Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1872-07-31

yc scc-cyeB ministers does. lis, natuT'
will git the upper hand aiorc they know
it, ..
why sam. ministers don't ever laugh
in mcern'. 10 they -
We pat the question With wide eyes.
Such a surro>iiion bordcrcd on profanity
We Thought it was approaching the ,iu Of
Uzzab, who uuwarily touched the ark Of
the Lord.
" Laws, yes. Why. haven't YOU new
er heard how there was council held
to try Parsou Morrel for laughing in pray.
er time -
Laughing in prayer time!" We
both repeated, with uplihed hands aud
eyes
My grandiather's mild face became lu-
minous with a suppressed smile which
frightened it as the moon does "A elcud,
but he slid nothing.
"Ycs, yes" said my grandmother,
'that affair did make dread iul scandal
in the time ont. But Parson was good
man, aud TN glad the council wasn't
hard on him"
"Wal," said Sam Lawson. latter all,
| it was more Ike Babbitt's fault than twas
anybodys. Ye see, Ike, he was alters
for gcttin' what he could out o the town,
and he would feed his sheepon the meet
in house green. Somehow or other, lke's
fences alters contrived to give out come
Sunday, and up would come his sheep,
aud Ike was too pious to drv 'em back,
Sunday, and so there they was. He was
talked to enough about 1t, cause ye see,
t to have sheep aud lambs ba-a-in' and a
blatin' all prayer and sermon time, want
t the thing. Member that are old meeting
A.. house up TO the nor.hend, down under
Blueberry hill, the land sort o slope(
down, so as a body had to come into the
mcetin' house steppin' down instead Of up
" Fact was, they said twas put ther,
cause the land want good for nothin
5 else, and the folks thought putin u meet
4 ia house ont would tc a clear saviu'-
e burparson Morrel he didn't like tan,
t was free to tell EN- his mind ont, tha
twas like bringin the lame and the blino
to the Lord 5 sarvicc, but there twas.
" There warnt better minister nor u
oIe more set by in all the state than Par
son Morrcl His doctrines was right u
and down good and sharp. and he Civ
saints aud sinners their meat in due sea
son. aud for comfortin' and consolin' wid
dcrs and orphans Parson Morrel hadn
: his match. The women set lots by hil
and he WAS alwus ready 10 take tea rounc
and make things pleasant and comfort;
: bic, and he had a good story for ever
e one aud word for the children, an
may be an apple or cookey in his poel
: ct for en-. Wal you know the amt L
: pIeas,n every body, and cf Gabcriel hin
'e self, right down out Of hcaven, was
u come and be minister | expect there
p be pickin at his wings, and sort o faul
he fndiu'. Now Aunt Jerusha Scran an
'f Aunt Polly llokun they said Parson Mo
lie warn't solemn enough. Ye see there
le them that thinks that the minister ougI
y to be Jest like the town hearse, so that J
IT, think o death, judgement and eternit
III and nothin' else, when ye see him roun
u and if they see man rosy ami chipp
H. and havin' pretty Lice sociabIe sort of
es time, why they say he amt spiritoo
er minded. But in my times Eve seen mi
II isters, the most awakcuin kind in the pu
III pit that was the liveliest when they W
eu .aut ont. There is time to laugh, scri
OF ture says, tho some folks never seem
N' remember that are"
ly "But Sam, how came you TO say it W
re Ike Rabbits fault? What was it abo
| the sheep"
nv "Oh wal, yis-I'm comm to that al
in 1t was all about them shcep-I expe
ty they was the instrument the dc
il sot to work to tempt Parson Morrel
ed laugh in prayer time.
NO "Ye see there was old Dick lke's be
nd wether, was the fghtu'est old crittur tt
te. ever yer sec. Why Dick wonld butt
10, his own shadder and everybody said it "
Of shame the old crittur should be left
ta- run looss, cause he ran at the childr
ces and scared the women half out of tn
ith wits. WAL used to live out in the p
md ish in them days and Lem Sudoc and
tly used to 90 out sparkin' Sunday nights
or see the Larkin gals--and we had to
md right cross the lot where Dick was
md we used TO 60 and stand at the fence q
hat call, and Dick would see us and run at
is full chise, aud come bunt agn the tel
sv. and then Id catch HIM by the horns Q
held him while Lem run and got oyer
I'M fence tother side Of the lot, aud then
~ oo ma Lem woald bollur and shak