Bismarck weekly tribune., 1885-10-30
5A Sc CON,D MARRIAG GE.
Ipemorest,s alonthly.l5

rDemorest's Monthly.l
His parishioners watched the Rev. Mr..
Brown with peculiar interest as he left the
grave yard leading his two little girls by
the hand They wondered, knowing how
much she had been to him, how he would
endure the terrible blow Of his wife's death.
i His face was like marble as the coffin was
lowered into the grave; there was no ont
ward sign OF anguish, but no one doubted
for "a moment that he suffered keenly. He
had hesn rather mystery to his congrega-
tion always; but they knew him to bs capa-
blsof deep feeling, in spite Of his cold, inn
passive manner. A noisy, demon strative
show OF grief would have been impossible to
him. He was a man o great tranquility
of mind, and with little energy Of dispose
tion. He took all that Providence sent him
very dutifully, without any effort to change
or amend it, no matter how Objectionable
it might be; and he possessed in perfection
the art of 9putting up with" whatsoever
befell him.
He was not favorite with his flock; but
he was by no means unpopular. The poor
loved him, for his hand was always ready
to 60 to his pocket at tale Of distress. linn
i tied as were his means and his reproofs
were always of the mildest sort The rich,
though they had little to say for him, had
nothing to say against him. They invited
him frequently to their houses, entertained
him handsomely. and bore very compa-
Gently with his habit Of falling into
i brown study at the dinner table AS for
the younger portion of his flock, his good
looks, his rich chestnut hair, and dreamy
eyes had early impressed them profoundly,
. and they sang his praises without stint
,{& 1t was source of regret to many Of the
young ladies land a few Of the older ones
that Mr.. Brown was married man. Many
years before he had come to the church at
Barstow, he had welded gentle, sweet
tempered girl, who fairly worshipsd him,
& and who proved herself good wife and
devoted mother. Their welded life had
flowed on as calmly as meadow brook, un-
disturbed by any petty domestic jars or
troubles 1t had never occurred to
( Mr.. Brown that it might not go on
50 forever. He did not notice his wife's
failing health, and as she was one Of the
kind who never complain, he was utterly
unprepared for her death. It stupeGed him:
he could not understand it. 1t seemed to
him Incredible, impossible, and he felt be-
wildered and half puzzled even when he
heard the sods falling on the coffin.
He went back to his lonely home with his
two little girls, and shut himself up in his
study, where he lay down on the weil-worn
lounge, a dull pain in his head. It seemed
to him that his lost Laura must know how
much he needed her. He could not realize
that she was gone He lay there, half
expecting to see her enter and to feel her
tender touch on his brow, soothing away
the pain as she had often done when he was
brain weary. But hour after hour went
by, and no one CAME near him, and he
heard only the voice of his children as they
talked loudly to the cook in the kitchen.
The next day he went out as usual pur
suing his accustomed round of duties as
TRANQUILITY and patiently as ever. His par
ishioners were loud in their expressions Of
admiration to each other as they saw now
we'll le bore his great sorrow, and they were
very kind to him, especially in the matter
of advice. His distressing situation" was
the subject of debate in almost every house
in Barstow. It was talked over at the
meetings of the sewing circle, the reading
club, and the Indian Relief association, and
It was unanimously agreed that the best
thing the poor wdower could do was to en-
ploy governess, who would also act as
housekeeper and general manager.
But it was not an easy matter to find the
right kind of a woman for the place, though
there we're many applicants for it. 1t was
decided that only a middle-aged, respecta.
BILE, quiet woman, who would be incapable
Of scheming to fill the late Mrs Browns
place, and who would be- competent to take
charge of the little girls, would do and
such one was hard to find.
1t was Miss Anastasia Bowen who at
length found just the right person, and as
MIR: Brown was willing to do just what Miss
1ohf hoo hot LODI %ro
sponsibility of installing Miss Susan Piper
tn the parsonage without further delay.
Miss Piper was neither old nor Young: she
had no pretensions whatever to good looks
and she was so exceedingly shy that if the
minister spoke to her on even the most
trivial topic she blushed as red as a peony
But these, said Miss Anastasia, were such
trifiing dra wbacks as almost to be looked
upon in the light Of advantages under the
circums tances.
Miss Piper was, as Mr.. Brown soon saw, a
very good women, exceedingly conscienti tious
and painstakiug. She did her best for the
two little girls-healthy, happy, pretty lit
tie creatures OF and IL years-who learned
the simple lesson she gave them from pure
love for her, not because they feared her
displeasure
Probably there was no lady in Barstow
who took deeper interest in the household
affairs of the bereaved. widower than Miss
Anastasia Brown. she was, in spite of the
fact that youth had long since left her, of a
sentimental turn Of mind, and the pale,
high-bred face and gentle manners Of Mr..
Brown had inspired her with an intense ad-
mira ton for him, which, after the death Of
his wife, ripened into an undisguissd at
tachment which was patent to every one
but the object of it. Not chance did the
spinster lose Of seeing her idol, and scarcely
day passed that she did not run into the
parsonage on one excuse or another.
But the minister, absorbed in his books
and the memory Of his dead Laura was ut
terly and sublimely unconscious Of the pas
sion he had inspired. The idea OF a second
marriage had never entered his mind. He
never even asked himself whether he
liked Miss Bowen or not but SO
constantly did she press her advice
respecting every subject upon him that
he grew to depend upon her in a great
measure, and often consulted her upon diff
ferant household aud church matters, never
touching, however. in any matter whatever
upon the subject of matrimony
The fact that she was making no head way
in spite of her tireless efforts, in spite of the
attentions she lavished upon the two little