The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1872-08-29
Established July 1850.


shirts !? It's Sunday mcrningp
Such laugh as rang out then OF
the Sunday air, I'm sure the good
. people of G. never heard before.
~, Samuel she said, holding hel
sides, it's SO funny no wonder the
folks stared at me and my clothes.
Oh /! oh Oh = and she sank down
on the grass in convulsion oflaugh.
ter.
The poor Deacon was scand allied /!
Martha! he said, in such a sadly
anxious tone she only laughed the
more, and it was not till she looked
up IN his face that she realized how
ne was touched, shen she stood up
soberly and walked into the house
with him.
The door closed behind them and
she went up to him with little
caress and said:
Samuel, kiss and forgive me, and
I'll go to work and ravel it all out. l
truly will, and she laughed again
with the thought of what she had
been guilty of, till the Deacon kissed
her, and laughed too, in spite ofhim-
self. Then he walked to the window
and looked out.
'Yon're not going to let the clothes
hang out there all day, are you Mar
thar
'Of conrse l am /; you don't sup.
pose, now that I've got them out,
Gods going to begrudge me the sun
shine to dry them with because it's
Sunday, do you? Why, it would be
wicked to bring them in before sun
down. But see here, Mr.. Deacon,
it's sbout time / called you to ac-
count | think. How came you to be
travelling to-day / guess there's q
little Sabbath. breaking on both sides
isn't there p
The Deacon turned slowly around
and sat down. Then perching her.
self on his knee, she took his honest
brown face in her hands and said ::
BE good boy, now, and tell me all
the truth remember George Wash
ington, dear
The Deacon smiled, just trace of
trouble in his smile, and taking the
hands that held him captive in his
own, said
well, little woman, had every
thing finished up last night, ready to
start for home on the five o'clock
train. Somehow, l must have been
uncommon tired, or else it was the
heat, leastways, l dropped to sleep
in the depot and missed the train.
Then l thought I'd take the nine
O'Clock train and get home at mid
night, so you wouldn't be lonesome
Sunday, but we broke down, and just
got here half hour ago. Then to
think, after walking through town
from the cars, and folks looking at
me on their way to church !
TO think, Samuel, she broke in,
after that dreadful trial, you should
walk into your front gate and find
your wife hanging out clothes in
your front yard, and you a Deacon
in good standing in the church J
dear! dear what do you suppose
the Lord will do to me for thinking
this was wash day / don't think
he'll be very hard on me, though l
had such sick head ache, it seems
| didn't know much about the day.
Tll tell you what, Samuel, I'll stay
at home with the babies tonight and
you can go to meeting, and then
piece out your Sunday tomorrow,
went that do p
But the Deacon couldn't get over
it (; his heart was heavy; and while
his wife was busy in the kitchen he
put on his hat, and with his hands
clasped reverently behind him, (his
Sunday walk) slowly and solemnly
he walked out to the clothes line.
Most of the clothes were dry, for
the sun was very hot, and one by
one he dropped the snowy things
into the basket, unconsciously hum
ming to himself, Have pity, Lord, o
Lord forgive
Mrs. Flint was washing dishes,
and nearly dropped her best glass
dish when the Deacon walked in with
the clean clothes. 4 couldn't stand
it, Martha he said, in explanation,
Guess must sprinkle and iron
them to-day, would you p che said,
archly.
The Deacon merely calculated a
disappearing My dear ? and went
into the other room to read his Sun
day paper.
by and by the people began to
come from church. What a sudden,
surprising interest they seemed to
have taken in his household premi.
ses they gazed and stared, and
looked back, and gazed again. But
the Deacon was an humble man, II
didn't iatter him he read his paper
and sighed, opened his bible to read
and sighed again, and then fell to
thinking
| A little while after, two arms stole
softly around his neck, and dear
voice said, forget all about it, dear,
and I'll a knock at the door inter
rupted, and she went to open it.
She had brushed her brown wavy
hair, and dressed in a cool white
muslin dress, with far between dot
tings of pink, and looked not a BIT
like the guilty little washerwomar
sho was. She opened the door, and
Deacon Frost and Elder Cumminl
introduced themselves, and walked
in with stately bows. Deacon Film
rose from his open Bible, and more
introductions followed, whereupor
Elder Cummins cleared his throat,
and in piping voice said
you must excuse, Deacon Flint
our coming on such day, but We
thought it best that some explana
ton should be made, before our PEG.
pie again gathered tor evening SER
vice.
ooh, know what you mean,
guess, Elder Cummins, you want to
know why | kept yesterday for Sun
day, instead of to-day, don't you
Well, the fact was, the Deacon was
away, and l made mlscount in the
days somehow, l was SO busy set
Ting, and so yesterday was my Sun
day, though l was in bed all day
with sick headache, and so didn',
find out my mistake at all. Then,
wasn't it funny? | got up at five this
morning and went to washing, think.
ing it was Monday, and I'd got all
through before the Deacon came
home / declare. I've laughed so