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The Parson's Marjory

The Parson's Marjory image
Parent Issue
Day
19
Month
April
Year
1888
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

After sotno years tho old people died, both in one winter, very carefully tendal by their adopted son, and very quietly mourned when they were gone. People who had heard of his roving fancies supposed he would hasten to sell the property, and go down tho river to push his fortunes. But there was nevar any sign of such an intention on the part of Will. On the contrary, he had the inn set on a better footing, and hired a couple of servante to assist him in carrying it on; and there ho settled down, a kind, talkative, inscrutable young man, six feet three in his stockings, with an iron constitution and a friendly voice. He soon began to tako rank in the district as a bit of an oddity. It was not much to be wonderod at front tho first, f or he was always full of notions, and kept calling the plaiuest common sense ia question : but what most raised the report.upon him wa3 the odd circumstance of bis courtship with the parsou's llarjory. The porson'i Marjory was a lass of about 10 wlien Wil] would be'about S0, wéll enongh lookiug and much better educatetl than any other girl in that part of the country, as became her parentage. She held lier head very high and had already refused se vera 1 offers of marriage wlth a grand air, whlch had got her hard names among tho neighbors. For all that she was a good girl and one that would have mide any man well eonteuted. Will had never seen much of her, for although the church and personage wero onlj two miles f rom Ma oven door he was nevei known to go there but ou Sundays. It chanced, however, that the personage feil into disrepair and had to be dismanth-d. and the parson and his daughter took lodgings foramonth or so, on very much reduced terras, at WïlTs inn. Now, what with the inn and the mili and the old niiller's savings, our f riend was a mau of substanee, and besides that, he liad a ñamo for good temper and shrewdness, whieh inake a capital portion iu marriage, and so it was currently gossiped among their ill wishers that the parson and his daughter had not chosen their temporary lodgings with their eyes simt. Will was about the last man in the world to be cajoled or frightened into mai-riage. You hadonlyto look into his eyes, li npid and still Hke pools of water, and yet with a sort of clear light that seemed to come f rom within, and you would understand at once that here was oue who knew his own mind and would stand to it immovably. Marjoty herself was no weakling by her looks, with strong, steady eyes and a resolute and quiet bearing. It might be a question whether she was not Will's match in steadfastness. after all, or which of them would rule the roast in marriage. But Marjory had never given it a thought, and accompanied her father with the most unshoken innocence and unconcern. The season was still so early that Will's customers were few and far between; but the lilacs were already flowering, and the weather was So mild that the party took dinner uuder the trellis, with the noise of the river in their ears and the woods lïnging about them with the songs of birds. WtU soon began to take a particular pleasure in these dinnera. The parson was rather a dull companion, with a habit of dozing at table; but nothing rude or cruel ever feil from his lips. And as for the parson's daughter, she suited her surroundings with the best grace imaginable; and whatever she said seemed so pat and pretty that Will conceived a great idea of her talents. He could see her face, as she leaned forward, against a background of rising pine woods; her eyea shone peaceably; the light lay around her hair like a kerchief; something that was hardly a smile rippled her pale cheeks, and Will could not contain himself from gazing on her in an agreeable dismay. She looked, even in her quietest mcments, so complete in herself, and so quick with life down to her flnrer tins an1 tha vsrv skirts of her dress, that the remainder of created things became no more than a blot by comparison; and if Will glauced away from her to her surroundings, the trees looked inanimate and senseless, the clouds hung in heaven like dead things, and even the mountain tops were disenehanted. The whole valley could not compare in looks with this one girl. Will was always observant in the society of his fellow creatures, but his observation becarae almost painfully eager in the case of Marjory. He listened to all she uttered and read her eyes at the same time for the unspoken commentary. Many kind, simple and sincere speeches found an echo in his heart. He became conscious of a soul beautifully poised upon itself, nothing doubting, nothing desiring, clothed in peaee. It was not possible to separate her thoughts from her appearance. The turn of her wrist, the still sound of her voice, the light in her eyes, the Unes of her body feil in tune with her grave and gentle words like the accompaniment that sustains and harmonizes the voice of the singer. Her iuSuence was one thing, not to be divided or discussed, only to be feit with gratitude and joy. To Will her presence called something of his childhood, and the thought of her took its place in his mind beside that of dawn, of running water and of the earliest violets and lilacs. It is the property of things seeu for the first time, or for the first time after long, like the flowers in spring, to reawaken in us the sharp edge of sensu and that impression of mystic strangeness which otherwise passes out of life with the coming of years; but the sight of a loved face is what renews a man's charaeter '-om the fountain upwards. One day after dinner Will took a stroll among the firs; a grave beatitude possessed him trom top to toe, and he kept smiling to himself and the lanscape as he went. The river ran bet ween the stepping stones with a pretty wimple; a bird sang loudly iu the I wood; the hilltops looked immeasurably I high, and as he glanced at them f rom time to I time, seemed to contémplate his movements I with a beneflcont but awful curiosity. H3 way took him to the eminenco which overlooked the plain ; and there he sat down upon a stone, and feil into deep and pleasant thought. The plain lay abroad with its cities and sil ver river; everything was asleep, except a great eddy of birds which kept rising and falliug and going round and round in the blue air. He repeated llar jory's name aloud, and the sound of it gratifled bis ear. Ho shut his eyea, and her image sprang up before him, quietly luminous and attended with good thoughts. The might run I forever; the birds fly higher and higher till I they touched the stars. He saw it was empty I bustle af ter all ; for here, without stirring a I foot, waiting patiently in his own narrow I vauey, lio aiso naa attaiuca the beteer sunlight. Tho next day Will made a sort of declaration across the dinner tablu, while the parson was filling bis pipe. "Miss Marjory," ho said, "I never knew any oue I liked so well as you. I am mostly a cold, unkindly sort of man, not from want of heart, but out of strangenete in my wav of thinking; and people seem far away from me. 'Tis as if thero were a etrele ruund me, which kopt every one out but you. I can hear tho others talking and laugliing, but you como quite' close. Blaybe tuis is disagreeablo to you í" he asked. Marjory made uo answer. "Speak up, girl," said the parson. "Nay, now," ratonad Will, '-I wouldnt press har, ponan. I foei tongue tied myself, I who am not used to it, and she's a woman, I and littlo moro than a ehild, wheii all is said. I But for my part, as far as I eau understaud I what jieople mean by it, I faucy I must ba I what thííy cali in love. I do not wish to be I held as committing myself, for I may be I wrong, but that is how I believe things are I with me. And if Miss Marjory should feel I ony othernise ou her part, mayhap she would I be so kind as shake her head. " Majory was sileut, and gave no sign that I she had hoard. "How is that, parson ?" asked Will. "The girl must speak," replied tho parson, I Iaying down his pipe. "Here's our neighbor I who says he loves you, Madge. Do you love j him, ay or no!" "I think I do," said Marjory, faintly. "Well, then, that's all that could ba I wished I" crled Will, hoartily. And ho took I her hand across tho tablo and held it a I moment in both of his with great satisf action. I "You must marry," observed the parson, I i replacing his pipe iu. his mouth. . I , "Is that the right thingto do, think you)" I demanded Will. "It is indispensable." said the canon, [COXCLUDKD NKXT WEKK.J

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Register