The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1886-05-20

| Whlch IN NATURAL VI men VINO lNt hhoNe lhe
world Indeed Mr. Brent did not live, nor
| affect 10 live, one inch above the level OF
commonplace cheerful life He told us from
his pulpit that human things are irail and
nothing worth, and that man Is full OF misery
but having folded up his sermon, he seemed
10 have folded up his theology too for when
you met him ON week days he was full OF
comfort and good cheer Perhaps we are
fastidlous peoplei perhaps we are ignoranti
certain II IL that We never could quite satisfy
ourselves that Mr. Brent was altogether a
gentleman. His manners were no better than
blithe lssom creature such as he might have
picked up la ton years between twenty-five
and thlrty-aye, He had a way Of alludlng 10
tiny gardener and 'my banlern which
seemed 10 show, so Sparkling said--Mr Brent
employed tho rival practitioner-that some
time In his life he had neither bank nor
garden II h very possible that had ho
not been 80 good natured, his yul-
! garity might have been obvious, which ID
! never was, for, indeed, We could not be quite
, sure that he was vulgar at all, Another thing
puzzled us; where had his fortune come front
He was very wealthy and wldower, and our
idea was that Mrs, Brent had brought tho
, money, This, too, was guess, and nothing
, but guess, Such, then was our rector; a
man liked, hut not greatly respected, and yet
, q man whom none could condemn or larly
desplse; u shallow man, equal TO reading his
newspaper, and no more; on good terms with
, the world, able without any strain Of con-
science 10 preach saintly sermons, copied out
from standard dlyines, and nt the same time
live an easy average life; comfortable man,
with good intentions, sound digestion, u full
purse and cellar, and ono who never let his
kitchen chimney freeze.
II was the rGyarand widower Brent whom
we upon consideration had assigned 30 our
lively Mrs, Barbara Temple az third husband,
and events went rapidly 10 show that our
forecast was not insxact Mr. Brent was
about fifty; hrs Barbara Temple was well
known 20 be about forty-lye; so that on tho
score Of age there was nothing against tho
match AMI ~ to inclination the rector soon
made II evident that there was no obstacle ON
his side Everybody remarked that he took
the Temples up with remarkable warmth
He gave dainty little lunches and snug little
dinners for them; and he was forever calling
In his carriage to take one or other OF tho
girls drive, the littlG mother attending as
chOporon, 40 first we were IN doubt rs TO
which hew0s pursuing mother or d0ughtorsi
and we even thought that grave Sophia, with
her heavenly face, had attracted him; but
we forgot that ho was man Of somo
common sense. Mrs, Temple was his choice;
her vlvocIty, her polish, her knowledge Of tho
world, her ntring energy, were all after his
own heart He soon began 90 drop hints, Ns
mon do who have mntrimony In their hoHds.
"Mm. lpmplr was a remarkably fine womann
"Fortyiyo was the eXact age that the wife OF
q man of lllty should ho-the cXHct ago'
"MN, Tcuplc did not look forty-llye' (hc adj
mlttcl thnt, "hut'-and he would drop his
volCc-"ho knew she was every day of itn
The ntmOiun was that he had either seen
the register Of her baptism or she had told
him the fact direct, and ho declared over and
overOgOn, with amusing carneStncSs and pub
liclty, that lnrty-llyc was the age he approved
Of; that for a man Of his standing one year
younger would bo one year too young, and
one year older one year too old, or course,
no far ho had not said that he hoped or wished
10 marry Mrs Temple, but the drift Of his
conversation and conduct was unmistal0blo
In the meantime II was evident that tho
lively widow did not dislike attentions which
had now become 80 marked that even those
saw them who could SEQ nothing She ox-
changed compliments freely with the rector,
invited him 10 hor house, praised his SER
mons, and she was actually found one oven |
ing NJ missionary meeting over which ho |
presided, She listened 10 his speech with tho |
utmost attention. sitting erect, and keeping |
her eyes fixed upon him, although u would |
have been hard 20 say whether She know or |
cared less about the subject, She could not
have told In which continent the district |
spoken Of lay, nor whether the people !
were white, brown or black; but !
she listened rs attentively as II sho
had been hearing Of dear relations In u
f0r-oi land. In short with garden parties |
and lunches and dinners and drives, things |
went so far that we all considered the matter |
settled; aud when We heard that no proposals
had yet been made, we all agreed that there
must DO a taoit engagement, which, for some
private reasons, was not Just yet 20 be avowed. |
To all intontS and purposes, we regarded Mrs. |
Temple and Mr., Brent Os afllanced; and, on |
the whole We approved Of our rootor's choice |
Certainly We should have liked lady more
interested In religious affairs; but then, we
argued, II was much better than II he had |
married young woman So, balancing
matters, we accepted the event with satisfac-
ton.
The rector was In ecstasles, He was In his |
element, dancing attendance on these four
brilliant women and really u careless OBJ
server might have been puzzled 20 tell which |
of the four he was pursuing In tho most
polished Of hats, the newest Of suits, the most
faultess lavender gloves, and looking oil
over comfortable occcsiA,tic, he would llit ,
around thcm glowing and bcOmmg with
satisfaction, The girls, for their part ac-
copied his ciyilitics with charming freedom;
and their mothor-shrowd woman-nover
the smallest Jealousy In this,
beside proving her own good sense, she paid |
her ndmircr a compliment which he fully do.
served; for he looked upon the three girls as
daughters already, and was fond Of them In
the most parental fashion
"Ah, Mrs Tcmpo," he said one day. when
he wos getting hot, Os the children say In
their hidonnd.scck game, ~ have but ono
child-O son, dear good fellow, away In |
Australia, | always longed for daughters"
Whcrcupon Mrs Barbara Temple turned |
full upon him ono Of her keen looks, which |
saidi ~ understand" but good humored |
look all the time; and then sho broke into q
llttlo bland laugh and modc herself moro
comfortable In her seat, for they were driv- |
Ing, The rector was just going 10 propose
then and there; but II happened that the car
riagc, speeding down the dusty road, met tho
vurate, who was footing II home from somo
remote part Of tho parish, whore he had boon
whiting dcli old woman, He signolcd the
oArringc TO top and addressed the rector,
"old Spoarmon Is dying he said
1poor Hannah Spearman" tho rector ro-
piled, shaking his hoad u have known h6f |
many years, Poor Hannah SpcarmonlN
1polly," the curat0 remarkod--"Polly
SpeormOnn
aof course II Is Polly the rector rojoIpcd,
SIN visiting about parish like mino'-Bo
turned 10 Mrs Tcmplc-"one's head gcts 80
full Of Polcs and Sallics and Billies that one
La "A 49, N.l.a "a. ~ A. n