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

~ c-es, returned tne alt0 Snflily, Il
jaller and older girl with a grave face.
'She pears sort o delicate, though.
| tell you, Carrie, our minister's wife
ought to be the stOutest kind. Shes
got to take hold and buckle down to
IN all-days job. feel sorry FOR her,
that | do. And So pretty spokenm
Gentle, eager, sensitive soul! AS
she leaned on her husbands arm she
resolved to spend her best and all for
his pcople-on Sundays and week
days, early and late, in sickness or
health, to supplement his work by
her feminine ministrati0ns. In her
she never doubted her
power to win her way into their
hearts--that she should be loved and
made much of seemed as natural as
that the sun should shine on her.
And, unwittingly, in this confidence
she had the strongest Of all weapons
to disarm the uneasy suspicion arous-
ed by her superiority. Her husband
was an distracted scholarly man, who
had chosen quiet nook where he
might delye undsturbcd in the He
brew Scriptures, and who preached.
contentedly over the heads of his
murmuring hearers. They were
little clated that their small bait bad
captured so bookiSh a man, while for
human reinforcement they turned
more and more to the minister's
wife. Week by week she received in
to her tender bosom more of their
joys and sorrows; her willing hand
was at the service Of all, high and
low, black and white; her gentle
pride was subdued to accept the
strangest donations; her ear heard
no slander; her tongue held no ven
ON; her heart knew no bitterness
The neat rectory parlOr was thrown
open for ''circles," meetings" and
societies" and when curious women
pushed unlimited into her bedroom
and pantry and openly commented on
her cooking and furnishing,no remon-
STRANGE was ever made except the in
voluntary one of the delicate flush
and bright tremulous smile. Like
Kate in the ballad.
THE weak and the gentle the ribald and
rude
She took as she found them, and did them
all good"
And the love that she meted in full
measure was meted to her again. Not
a capable" woman, given to organiz-
ing and executing, she would have
been utterly routed in pitched bat
tie with the recalcitrant sheep Of the
flock, but she never attempted pitch
led battles, and her child-like purity
seemed unconscious of the very pres
ence of sin.
At length winter drew On-the long
bleak, costly, memorable winter. The
parsonage stood on hill, and around
it ragged the four winds. Coal was
dear-so dear! Their salary was
dear--so small An even that salary
was not paid promptly. The kitchen
fire would not burn: the wood was
grcen-a skintlint's donation" 1t
was rumored that Mrs. Phillips had
been seen chopping sticks in the twi-
light. IL is certain that she drew
water, and more than once fell will
the pail The yard was frightfully
icy. She did her own washing now
Money that she had been praying tC
God for for months, when it came
went to buy new German treatise
Her husband was deep in his books
He hardly noticed her cough
he thought it was natural to her con
dition. Nor was he much to blame
he was an abscnt-minded, scholarl,
man and she always declared, will
that bright glow on her cheek. tha
she was perfectly we'll" That wa
Ia terrible winter. There was baking
sweeping, carrying coal, sitting ashes
Church societies met at the rectory
for the minister's wife had no horse
The little hand was c0arsened aud sac
rillced the side of the f0reilnger grew
callus and the palm lost its babyisl
pinkness, and looked like working
woman's. And she shed tears over it
and hated to have it seen, being hu
man. with vanities like the rest Of us
| but the crying was in secret, and sh
, kept on with her work. The youn
girls still adored her; all the wome
looked up to her. No one venture,
q to give her the "cossetting" that sl
needed.
!. The little hands grew thin-thin
: ner-pitiiully thin; it was whispere
: about that the minister's wife wa
A going into u decline. March came
= and April. At last one morning sh
+ could not get up; women were sen
for, and little baby was brought int
!, the world. She was very patient
gentle and grateful; the''smile sti
| hickercd over her cheek; but she wa
/; too feeble to speak, to put out III
j. hand to make the slightest dying e
fort to live. And so, smiling, uncon
I planning, with the room full of pa
ishioncrs, her life went quietly on
!, and she was laid in her coffin, and,
II few hours later, her baby was laid b
d side her, a little waxen, doll-lil
!, thing, with the dlmpled hand on IL
y vu,lnp pirliSh breast, The "njghCS1