The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-11-10

zs..zz.z.ssless essszzass
and she went and locked the study door
and put the key in her pocked right be-
fore US all, as if she was afraid we'd
touch some of Mr.. Ormsby papers or
books.
"Bimeby we began to think about
settin' the table so Aunt Betsy, Mandy
Jones, and me went out in the kitchen
to unpack the contributions. There
were some pertaters and turnips Chem
we put in the suller), piece of corued
beef, two or three billed hams, pot of
butter, some apple sass, big cheese,
and such lot of buscuits it would have
taken all night to count 'em.
81 began to be scarf when we took out
painful after painful of biscuit, and no cake
to speak of. At last we come to Miss
Jones' basket, and there we found lee
tiOn cake, as well as great batch of
molasses cookies.
~ was glad enough I'd sent pound
cake and crullers ; but somehow when
the table war ready, there was more
biscuits on it than any thing else,
though we did the best we could.
"Mr. johnson sent tea and coffee from
his store, besides sugar and crackers;
and Amos Hull he brought a bag of
nuts and some apples for the young
folks after supper, he said.
'There was so many there that we
had to divide 'em into three lots, the din
in'-room bein' small and it was most
seven o'clock when they get through
eatin'.
"Aunt Betsy staid with me to clear
up some; and I thought l 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 q month to come.
at happened so that didn't go out
much the week afterthe donation party,
but, the second Sunday after, started
off good and early for church, and as l
turned the corner by the parsonage, l
saw something that most took my
breath away. Every one of them sharp
pointed pickets round the house and
garden had a good biscuit stuck right
atop of it! Yes, Miss Harwood, jest as
sure as you live, there was Aunt Betsy S
nice raised biscuits-I could tell hern by
the shape-and Miss HulPs rusks, and
Miss Stiles's soda biscuit, and every one
of 'em wasted in that shameful way.
"Well, | stood and looked hadn't
the strength to move-and pretty soon
some of the ladies came along and jined
me; and there we all stood till the last
bell began to ring, talkin' the matter
over, and feelin' pretty mad, can tell
you.
."Mr. Ormsby had a good sermon that
day, but 1 could hardly hear word,
my mind was so full of the biscuits.
Miss Ormsby warn't there, and as
soon as the last hymn was sung, he got
up and said that he had had call from
church in the far West, and that be
had made up his mind that it was his
duty to accept it. He went on to say
that he would like to go that same
,, week, and then, without so much a:
I tellin' US that he was sorry to leave us
or offerin' to wait until we could gel
) some one else, he gave the benedictior
and dismissed us.
al can tell you there was talk enough
when we got out that mOrnin', anC
some of the folks thought we ought tC
pint a committee TO ask Miss Ormsby
, about it, but brother Ralph said, No
if they was goin', let 'em go peaceablei
so they all agreed to say nOthin' at all
Z 1--WE heard afterward from little
Johnny Hail. who was playln' near JnE
parsonage late on Saturday afternoon
that Mr.. Ormsby he brought the bis
cults out in big basket, aud then Mis-!
Ormsby she helped him to stick then
on the pickets, and she laughed all the
time as if it was a good joke.
81 don't want to judge anybody, bu
I never did think that woman was Fl
fora minister's wife, and dou't think
so now.
! "Well, they moved off, bag and bag
! gage, on Wednesday of that week, anC
we've never heard from Mr.. OrmsbN
since, and don't know as we want to
, seenin' he hurt our feelin's so, though
we've never found as good preacher a
: he was, and never.will."
And this was Miss Melissa's story
: Hrs. E. T. Dorbett, IN Harper'S Mag
dzine for November.