Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 8.djvu/264

 ^38 A New England Village Quiltin? Party in the Olden Times.

��hope to be out at Church again next Sunday ; we do all so miss your good sermons^ Mr. Baxter, and the children are all so much interested in your fer- vent prayers for them. They are short and to the point. The children love you dearly, as we all do. How kind in you to enquire for them. Do come and see us ; we hope you will always be our minister."

"A pastor," rephes Mr. Baxter, " loves to have the good will of the lambs of his flock and to know that their parents set them good examples. I will come and see you soon. I have got a new chaise, the second one in town, and I hope now to visit my parishioners more frequently."

Then, again addressing Molly Mans- field, he kindly says : " I regret to learn that your sister Catherine has met with an accident. Here is a book by my namesake, Richard Baxter, which I have brought for her to read. I will call to see her to-morrow morning."

" And how," says he to Mrs. Rugby, " is your invalid son, Caleb ? I intend that you and he, if able, shall have the first ride in my new chaise, and then to let any of my neighbors who may wish to do so, try it."

" You are, Sir, and always have been, so \'ery kind to us ; no people ever had so good a minister ; we do so very much enjoy your preaching and your com- pany. My son Caleb will be delighted to have a ride in your new chaise."

Without looking fairly at Mr. Baxter in the face, Misses Blair and Pinchbeck respond respectively to his questions, express themselves as being fortunate in having such an accomplished minister, and the latter even goes so far as to suggest that he have a donation party, especially to help him to pay for his new chaise.

O, what a change the minister's face

��can sometimes make ! Is this the group that just now wished him dead and gone ?

This party was exceptional, to be sure ; or I should not as an honest chronicler report its doings. It had fallen step by step into the habit of eviJ speaking, and when the bridle leaves the tongue the wild fire comes ; the village was exceptional, and much it suffered from that wild fire.

Mr. Baxter turns the tenor of the conversation to subjects of import- ance, suggests improvements in the vil- lage, and encourages the mothers to bestow upon their children a good edu- cation ; and then particularly invites Aunt Tabitha to go ^ith him to visit a family near her father's house at that time struggling hard for daily bread.

But the time for supper has arrived. A line of deal tables has been arranged in the ample sitting-room, and covered with linen cloth of spotless white ; it is furnished with blue -edged plates and platters, small china cups and saucers — heirlooms in the Benson family — sil- ver tea spoons, marked with the letter E, born-handled knives and double- tined steel forks. The board is lighted with tallow candles set into brazen can- dlesticks, and is liberally suppUed with toasted bread, soft cakes, doughnuts, crackers, comfits, pumpkin, minced and apple pies, cup custards, cider-ap- ple sauce, w^hite lump sugar and butter and cheese of excellent quality.

The ladies leave the patchwork quilt completed, and surround the table, when the Rev. Mr. Baxter, standing at the head of it, invokes a blessing on the food and company.

Mr. Hezekiah Mc Adams, who has just come in, is seated next to Miss Molly Mansfield, and assists her and the others near him to the viands on the table. There are no napkins, and the knife in-

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