Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-03-16

But alas! pride and happiness grow
upon slender stalks.
Two or three days before the yearly
meeting, grandmother. then roly-poly
and six, was wandering with her
brother, roly-poly and four. discon-
tentedly around the house; having been
forbidden the kitchen, they strayed
into the back shed, and there a wonder
full vision created their eyes.
The great bread tray was standing
on the to BILE heaped with snow. Snow
in June! where did 1t come from, when
for two months they had not seen a
flake? Memories of their winter sports
turned their little heads, and into the
bread tray they climbed, pelting each
other with the queer snow, that WASH t
cold and wouldn't shake off good, until
they were little foury pillars, with
foury faces. Then Phebe came; but
where was the white bread? Poor
Phebe!
1t was Fifth day, and yearly meeting
In the square, bare meeting-house. All
the people had assembled. The only
sound, inside or out, in earth or sky,
was the rasp of a locust, and the occa-
sional stamp of some worried horse
fighting persistent fly.
For half an hour the silence contin-
ued. Then Reuben arose, tall and
strong, with deep red slowly struggling
through the brown OF bis face to the
roots of his hair; and Phebe in her
misty gray, with white kerchief meekly
crossed in front, showing a glimpse Of
gold beads, and her dainty face bloom
ing out from her shirred white bonnet.
They came to the front and joined
hands, and there was never a rustic
bred are the Quaker people.
Still the silence continued. Phebe
stole quick look into Reuben's face,
wondering why he did not begin; but
Reuben stood there in awful torture.
His mihd was perfect blank in every
thing but that horrible verse;
''If the Lord permit,
And friends think ht,-''
Over and over it sang itself. He tried
to think of the marriage service, until
it seemed as though his brain would
burst. His eyes blurred. He thought
he had stood there an hour, and still
not a thing in his mind but those lines.
At last, in a horror of despair, he
cried,-
III the Lord permit,
And friends think ft.
I'll have Phebe before quit"
Then as though the spell was broken,
the marriage lines came to him, and he
repeated them with scarcely a pause.
Phebe's hand grew cold in his; and il
he had been capable of any emotion, he
would have pItied her, as he looked
down at her horror-stricken face; but
he was beyond that. And after she
had faitered out ID scarcely audible
tones her part of the ceremony, then
sat down with head dropped so low
that her fearful face was concealed, he
looked toward the men.
All the young faces were red with
suppressed laughter; the old ones with
wrath.
In a few minutes an old preacher
arose, and commenced to shake hands
That was the signal that the meeting
was over; and the congregation arose,
all solemnly shaking hands with then
neighbors.
Phebe fled out of the meeting
straight to her home, never stopping to
shake hands, never stopping to peeE
into thu brick oven, where pies, pud
dings, bread, chickens and potatoes
had been serenely baking since meet
ing began; never stopping to look al
the long white table, with its custards
stewed cherries, peaches and app es
great slices of honey and imposing
election and pound cakes; but straight
on to her own room, where she buried
her face deep IN the high soft bed.
And Reuben? The elders, with set
stern faces. had taken him one side tc
| inquire into his desecration of the
house of God and service of matri
mony. Then he told them the story o.
the silly verse, and his condition be
fore the meeting. 1t is said there wa!
never Yankee who was rot at heart (
humorist; so, with quiet smiles, they
left him with the old preacher. whC
said
"My son, the Lord put thy condition
upon thee as a punishment for thy
levity. 1 hope thee will take the warn
ing"
Then they all weuded their way t.
the marriage feast with him, and he
rescued his hot.faced, tear-bedimmeC
little bride from the depth of the
feather bed, and all went we'll ct last
But it was a good many years befor'
Phebe could laugh about it.-Th
| Household.