The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1885-02-21
On Probation.


he had been engaged for a year.
After that time, if he suited Miss Rich,
who had the parish in charge, so to
speak, who canvassed for money to
paint the church, looked up poor chill
dren for christening and Sunday school,
exhorted the young people to join the
confirmation class, mapped out work
for the sewing society, and made the
parish her hobby-if he suited Miss
Rich, if he was High Church enough
for Mr.. Grimm and Low enough for
Mrs. Phelps, if he believed with DR..
Slow in the doctrine of election-why,
then, they were sure to settle him.
"What capital wife Lucretia Shaw
would make Mr.. Lindsay" vouchsafed
Miss Rich, shortly after he adorned the
Lennox pulpit. "She's just the person
for parsons wife-bustling and"
"I'm afraid she'd take the parish
off your hands, Miss Rich," answered
Mrs. Phelps, who having no desire to
do the hard work which her neighbor
loved, yet grudged her the credit of it.
"Well, there's work enough for two
of us in the parish, Mrs. Phelps. I
wouldn't be bit afraid but I'd get my
share"
"To be sure," pursued Mrs. Phelps,
"Lucretia's smart, and l don't believe
in a pastor with a doll of a wife who
can't darn the children's clothes, and
is too feeble to get along without
help"
eyes," put in old Mrs. Smith, "she'd
be no end of stepmother to Mr.. Lind
says boy, and if ever boy needed a
stepmother, it's him. Lucretia' power
full smart, as you say, and she'd make
him walk Spanish.
eyes," was the reply of Miss Rich
"a widower somehow needs wife
more'n anybody, to sympathize with
him in his loss. l shouldn't wonder if
Lucretia would bring the boy up to the
ministry if she had her way"
! "Between you and me-" said Mrs.
Phelps, 81 think that the parson goes
to the Shaws' rather more than is ne
cessary for the salvation of their souls. I"
"You can't tell. Perhaps Lucretia
has doubts"
"And perhaps" said DR.. Slow
"perhaps it's Miss Susan"
Every body laughed, and cried "Miss
Susan !" with fine irony in their tones.
"Who ever heard of Susan having at
tention7" asked Mrs. Phelps.
"I've engaged Lucretia to embroider
new altar-cloth," exclaimed Miss
Rich; 81 raised the money for it last
month"; tell you it's like pulling teeth
to get money out of this parish-and l
suppose the parson has to advise her
about the proper designs and things ;
Lucretia amt very we'll drilled in SYM
bols and such, you know"
In fact, everybody in Lennox had
decided that Mr.. Lindsay should marry
Lucretia, and perhaps Lucretia had de-
cided so too, for she was an everlasting
time over that altar-cloth, and needed
no end of advice and instruction ; her
ignorance and interest were quiet touch
ing. Mr.. Lindsay seemed quite willing
to spend his leisure time under the
Shaw's roof, and watch the sacred sym
bols growing under the white and shape
ly hands of Miss Lucretia.
"That hand of Lucretia's will be
sure to do the business" somebody had
said. "Mr. Lindsay's man of taste,
if he is a clergyman''-as if the two
were not usually to be found combined
l-"and heard him say it was fit for a
duchess" :"
Miss Lucretia's hand was, indeed,
her loveliest feature, so to speak
white as the snow, with the prettiest
taper fingers, pink at the ends. Once
when Mr.. Lindsay had mentioned them
fatteringly, Miss Susan, who was do
ing the weeks mending near by, drew
her own hands under her work, he no.
ticed. Nobody ever took the trouble
to fatter Miss Susan. Lucretia sang in
the choir, although her voice was thin
as muslin, and she had no ear ; nobody
ever cared if Susan sang like seraph'
She sat in Lucretia's shadow, and peo'
pie almost forgot she was there, till they
needed her help. Mr.. Lindsay had
taught the choir himself, and after the
altar-cloth could no longer be made
pretext to cover a multitude of calls.
there were the chants and fugues to
practice. One morning, as he drilled
| Lucretia for half an hour Intellectually,
| he suddenly turned to Susan.
"Come," he said, "try this chant
with us, Miss Susan )" and Susan open
ed her mouth and chanted as nobody
in the choir, had ever chanted before.
"Bravo!" he cried. "When did
you learn it
"Why, l have heard it all my life
time; why shouldn't know ita
couldn't help it."
"We must have you in the choir1'
he said.
"Susan Shaw in the choir - gaspec
everybody on the way out of church
"Mr. Lindsay is bringing her out"
"She's Lucretia's sister, you know,
explained Miss Rich.
s'And her voice rather browns Lucre
tia's" said DIR. Slow.
Mr.. Lindsay was giving great salts
faction. The parishioners talked o
remodelling the old rectory, adding
wing and a bay-window, and evel
spoke of taking in an adjoining field s.
that "Lucretia might have flower gar
den." They even meditated an in
crease of salary as soon as he should b
. settled in the parish, and Mr.. Grimm
thought he should add codicil to hi
will, in favor of his new pastor and Lu
cretia's husband.
"When they're married." seconds