The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1884-08-21
MOLLY CRoMDE,s RIDE.

MOLLY CROWDE'S RIDE.
1t was Monday morning n hundred
odd years ago, a cool morning with a
blue sky over which trooped crowds of
cumuli borne by the west wind. Two
horses stood saddlcd 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
of Squire Crowdc's, his wife, his two
sous--Moscs and Luther-his daughters
Fear and Molly-and Captain Israel
Brown and wife, the said Captain Israel
being school agent for the central dis
tricJ 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
ncr Of her handkerchief. Moses carried
a saddlC-bag which he strapped care
fully on the horse wearing the side sad
die. The other horse had q mans sad
die and pilliOn. Tho reason Of all this
Monday morning tumult was that Molly
CrOwde, who was only sixteen, was
going to Manomct for the summer to
teach She had taken quiet leave of
her friends the day before at the meet
ing-housc, leave in harmony with the
staidness of the Puritan Sabbath. Never
had she looked prcttier than that day
n she sat in her place in the singers
seats, clad in hOmcspun, TO be sure, but
Mrs Crowde was skilled in coloring
and could dye most heavenly blues and
lovely pinks which harmouiZed eXQuis-
itcly with Alolly'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 and
rs the choir sang;
ON chcrub and on cherubim
Full royalty He rode,
And on the wings OF mighty winds
Came lying all abroad.
and rs her voice lloated on the mystic, in
tricate melody up into the region of the
raltcrs and sounding board, Jack Thorn
son, who sat in his fat er's pew below.
felt himself borne almost TO Heavens
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" said
Molly, after one of these efforts, "but
YOU are Just rs good and handsome as
YOU can be- and Jack was comtortcd,
though he still wished he could sing in
the choir
Molly had another accomplishment
besides her singing. She knew n mar
velous deal about the parts of speech
and mood and tense, while not another
girl in Douglas knew . noun from
verb. Parson Briggs had privately
taught her under protest, as It were.
As ~ general thing no could not believe
in the dedication of women His own
mother, who lived TO be ninety wears
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
Tor tho mother of n 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 well as Luther, who
fitting with Parson Briggs for Harvard
University, beguilod him by some witch
cry only known in girldOm, 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 quaffed even this
s'ant draught of learning his heart mis-
gave him, and he questioned tho wis
dom of his action. Nevertheless he
was proud of his pupil. and, as he
prayed that day that this dear lamb
of his flock might be kept the
good mans vo &C trcmbled
Priscilla Davis, Mouy's dearest
friend, walked -four miles, as usual, to
meeting that day, walking barefoot the
greater part of the way TO save her one
pair of morocco shoes, which. with her
white stockings, she put on under a con-
Yenient tree.
DO not pity her. girls, because she
had no fashionable shoemaker to sup
ply her with unlimited boots. Many of
our great GRANDMOTHER did the same
thing and lived merry and wholesome
lives, and bequcathed TO their descend
ants strong bodies and brains.
When Your very dearest friend goes
to Montana, or Japan, YOU cable or
write every week. but for Molly and
Prissv, alas. there was no such pleas
urc possible. Postage was costly, and
there were few mail routes in the whole
country. Between Manomet, which was
twenty miles away, and Douglas, there
was none; and the friends would have
To depend on chance travellers for notes
and news
There were tears ia Prissy's blue
c,-es as she babe Molly good ""
I.,t il was a very quiet good-by. Our
T,,r;tan orandmOthers did not rush into
oocb others arms and kisssecstatically;
- Jid an things ''deceutly and in
j,,.i' The family farewells were
Su,, s,,bdued. The horses were led
80, %bo mounting-bl Molly had
mounted with light leap. Luther
tncked her little foot into the stirrup,
i -, ale father, mother and
~ rood-by simply. though il
was a most momentous setting out into
the world.
ON Molly's summer OF school-teach-
inc il is not my. purpose to dwell she
ta,i37 s,-oI-v saturday drilled them in the
,antacbism. The school-house was not
me some NO IsSy s55 i Ts-.zi. 49,: {
New England towns TO-DAY, square IN