Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-03-23

en- seat in place of the cushioned rock
er he was about to occupy, and then
resumed her duties while the deacon
pondered his newspaper, aud the chill
dren eyed the forlorn and silent stran-
ger with ill-concealed curiosity. It is
needless to say that Mrs. S. was ont OF
humor because the expected minister
was so tardy in coming, and because
the bountiful supper she had provided
was likely to suffer ky the delay.
why don't he Gomez she pettishly
said for the twentieth time and then
the deacon suggested that supper might
be served, and the expected clerical
guest be provided for whenever he
should arrive So the family assembled
at table, and the smoking viands, hot
from an adjacent oven, were spread in
tempting array. At the head of this
bountifuI board sat Deacon Leviticus
Scribe, his reverential though some
wnat bigoted spouse at the foot, while
the sides were partially filled by the
youthful Scribes and Scribesses. Then
the children covered their faces while
he said grace 1t was very impressive
and beautiful, for the deacon was gifted
in that live Of duty. He asked the
Great Gjyer to feed the hungry, clothe
the poor, shelter the homeless and the
disconsoIate and hungry stranger
from his wood bottomed chair in the
chimney corner said to himself,
"Amen, amen !" as his olfactory nerve
was greeted with the generous aroma
of the table mercies.
Mrs. S. poured the tea and her hus-
band served the solids in silence. Out
door industry whets the appetite and
generous feeding, it is said, opens the
heart At all events, the deacon, sf-
ter mature deIiberation, filed d plate
and sent it to the stranger, who de-
voured Its contents with conspicuous
lack Of ceremony. Supper ended, and
no minister came Mrs. Scribe grew
nervous and irratable but the table
was allowed to stand, and the children
required to review their Sabbath les
sons. Deacon 5. resumed his news
paper, and proceeded to comment upon
an article on original sin, the doctrine
Of election, etc, until at length,
warmed with his subject and assuming
that the stranger was an abandoned
sinner, he read him severe lesson
upon the necessity of an orthodox
belief. and told all about the dreadfua
fires waiting to lick up those who fail
ed to indorse his tenets. The stranger
listened attentively and mildly sugges-
ted that repentance, faith, love to God
and man permeating our daily life,
were the true elements Of Christianity;
that through their exercises the eternal
reward came, with or without creeds,
orthodoxy, hererodoxy, or any other
doxy.
The deacon and his wife thought
that such baleful sentiments had never
before poisoned the atmosphere Of their
home, and they waxed exceedingly
wroth therea5 Mrs s., Purple with
indis snation, strongly hinoed that her
roof could not shelter such a hereto;
and it was finally decided that he
should find lodgings in the barn.
Meanwhile, the children, having been
mustered n line to answer the usual
''Biblequestions,' gave in detail the
names OF the oldest, the wisest, the
strongest, the meekest men in Biblical
history, and also the principal mir
acllous events mentioned in sacred
lore. At length the deacon asked how
many commandments there were, and
the response came promptly, ten !;
whereupon the strangers quietly sug
gested that there were eleven. This
palpable ignorance Of Bible truths
astonished the orthodox couple, and
they were filed with righteous indig-
nation, the deacon declaring that to
live In Il Christian country and not
know the number of commandments
was wholly inexcuseable. Mrs. S
congratulated herself that the sinful
man was to sleep in the barn and not
In the house; but when he arcse to 90
her self-ughtous heart warmed little.
She remembered that the hired man 5
room over the woodshed was vacant,
aud so the man of sin was escorted
thither.
Sunday morning opened like gol-
den book, lettered with immortality
but no minister came to edify the
saints and warn the sinners of Skin
nersvllle and vicinity The stranger,
after thanking his host and hostess,
resumed his journey at an early hour
while the deacon studied one of
Dwights sermons, in the reading of
which at church that day he proposed
to supply the lack Of clerical guidance
Mrs. Scribe was disappointed and deeply
chagrined because her ample household
preparations had been made in vain.
But the Scribe pew was never vacant
on Sunday; SO she arrayed the chill
dren IN their Sunday best, and the
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