The Tipton advertiser., 1876-11-09
THE DONATION PARTY.

iuilloIs IluNt DceU clFtulattu ABOUT Ou
last donation party at Willowbrool
that l who have heard the Who'll,
story from my friend and neighbo
Miss Mix would like to give tn,
world plain, unvarnished account o
the whole festivity.
Let me, then, introduce my inform
ant, Miss Melissa Mix, spinster, own
ing to forty, moderately well endow
ed with this worlds goods, housekeep
er and care-taker of her only brother
Ralph, some years her senior, both Of
them prominent members of the viii.
lowbrook church-and thus heralded
she shall tell you the story she tolt
me.
"Of course we can't give our minis
ter much of a salary, you know, Miss
Harwood; but we've always calkilated
to get a man whose heart wasn't sci
on the filthy lucre, as the 'Postle says
Il must own we amt had much
choice, for, would you belive it? out o.
five candidates that preached there
the year we built the church, not one
was willin' to stay and do the Lords
work.
"Why; there's only about sixty
families in our church, and it was set
tied that first winter there would be q
fair tax, maxim nigh onto four hun
dred year, you see; yet it's wonder
ful what trouble we've had to get q
pastor.
Brother Ralph thought that meb-
be If we had parsonage it would hell
US; SO he and the other trustees bought
that nice little cottage where Miss
Gray used to live with a whole rod of
land belonging to it; but law! faint
of no use; none of them staid the year
out, and | was clean discouraged.
when Mr.. Ormsby came, nigh on
three years ago, he seemed more rcas-
able than the rest, though he asked il
we couldn't furnish a part of the par
sonage for him, rs they were new be-
ginners and hadn't much houaekeep-
in stuff.
"Well, the ladies was so well pleas
ed with him, that they took right hold
of the work (he was TO come back in a
fortnight and got lots of things to-
gether.
'"There was a handsome pincushion
made for each Of the bedrooms there
is three on 'em il the house-and half
a dozen tides for the parlor, and case
for his shaving paper, all sent in the
first week.
"You heard him preach, Miss Har-
wood, and you know how interestin'
he was, and what beautiful reader
and singer, too. Why, / declare /
took real comfort in goin' to church
and sittin' under such preachin; and
and SO we all did, I'm sure.
But l was tellin' you about what
we gave him. Well, Deacon Stiles's
daughter Sally made drawin' of the
church, and framed it in pine cones,
to hang in Mr.. Ormsby's study, and
the deacon he sent us "A cookin' stove
out of his own kitchen. He just got a
new one for Miss Styles, and he come
over and put it up himself, which l
thought was uncommon kind.
''Then he took up contribution to
buy some furniture, but ready money
was scurse just then, SO we only raised
enough to get a pair of china vases
and an inkstand.
'But Silas Hart, that sold 'cm to us,
was one of our members, SO he threw
in a chiny dog for the baby and a
matchbox for the parsons wife.
Miss Jones and Uunclc Midian
sent in a new painted bedstead and
kitchen table, and so | told Ralph I'd
give 'em couple of kitchen chairs
and our cradle, the one we was both
rocked in. So | did, and | pieced a
real handsome little quilt for the era
die suntlower pattern, all out OF
spick and span new calico, too.
"Well, it's most too bad TO tell, but
Mandy Jones, who went to help Miss
Ormsby get To rights, told me that she
did act dreadful, and not bit becom-
in minister's wife.
"She went all round the house look
in as if she was ready to cry, and at
last she sot down in the parlor on her
trunk, and began 20 laugh at the vases
and the inks:anh, and then woand up
by findin' fault with the stove, which
she said looked as ii it came out OF the
ark.
"I've always thought she made her
husband discontented, for Mr. Orms-
by was such Il meek, quiet, unselfish
man that he never would have made
any trouble if she hadn't been always
comp'ainin' and putin him up to
grumble.
"But I'm wanderin' Off from my
story-I started to tell you all about
the donation party. You you, the
first year we got along splendid with
it and l must say never saw a better
tea-table spread than we set that night
for Miss Ormsby.
"But that woman never cou'd be
satisfied, and she said afterward that
it wouldn't take more than two such
parties - rain any family.
at -<eal. she had found fault be-
cause we had staid to tea with 'em,
jest as if we hadn't the right to our
tea after sendin' in all the victuals for
it.
"But / don't know as Aunt Betsy
did do exac'ly right, for she took Miss
Ormsby's preserves to put on the ta-
BILE, and they was all eat that night,
and s'pose that put her out some.
"Well, as ] was sayin', the second
year came around, and it was read ou,
in meetin' that the donation party
would be given the next Friday.
"Mr. Ormsby read the notice, and
then he looked all around and cleared
his throat two or three times as if he
had something pertickler to say, but
after waitin' minute he changed his
mind and sat down.
~ thought he acted kinder queer,
but was quite taken up with noticin'