The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1884-10-09
CALLING ON THE NEW MINISTER.

CALLING ON THE NEW MINISTER.
My husband an / tried to excuse
our conduct BY saying it was the length
of the drive and depth Of the mud that
had prevented our calling on Rev. Mr.
NAV berry before. At the end of three
months that excuse seemed futile, and
our loag-continUed neglect of the Hay
town minister most reprehensible. At
length came 20 my ears stories that
were being circulated in HaytoWn
about the wOrldlness and lack of
earnestness of the young minister i'm
Straw Center, and that Mr.. Mavberry
was feeling keenly the refusal Of his
brother laborcr i'm the next parish to
reach out a welcoming hand. just
why insisted on driving over to Hay
town on that especially hot day / con
cealcd from my husband, for | knew
that he would be most wretched were
] to tell him of the shortcomings that
were imputed to him. He complained
that the roads were rs much too dry
ms they had been too wet, that the aft
ernoon sun was soOrching, and that we
should lose our third meal | heard
none of these excuses, but sent him to
get the. required conveyance while l
dressed myself for the drive
We owned no team, as a horse and
carriage is called in Straw Center. but,
fortunately, in our parish was a stable
keeper, who, though absenting himself
regularly from all services, was most
jealous in letting TO his minister any
form Of vehicle or quality of horse 1T
the shortest notice.
The thought Of my husbands world
illness troubles! me. / meant HaytOwn
should ut once see its error. That my
husband was young | could not deny,
but that he failed in any other essential
than age | would never admit
wanted. To make myself look as sedate
and elderly Ias possible for the visit
but the. heat of the day made my
choice in my limited wardrobe very
small. The only thing at all available
was somewhat youthful pink gown
which | had fOolishly possessed myself
OF before l ever dreamed l should be n
minister's wife. IL | was obliged to
wear anything so appropriately gay.
trusted everything to an elderly black
bonnet and a sober shawl my mother
in-law had recently sent me. MY APP
pearance was far more satisfactory as
regarded dignity and sedatoness. but
the Vehicle which Charles at that mo-
meut drove up to our door was
atrOciOus He must have neglected to
state the nature of our errand to the
stable keeper, for such q horse and
such vulgarly-paintcd buggy would
have been seemly only on race
course, or to peddle patent soaps. But
to pay ministerial call on a perfect
strangerl
Charles had tod me repeatedly that
all the stable horses were perfect cows
rs regarded docility and speed. So /
did not venture making myself laughed
at by suggesting that there was an ex-
preston in the horsc's face that did not
inspire my entire confidence, end a
restiveness in the hind feet that id not
suggest the gentle cow. But l mount
ed into the high boX-lIkc structure.
Had l dreamed what effect the height.
unmitigated by any kind Of cover, and
the huge red wheels, would have had
on me, / never would have set foot I'm
the thing. felt that Havtown, seeing
Rev. Charles Mason and his wife seat
ed in such a vulgar, undignified vehi-
Gle. would be justified in making al
most any remarks about worldiness.
No; better that we erred dav Longer
in not calling on the new minister than
that we appear before his and our own
parishiOners i'm such guisc
My husband had Just conlided TO me
his intention of looking at the thermom-
eter, and glancing again at the county
map to be sure of the Haytown road.
And changing that velvctcen ia ,ket, -
! added, seeing the undignifed garb he
had forgotten TO put off before going to
the stable
But the horse or COW, as might be.
objected TO standing longer looking at
the embarrassing facade our house pre-
scented, and forgetting that the driver
was necessary adjunct, started at a
rapid pace down the street
"Oh, you forgot my shawl on the
steps there, l said, perhaps a little un-
foelingly. to my husband, who had lust
succeeded in climbing into the carriage
by difficult way over the back, land
that coat is too dreadful 1 regretted
the day l made it.
Its not quite the thing, but we
can't go back. You won't need a shawl
to-day, and, with due respect 10 my
mother, il is not beautiful, and can be
forgiven solely on account of its
warmth.
Little Charles knew how had count
Cd on the ugliness of that shawl. and
how glad 1 had felt that / owned a So
Der article!
tried to be resigned. I" Soon that dis
appointment was lost sight of, for the
horse was showing unmistakable gyms
Oh running away. Is lWS the GOrSG
YOU generally drive?"-I nfs.5nt to be
calm, though we were tearing down the
street at break-neck speed, barely es-
Gaping a perambulator in which re-
posed the only son and heir Of the
Methodist minister, and grazing the
carry-all driven by our. Sunday-school
superintendent.
''No, never. The eoth-ers-were
= whoal ~ were - much slow - or.
Whoa! BY a series of jerks Charles
was trying to stop the horse, to apollo
gize to Miss Simpson, who had beck
oned to us to stop.
Voice and strength were of no avail,
and on we dashed, passing carriages
filed with our parishionerS, who saw,
astonished, the reckless speed of their
minister, and the clouds of dust re LETT
behind. / felt that / must ask to get
out for | had consented TO the drive
believing the horse would prove as lam
guild as Charles had found all of those
in Mr.. Johnson's stable. AS I saw the
rapidity of our flight by the frequency
Of the fence posts, l shut my eyes, but
opened them quickly when the horse
began a tattoo with his heels on the
dasher. After that was demolished
Charles's knees would suffer, and had
an opportunity been given me then tC
get out could not have gone. Every
thing my eyes rested on but increased
NY horror. Charles looked nearly ex'