The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-09-07
A SEVERELY PROPER PERSON,

1 recollect that one of the most
severely proper and sanity persons
that l ever knew never had one par
ticle Of religious influence on me. l
bad a perfect terror of generation for
her piety but / would not go 10 tell
her q secret, or to tell her my sor-
rows. The last thing that should
ever have thought of would have
been to 60 and bury my head in her
lap, and ask for her sympathy or ad-
vice about any wrong doing into
which l had fallen.
6 But old Aunt Chandler, who was.
| do not know what, in the family
one of those happy fat women, boun.
tifully big outside and in--was every
thing TO me. Once when she caught
me stealing apples, she said, "Tut,
tut, tutP and gathered the apples up
IN her big apron, and took me by the
hand, as though she was going to
lead me to castigation, but really
shielding me from observation, and
went and hid them in drawer, and
gave them to mo one by one after.
wards.
I shall never forget good old Aunt
Chandler, who, when [ was sent to
bed without my supper in Disgrace.
and for q boy who is growing at the
rate Of ten knots an hour, it is no
small thing to be deprived of ally Of
the three daily meals-would steal
up stairs while my mother was pray.
ing, and bring me some bread and
cheese. | used to feel very guilty
for thinking that bread and cheese
was better than praying, but l did.
l would have done anything in the
world for Aunt Chandler. / remem
Der circumstance which showed
how strong hold she had upon my
affection. Once when my father
offered mo privilege, which was the
bright contamination Of my ideal Of
joy, saying, "Henry. do you want te
go hunting with me ? and my hear,
bounded with ecstacy, she, not know
ing anything of this, said, "Henry,
wish you would take my snuff box
and run down to Collins's and ge,
me three cents worth Of snuff" My
heart sank within me, and wal
heavy but | went. And oh, how
did run, baretooted as / was!
| got the snuff, and hurried back
homo; but when / got there my
father was gone. Oh, what q blacl
hour that was to me! ] had lost tn,
chance Of going huntingl If you
have been boys, and of you, six OF
seven years old, and had chance
and lost it, you can imagine what
suffered. 1fyou want to know W ma
sorrow is, look at the sorrows which
young folks have. They are just q
piercing as those which old folk
have. | pity myself to this day
whenever | think Of that event i,
my history
| But so it was. There was per
son of the utmost propriety and ele
gance, of extraordinary wisdom, O
extreme devotedness, and fidelity,an
truthfulness and conscience and viz
tue; and toward that person hat
not the least warming of sympathy
l could not have told her about 10y
or asked her about a duty. l nove
could have confessed to her any sil
that l had committed. How to obev
and how to get rid Of punishment
when | had not obeyed-that wa
my endeavor. But here was an I'm
der person in the family, with NJ
authority over me, and no direct re
lations with me, but whose Who'll,
nature made her beam upon me GEM
ally and kindly. And my fidelity
went out to her. would have sery
cd her. Nothing could have pre-
vented me from doing it to the ex
tent of my power l was ready tc
give my life, almost, tor hcr.-HEN
Try WARD BEEcHER.