Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-09-26

stick al him and away he would go5uh |
butt at Lem, and Lem would ketch his |
hoFpsand hold him TIL : came over
that was the way we managed Dick
but ef he come sud den up belfind a fell
Ter, he'd give him butt ID thesmall of
the back that would make him run on
all fours one While-he was a great
rogue Dick WAS. Wak that summer 1
remember they had old Deacon Tit |
kens for tithingman, and fatelr you he |
give it to the poys lively. Theirs war-t
MT 10 sleepiR' nor no piaym,5 for the
deacon had eyes like a gimblet, and he |
was quick as a cat, and the youngsters |
he'd to look out for themselves. 1t did |
really seem as 6the deacon was like |
them four. beasts in the Revelations |
that was full of eyes behind ana before.
for whichever way he was standin', i'll
you gave only a wink he was down on
you, and hit you tap with his stick. L
know once Lem Sudoc jist wrote two
words in the psalm-book:a passed it |
to Keziah Larkin, and the deacon gavel
him such q tap that Lem grew as red
as beet, and vowed he'd be up with
him some day for that. - 9
swell, lordy mas5y, folks that is sol
|chipper and highsteppihs have to have
their comedOwns, and the deacon had
to have his. .g.ft.a,ITf-z ssrs.a
ssThat are Sunday, I remember it
now jest as well as ift'was yesterday
The parson he give US his great ser
mon, reconcilin' DEGREES and free agen-
lcy-everybody said that are sermon
was masterpiece. He preached it up
| to Cambridge at commencement, bat it
| so happened it was one o. them bilin'
hot days that come in August; when
you can fairly hear the huckleberrieS a
isizzlin' and coOkin, on the bushes, and
the locust keeps a gratin' like red-hot
lsaw. Wal, snch times, decre3s or no
/ DEGREES, the best on Us VIII get sleepy.
The old meetin' house stood right down
lat the foot of a hill. that KEEP off all the
wind, and the sun blazed away at them
1great west wiDders, and there was a
] pretty sleepy time there. Wal, the
i deacon he flew around a spell, and
I woke up tie children and tapped the
4 boys on the head, and KEEP avery hing
lstraight as he could till the sermon
was most through, when he rally got
most tHckered out, and he took a chair
land he sot down in the door right oppo-
tsite the minister and fairly got asleep
| himself Jest as the munster got up to
make the last prayer. ,sfg :..,;oifsa 81; :
"Wal, Parson Morrel had a.. way q
q prayin' with his eyes open. Folks said
II Iit-Wasn't the best way, but it was. Par
IsoIi MorFePs way anyhow, and SOFAS he
was prayin' he couidn' help seeini
? that Deacon Titkins was a nOddiHi and
la bobbin1 out toward the place where
old Dick was feedin with the sheep
front o. the meetin' house door.
l sssI Iem and me was sittiR where we
t could look out, and we Jest see, old Dick
/ Istop feedin', and look at.the deacon
The deacon had little round head n
! ilsmootA- as arapples with a nice powder
I ed wig on it, and he sot there maxim
bobs and bows, and Dick begun t(
al thin kit was suthin' sort o, pussOnal. !
J, Lem and me was sittin' Jest. where W.
could look out and see the huIh pieEiF
q and: Lem was fit split. ts-:5n z
i xssfG1od nov, says he, shat critic
viii pay the deacon off lively t}rett q
], tSoon.' - ntsasitt asat
..sThe deacon bobbsd his head aspell
i land old Dick he shook shis horns anG
e lstompedats him sortiof tllreateninl FL
{: naffy the deacon he gave a great bow
land brought his head right down a
. him, and old Dick he sot out full til
al iand come down on him kef chunk, snd
81 knocked hi n head over heeB into The
2 Ebroad aisle, and his wig few 2one way
s land he t'othes, aad Dick made lungt
PIat stsas it tisws ,Eiearriea It off on has
7 horns.
III "Wal, you may believe, that broke
51up the meetin' for one while, for Par
s1son Morrel laughed out, and all the
lgaIs and boys they stomped anu roarec
Gland the old deacon he got.upand begaI
oil rlibbin' his shins-'catiSef he didn't sec
g elthejoke ont.
"s You don't orter laugh said he
7 Isits no laughing matter-it's a solemn
It tIthing,' says he, might have been sen
+ into 'tarnity by that darned critter,
:, lsays he. Then they all roafed ant
:, ,lhaw-hawed the more to see the deacoI
, Idancin' round with his little Shinny
le head, so smooth a fly would trip ont
n i believe my soul, you'd laugh to Sc,
lmeinsmy grayen ua n rsEF,4
II "Wal, the truth ont was, twas ies
e one of them Dustin up times that M,
a. tur' has, when there amt nothin' 10
a it but to give In; twas jest like the ic
y brakin' up in the Charles River, it al
a.tcomes at once and no whoa tot. Sun
day or no Sunday, sin or no sin, tn
"a most on 'em laughed till they cried
leIand couldn't helpit.
Il "But the deacon he went home fee
in pretty sore about it. Lem Sudo
tpicked up his wig and handed it t
Or him. Says hei fQld Qipk was plaYin
IN tithing man, wasn't he, deacon 2 Teac
bt lyou to make allowance for other folk
10 that get sleepy
ieI "Then Mrs. Titkihs went over t
10 Aunt Jerushy Scran's and Aunt Poll
nj Hokum's and they he'd a pot o. te
n lover it, and greed it was awful of PA
z, lson Morrel to set sich an example, an
- lsuthin' had got to be done about it,
~ Miss Hokum said she alters knew tbs
gs Parson Morrel hadn't no spiritooality
M land now it had broke out into open sir
Z. and led all the rest of 'em into it, an
Mrs. Titkins she said such man war
ne fit to preach, and Miss HOkum said sh
II, couldn't never hear him again, and tn
vi next Sunday the deacon and his vii
bt they hitched up and driv eight mile
= lpver to Parson Lothrop's and took AuE
10 Polly on the back seat.
a HFWaL the thing and growel
lltl till 1t seemed as if there warn It nothil
al else talked about, cause Aunt Poll
8 and Miss Titkins and aJerushy Scra
% they didn't do nothin' else but tai
es about il, and that sot everybody els
IS talkinl J .eiianaq ,ae36i3
sei FINALLY, it was greed they must he
3 council TO settle the hash. So all th
wimmep they went TO eAoP Pping g1ninc,
ye1 and making up punkin pies and crar
IN berry tarts, and bilin' doughnuts, ge
tpften ready for the ministers and deli
ss,t tgates-'cause councils always eat pow
:9ierful-7apd ;thsy had quite q stir, like
IN IN gineraI trainin.' The hosses they wa
st hitched all UP and down the stalls,
and sWih.haq heir fails an