Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-07-17
I" Come int"

Come mr.
The door opened; and an unusual look
ing young man appeared. He had blue
eyes and light hair and smooth, clean
face; while his dress, though of common
material, was suspiciously clean. Sam
promptly determined that he was neither
cross Roads man, a boatman a gambler,
nor peddler; and, as Sam knew no
phases OF humanity but these, his .conjec-
ture had drifted into wonder, when the
stranger abruptly said
II am 1aborer in the vineyard of the
Lord, and am seeking for the lost sheep
of the house of Israeli"
Sam look appealinglv at his wife. 1t
seemed to him lac had heard some such
| words when he was young, and hung about
the Westinghouse door at night; but, if
| they acre holy, his wife was the Bible
reader of the family, and must know.
Mrs. kavvery relieved her husbands mind
by devoutly saying
"Bless The Lord fur sendin' vel"
"Certinly" said Sam quite brlskly.
''Chuck yer traps in the corner, captin !;
pass out the demijohn.n
''Thank your said the stranger; ''but |
| neither drink nor smoke
Sam looked disgusted; but, bright
| thought striking him, he hurried to a
closet, and took down pack of cards.
His pious wife flew at him in an instant.
SAM said she in reproachful under
tone, zone 'ud think you'd ben raised
| among the heather. Preachers don't play
keardS."
Sam looked humbly into the face of
superior wisdom and meekly asked
Don't they, thought"
mo, nur drink nur smoke nuther"
"Well," said Sam, resignedly laying
down the cards. Then he rejoined the
young man, looking at him with that
hungry expression which solitary people
always bestoW upon a new face, and
said
"Well, mister-mister"-
"Breeton," answered the stranger,
"Walter Breton, circuit rider, and mem
Der of the Easter River Conference"
"Well, Mr.. Breton, what's the news?"
II do not keep pace with the march of
events" answered the young preacher
ITO save souls for my heavenly Master is
the one object of my life Are there any
professors in this house?"
Sam jerked a thumb toward his wife,
inwardly wishing the preacher had a side
which man could get at in some way.
"Ah, sister, said the young man, "are
you a follower Of the Lamb?"
"Follerin' affair off, as it were," fearful
" replied Mrs Kavvery. Il wish my
light shined better, so Sam an Ipsie
might come into the fold! I've labOred
hard with both of em; but their eyes
seems to be darkened, p'tic'larly Ipsie's."
"Ipsie?" queried the preacher.
eyes, sir-our gal; She's
Further explanation was rendered I'M
necessary by the appearance in the door
way Of lpsie herself, and her sudden dis
appearance.
Mustn't mind Fps, Brother Breeton,''
said Mrs. Kavvery. ''She amt used to
strangers; an she ollus gifts out. She'll
come aroun' in the evenin'"
Well" said the young man, remarking
to himself, Il sincerely hope she WILL
Guess Well have a bite pooty soon,"
said Mrs kavvery. Sam, see eff theirs
anythin' on the lines
Sam hurried out, and found fine young
catfish; and, while he was cleaning it,
Mrs. kavvery put some corn-meal dough
into a Dutch oven on the hearth, and a
lot of biscuit into another Dutch oven,
and some slices of bacon into frying
pan, and put the fish into the same pan,
and made coffee, and brought out dish
and was soon proudly contemplating
table loaded with all the luxuries Of
the land; while the mingled odors of
fried bacon and warm saleratus drove the
smell OF tobacco-smoke entirely out of the
room. Then Sam went to the door, and
blew a horn; and, in a moment or two
Ipsie appeared.
"Ipsie," said her mother this is Mr..
Breton, thets come down here to save
sinners. | hope he'll do yer soul good"
The young preacher hoped so too, as he
noticed lpsie's bright eyes and blushing
cheeks
Come, stranger, hev a bite" said Sam,
who felt that his chance of partaking in
the conversation was growing small.
" Hev plenty Of ham-fat with yer fish,"
Sam" cried Mrs Kavvery.
Sam dropped his knife and fork, and
appealed from under the lowest hairs of
his eyebrows.
Ask a blessin', Brother Breeton,' said
Mrs. kavvery, looking sorrowfully upon
her partner.
Walter Breton asked the blessing of
the Lord on the food before them; and
lpsie, who had never heard any thing of
the sort before, stared in such astonish
ment, that when the preacher concluded
and cast his eyes upon her, her eyes were
so fixed, that she could not withdraw them
until she had done a great deal of painful
blushing; seeing which, Mr. Breton
blushed himself, and knew he did, and
punished himself by vowing to strive to
transplant this fair flower to the garden of
the Lord.
SAM" said Mrs. kavvery, "p'raps the
preacher ken tell us what to do for Ips?''
Sam drew his knife through a piece
OF corn bread with more deliberation
than he usually displayed at table; and
he looked as if he thought the mat
ter extremely doubtful Still his wife
had commenced the subject, and
he couldn't get away from it; so he finally
said: ..
''P'raps so. Fact is, mister, Ips is
a-growin' up; an she ort to hev "a
chance"
Very true" replied the young minister.
"She should, of all things, be taught of
the Spirit; but every young person is ben
Gifted by secular education no matter
how little"
Il guess that's So" said Sam, thinking
that anything with some big words and
the true ring must be correct: ''but ho-y's
she to get this sic-sic-sic-what-d:y We
call dedication? Their amt no schools
here; an [ wouldn't hev her 90 to the
Cross Roads every day"
Our Conference Seminary would give
her an excellent education at a moderate
price, and afford her the inpstimable