The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1864-03-25
BIDDEFoRD, ME-, FRIDAY MORNING, MARCH 25, 1864.

hc might do great deal worse than to hev that
GAL" Mrs. Briggs leaned to the side OF ehari.
ty, as woman who introduced mullins ought
to-sympathiring with human weakness.
"Wa'al, yes" replied Mrs. Allen, putting
back her iron on the stove and hanging up the
shirt OF the Deacon's which sho had just finish
pressing. "He might dew worse. But when
yer eatin burned mush ye don't never think
haow II might hey Goals In II. I've al'ays
found that when an individooal begins consider
In what an orful fix he might be in, he's In q
puttv orful Ak already. Now don't mind
tellin' you, Miss Briggs. because don't be-
lieve II will 60 any further, that I'D sot my
heart oil along on Lish's hevin' Jerushy Tomp.
kins. don't want to be onresgned to the will
Of Providence; but It does seem as ct Provi-
dence might have made Lish take shine to
In heaven, they say; and can't exactly see
why the son Of deacon OF our Meetin', who
has sich o gift In prayer, couldn't be directed
to set his affections on the right one, OF II was
only to encourage faith. But 'tain't no use o.
talkin, expeck Lish he's got to hey that Becky
any way, and 60 and raise q lot o. young uns
who'll know their Catechism nfore they do their
Bible, and stick up their noses ut their grand
father and grandmother as not bein' o. the elect.
dew declare it's enough to shake ones faith
sometimes, and make you believe that arter oil
II must be predestinated to hev things GO wrong
eend foremost, jest as they say In the other
Meetin'.'
docs the Deacon know about it,
'Yes he can't help II, with his eyes open.
And many wrestlin' he's had over 1t, tew
He made Il special subJeck all last fast day |;
and to'rd cvenin' he kinder seemed to see the
light break in, and felt rs ef he'd got an an
swcr. But jest as he came down to tea with the
fust smile on his caountcnance I'd seed sence
he herd tell on that Becky, and was saying
tew me, 'Wa'al, Huldy, let US be resigned tew
the will o. the Lord. I feel to trust that mat.
ters is coming eout straight arter all, In walks
Lish with his spick.span new Sunday coat on,
and one o. them wall roses In his button. hole
that only grows on one house In Muskeogue;
and the Deacon groaned In sperrit, for he
didn't need to be told where that boy had been
spendln' oil the blessed AFTERNOON since sarmon.
Sakes alive wasn't he affectin' that night ut
family prayers. When ho read that chapter
abaout haow the Jews was carrid away captyye
into Bab'lon for marryin' strange wives. felt
the tears come into my eyes rs looked at Lish,
and there he was smellin' o. that rose oil the
way through. And when the Deacon made sich
an able prayer, confcssin' all his sins and mine
and Lish's and tho meetin's, and askin' that
we might be sorely ohastised II that was the
only thing that would fetch us to the truth,
felt rs orful as IL was tew o funeral. Ef any
thing could ha' opened Lsh's eyes, that would;
but Il hain't. Ef belonged TO t'other mectin'
I'd say he was gin over to his own ways
Evidently Lish was, and didn't seem to take
It much to heart either. For just ut this juno.
ture of the conversation his firm foot was heard
on the stairs, and In moment more he stood
ut the open door, In the same spick-span new
Is. 4. Il LaI In,n ha uso
faith on fast.,lay, right In the range OF Mrs.
Briggs rocking-chair and his mother'6 ironing
board.
'Wa'al, you Lish, whero are ye goin' naow'
:Oh, I thought I'd just look round little.
The salt hays all In. and p'raps III drop In
at the store and the post Office and take squint
at Yesterdays daily to see the news from the
war. How do dew, Miss Briggs' Hope ye'er
we'll, ma'am.'
.Thank you, Lish, tollablc, all but that neu-
rology. How pert you look They haintg9
in to hold no spellin' school tew the store, air
they! Heb. Lish!'
Lish colorei little, but answered he be
leyed not That came vtf last night.
1T did, heh ? interposed Mrs. Allen, sternly.
Il suppose yo've he'd that air new store cloth
on tcw you ever sence, and them shiny boots
that you must ha' tuck half an hour tew black
when you might ha' been rigein' up them cod
lines for your father !
'Ef I'd been riggin' the cod lines the boots
wouldn't ha' been blacked,' sad Llsh, good.
naturcdly.
Better they hadn't. then, when they're 60
in to carry, the feet that's In ,,s EN- where your
Whats to henderl hain't hcerd nothin'
about his hayin' sore knees; he lifts his leg jest
rs we'll rs the next man, and will yet these
twenty years, Providence and the weather per-
mittin'.'
conscience. you ongrnteful boy! conscience
Is more'n sore knees, I kalkilatc. "Ef the
'Postle Poll we're only where he heerd you, in
stead o. bein' in glory. he'd tell you what q
Christians dooty Is tew his enemies! He hadn't
no sore knees, guess, nuther, yet there pds
houses where he shnk of the dust o. his feet
without so much rs putin EN- to the scraper.
'Jes' so,' replied Lish, with . face Of perfect
solemnity. But did you ever read In any Of
the 'Pistles that there was n putty gal sittin'
inside o. one o. them houses,'
'You Just leave Poll alone, you Lish, and
don't you pervert Scripture! Ef didn' know
who'd had yer bringin' up-morc grief to 'em!
I'D think you'd sot under Parson Stebbins to
hear you standin' there and paiutin' black
whito to yer own Christian Mother! I'll tell
you what Poll does say continued Mrs. Allen,
giving triumphant little spit q; fresh iron
as II il were o jealous member Of the other
Meeting. He says, BE ye not unekilly yoked
Why don't you tell the whole on II while ye're
abaout 1t, motherl-'with unbsliepers'-that's
the Scripter, amt itr
Mrs. Allen was one Of those good people
who, having been all their lives accustomed to
look Mt 30 much OF the truth as Is bounded by
the rim of their spectacles, are taken aback
when the little outside edge first presents itself.
but her way-lko theirs. generally-on such
m occasion, was to treat the part hitherto seen
rs central, and explain the new phenomenon by
'wa'al, supposin' Poll does say 'unbeliev-
ers!' What Is an unbeleverl'
Il don't know what the Catechism says on
the pint, exactly; but I've al'ays hcen kinder
o. the notion that unbeliers was folks that didn't
believe
.Exac'ly! wa'al, naow, there's your father
an I: we believe that anybody can be saved
that comes and takes what's offered freely with
out no merit U their own-ire're believers
There's them Townsends. and NIL their tribe
over to t'othcr Meeting, they don't believe II.
What's that but being unbclievers, I'D just like
to knowr
'Wa'al. naow, I'll tell you. mother; that air
juy has got two handles to It. Over to tother
Meeting they believe In lection and predestins.
tion-so they're believers. You don't-so
YOU re on unbeliever, and an orful lot worse;
for they believe two things to your one.'
The force Of this logic was hammer-stroke
10 Mrs. Aliens faith. There II was, right bc-
fore her-the plain demonstration that oil this
lime she had been believing one thing less than
Inc other Meeting /! Caught In the very act Of
nm belief she could only retreat to tho last re.
lreat of the wife and mother-that stronghold
H..