St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1884-08-30
MOLLY CROWDE's RIDE.

II was Monday morning a hundred
odd years ago, cool morning with a
blue sky over which trooped crowds of
scumuli borne by the west wind. Two
horses stood saddled and bridled at
Squire Crowde's gate. Presently in the
yard, which bristled all around the edge
with Lombardy poplars, emerged a
group from one of the side house doors
sons-Moses and Luther-his daughters
Fear and Molly-and Captain Israel
Brown and wife, the said Captain Israel
being school agent for the central dis
trict in Manomet.
They struggled in confused order
down the path bordered on either side
by phlox, Mrs. Crowde ever and anon
furtively wiping her eyes with the cor
ner of her handkerchief. Moses carried
a saddle bag which he strapped care
fully on the horse wearing the side sad
die The other horse had mans sad
die and pillion. The reason of all this
Monday morning tumult was that Molly
Crowde, who was only sixteen, was
going to Manomet for the summer to
teach. She had taken a quiet leave of
her friends the day before at the meet
ing-house, a leave in harmony with the
staidness of the Puritan Sabbath. Never
had she looked prettier than that day
as she sat in her place in the singers
seats, clad in homespun, to be sure, but
Mrs. Crowde was skilled in coloring
and could dye most heavenly blues and
lovely pinks which harmonized exquis-
itely with Molly's hazel eyes and pink
cheeks
Never had her voice sounded sweeter
than il did that day in Majesty (Molly
sung what was called counter y. and
as the choir sang:
On cherub and on cherubim
Full royalty He rode,
And on the wings of mighty winds
Came flying all abroad.
and as her voice foated on the mystic, in
tricate melody up into the region of the
rafters and sounding board, Jack Thorn
son, who sat in his fathers pew below,
felt himself borne almost to Heaven S
gate.
Jack was Molly's schoolfellow and
playmate. and Vainly had he tried to
train his voice in order to sing with
Molly.
You never can sing, Jack, 2 said
Molly, after one OF these efforts, 'sDuG
you are just as good and handsome as
you can be;' and Jack was comtorted,
though he still wished he could sing III
the choir.
Molly had another accomplishment
besides her singing. She knew mar
velous deal about Che parts of speech
and mood and tense. while not another
girl in Douglas knew . noun from a
verb. Parson Briggs had privately
taught her under protest, as it were.
As a general thing he could not believe
In the dedication of women His own
mother, who lived to be ninety years
old, never had learned even to write her
name, and when called upon to sign a
legal document had to make her mark
and was not an education that sufliced
for the mother Of minister, sufficient
for the needs of ordinary women? Go
to
But winsome, willful Molly.who could
not be made to understand why she
should not study as wen as Luther, who |
fitting with Parson Briggs for Harvard |
University, beguiled him by some witch
cry only, known in giridem, to consent
to teach her.
His word once given he could not re-
call it, though when he saw the eager
ness with which she duaffed even this |
seant draught of learning his heart mis-
gave him. and he questioned the wis.,