Smyrna times., 1876-11-01

"Well, as | was sayn,' the second yeal
come round, and it was read out in meetin
that the donation party would be given the
next Friday.
"Mr. Ormsby read the notice, and then
looked all round and cleared his throat
two or three times, as if he had somethin'
pertlckler to say, but after waitn' minute
he changed his mind and sat down.
II thought he acted kinder queer, but l
was quite taken up with noticin' Miss
ormsby. She got as red as could be, and
when meetin' was dismissed she Jest hurried
out as if she didn't want any one to speak
to her.
"Well, Friday came, and by three o'clock
we was mostly all at the parsonage. Mr..
Ormsby looked dreadful sober, more as if
1t was funeral than a merry-makin', |
must say; but his wife was awful. She was
just as hufy and short as she could be
with every one, and she went and locked
the study door and put the key in her
pocket right before us all, as if she was
afraid we'd touch some of Mr.. Ormsbv,s
papers or books.
"Bimeby we began to think about settin
the table; so Aunt Betsy, Mandy Jones
and we went out into the kitchen to un.
pack the contributions. There were some
pertaters and turnips (them we put in the
suller,) pice of corned beef, two or three
billed hams, apot Of butter, some apple sass.
big cheese, and such lot of biscuits it
would have taken all night to count 'em.
Il began to be scarf when we took ont
painful after painful of biscuit and no cake
to speak of. Atlast we came to Miss Jones
basket, and there We found the lection
cake, as we'll as a great batch of molasses
cookies
81 was glad enough I'd sent pound.cake
ana cruilers; but somehow when the table
was ready, there was more biscuit on it
than anything else, though we did the best
we could
"Mr. johnson sent tea and coffee from
his store, besides sugar and crackers: and
Amos Hall he brought bag of nuts and
some apples for the young folks after SUD-
per he said.
"There was so many there that we had
10 divide 'em into three lots the dinin
room hein' small; and it was most seven
O'Clock when they got through eatin'.
Aunt Betsey staid with me to clear nm
some and thought we never should get
all the biscuits put away, for they most
filled the pantry.
FOR all there had been so many eaten,
yet there was piles and piles left. and. as
Aunt Betsy said, they wouldn't need to
BAKE for month to come.
ut happened so that I didn't 90 ont
much the week after the donation party.
but the. second Sunday after, started off
good and early for church, and as turned
the corner by the parsonage, saw some.
thing that most took my breath away.
Every one of them sharppointed pickets
round the house and garden had a good
biscuit stuck right atop of it'll Yes.
Miss Harwood, jest as sure as YOU live,
there was Aust Betsys nice raised biscuit
| could tell hern by the shape-and Miss
Hulrs rusks, and Miss Stiless soda biscuit
and every one of EN- wasted in that shame.
full way.
"Well | stood and looked-I hadn't the
strength to move-and pretty soon some
OF the ladies came along and .iined me and
there we all stood till the last bell began |
to ring, talkin' the matter over, and feeIin,
pretty mad, can tell you.
"Mr. Ormsby had a good sermon that
day, but | could hardly hear a word. nv
mind was 500 full of the biscuits.
s'Miss Ormsby warn't there, and as son
as the last hymn was sung, he got up and
SAID that he had had call from a church
IN the far West, and that he had made I'M
his mind that it was his duty to accept it.
lie went on to say that he would like TO
go that same week, and then, without co
much as tellin' US that he was sorry to
leave us, or offerin' to welt until we could
get some one else, he gave the benediction
and dismissed us.
~ can tell you there was talk enough
when we got out that mornin', and some ,
OF the folks thought we ought to pint a
committee to ask Miss Ormsby about f. !
but brother Ralph said, No; if they was ,
goin' let 'em 90 peaceable; so they all i,
agreed to say nothin' at all.
1--WE heard afterward from little JOHNNY :
Hall, whowas playin' near the parsonage ;
late on Saturday afternoon, that Mr.. Orms. :
by ne brought the biscuits out in big bas. !
ket, and then Miss ormsby she helped him }
70 stick 'em on the pickets, and she laughed !;
all the time as if it was good joke. :
u don't want to judge anybody, but I =
never did think that woman was fit for a
wife, and l don't think so now 7
well they moved off; bag and baggage =
On wednesday of that week, and we've
never herd from Mr.. Ormsby since. and I !,
ion't know as we want to, seein' he hurt h
our ieelln's 50, though we've never found as !,
Sood preacher as he was and never willn 7
And this was Miss Melissa's story .
Harper's Magazine
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IL was the desire of Al -. n