The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1907-02-19

but IL Hdu passed Ine stage WneI
| 1t could be ignored. In the past three
| days he had been told FIVE times that
his congregation would like very much
to see him married Nor had these re
marks been the half jocular words OIL
his bachelor condition that he had of
ten heard since coming to the church
at Littleton, but had been earnest
words of advice expressed by the most
prominent members of his flock
He was popular in the parish, and
his two years passionate had been pro-
ductive of good results, but there had
been one thing lacking.
Accustomed for years before his adj
vent to the service of a most devoted
minister and his able wife whose home
had been the center for a vigorous
church life, the people simply could
not get used to minister In board
Ing house. Besides, there stood the
fine new parsonage empty. Certainly
it was his duty to live up to the de-
mands of his people. When Miss Gil
bert, the wealthy maiden lady who had
contributed so much to the church,
both In money and good deeds, died
two years ago the parsonage she was
building for the church was not quite
finished
The Rev. Calvin Norris knew he
would use 1t in time. Indeed, all I'M
known to his people, vague plans had
been floating through the minister's
head for some months, and he had fire.
quently looked very refiectively at the
quiet house beside the church.
But the real vexing, disQuieting
point of the whole matter was that the
congregation had not only decided that
he should marry, but apparently had
fixed on whom he should marry. This
was assured the night he took tea with
Mrs Thorpe, one of the most active
ladies in his church, when the chief
topic of conversation was Miss Nell
Gilbert.
Now, Mr.. Morris had taken a most
unreasonable and unministerial dislike
to Miss Gilbert, a member of his
church whom he had never seen. She
was the niece of the great Miss Gil
bert and had lived with her aunt until
the latters death, when the great
house on the hill had been closed.
Since then the young lady had trayel-
ed, so the minister had never seen her.
He had heard great deal of her,
though, and had formed an impression
Of person of undoubted energy and
ability accustomed to have things just
as she wanted and inclined to be dom
ineering. Miss Nell" had ideas of her
own on church music. Miss Nell" had
designed this and had attended to that.
1t seemed to the minister there was a
little too much of "Miss Nell' every
where.
Tall and muscular and aggressive
himself, accustomed to shouldering
burdens and clearing difficulties, the
Rev. Calvin had, Of course, an ideal of
feminine grace very different from his
own vigorous personality. Indeed, as
he sat thinking In his study that MORN
ing smile rose to the firm lips and
softened the austere lines into which
he had framed them as he saw in his
minds eye a petite, graceful form,
soft, appealing dark eyes and masses
of cloudy brown hair. Alas for the
plans of the people who had made up
their minds that Miss Nell' and the
minister would be an eminently we'll
fitted pair
But the vision faded quickly, and
the many hints that had been dropped
during the last few days flashed in
rapid succession through his mind
Miss Nell'' was coming home next
week. He would be thrown at her
head and she at his by his well mean
ing flock until something happened.
oh, he well knew how it would be
done. The opportunities a congrega-
ton possesses for annoying its minis
ter and making him do things he does
not want to do are legion. He suppos-
ed every lady of the aid society had
planned some function to which he
must go and meet Miss Nell" The
minister groaned. Already the sub
Ject had assumed alarming proper
lions. He could not, he would not,
stay round and be made football Of,
to be tossed into any woman's arms.
Again came unbidden that alluring
vision of brown hair and eloquent
eyes. 1t was preposterousi How could
they badger him now, just as his heart
was beating more madly every day
for some one? All, If he were only
sure! Did that friendship, formed a
few short months ago, that soul salts
flying friendship, mean to the girl Of
the vision what 1t had come to mean
to him? Could he, dare he, offer her
his love? He had been living since
then in a beautiful dream. Suppose
that dream should be fulfilled?
He hesitated. Dreaming had been
so sweet he feared the awakening.
Dare he risk "the last leaf?' With a
bound he sprang to his feet He could
and he would. He would please him
self In the choice of wife anyway,
and If fortune favored him, give his
off1cious congregation surprise and
sharp lesson.
A short phone message to a neigh
boring town secured a supply for next
Sundays pulpit. Urgent business out
Of town" was the message left for the
church officers, and the minister found
himself on the train bound for the
east and the vision"
The minister's wooing was brief and
blunt, but Miss Helen Atwater was
not very much taken by surprise. The
acquaintance begun In Scotland the
previous summer had ripened fast on
shipboard on the return passage and
been brought to fruition by some
months of correspondence. She even
consented to speedy marriage, and
as she was living with married
cousin in Boston the minister took his
bride from there ten days from the
day he left Littleton.
But the blissful days of his honey
moon failed TO blot out entirely the re-
membrance of his church and his work
and his people. True, in the tumult of
happiness that had possessed him since
that day when their clumsy interior
ence had driven him, actually driven
him, into the joy that was now his he
had almost forgotten their plans fol-
him, but now it all came back to him
and he realized that he did owe them
something, for who knows how long
he would have doubted and feared had
not the terror of Miss Nelp' been
upon him?
Suddenly the minister laughed aloud
II was all so funny to him now Mrs.
Morris, sitting beside her husband, was
astonished at his mlrth and looked it.
"Well, dearest, l know you'll think
me crazy, but 1t is really too good to
keep. You didn't know that l asked