Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1897-06-30


"Margaretta was handsome and
prepossessing girl: though even in
those days che showed some slight ten
dency toward that richness OF form and
feature which she has since abundant
ly realized. You have never met the
bishops wife? All, well! She has
long measured a good forty-five inches
round the waist and Is now the pos
SCISSOR Of four chins. But in her girl.
hood she was pretty and fascinating.
and slight. and not a few local blOOds
were enamorcd Of her. These local
bloOds, however, were all Of the plebs
plebian, and Margaretta was a girl
Of aspirations. She wanted to escapa
altogether from the sordid vulgarity Of
Peterborough society and to blossom
into some more select and fashionable
sphere. Thus. at least, she frequently
cOnhded to my wife, who. wOmanlike.
aided and abetted her in this ambitious
folly.
MY wife was talking to me about
Margaretta one day. She was deplOr-
ing the fact that there was NO well
born and tred young men in Pembor-
Ough to marry the poor Elrl, and re-
move her into that higher circle In
which she was 50 well qualified to
shine. And 1 said, laughingiy:
There's the vicar. He's splendidly
connected Why shouldn't she make
| a match Of 1t with the vicar"
! 1T WIS simply little joke OF mine.
But my wife Ito whom this was evil
dently a new idea) took 1t quite serious
ly.
ITO be sure she cried, clapping hei
hands. There's the vicar. / wonder
have never thought Of him. or course.
he's the very man.
Il laughed aloud at the eager serious
ness with which she said it.
My dear l told her. I was only
joking. You don't suppose that the
vicar would look at Margaretta. do
| you:'
And why notT demanded my wife,
| for any man
perhaps so,' observed. Far be II
| from me TO depreciate Margaretta. But
you see. my dear. the vicar is not a
MARI wing man. In fact, for all his tllrt-
| ing prOpensitieS, he IS as confirmed
! bachelor as l have ever come across
1T is Il crying scandal that such
| a man should be a bachelor exclaimed
my wife, in al Indignant tone. i call
it outrageous
Especially with girls like Margaret
ia about suggested, slyly.
| But my wife was IN no mood for
| jesting over this affair.
| ~ wish you wouldn't make Jokes
out of everything she retorted. quite
/ GROSSLY. II is scandalous that the vicar
should remain n bachelor. 1t ought!
| not to lie allowed. Everybody admits
that it is the bounden duty Of bene-
/ feed clergyman to marry. Look wha:
/ an invaluable help a wife Is In par
/ ishI You can't deny that, can you"
".Ccrtainly not. my dear. 1t is quite
/ indisputable.' | aSsented. for it was
after dinner i was spelling for my
nap. and it was my hope that II l al
| lowed my wife to silence me In argu-
meut she would let the discussion drop.
| Wherein, TO my great thankfulness, !
was not deceived.
/ But although no more was said Oh
/ the subject just then, this idea which
( had so lightly mooted and which my
| wife had jumped at with such eager.
ness was not allowed by that persever.
/ ing angel to rest. The keenness with
| which she threw herself into her new
/ scheme. the energy with which she set
herself TO execute 1t. excited my su.
/ preme wonder and anu. No lit.
tl.-s-age ,PHIOHol Il Mar.
Tr.s satettd 'e hi MI. Il 5g together was
/ too barefaced for her; NO little pretext
erend gentleman into little dinners,
luncheons, teas, picnics, at which ii
was invariably managed that he should
be brought into close proximity with
Margarttta. She made them partners
ut tennis and croQuet, at whist and
four handed chess. The vicar evident
ly enjoyed all this-as pastime-for
Margaretta was very pretty But while
he fiirted with her, decorously and as
a clergyman should, and even some
times went rather farther than q cler-
gynan should, he never went, nor uad
any idea OF going, to the length which
/ Mdrgaretta plneu Tor.
You, my dear fellow, are a married
man, and you know the ways OF wom-
en-. You will. therefore, feel no sur
prise to hear that neither Miss Barker
nor my wife thought for q minute Of
being content with these impractical
flirtations. Nor will 1t cause you the
smallest sensation Of wonder to be In,
formed that the entire blame for the
wears declining to toe the scratch was
shunted on TO me. If had been half q
man. etc, If / had cared a fraction of
a straw for my wife's peace Of mind,
etc, II had been at all Ike some 9TH
or husbands she knew etc. However,
you. being married, have all this, OF
course, at your fingers ends, SO l Will
not go Into that part Of It Nor will
dwell upon the piteous accounts given
me by my wife OF poor Margarefta'i
breaking heart. and Of how she wal
l'ining and wasting away. and qualify
ing for early quarters in the local Gem
etery. That is an old story which
| will take leave to skip, and will resume
my narrative after an interval Of twf
or three months.
zone morning l was sent for in my
professional capacity to visit our vicar
The complaint from which found hin
suffering was of quite a triflinS nature
being nothing more serious than an at
tack Of lumbaEo, and not a very severe
attack al that. for he was perfectly
free from pain. in most postures. and
yyas only very violently gr!pped by the
maIady when attempting to rise aftel
STOPPING or knealing. Still, Of course
this was sufficiently inconvenient TO q
clergyman. as II Irecluded his taking
part In the church services, and he wa
particularly anxious to be well agaiI
LIZ th. fnilnrrinrr SUNDAY