The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1894-12-28
THE MINISTER'S THEFT

|
about" said old Aunty Smith, address
ing the members of the sewing circle as
sembled at the clergyman's residence one
Friday afternoon-''how unexpected mar
rlaSeS does come about! Seems to be
special providence in 'em-sometimes for
Il b!esSin and sometimes for cuss"
MOSTLY for Il cuss," said Miss Jones,
still spinster ut t5.
And two people or any one of two
people can make marriage curse or a
blessing. as they choose, after the ring
is on. said Mrs. Brown.
ntil that horrid word obey is struck
out of the SERVICE" began Mss Jones, Il
| feel sure -"
Il don't see why that should bother
you," said Aunty Smith.
Aunty Smith is right about one
thing interrupted the minister's wife
in h 3e turn, perhaps to avert the i'm
pending squabble. 1.-The most unex-
Pected matches are always being made,
Just the people we think ought to come
together never do: and just the people
t whose names we never couple do it for
themselves. Now. twenty years ago no
one would have fancied that | would he
Mrs Calvin Richards I'm sure
wouldn't have believed a prophecy to
that effect myself"
Nhy. I've alters. said you were sent
|
-you'n the Dominica said Aunty Smith
| IF we were." said Mrs. Richards, II
had certainly lost my ticket. WIS =
very lively girl, Aunty Smith. 1 loved
to dance and sing and enjoy myself GEN
erally. dotted on good play'-here Miss
Jones was heard to groan quietly over her
| oacKstltchlng-" l had beaux enough
with tastes like my own. A clergy
mans wife had often vowed I never world
he. And l felt more certain about it than
ever whenever my father entertained cler-
symen. They We're, it seemed to me. new
er young and never handsome Their
very smiles We're solemn and they gener-
ally had weak lungs
| Yes, poor dears, that's very true,'' said
Aunty Smith. about the lungs. mean y
IL had a notion" said Mrs. Richards,
that to be very handsome a man must
be little wicked. The handsomest man
ever ever saw was gambler. When I was
little girl 8 or 10 years old at the most,
an Old uncle of mine had said to me once
as stood at the window of his parlor in
New York: Emma, did you ever see a
gambler: That's one. His name is
thompson; 1t was as though he had
said: Did you ever see Satan?' I stared
with al my might, and l never have for
bier: said I. oh, uncle, it can't be.
She knows a handsome man when she
sees one already said my uncle And |
always did, laughed Mrs. Richards.
:" nen L was 4 girl Illoeked first at a
mans face and then at his figure, and if
they did not suit me l never asked about
ms virtues. As for his talents, don't
believe that either man or woman ever
fell in love with talent yet And you
know" continued Mrs. Richards, Mr..
| Richards is not handsome man."
Aunty Smith remarked, with great
truth, that beauty was only skin Deep
and Mrs. Richards went on:
Hes portly now, though, and wears
whiskers. He is very much improved
indeed, outwardly. Has will of his
own and shows it. He hasn't weak lungs
at Is. But when first saw him he was
pale and thin and nervous and had bad
cough. And though, as pastor of our
church, saw him every Sunday, l for
got him every Monday. Anyone l knew
seemed more likely to please me than he
did. And when he first began to call on
me, I've many time been wicked
enough to send down word that l was
out and hid in the closet: while ma, who
had not heard me give the message to
the servant, looked for me in all the rooms
of the house.
| The young man l used to run about
with most drank himself to death ten
years ago; but he had cheeks like peaches
then and eyes as blue as a baby's. And
how he could sing! And l was down
on my knees and thanked God, when l
heard the news, that it was not | who
wept over his grave the day they buried
| him.
| But I'm running away from my point
Mr.. Richards preached to me Sundays
and called on me Thursdays and took tea
with us over and over again, and my
heart never went pit-a-pat once on his
account. l began to respect him greatly
and to think he spoke well in the pulpit
and to feel sorry for him somehow,
though l couldn't say why, but nothing
more. And Jack Falconer took me out
to ride, and Will Hunter rowed ME a;5Oss
the river, and young Jefferson sent me
bouquets; and all that was enough to put
Il pale young fellow with a low voice and
no idea of gallantry and not a bit of I'M
pudence in him out of any woman's head
entirely.
| "And to crown all, there came upon my
birthday-my nineteen birthday-a present
of a watch and chain from my uncle in
New York and an invitation to spend the
winter with his wife and himself. A gay
winter it would be, l knew.
Il had my new watch in the parlOr,
showing it to Fanny Peel that Thursday,
when he rang the bell-and as / had my
hair in papers, | ran away. Fannie took
| them out for me- and l went down. She
would not 90 in with me. And / found
Mr.. Richards, paler and more fidgety than
usual, waiting for me-. could not help
knowing that he thought great deal of
me by this time, and Of course, you know,
a girl must like a man little for that; but
| | thought l did not like him enough to let
him say what l was afraid he had come
to say. Then, too, the congregation was
expecting him to marry, and thought it
was rather strange that he liked me best,
| fhot no flnSnpr1tp1v
wanted to be loved. Cool affection may do
for some women; it never would do for me
never.
$50 I misunderstood and changed the
subject, and all that. And off he went
at last, 80 pale that l felt sorrier than
ever for him. And l went to my room
and had cry, didn't know why. And
bered my watch. I had left it on the
table in the parlor, but it was there no
longer; in fact, it was not in the house.
We did not suspect Hepsiba, who had
lived with us twenty years. There was
no one in the house to suspect. But the
watch and chain were valuable. The
police force in our town consisted of two
very stupid old men, and father sent fol-
New York detective to ferret out the
thief. He came down at once and felt
sure Of success. I cried about my watch
a good deal, and cried little more
about poor Mr.. Richards, who had re-
ceived news that his mother was dan
gerously i'll, and had gone, probably, tC
her deathbed. But tears hurt no one
ut 10. and 1 was enjoying my tea very
thoroughly when a tap at the door and
a May come in ? announced Mr.. Sharp
the detective"
Success he said, rubbing his hands
Your watch is found, Miss. The thief
was off for - with it loose in his pocket
Number 7S5,G94; Geneva. full jeweled
enameled in blue. plate marked Emma
from her uncle All correct
."'1 am 50 glad. Oh, thank you,' ]
said. Who is the man, sir?"
"a regular one said the detective
Slim and genteel, disguised as a clergy
man. Says he's going to his mother.
deathbed Calls himself the Rev. Calvi1
Richards. Says he took it in q fit of alb
| attraction, 81 say, ma'am, what's the mat