Year: 1878

CHAPTER III.


The minister's time was fully occupied for
the first week OF his life in the new position.
For desiring above all things to be thorough
and systematic in his future work. he at
tended we'll to the little details of settling
down." as his landlady termed it. His
library was the principal part OF his posses
sion, and that was small, and consisted
mainly of the various theological works that
he was expected to study during the year, as
he must be ready for the regular conference
examination, by which he would be admit
ted 70 g higher position in the church. He
was as yet but beginner in the sacred life
that he had resolved to live. He was to
board temporarily with Mrs Brooks, a
widow, and a member of his congregation,
who eked out her small income by filling up
her dreary spare rooms with boarders, or, as
she always proudly described them, 'pro
fessional dodgers" The school teacher. the
lawyer, and young doctor, who, hearing
that Glenville lay in the ague district, armed
himself with quinine and started at once,
comprised her professionals And when Mr..
Arnold, after surveying the low fiat land
scape from the upper front window, decided
to take the best bed room, she was perfectly
satisfied Not that she said so. No; accord
ing to her custom, she only sighed the more
heavily, and looked, if possible, more wore
begOne, as if the new minister was an inAc-
tion of Providence which she must endure
because she could not rid herself of him.
She watched his movements as he adjusted
the heavy old fashioned furniture to suit
himself, fixed his books neatly on the shelf,
and made good fire, for the October air was
damp and chill. Mrs. Brooks made no COM
ments, but she carefully stored away every
word, look and motion to report them all to
the Busy Bees,'' of which she was one of
the principal members. The lawyer, Mr..
Bell, invariably assured her that the BUSY
Bees" meant properly the 'busy bodies"
and though she resented the inslnuation
with scorn, she ever after refrained from
treating the boarders to the choice bits of
village gossip she heard at the weekly gath
ering. Here she had first gotten hint of a
wedding or a divorce. She had gathered up
sufficient data to warrant her into forming
a perfect story out of what had been but
fragments. This she circulated industri-
ousIy, and when it came to the ears of the
parties most interested, it was ike thun-
.der clap, for it revealed more than was
known to them. She knew by rote the
original sins of every wayward boy or girl
for five miles around the town; and though
their tears might wipe their offenses from
heavens recording page, nought ever blot
ted out a SINGLE fault from her memory, nor
stopped her tongue. She was first to believe
anything bad of poor, weak, tempted soul,
and the last to reluctantly confess that pos
sibly there might be some good in the
striving, praying crushed man or woman.
People knew her, and if there was skele-
ton in their homes feared her, but if they
craved some of her tidbits of news welcomed
while they despised her. The very sight Of
dress and black luster apron, crowned by a
bonnet of style worn by none else, was
enough to blot out the CHEEKY sunshine from
a home; and yet Mrs. Brooks had her vir-
tues, and among them was one strangely at
variance with her character. She was a
good, patient nurse. There were few homes
in all Glenyille where she had not nursed the
sick and robed the dead for their last sleep. She
liked the scenes most Stunned by others,
and gladly profered her services to any who
required them, and thus many forgave her
all else because OF memories OF her kindness
in hours of need.


She introduced Mr.. Arnold to her three
koarfiers with the same sigh as III resioued
TO her fate, but in five minutes she was
quietly pouring into the doctors ears her
belief that the church was destined to come
4 cut of the wilderness with such leader" ("
she repeated all the trials and troubles it
had gone through, winding up the long