Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-02-17
THE PARSONS MARJORY.

squirrel sitting phIlOS0phlcally over ms riits.
| needn't ask you which of them looked more
spf "A fool"
THE PARSONS MARJORY.
After some years the old people died, both
in one Winter, very carefully tended by their
adopted son, and very quietly incurred when
they were gone. People who had heard of
his rowing fanccs supposed he would hasten
TO sell the property, and go down the river to
push his fortunes. But there was never any
sign Of such an intention on the part of Will
On the contrary, he had The inn set on bet
ter footing, and hired couple Of servants to
assist him in carrying it on; and there he set
tied down, n kind, laxative, inscrutable
Young man, six feet three in his stockings,
with an iron constitution and friendly
voice lie soon began 10 take rank i'll the
district as a-hit Of an oddly. Ii was not
much to BE- wondered at from the first, for he
was always uil Of notions, and kept calling
the alelnest ,ommon sense IA question: but
what most r;'i9"J the report upon him was
the odd circumstance Of his courtship with
the parson', Mariory.
The parsons Mariory was lass of about
~ when Viii woud be about 80. well cuon.h
looking and much better educated than any
other girl in that part of the country, rs he
came her parentagc. She held her heal very
high and had already refused several offers
OF marriage with grand air, which had got
her hard names among TIA" neighbors For
all th0t She was good gir and oae that
would have made ans man we'll contentcd
VIII had never seen much of her, tor al
though the church ana parsonage were only
two miles from his own door lac was never
known to 90 th"re but on Sundays. 1t
CHANGED, however, that the parsonage fell
into di*Ippair and had to he diSm2nticd, and
the pat-,uu aui his daughter took LODGINGS
for a month or 50, on very much reduced
terms, at Wills inn. Now. what with the
inn and the mill and the oil miier's savings,
our friend was a man ~ Substance, and be-
sides that, he had a name for good temper
and shrewdness. which make a capital por-
ton in marriage. and so 1t WIS currently gos-
sipoi among their i'll wishers tn / the rarson
and lis daughter bed not chosen their tenn
porarY lodgm.-, with their eyes shut. VIII
was about Ere last man in the world to he
"a iolcd or frightened into marriage. You
had ONLY to took into his eyes. linpid and
still like pools Of wGter, and vet with Il sort
of clear light that seemed To come from with
in and Won would understand at once that
hero was one who knew his own mind and
would stand to it tnmoy5bIy, Marjory her
self was no wcakipy by her looks, with
strong, stcndY eyes AMI resolute and quiet
bearing. It might be a question whether she
was NOT wins match in Steadfnstness, after
all, or which Of them would rule the roast in
marriage But Mariory had never given it
thought and accompanied her father with
thc most mistaken Innocence and unConcern.
The season was still SO early that Wills
l.,At, hut
llacs were already covering, and the weather
was so mild that the party took dinner under
the trellis. with the noise of the river in
their ears and the woods ringing about them
with the songs of birds win soon began to
take a particular pleasure in these dinners.
The parson was rather "a dun companion,
with a habit of DOING at table: but nothing
rude or cruel ever fell from his lips. And as
for the parsons daughter. she suited her sur
roundings with the best grace imaginable;
and whatever she said seemed pat and
pretty that Win conceived a great idea of her
talents He could see her face. as she leaned
forward. against background of rising pine
woods; her eyes shone peaceablv; the light
lay around her hair like a kerchief! some
thing that was hardly smile rippled her
pale cheeks, and Win could not contain him
self from gazing on her in an agreeable dis
may She looked. even in her quietest mo-
mcnts, so complete in herself. and SO quick
with life down TO her finger tips and the very
skirts of her dress, that the remainder of
created Things became 10 more than blot
by comparisons and if win glanced away
from her to her surroundings, the trees
looked inanimate aud sensrlca' the clouds
hung in heaven like dead things, and even
the mountain tops were dseuchanted. The
whole valley could not compare in looks with
this one girl
viii was ALWAYS oservant III the society of
his fellow creatures, but his observation be
came almost painfully earer in the case of
Marjory lie listened TO all she uttered and
read her eyes at the same time for the I'M
spoken commentary Many kind simple and
sincere speeches found an echo in his heart.
He became conscious OF soul beautifully
poised upon itself, nothing doubting nothing
desiring, clothed in peace. 1t was not posi-
bile TO separate her thoughts from her appear
ance. The turn of her wrist, the still sound
of her voice, the light in her eyes, the lines
OF her body fell in tune with her grave and
gentle words Ike the accompaniment that
suStains and harmonizes the voice of the
singer Her influence was one thing, not to
be divided or discussed, only to be felt with
called something of his childhood and the
thought OF her took its place in his mind be-
side that of dawn. of running water and of
the earliest violets and hlacs. 1t is the
property of things seen for the first time, or
for the first time after long, like the flowers
in spring, to reavake3 in US the sharp edge
of senss and that impression of mystic
5 r.: ,eness which otherwise passes out of life
with the coming of years; but the sight of a
loved face is what rcnews a mans character
'''om the fountain upwards.
ONE day after dinner win took a stroll
among the frs: a crave beatitude possessed
him frosa top tn toe, and he kept smiling to
himself AMI the lansrlpe IS he went. The
river ran between the stepping stones with a
pretty wimple; Il bird sang loudly in the
wool; the hilltops looked imn3casurably
time, seemed to contemplate his movements
with beaeieent but AWFUL curiosity. His
way took him to the eminence which over
looked the plain; and there he sat down upon
a stone, and fell into deep and pleasant
thought. The plain lay abroad with its
cities and silver river; everything was
asleep. except a great eddy of birds which
kept rising and falling and going round and
round in the blue air He repeated Marjory's
ear. He shut his eyes, and her image sprang
up before him, quietly luminous and attend
ed with good thoughts The river might run
forever; the birds fly higher and higher till
they touched the stars. He saw it was empty