The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-09-19
SELECT STORY.
CALLING ON THE NEW MINISTER
By RACHEL DANFORru.

My husband and l tried to excuse
our conduct by saying it was the
length of the drive aud depth of the
mud that had prevented our calling on
the Rev. Mr.. Mayberry before. AT
the end of three months that excuse
8 emed futile, and our ng-continued
neglect of the Haytown minister most
,cprchensible. At length came to my
ears stories that were being circulated
in Haytown about the worldliness and
lack of earnestness of the young min
lister in Straw Centre, and that Mr..
May berry was feeling keenly the re-
fusal of his brother laborer in the next
parish to reach out welcoming hand.
just why ] insisted on driving over to
Haytown on that especially hot day ]
concealed from my husband, for l
knew that he would be most wretched
were l to tell him of the shortcomings
that were imputed to him. He com
planned that the roads were as much
too dry as they had been too wet, and
the afternoon sun was scorching, 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 Centre, but
fortunately in our parish was 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 at
the shortest notice.
The thought of my husbands world
illness troubled me. meant Haytown
should at once see its error. That my
husband was young could not deny,
but that he failed in any other essen
tial than age | would never admit l
wanted to make myself look as sedate
and elderly as 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 / ever dreamed | should be a
ministers wife. If | was obliged to
wear anything SO inappropriately gay,
trusted everything to an elderly
| black bonnet and a sober shawl my
mother-in-law had recently sent me.
My appearance was far from satisfac
tory as regarded dignity and sedate-
ness, but the vehicle which Charles at
that moment drove up to our door was
atrocious. He must have neglected to
state the nature of our errand to the
stable-keeper, for such horse and
such a vulgarly painted buggy would
have been seemly only on race course
or to peddle patent soaps. But to pay
a ministerial call on perfect stranger! !!
Charles had told me repeatedly that
| all the stable horses were perfect cows
as regarded docility and speed. So l
did not venture making myself laughed
at by suggesting that there was an ex-
preston in the horses face that did
not inspire my entire confidence, and a
restiveness in the hind feet that did
not suggest the gentle COW. But l
mounted into the high box-like struc,
ture. Had | 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 in the thing. | felt that Hay
town, seeing the Rev. Charles Mason
and his wife seated in such a vulgar,
undignified vehicle, would be justified
in making almost any remarks about
Worldliness. No; better that we erred
day longer in not calling on the new
minister than that we appear before
his and our own parishioners in such a
! guise
My husband had just confded to
me his intention of looking at the
thermometer, and glancing again at
the county map to be sure of the Hay
| town road "And changing that vel
| veteen jacket l added, seeing the un-
| dignified 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 uninteresting facade our house pre-
sented, 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 | said, perhaps a little
unfeelingly, to my husband, who had
just succeeded in climbing into the
carriage by difficult way over the
back, "and that coat is too dreadful ~
I regretted the day when I made it.
ats not quite the thing, but we
cant go back You won't need a
shawl today, and, with due respect to
my mother, it is not beautiful, and can
be forgiven solely on account of its
warmth"
Little Charles knew how had
counted on the ugliness of that shawl,
and how glad ! had felt that 1 owned
such sober article
tried to be resigned. Soon that
disappointment was lost sight of, for
the horse was showing unmistakable
signs of running away, SIS this the
horse you generally drive ?" meant
to be calm, though we were tearing
down the street at break-neck speed,
barely escaping perambulator in
which reposed the only son and heir of
the Methodist minister, and grazing
the carry-all driven by our Sunday
school perintendent,
"No, never The oth--ers-were
whoa whoa !-were-much slow
er Whoa! !" BY series Of jerks
Charles was trying to stop the horse,
to apologize to Miss Simpson, who had
beckoned 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 he left
behind. | felt that must ask to get
ont, for | had consented to the drive
believing the horse would prove as
languid as Charles had found all of
those in Mr. Johnson's stable. Az |
saw the rapidity of our flight by the
frequency of the fence posts, | shut my
eyes, but opened them quickly when
the horse began tattoo with his heels
on the dasher, After that was demol,
ished, Charles's knees would suffer,
and had an opportunity been given me
| then TO get out, | could not have gone