Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1872-07-12
characteristic of the loose-jointed, easy

Characteristic of the loosejointed, easy.
going style of his individuality,
'Lordy massy, boys-yis, " said Sam, vir-
| tuously, In view of some of Aunt Lois
thrusts; "ye ought never to laugh or cut
up In meetin', that ares SO, but then there
is times when the best on us gets took
down, We gets took unawares, ye see
even ministers does. Yis, natur will git
the upper hand afore they know it,"
"Why, Sam, ministers don't ever laugh
in meetin', do Chey?"
We put the question with wide eyes.
Such supposition bordered on profani.
ty, we thought it was approaching the
sin of UzZah, who unwarily touched the
ark of the Lord.
Laws, yes. Why, haven't you never
heard how there was counsel held to try
Parson Morrel for laughing out in prayer
timer
Laughing in prayer.timeW we both re-
peated, with uplifted hands and eyes.
My grandfather's mild face became lu-
minous with suppressed smile which
frightened it as the moon does a cloud,
but he said nothing.
eyes, yes" said my grandmother, "that
affair did make dreadful scandal in the
time ont. But Parson Morrel was good
man, and I'm glad the counsel wasn't
hard on him."
"Wal," said Sam Lawson, latter all, it
was more Ike Babbitt's fault than twas
anybody's. Ye see, Ike he was alters for
gettin' what he could out o. the town, and
he would feed his sheep on the meetin'
house green. Somehow or other, Ike's
fences alters contrived to give out, come
Sunday, and up would come his sheep,
and Ike was too pious to drive 'em back,
n,1I tIax
talked to enough about it, cause ye see, to
have sheep and lambs a ba-a-in' and a
blatln' all prayer and sermon time, want
the thing. Member that are old meetin'-
house up to the north end, down under
Blueberry Hill? The land sort o. sloped
down, so as body he'd to come into the
meetin' house steppin' down instead o.
up.
Fact was, they said twas put there
| cause the land want good for nothin'
else and the folks thought putin meet
in house ont would be a clear savin'-
but Parson Morrel he didn't like it--and
was free to tell 'em his mind ont, that
twas like bringin' the lame and the blind
to the Lords sarvice,-but there twas.
"Fhere warn't better minister nor no
one more set by in all the State than Par
son Morrel His doctrines was right up
and down good and sharp, and he gave
saints and sinners their meat in due sea-
son, and for consOlin and comfortin' wild.
ders and orphans Parson MOrrel hadn't
his match. The women sOt lots by him,
and he was allus' ready to take tea round,
and make things pleasant and comfOrta-
BILE, and he had good story for everyone
and a word for the children, and may be
an apple or a cookey in his pocket for 'em.
al y
| erybody, and eff Gabriel himself, right
| down out o heaven, was to come and be
a minister expect there'd be pickin' at
his wings, and sort o. fault fndin'. Now
Aunt Jerushy Scran and Aunt Polly Ho-
kun they sed Parson Morrel want solemn
enough. Ye see theirs them that thinks
that minister ought to be just IKE the
town hearse, so that ye think of death,
| judgment and eternity, and nothin' else,
when ye see him round ; and ef they see
q man rosy and clipper and havini pret-
ty nice sociable sort of time, why they
say he ant spiritooaI minded. But in my
times I've seen ministers that the most
awakenin' kind in the pulpit was the live
liest when they was out ont There is a
time to laugh, Scriptur' says, tho some
! folks never seem to remember that are"
But Sam, how came you to say it was
Ike Rabbits fault What was it about
| the sheep ?"
ooh wal, yis-rm a comm to that are
| It was all about them sheep-l expect
they was the instrument the devil sot tC
work, to tempt ParsOn Morrel to laugh in
| prayer-time.
''Ye see, there was old Dick, Ike's bell
wether, was the fightin'est old crittur thai
! ever yer see. Why, Dick would butt a
his own shadder, and everybody said i
was shame the old crittur should be lef
to run loose, cause he run at the children
and scared the women half out their wits
Wal, ] used to live out in that parish il
them days, and Lem SudOc and | used Il
go out sparkin' Sunday nights to see tn,
Larkin gals-and we had TO go right eros
the lot where Dick was-so we used to g
and stand at the fence and call, and Dicl
would see us, and put down his head anC
run at us full chisel and come bunt agil
the fence, and thea I'd ketch him by tn
horns and hold him, while Lem run at
got over the fence tother side the lot, anC
then I'd let go and Lem would holler ant
shake stick at him, and away he'd go full
butt at Lem, and Lem would ketch hi
horns and hold him till | came over
that was the way we managed Dick-bu
eff he come sudden up behind teller, he'
give him butt in the small of his bac
that would make him run on all fours on
while-he was great rogue, Dick was
Wal, that summer remember they ha
old Deacon Titkins for tithing-man and
tell you he give it to the boys lively
There warn't no sleepin' nor no playin
for the deacon had eyes like gimblet
and he was as quick as a cat, and tn
youngsters he'd to look out for then
| pn1x lrr ha
was like them four beasts in the Reveli
tions that was full o. eyes behind and b,
fore, for which ever way he was stanC
in if you gave only wink he was dow
on you and hit you a tap with his sticl
| know once Lem SudOc jist wrote tw
words in the psalm-bOOk and passed
Kesiah Larkin, and the deacon give hil
such tap that Lem grew red as be-
and vowed he'd beup with him some da
for that
: "Well, LOrdy massy, folks that is S
clipper and high steppin has to have the
come downs, and the deacon he had
hev his.
"That are Sunday remember it no
, Jest as well as it twas yesterday. I'll
parson he give us his great sermon, reco
cilin' DEGREES and free agepcy,-ever
Q body said that are sermon was a maste
+ piece. He preached it up to Cambrid!
: at commencement, but it so happened
I was one o. them blin' hot days that con
5 in August, when you can fairly hear 81
S huckleberries q sizzling and cookin' {
the bushes, and the locust keeps graf
4 like red hot saw. Wal, such time
, DEGREES or no DEGREES, the best on us W
: get sleepy. The old meetin' house stoC
4 right down at the foot of hill that Ike
7 off all the wind, and the sun blazed aw'
: at them gret west winders, and there W
e pretty sleepy times there. Well, Il
a deacon he flew round a spell, and vol
d up the children ana tapped the boys {
: the head, and KEEP everything straight
S he could till the sermon was most throug
y when he rally got most tuckered out, al
e he took a chair and he sot down in h
l door right opposite the minister and fair
y got asleep himself, jest as the minist
d got up to make the last prayer,
{, "Wal, Parson Morrel had way
prayin' with his eyes open. Folks sa
Il | N hn tAyax hIf