4 o'clock and went to baking O
great batch of pumpkin pies before she
remembered what she was about.
If the minister had any idea of what
it all meant he gave no sign, and when
Deacon Simmons, with awful solemnitY,
and with a long preamble concerning
the duty of minister to set en- example
TO his fiock in righteousness, asked him
if he thought it seemly and becoming
to ask the daughter Of their late Deacon
Ephraim Semple to become his house
keeper, the minister quietly replied
that he had never done so.
The committee looked at each other,
aud everybody else looked at them. Miss
Nancy Perkins felt, as she afterward ex
pressed it, as il she "would like to &c
through to Chiny;" but Mis- Ichabod
bore up nobly, and Mis- Hosea Blod
gett relied upon Mis- Ichabod.
"Didn't you tell committee con-
sistin' of Mis- Ichabod Badger, Mis-
Hosea Blodgett and Miss Nancy Per.
kins that you had done SOP" pursued
Deacon Simmons.
81 did not" said the minister, will
an air of bland and innocent surprise.
This was too much for Mis- Ichabod
She arose, and shaking her fore
finger impressively at the minister
demanded:
"Didn't you tell us that you had
offered her situation to keep house
And who in this livin' world could il
be that wanted housekeeper bu
you?'
"You misunderstood me-" said the
minister, with great politeness. "J
said I had offered Miss Semple a posi-
tion, and it was not to teach school,"
Mis- Ichabod sat down, because
nothing occurred to her to say, and fol
time there was silence. Then Deacon
Simmons arose and said, like a second
Adam:
81 hope you won't take no offense
nor think nothing more about this
Mr.. Stockbridge. It's somethin' thai
the women-folks have got up amongst
themselves, and guessit don't amount
to but dretful little"
"To relieve any further curiosity
about the matter" said the minister
looking straight at the committee,
"perhaps 1 had better explain al
though it is an explanation which man
doesn't often mako in public-that the
position which 1 offered Miss Semple
and which she declined was that oi
your minister's wife,"
Mis- Ichabod always ay erred that if il
hadn't been for bit of cinnamon which
she had on her tongue she should have
tainted then.
The church meeting broke up sud-
denly, the sentiment which Mis- Hoses
Blodgett expressed being apparently
the sentiment of sll-that she should
have died in five minutes il she couldn't
have got out where she could talk il
over.
Don't talk to me about that girl 7
exclaimed Miss Nancy Perkins, with
deep feeling. "There never was man
that it took so much faculty to get as
the minister"
"And she wouldn't have him2 De
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