Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-09-25
MATILDA JANE AND THE MINIS
TER.


The village street is draped with
drowsily dropping elms. The sea Is
Just far enough away TO whisper as
sleepily as the wind in the leaves.
Few people are abroad in The day
time. The birds light and sing on
the messy town pump. The church,
which is so white that 1t makes one
wink TO gaze upon it, sits in the midst
of an ancient burying ground and
calls the people of a Sunday with the
sleepiest bell possible. Daisies and
buttercups nod in the path which
leads TO the door of the town hall,
and an adventurous tramp OF elem
ats creeps out of neighboring mea-
dow and looks in at the windows,
trailing its white blossoms over the
sill. The green blinds Of the ancient
white house are all closed along the
street, and the tall grass which fills
the front yards grow few sleepy
looking flowers, such as lilies of the
valley, gray and crimson peoples,
"old maids pinks," and great clumps
of silvery green olive forever"
When the clock strikes the whole
world prepares for bed, id if light
is seen glimmering from one of the
windows for more than half an hour
after that time IL is safe to conclude
that either some one is i'll in the
house or some one has a beau in an
advanced stage of courtship. Still
a long sojurn in Bramleigh teaches
one that it is never by any means as
sleepy as it seems-that every shut up
drovsy looking old building has wide
l. IL
and that even the lank- haired, drawl
juvenile is on the alert for happen
ing.
My landlord, Mrs. Bragdon, lives a
mile away from the village, but near
ly every whisper that is breathed there
finds its way To the farm - the thrill
ing news that Mrs. Peter Tapley is
gong TO have her sItting>room newly
papered, that the minister bought his
new coat UP to Boston, that John
Snow went home with Lucy White
from the last evening meeting, and
the still more thrilling news that Miss
Oliver Norton Miss LQmuel Stacey
have fallen out and do not speak to
each other: Mrs. Bragdon declares
that she will not sleep wink until
she hears whether they are speaking
again or not. AS sac expresses it,
'she does like TO have somethin' goin'
on" And when, last fall, all her
summer boarders had taken flight
with the exception of myself
the cows had all been sold but
two, and the light harvest was being
gathered in with the assistance of but
two hired men, she declared that she
blue as a whctstone-that the village
was duller than nothin' at all she
was never so put To II for news in her
hfe."
''Spare time hain't what aiIs me-"
grumbled Alfonso, the tow>headed
son of the house; II kent get a min
ute ter set in the store that's why you
don't hear no news"
Cats footl you don't get 10
news when you do go to the corner
eveAin's. You don't set in the store
no way. You just dangle round Cyrus
Parkers gate to see if you ken git
glimpse Of Mlrandy. But, Lor', if
you ken find out anything that's ago
m on in the world you might ez we'll
go down tel aight. There'Il be
pumpkins ter cut evenin's by'n'by,
and there won't be no getting off
then"
SO, making himself very brilliant as
to his feet and very much peIfumed
as to his head, Alfonso set off down
the road soon IS his evening chores
are accomplished. The light oil the
lantern flashes from between the
brances of the trees, and we hear him
singing in a very jolly and continent
strain, Hell Garry \ on Thro."
"Well, | domino as shall be kerr
ried thro' Of that boy don't bring no
word OF enybody or enything," says
his mother, seating herself by the
fire with her knitting work.
There is frosty Jingle in tina ar,
and the scarlet glow of the open fire
is exceedingly grateful to the senses.
The hired girl and the hired man are
counting i'll the kitchen. Pussy cat
washes her face on the heart rug.
The crlckets are piping penslvely un-
der the floor. | am absorbed in the
fortunes of Captain Francasse, just
the witching, wonderful sort of story
to read by the freight of long even
ing-and Mrs. Bragdon, who likes
company, looked misereble to tho last
degree.
lookedu up, and catching a glimpse
of her woebegone face, am touched
with real pity. l know with what de.
light may fill her soul If choose to
reveal secret which l have pieusly
concealed since my first years soiourn
i'll Bramleigh-a delicate tale, which,
for a wonder, has not been whispered
around the hearth sides of the village
nor discussed under the dim, religious
light.
put aside my book and say rashly,
before | have really decided to tell:
Mrs. Bragdon, did you ever know
what broke Off the engagement be-
tween Miss Matilda Jane Snow and
the minister
The sudden Frightening up of Mrs.
Bragdon's face is something amazing.
She drops her knitting work at once
and claps her hands in touching at
titude of expectation.
mo, l couldn't never find out for
certain. Everybody thought it was
proper strange, after they'd been goin'
together for so long. Marthy, the girl
tibet used ter work over to the Shows,
told me tibet they'd set up together
good many nights, n he used ter
bring her peppermints and religious
books with his n her names writ in
EN-. But LORI Matildy Jane hez al
wers bin hevin' beau ever since she
left off pantalettes. Once twas the
schoolmaster that comes from over
Bonny Big way. Folks said they
was goin' to git married right away,
n then he disappeared like thief in
the night, N wern't seen in these
parts any more. Nobody didn't know
Jest why tibet didn't come TO nothin',
but heard tibet Matildy Jane said
you know she's real active profess
sor), tibet she shouldn't feel herself
justified in hevin' man tibet didn't
enjoy gospel privileges no more'n he
did. Then twas Deacon Thompson,
when he was widower. He used to
go over'n sing Hymns with Matildy
Jane most every evenin', IA she
baked up lot o plum cake n was
partial to his little July in her Sun
day-school class, N he took her to
ride over TO Sand Point grave yard,
where his first wife was buried. But
that didn't come to nothing neither.