The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1893-09-22
THE LITTLE HAND.


Dora Reed Goodale. in Earper's Bazaar.
There was new minister's wife at
the rcctory and the whole parish. even
to the babies, had turned out on that
bright Sunday morning, filed with an
eager curiosity to "see what she was
like" The minister had been there
five weeks, he was frankly a seconda-
ry consideration.
1t was such a poor little parish
One might have been pardoned a
smile at the antiquatel cloaks an d
b0nnetS, the artful cid maids and
nervous old bachelors, the slIrll-
voiced damsel who read the responses
so fast that no one else could keep up
with her, and the countryman in the
corner who took off his boots during
the service. All eyes were turned to
the minister's pew, where the slender
girlish young wife, with brown, rib
bon-like bands of hair, family pink
cheeks, and brown eyes, followed the
psalms in her gold-clasped book, or
raised her clear, girlsh voice in a
hymn.
AS soon as the blessing had been
pronounced, the chief ladies of the
congregation began to press up the
isles with Il movement of decorOuS
Importance, while the young men
hOvered on the outskirts, and rustic
children hung back with round eyes.
1t was something Of an ordeal for The
minister's wifc-this was her hus-
bands first parish-but she met each
with bright smile OF open personal
good will and interest, while the mod.
csty and simple charm of womanhood
crowned her young head like halo.
Only three months married And
how eager she stood on the threshold
of her new life!
II was such queer littleparish. 1t
seemed sometimes as if all the eccen
tricities of human nature, all the
hypOchOndriacs, crusty curmudgeons,
and spring old women eXtant on tho
face Of the globe, had been gathered
in that town and concentrated in that
one particular fold. There were ram
iicatons of kinship which warned
the stranger to tread as if on eggs
melancholy family reuds, of which nj
one remembered the origin nor hoped
to live to see the outcome and vic
lent social dissensions as to the com
paratiye prestige of the storekeepers
wife and the tanners daughter
while the stagnation of a backwood
hamlet had perverted the spirit O
ncighborly sympathy to a universe
propensity for gossip. Not an amia
bic flock, certainly; and then, S,
terribly set" in their ways. Th
minister's wife must expect to rul
the gauntlet of gimlet eyes and Ian
Get tongues.
"My Did you see her hands 2
whispered one old hard fisted matrol
to another as they stood on the porcl
outside. mo bigger'n Mariar's, an
white Take yer thumb out o ye
mouth, Mariar Il sh'd say she ha(
meyer done days work in her life
Wonder if she'll put out her wash
in? Obadiah, lie says"
f "Maybe she's got money in her Owl
: right struck in her auditor, eager
ly. 81 noticed her back comb wa
real shell. an that was silk braid OF
her dress skirt"
mo, she hasn't" interrupted TIL
Il other decidedly. "She was schot
teacher. jim Hunt heared it dow
: to Wcs'port on Tuesday. Tain
likely she's saved more'n enough t
). buy her clo'es to be married." An
: the two arch inquisitors passed dow
: the walk, their iron-gray heads Dol
: ing cxctedly as they settled the que'
: tion of the proper disposition of I'll
minister's salary.
/, "Calcalate she can't be much u
g wards o twenty" drawled the afor
% mentioned c0untryman to his ill-f
9 vored neightors as they rounded
: turn of the road. Looks dretful co
II setted. Think likely her ma sortt
spilled her. Notice her hands ?"
y "Yaas." assented his cOmpanio
/, noncommittally.
IS Then he added, after a pause,
Is swan, III pay my pew rent In onions
= they're first rate for them peaked W
ID men,"
@ Fortunately Mrs. Phillips did NJ
hear the awful suggestion.
rc The alto and soprano, buxom girl
W who had viewed the crown of h
,s :, bonnet from the orange-loft, hurri'
DIS down the stairs with their book
70 and were presented at the last m
n ment in the vestibule.
: "Shc's perfectly lovely, isn't she
exclaimed the soprano under h