Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-08-15
MISS MATILDA JANE AND THE
MINISTER.
NEW ENGLAND STORY OF THE GOOD
OLD KIND.

3.
A NEW ENGLAND STORY OF THE GOOD
OLD KIND.
Bramleigh Is a sleepy looking town. The vii
lage street is raped 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 daytime. The
birds light and sing on the NOISY town
pump. The church, which IL white that 1t
makes one wink to gaze upon II. sits In the
midst of an ancient bnrying ground and calls
the people Of a Sunday with the sieepiest bell
possible. Daisies aud buttercups nod In the
path which leads TO the door of the town hal,
and an adventurous tramp Of ciematis cresps
out of a ueighboring meadow 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 in the
tall grass which fills the front yards grow . few
sleepy-looking flowers, such as lilies OF the val
ley, gray and crimson peoples. "old maids
pinks,' and great clumps Of silvery green live
forever"
When the clock strikes nine the whole world
prepares for bed, and II a light Is seen glimmer-
Ing from one of the windows for more than half
hour after that time, 1t is safe TO conclude
that ei ther some one Is i'll in the house, or some
one has a beau In an advanced stage of court
ship. Still, long sojourn In Bramleigh
looking old building has wide-awake eyes and
ears OH everyslde, And that even the lank-haired,
drawing juvenile Is on the alert for happen
Ing:
from the village, but nearly every whisper that
l. breathed there finds its way to the fhrua-the
thrilling news that Mis- Peter Taplsy IL going
To have her sitting room newly papersd, that
the minister bought his new coat up to Boston,
that John snow went home with Lucy White
from the lest evening meeting, and the still
more thrilling news that Mis- Oliver Norton
IT, oil hny filt onfR and n
not speak to each other; Mrs. Bfagdon declares
that she will not sleep q wink until she hears
expresses il, .she does like to have somsshinx
goin' on" And when, last fall, all her summer
boarders had taken hight with the exception Of
the light harvest was being gathered In with the
assistance of but two hired men, she declared
that she had too much spare time and was
than notnin at all; she was never 70 put to it
Tor news In her life
Alfonzo. the tow-headed son OF the house; ~
kent get minute ter set In the store; that's
why you don't hear no news"
Cats fOoti you don't git ne news when you
do go to the corner eveuin's- You don't set in
the store no way. You just dangle round Cyrus
Mirnndy But. Lor'! If you ken find out any
thing that's a-goin' on in the world you might
ez well go down along ter-night: Thersli be
pumpkins to cut evenin's by n by, n there
won't be no gittin' Oh them
80. making himself very brilliant as TO his
Alfonso set of down the road as soon rs his
evening chores are accomplished. The light of
his lantern flashes from between the branches
of the trees. and We hear hirn singing in "A very
Jolly and confident strain Hell carry you
LhrO.-
well domino as shall be kerried thro' eff
that boy don't bring no word OF enybody or eny-
thing, says his mother, seating herself by the
tire with her knitting work.
There Is frosty tfngie in the air and the scar
let glow of The open fire is exceedingly grateful
10 the senses The nired girl and the hired man
her tsee on the hearth rus. The cricksts ' are
piping pensively under the door. / am abb
sorbed in the fortunes Of Captain Francasse, jpst
the witching, wonderful sort OF story to read by
the freight of a long even1ng-and Mrs. Brag-
don, who likes company. looked miserable 70
look up, aud. catching glimpse of her woe
begone face, am touched with real pity. /
know with what delight may oil her soul II
concealed since my frs. years sojourn In
BfNmleigh-a delicate tale, which, for . won-
der. 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
YOU ever know what broke off the engagement
between Miss Matilda Jane Snow and the min
isters''
face l. something amazing. She drops her
knitting work al once and clasps her hands in
touching attitude of expectation.
mo. / couldn't never find out for certain.
Everybody thought 1T was proper strange, after
they'd been soin together for so long. Nsrthy,
the girl tnet used ter work over 70 the Snows,
told me thet they'd set up together a good
many nights, n he used ter bling her pepper
minis and religious books with his n her
names writ in EN-. But Lor'! Matibdy Jane
beZ alwers bin hevin q beau ever since she LEFT
OF pantalettes- Once twas the schooln aster
said they was gotn' to git married right away,
N then ne Disappeared ike thief In the night,
m weren't never seen in these parts any more.
Nobody didn know jest why tibet cidu't come
To- nothin'. but heard tibet Mstildy Jane said
you know she's real active profsssorJ tibet
she SHOULDN'T Ieel herself justified Ia hsvin' a
man thet didn't enjoy gospel privileges no
Iuore'n he did. Then twas Deacon Thompson,
when he was widower. He used TO 90 over n
eveUin, IN she baked up . lot o. plum
cake. N was partial to his little July
in her SUNDAY school class sv q ,I he took
yard. where his first wife was buried Bat that
didn't come to nothing neither. They wers
Matidy Jane bain't no beauty, but she's a good
housekeeper, n a fuSt-rate good woman, tho
she may be Irifie sot. All the SHOWS Is sot I
know EN- root and branch, n eff they kent hev
their own way. they're dreadful liable to fire
MP. This siick-looking minister, ParSOn Whit
comb wanted her fur her money, they say. he
was younger n she, n = picter Of a imam, with
RED cheeks N curly hair. But, Lord! she aint
got much money; she let that good-Sor- noth,n'
70 her on his eddlcation. he was a lazy soul,
hut was called, be said, to be missionary;
n ef he can make himself agreeable to the
His rooms bettern his company here" Mrs.
Bragton pauseS, quite out OF breath, and re-
CARDS me with earnest appeal.
Il can tell you why she didn't marry the
minister. says j. with the true air OF profound
mystery and deep i'm pOrtauce which l. char
i.cteristic of the real Brarnleigh gossip.
She gives great start, removes the speot2~
Giles f.OTa her we'll polished forehead, draws her
chair several inches nearer my own, allows the
cat 10 play with tine ball OF nsr knitting work
with the most reckless indifference and eX-
claims: you dout say.' in = tone OF mingled
suspense and rapture.
Whereupon, after the usual prslIminariss,
the exhortations 10 eternal secrecy, the hesita-
tons and deliberations which, somehow,
seemed TO heigaten the enjoy ment OF the ex-
pectant listener, began my tale:
the first year visited Bramlsigh used TO
go and see Miss Matilda Jane very often, you
know. i wen. past her house ON my way to
Mo-rilPs meadow, where the orchids grow and
stopping at the gate 20 admire her flowers one
da--, she came ont and presented me with q
lovely little bouquet Of spice pinks and !ayen-
der. Then, one day whcE was heated with
Icy long walk, she invited me into the rouse t.
have glass of her raspberry shrub, and &C
oepted the invitation with pleas are for It
locked very cool and inviting inside the wide,
breezy OLD hall.
- Good gracious.' said Matilda Jane, Il
shouldn't never get my breath again II I
walked as fur as 10 Morrill's meadow. wish