Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1872-12-26

best SAINTS, betrayed transient qulyer
of the risible muscles, old ladies put up
their fans, youths and maidens in the
singers seat laughed outright, and for
the moment a general snicker among
children was pardoned. But / was one
of that luckless kind whose nerves
once set in vibration, could not be
composed. When the reign of gravity
and decorcm had returned, Harry and
| sat by each other shaking with sup
pressed laugher. Everthing in the sub
sequent exercises took a funny turn,
and in the long prayer, when every
body else was still and decorous, the
whole scene came over me with such
overpowering force that | exploded
with laughter and had to be taken out
of meeting and marched home by
Aunt LOIS, as a convicted criminal
What especially moved her Indignation
was, the more sherebuked and upbraid-
ed the more | laughed, till the tears
rolled down my cheeks. Which Aunt
Lois constructed into wilful disrespect
to her authority and resented accord
ingly.
By Sunday evening, as we gathered
around the fire, the reaction from I'M
due gaiety to sobriety had taken place
and we were in pensive and penitent
state, grandmother was gracious and
forgiving, but Aunt Lois still preserved
that frosty air of reprobation which
she held to be salutary means Of
quickening our consciences for the fl-
ture. 1t was therefore with unusual
delight that we saw our old friend Sam
come in sit himself quietly down on
the block in the chimney corner. With
Sam we felt assured of indulgence and
patronage, for though always 'rigidly
moral and instructive in his turn Of
mind, he had that fellow telling for
transgressors which is characteristic of
the loosejointed, easy-going style of
his individuality.
Lordy massy, boys-yis, said Sam,
virtuously in view Of some of Aunt
Lois's thrusts, We ought never to laugh
nor cut up in meeting, that ares so,
but then, there is times when the best
of us gets took down. We gets took
mwares, We see-eyen ministers does.
Yis natur' will git the upper hand be
fore they know it.
Why Sam, ministers don't ever laugh
in meeting do they?
We put the question with wide eyes.
Such a supposition bordered on profan-
ity we thought; it was approaching
the sin of Uzzah, who unwarily touch
ed the ark Of the Lord.
Laws, yes Why, haven't you never
heard how there was a counsel held to
Parson Morrell for laughing out in
prayer time?
Laughing in prayer time! we both
repeated with uplifted hands and eyes
My grandfather's mild face became
luminous with suppressed smile which
frightened it as the moon does cloud,
but he said nothing,
Yes, yes, said my grandmother, that
affair did make dreadful scandal in
the time ont. But Parson Morrel was
a good man, and I'm glad the counsel
wasn't hard on him. ..
Wal, said Sam Lawson, after all, it
was more Ike Babbitt's fault than twas
anybody's. Ye see, Ike he was alters
for getting 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 contrive to
give out come Sunday, and up would
come his sheep, and Ike was too pious
to drive 'em back Sunday, so there they
was. He was talked to enough about
it, cause ye see to have sheep and
lambs ba-a-in' and a blartin' all pray
er and sermon time, wasn't the thing.
Member that ar old meetin house up
to the north end down under Blueber
ry Hill, and land sort O sloped down,
SO as a body he'd to come into the
meeting house stepping down instead
of up.
Fact was, they said twas put there
cause the land want good for nothin'
else, and the folks thought putin a
meetin house ont would be clear saw
in, but Parson MoTell he didn't like
was free to tell 'em his mind
ont, that it was like bringing the lame
and the blind to the Lords service
but there it was.
There wern't a better minister, nor
no one more set in all the state than
Parson Morrel. His doctrines was right
up and down, good and sharp, and he
give saints and sinners their meat in
due season, and for consolin and com
fortin' widders 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 comfortable, and he had
a good story for every one, and word
for the children, and may be an apple
or cookey in his pocket for EN-. Wal,
you know there amt no pleasin' every
body, and eff Gabriel himself, right
down out O heaven was to come and
be minister, expect ther'd be a pick
in at his wings, and sort o fault findin'.
Now Aunt Jerusha Scran and Aunt
Polly Hokum, they sed Parson Molrel
wasn't solemn enough. Ye see there's
them that thinks minister ought to
be just like the town hearse, so that
you think Of death, Judgment and moth
in else, when You see him round and
eff they see man rosy and clipper,