The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-02-21

II
ed, and the corn was beginning to curl
MP beneath the effects Of the drouth.-
In this extremity the people bethought
themselves Of the promises of their pas
tor, and some of them hastened to his
dwelling.
"Come," said Sharp, whose hilly
farm was suffering severely, "we want
some rain. You remember your prom
| ise."
Certainly" returned Mr.. Surely,
% if you will call meeting of the par
ish, 1 will be with you this evening"
With this, the applicants were per-
fectly satisfied, and they FASTENED to call
the flock together.
"Now, you will see the hour of your
disgrace" said Mrs. Surely, after the
visitors had gone. "I am sorry you
undertook to deceive them SO.
"I did not deceive them"
Eyes, surely you did"
1--WE shall see."
$50 we shall see"
The hour of the meeting came round,
and Mr.. Surely met his people at the
church; and they were ali there; most
of them anxious, and the rest curious.
Now, my friends" said the pastor,
rising upon the platform, -" I have come
to hear your request. What is it ?''
"We want rain," bluntly spoke far
mer sharp; "and you know you prom
ised to give it to u.s."
cay, rain-rain," repeated half a
dozen voices.
were well, now, when will you have
it.n
"This very night; let it rain all
night long," said farmer Sharp, to which
several others Immediately ascented.
"No, no, not tonight" J" cried Deacon
Smith.
"I / have six or seven tons of we'll
made hay in the field, and I would not
have it wet for anything" said another.
I" So have I hay out" added Mr..
Peek "We won't have it rain to-
night"
ssThen let it be tomorrow"
at will take me all day tomorrow
to get my hay in" said Smith.
Thus the objections came up for the
two succeeding days. At length, by
way of compromise, Mr.. Sharp proposed
that they would have rain in just four
days. " For by that time all the hay
that is now out can be go. IN, AID we
need not cut any"
"Stop, stop" uttered Mrs. Sharp,
pulling her worthy husband by the
sleeve that is the day We have set to
90 to Snowhill. 1t mustn't rain then"
This was law for Mr.. Sharp, SO he
proposed the rain should be in one week,
then resumed his seat But this would
not do. Many of the people would not
have it put off so long.
IF we can't have, rain before then,
we'd better not have 1t at ALL" said
they. In short, the meeting resulted in
lust no conclusion at all, for the people
found it utterly impossible to agree up
on time when it should rain. Until
you can make up your minds on this
point" said the pastor, as he was about
leaving the church, " we must all trust
in the Lord" And after this the peo-
pie followed him from the place.
Both Deacon Smith and Mr. Peck
got their hay safely in, but on the very
day that Mr.. Sharp and his wife were
to have started for Snowfall, it began
to rain in right good earnest. Sharp
lost his visit but he met the disap-
pointment with good grace, for his crops
smiled at the rain. Ere another month
had rolled by, another meeting was call
ed for a petition for rain, but the result
was the same as before. Many of the
people had their muck to dig, and rain
would prevent them. Some wanted the
rain Immediately, some in oneSsome in
two, and some in three days; while 9TH
ers wanted to putt off longer. So Mr..
Surely had not yet occasion to call for
rain.
One year rolled by, and down to that
time the people of Foliowdale had never
once been able to agree upon the exact
kind of weather they should have, and
the result was that they began to open
their eyes to the fact that this world
would be strange place if the inhabit-
ants could govern il.
While they had been longing for
power they did not possess, they had not
seen lis absurdity but now they had in
good faith, tried to apply that power,
under the belief that it was theirs, they
saw clearly that they were getting be-
yond their sphere.
They saw that Natures laws were
safer in the hands of Natures God than
in the hands of Natures children. On
the last Sabbath of the first year of Mr..
Surely's settlement at Followdale, he
offered to break up his connection with
the parish, but the people would not
Listen to it. They had become attached
to him and the meetings, and they wish
ed him to stay.
"But 1 can no longer rest under our
former contract with regard to the
weather." said the pastor.
"Nor do we wish you to-" returned
Sharp.
+" Only preach to us, and. teach us and
our children how to live, and help us to
be social and happy"
+" And" added the pastor, while a
tear of pride stood in his eye, as he
looked for an instant into the face of his
own happy wife, t" all things above our
own proper sphere ne will leave with
God, for He doeth ali things we'll"
PoLrr1cAL PRIESTS. Boston pa