The Press., 1893-07-20


 know Squire Fosters hired man sang chief bass?" Goody Collins said "'twas a sin and 8 shame to see the airs that Thompson gal put on when she came to the Hallelujah;" and Dame Health thought "it was peacocks."
 Truly genuine Yankee village miles away from any railroad, and approached only by a tedious stage-coach-has some rather peculiar features about it. Each person knows every body else, and all about them. In the society of Q- were three distinct grades, plainly mark ed and plainly led. There was, in the first place, the family of Squire Foster for you must know each village has it's squire. MT. Foster was retired country judge, and Mrs. Foster was the acknowl- edged leader of fashion in the places
 while the two Misses Foster and young Harry Foster had been away and had seen city ways, causing them, of course, to be looked up to and respected as all
 travelled folk have had the right to expect
 from time immemorial.
 Moving with them were one or two fam
 flies we'll to do in the eworld--comfortabl
 farmers, knowing which side was gold, 1 which glitter, and who, acting on the prin- ciple, had got to themselves and their families good broad acres and spacious barns. With these also the minister's | family.
 The second grade included that hetero-
 geneous company of the village, each of
 whom thought himself or herself as good,
 if not better, than his or her next door
 neighbor. The third gradation was the
 confessedly poor, and knew it's place; but
 those of the "second stratum" never ex-
 actly knew where they were. One of
 their number, Jamie Thompson, or " the
 Thompson girl ," in country parlance, had
 once been invited to a dancing sociaP'
 at Judge Fosters, and, like the effects of
 the scarlet fever sometimes, to this day had never gotten over it! Report says
 on the Sabbath thereafter she appeared in church with brown bombazine bonnet,
 with large red flannel dahlias all over it,
 in such profusion and height as to serious
 ly interfere with the proper impression 1.-the sermon should have made on the
 minds of the congregation; and to the
 time of this writing has never been the
 pain, modest girl she was in the ''Pre-
 Foster party times. It was sinful
 thing too; for Jamie Thompson had a 1 for miles around thought it a shame for
 her Ito be taking to putting on airs"
 Now when Peggoty Plimpton took it
 into her head to get up the choir, her first
 thoughts were, of course, where to look
 for proper material. Peggoty was driv- ing, active, go-ahead girl of twenty five,
 not blessed with any too much good looks
 but with an honest cheery face, blue-eyed,
 and surrounded with sunny curling hair.
 She had come home to her bleak Q- from @ visit in Boston, and had broached the subject of the choir to some Of the girls, who at once had taken it up With gusto.
 "Now can sing second, and so can En-
 ma Sharp, and pelhaps Jennie Reyes can
 sing first, but if only Miss Foster or Miss Faunce would help us," she had ended oil
 her explanations with. But Peggoty Plimpton belonged to that same 'seconc
 stratum. land that Miss Fosters or Miss
 Faunce,s serene maiesties could never be approached by her with any hope of sue
 cess Peggety well knew. Besides, Judge Foster and Deacon Faunce, by report a ! least, were opposed to any thing but th good old round congregational music, ant would never consent to their daughter joining this unrighteous scheme. So tn choir had been made up of the best ma terial available, and on the morning of thu first Sabbath in March had astonishet minister and people with the momentou charge. ...,. And to say the truth, the choir had sum remarkably well. To be sure Jim Jack son, like the big pumpkin that he was mistook the time for him to come in, ant roared out, like perfect hurricane, ,E "How still and soft at eventide,"
 , when little Jennie Reyes should hay 3 softly sung it in her clear low voice; an , in the winding up of the full swell choru 7 of the last hymn, Farmer SGuires scene , to forget his company altogether, an z went on and OF, up and down, up an 3 down, quavering away, with his eyes m hxe :, on the ceiling, until the next man seize him by the coat tail and pulled him int , his seat. But these were only little ma
 ters incidental to all great occasions, an
 only gave delight to such people as wer , always picking flaws and finding dust o
 on other folks dooI steps. PeggotyPl | ton and her choir were congratulate . on the church threshold that morning - And so matters flowed along for sever . Ial weeks, some quite enraptured wit . the new music, others longing for tn days when Deacon Faunce had risen an . in loud tones read, We are vile and sir | full all"-..ssng' all down the lines of tn f long hymn-when suddenly one Sabbat : morning, just before service, who shoul
 walk into the choir gallery, to the amaz
 of the assembled choir and Peggot = Plimpton, but Miss Mildred Faunce! Mildie Fauuce was (for they have thel stilD the ''belle of the village" Sligf L. and graceful in figure, and with face (
 wonderful girlishness of beauty, for thel .. but little of the womanly in it,, wa so childlike and young, she ruled in tt
 village like very queen. Her father = position had spoiled her little, and n fear her will at times was even at hon d hard to govern; but, unlike the MissesFo III ter, Mildie often joined in the pleasal = gatherings of the '.second stratum" an e laughed right merrily at the village romp S' though woe to the country lout who 10 - got himself before her at any of then ,e 1t was reported that young Henry Fost sS was keeping company with her ," b probably 1t was mere village gossip, f = the girls said she never seemed to ca le for any one.
 ne But, not to diverge too much, as Mi
 Mildie entered the choir there was = course quite stir. Putting out her hal )x pleasantly to Peggoty Plimpton, she sir ag ply said, ''Peggoty, hear you are goil
 to try new anthem this morning, al . are a little pernlAxed about soloin it i? nt "Yes, a gthered, Miss Mildie I'd answered PeggSy. ..IfI can sing it will, willingly" co al tinued Middle. The two girls looked ov IS the music together, and Miss Faunce D. once volunteered to try it, and quietly s nd down I wish you. could have seen t Id, faces of that congregation when the so
 was reached At the first note of Mil atl red Faunce's fine clear soprano Deac nt, Faunce turned bodily around, and knoc ed fromoff his pew cushion two pondero -+ hymn books, that fell bang! bang ng the hard board floor. Harry Foster p ys. his eyeglasses upon his romanesque nos = and drew 8 long gasp of wonderment; al rs ns even the worthy minister looked a lit .. queerly, while his mouth twitched sligf he ly at thegeorners. Mildie Fauuce singi
 in Peggoty Plimpton's choir with Ii no Jack son and Farmer Squlres and Jar ,k- Thompson and Emma Sharpl But t