Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-07-11
Laughing Deacon.

a Laughing De"coh'
Beecher in his new novel thus dein-
Gates the character of laughing deacon.
Some genuine model doubtless sits for the
portrait;
How they ever made deacon out of
Jerry Marble never could imagine His
was the kindest heart that ever dubbed
and run over. He was tough, elastic, In
cessantly active, and prodigious worker.
He seemed never to tire, but after the
longest days toll he sprang up the mo-
ment he had done with work as if he had
been fine steel spring. A few hours
sleep suficed him, and he saw the morn
ing stars the year round. His wea2ened
face was leather color, but forever dimp-
ling and changing to keep some sort of
congruity between itself and his eyes, that
winked and blinked and split all over
with merry good nature. He always
seemed afflicted when obliged to keep sober.
He had been known to laugh in meeting
although he ran his face behind his hand
kerchief and coughed, as if that was the
matter, yet nobody believed 1t. Once, on
hot summer day, he saw Deacon Trow-
bridge-a sober and fat man of great
sobriety-gradually ascending from the
bodily state into that spiritual condition
entitled sleep. He was blameless of the
act. He had struggled against the tempt
alton with the whole virtue Of a deacon.
He had eaten two or three heads of fen
mel in vain, and piece of orange peel.
He had stirred himself up and fixed his
eyes on the minister with intense tirmness,
only to have them grow gradually mar
rover and milder. If he held his head
up firmly, it would, with a sudden lapse
fall away over backwards. If he leaned
it a little forward, it would drop suddenly
on his bosom. At each nod, recovering
himself, he would nod again, with his
eyes wide open, to impress the boys that
he did so on purpose at both times.
In what other painful events of life
has good man so little sympathy as
when overcome with sleep in meeting
time ? Against the insiduous seduction he
arrays every conceivable resistance. He
stands up while; he pinches himself or
picks himself with pins. He looks help
lessly to the pulpit as ifsuccor might pos
sibly come from thence. He crosses his
legs intentionally, and attempts to recite
catechsm or the multiplication table. He
SEXES languid fan, which treacherously
leaves him in a calm. He tries to reason,
to notice the phenomena. Oh, that one
could carry his pew to bed with him !
What tossing wakefulness what fiery
chase after somnolency In his lawful bed
a man cannot sleep, and in his pew he
cannot keep awake Happy man who
does not sleep in church Deacon Trow-
bridge was not that man Deacon Mar
BILE was.
Deacon Marble witnessed the conflict
we have sketched above, and when good
Mr.. Trowbridge gave his next lurch, re-
covering himself with a snort, and then
drew out a red handkerchief and blew his
nose with loud imitation as if to let the
boys know that he had not been asleep,
poor Deacon Marble was brought to
sore strait. But have reason to think
that he would have weathered the stress if
it had not been for sweet faced little
boy in front of the gallery. The lad had
been innocently watching the same scene,
and at its climax laughed out loud,
frank and musical laugh, then disappear
ed into his mothers lap, That laugh was
Just too much, and Deacon Marble could
no more help laughing than could Deacon
Trow bridge help sleeping. Nor could he
conceal it. Though he coughed and put
up his handkerchief and hemmed-it was
a laugh, deacon and every boy IN the
house knew it and liked you better for it
so inexperienced were they
MORE SECEssIoN.-The upper end of
Blount county, Tenn, which was loyal
during the Confederacy, but couldn't stand
the Brownlow pressure, has seeded. A
subject of the new government writes
eve are joinin the Norf Carolina Ter
rltory, and recently slid ourselves loose
from Blount county, and formed ourselves
into this government, which in a short
time will do to bet on. Our Constitution
Is based on lialty, and the base of liaty
we carry ourselves. We have seeded
and cut ourselves loose from Tennessee,
for reasons too orful to explaricate. The
first thing we done by little shenanigan,
was to disfranchlse all negroes and Brown
low refugees, and recommend to our leg
islator never to pay them one cent of war
damages.-The fact is, lial men must rule
this kuntry, and you can say to the man
what holds you fellers in the boiler of bis
hand, that nary time can we submit to his
little wun boss melisha arrangement Our
motter is, break her down or run her.
They tell this story in Paris Of n