The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-08-29

back to the frst-named celebrity for which SaltfoYd was famous, and really most noted, its single ladies.
 The town society was limited to the clergy, few doctors more or very much less eminent, several decidedly shady lawyers, and the old maids. Of course do not mean to assert that there were no wives residing in Saltford; far from it. All the clergy to a man in the town were married. Mir. Britton, the minister of St. Johns, was the only bachelor among them; and as he lived two miles out in the country, and had couple ef dear old maiden sisters living with him, per haps he would hardly count. He was very rich, aud the kindest of men, though full of a mortal dread of women outside his own family; and was given to gentle puns, one of which quite shocked the bishop of the diocese once, who, when on inquiring as to whether MT. Britton was blessed with wife, was answered blandly with, am Mormo mite, my lord l" And the lawyers were married to long suffering, ill-used wives, who looked like forlorn thread papers. and were not un- accustomed to beatings, some of the spinster ladies averred. "That's what comes of being married, Jamie, love, you see /" they would remark with wise nod at me. And l. flushing indignantly, would return, That should like to sec the man on earth who would dare to beat me and why did the silly things stay to be beaten, and not have sense to run away?" reply that elicited another pitying smile and sigh, and, "My dear girl, you forget they have promised, till death does them part"
 The doctors, too, were married one of them to very dashing young lady in- deed, who led the society of Stafford, or imagined she did. But all these matrons were outdone in number, if not in inn portance, by the spinsters of Stafford. Why, at one time remember there were no less than thirteen distinct families of them. It was something in the air, the wags said, or indigenous to the soil, or some such nonsense and they declared that old maids seemed to multiply mys- teriously, and that their number was al- ways increasing instead of the reverse and they warned me seriously, that if persisted in coming so often to St. Pat rick's, l should catch the spinster fever, and certainly die of it eventually. ] used to tremble afterward and thlnk, well, per haps, it might be SC, since Tom and .-
 There were the Miss Parringdons, who were generally ackno wledged to be the queens of their own world, and sho lived in a comfortable house in the East Pal lant Spare, pinched, brighteyed the one, Miss Jessie round, plump, sour- looking the other, Miss Parringdon. Miss Jessie lad once possessed a beautiful so- prano voice, and she was famous for it still, even at eighty; and would be urged to use 1t for her guests benefit at the oc- casional evening parties which she and her sister gave. Dreadful inflictions these parties were to me. for had to go with the Campbells, if happened to be stop ping with them at the time; when Mir. | Campbell would be the single and lonely | representative Of the sterner sex among rustling host of ladies. am sure he did not care for it in the least, and only went out of pure kindness, and pitied himself very much in the act thereof. The reason for his being invited, and no other man, was that the whole body of old maids, every mothers daughter of them, wor- shiped at St. John's-had done so from their earliest days, and MT. Britton, be- ing well known to abjure all female gath erlngs of any kind, delegated his right ful place to his staunch friend Mir. Camp bell, as being the nearest to himself in doctrinal views, and therefore most ac- ceptable to the old ladies' consciences.
 He was always expected to close these | parties with prayer. In fact, he performed the duties of private chaplain with much | inward protest.
 "I can't go tonight, Kate" I've often heard him say just at the last, as we la- dies were going upstairs to "get ready" It's night school down the PAncras this evening, if you remember" triumphantly.
 "Oh, George in reproachful accents from his wife. "Poor old things, they will be so disappointed, and besides, Jamie and l want escorting home, you know "--we lived in the next street. you can manage it quite well after night school is over. Mind, shall ex- pect you to supper, and shall tell them so
 l repeat, oh those parties 1.-the brooches, the silks, the caps, the buzz of female voices 1 used to dress myself in | my pretty evening muslin, and stick flow CTS in my hair, all in glow of impatience and rebellion.
 What zVaS the good of trying to make the best of ones self, and very likely sue ceeding perfectly, just for parcel of old ladies to see don't suppose there will be an old gentleman there, let alone a young one, do you2" would say dis contentedly.
 Why on earth do they never have anybody but clergyman One does get so tired of the clergy l :" with mischiev- ous glance at dear Mrs. Campbell and she would shake her head at me with smile. Poor Janiel It really is hard upon you-I have no comfort whatever to give, except that we look on our going as duty, and do it cheerfully accord ingly." And then after hug from me and vehement assurance that if I could sit by Aer and talk to Aey all the eveuing, |" shouldn't mind it bit!" she added | "perhaps it will be different this evening who can tell" But it never was differ