The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1876-11-09
Mrs. Anderson's Prayer-Meeting.
BY SOPHIE L. EASTMAN.
For


Iuv,,: his hair lay smooth and shining; his
trse, patched clothes were neatly
and on his head rested his
al q, he's one relic Of better days. stove
S,crJe hat. IL was too large Tor him by
h-ddlt, and he WAS compelled to hold it in
place with one hand. while his head
moved from side to side within IT, like
a dried tlbert in its she'll With the
hand that WAS disengaged he drew from
his pocket "A letter aud handed il To me
IL was written on brown wrapping paper.
cut the size Of a sheet of commercial note,
and was sealed with al old-issbioned red
wafer. After a close study OF the crook
I'd lines, ! at last dcciphered IT,
Mrs. Andersons compliments, and
asks the pleasure of your company to a
p aver meeting to her house at seven
! o'clock to night"
The spelling have not attempted TO
| give. lest you should mistake it Tor a for
/ eign language.
/ knew very well why this invitation
had been sent. | had the week before
been appointed one Of a comL.ittee to
visit e, ch OF the houses scattered over
the p.airie and invite the owners TO at
\ tend church.
When / called at Mrs. Anderson's !
was at first unable to make my presence
known, for the loud crying OF a child
drowned all other sounds. But at length
| thee caILe an inslauts lull, during
wi ich / knocked vigorously and the
.ho, Ter herself, with n very flushed lace
aud a well worn stick still in her hand,
/ opened tie door. Hardly bad intro
| drced myself when the child sobbed out
Mother was just a wbipp'n' Of me
wne you came in, cos ! made a noise
and walked the baby"
This was rather an awkward beginning
for the conversation; but, happily. one
can always fall back on the weather and
delightful climate in Minnesota, aud
spoke of the beruty Of the prairie near
the house-whole acres of solid bloom.
Little by little came to the point where
| co aid tell her how, since Baby Agnes
cal Ie to our house, there could be only
two of us spared to attend church at
once and it seemed so lonely in the
long. balfempty pew that ] wished she
or her husband would bring the children
end sha it with US. Her face famed in
an instant.
Il suppo-e you think In a heather. !
and you must come am .ssiOnaryingI"
she id. But I'll let you know that /
5I-i just as pious as you are; if you are
in silk and feathers" Zone hand pointed |
scorDfully at my hat "and ain't. But
IL you II come here next week Ill have a |
calico prayer meeting. AID show you |
whether LIN on the Lords side or not" /
So now the invitation had come. Bub /
Anderson's face grew almost millennial |
as presented him with toy watch-one |
of those j had purchased in On Eastera /
store for fifty CENTS dozen; and. with |
my note OF acceptance carefully placed in /
the depths of his pocket. he gave one /
gr~te.ul look, more voiceiul than the /
loudest words, and then darted away.
Tea was just ready as | entered the |
house. | was spending the afternoon /
With Mrs. Preston and told her of my 4
engagen ent.
A prayer-meeting AT Mr. Anderson'sT /
she repeated II wish | was able tn go: 4
but ] cant, on account of my sprain i
But it would be too bad for you to go
alone Perhaps Jim II walk over with
you And she looked imploringly at
her husband.
was a little startled az the suggestion.
Here was a man for whose conversion his
wife had been praying for almo-t four
teen years; a man who never darkened
the church door with his presence; who
did not even care enough about the sub
iect to scott at religion Ought ! 10 take
him 10 what ] feared would prove a mis-
cradle farce. and perhaps give him liie
long prejudice against other tia . calico
prayeT-meetings2 The question was ds.
cidsd Tor me: Yes, ! will go" he said
And dared not risk his ill-will by rrfus
ing the escort. And in truth ! was very
glad OF il, Tor the narrow road across the
y airie was to me path of terror
Every sound seemed to my excited
nerves like the warming of the rattle
snakes, which the constantly recurring
buhches of the white Eryngium told all
too plainly were dwelling near. Strange
that two such opposing forces-the poi.
son and its antidote, the evil and the
good-should always be found together
When we reached Mrs Andersons
house both the kitchen and bedroom
were already filed, and boards had been
stretched from chair to chsir. in order to
seat the motley crowd Next me on the
rude bench sat, on one side. large,
owe. grown girl, ia a pink muslin dress
and scarlet sacque, barelooted, but eyi.
IDENTITY proud OF her holiday attire; on
the other, little girl whose restless fin
gers braided and unbraided the fringe OF
my shawl; and just opposite me was my
new friend, Bub Anderson.
AIr. and Mrs. Anderson sat behind the
kitchen table. 1T is time to begin she
said. as the clock struck Then her hus
band rose and opened the meeting with
prayer His tone Was humble and earn
est, but his Interpretations OF ScTiptur.
amused me. Lord. we know not what
a day to morrow may bring forth" he
said; and some one in the bedroom res.
ponded Amen After that he read the
parable OF the prodigal son and expound-
ed il. And when the old prodigal saw
the young prodigal coming. what do you
think he didH' asked Mr.. Anderson.
concluded this was what our old profes
sor used to call Lgpsas 6Hgus; but no.
throughout his exposition he spoke OF
the father as the old prodigal. Next
came singing:
Were travelling home 70 Heaven above,
There were evidently but four to whom
the words were familiar; but. as they all
put on the loud pedal. we did not miss
the other voices. IL was just at the close
Of the hymn that the little girl on my
left, getting too near the edge of the
bench, suddenly fell to the floor. Bub
Anderson inyoluntarily laughed aloud
but, catching his mothers eye sobered
instantly. You'll have one good whip
ping as soon a. the folks are gone" she
said, in low, distinct voice, audible in
all parts OF the room.
Perhaps il was the childs frightened
face that made the rest Of the meeting
seem intOlerable to me His eyelids
dropped; the poor, faded gentians had
more than one drop OF dew on them
But the exercises went on aud began to /
grow exciting. A tall man rose to speak \
evidently one of those explosive ma
lures to whom anything will serve as a /
match. Some OF them, he said had 4
come in there with Satan in their hearts I