The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-01-02
ON PROBATION.

hAi iiAbS6J "oo BiSaNlilhS III III
Lennox parish on probation; that is, he
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 children for
christening and Sunday school, exhorted
the young people to join the confirma-
ton class, mapped out work for the sew
ing 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 be.
lieved with DR.. Slow in the doctrine of
election-why, then, they were sure to
settle him.
"What a capital wife Lucretia Shaw
would make Mr.. Lindsay" vouchsafed
Miss Rich, shortly after he adorned the
Lennox pulpit. 'She's just the person
for IA 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 ncighbor loved,
yet grudged her the credit of it.
"Well, there's work enough for two
of us in the parish, Mrs. Phelps. l
wouldn't be a bit afraid but Id git my
share"
"To be sure" pursued Mrs. Phelps,
"Lucretia's smart, and i don't believe
in q 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 a stepmother to Mr.. Lind
says boy and if ever a boy needed a
stepmother, it's him. Lucrctia's pow
erful smart, as you say, and she'd make
him walk Spanish"
Yes, " was the reply of Miss Rich;
ga widower somehow needs a
wife more'n anybody, to sym
pathize with him in his loss. | 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 neces-
sary for the salvation of their souls"
You can't tell. Perhaps Lucretia
has doubts"
"And perhaps" said DR.. Slow-"per-
haps it's Miss Susan"
Everybody laughed, and cried "NIiss
Susan, ~ with fine irony in their tones.
WIZ ever heard of Susan having at
te%ntion?" asked Mrs. Phelps.
"rve engaged Lucretia to embroider
a new altar cloth, explained 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 well drilled in symbols and such,
you know"
In fact, everybody in Lennox had de-
cided that Mr.. Lindsay should marry
Lucretia, and perhaps Lucrctia had de
cided so too, for she was an everlasting
time over that altar-cloth, and needed no
end of advice and instruction; her 10
norance and interest were quite touch.
ing. And Mr.. Lindsay seemed quite
willing TO spend his leisure under the
Shaws' roof, and watch the sacred SYM
bols growing under the white and
shapelv hands of Miss Lucretia.
That hand of Lucretia's will be sure
to do the business" somebody had said.
"Mr. Lindsay's a man of taste, if he is u
clergyman"-as if the two were not usu-
ally found combined-"and | heard him
say it was fit tor a duchess"
Miss Lucretia's hand was, indeed, her
%loveliest feature, so to speak--white as
snow, with the prettiest taper fingers.
pink at the ends. Once when Mr.. Lind
say had mentioned them flatteringly.
Miss Susan, who was doing the weeks
mending near by. drew her own hands
under her work, he noticed. Nobody
ever took the trouble to flatter Miss Su-
san. Lucretia sangin the choir, although
her voice was thin as muslin, and she
had no ear; nobody dreamed or cared
if Susan sang like a seraph; She sat in
Lucretia's shadow, and people 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 a pretext to
cover a multitude Of calls, there were
the chants and fugues to practice. One
morning, as he drilled Lucretia for halt
an hour Intellectually, he suddenly turned
to Susan.
"Come," he sad. ''try this chant with
us, Miss Gusan;' and Susan opened her
mouth and chanted as nobody in the
choir had ever chanted before.