The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1877-02-22
VIDE AWAKE.
Ho,c Mr.. BcITany Tried to Keep His Eyes
Open tn Church and the WOes it
brought upon Him.

AAUtt 4HFs BtltNbbB 4EtCN ~ AACSH AAS A@DVS
Open in Church and the Foes it
brought upon Him.
The other day Mr.. Bellamy, of Pond
street, read in a religious paper the fol-
lowing paragraph:
Many very good people are annoyed
by sleepiness in church, The following
remedy is recommended Lift the foot
seven inches from the floor, and hold it in
suspense without support for the limb,
and repeat the remedy if the attack re-
turns"
Now, Mr.. Bellamy is a very good man,
and he is subject to that very annoyance,
which in his case amounts to a positive
affection. So he cut that paragraph out,
in accordance with che appended instruc-
ton, and pasted it in his hat, and was
reioiced in his Utmost soul to think that
he had found a relief from his annoyance.
He hoped that deacon Ashbury, who
had frOwned at him so often and SO
dreadtully for nodding, hadn't seen the
paragraph, for the deacon sometimes
slept under the preached word, and Mr..
Bellamy wanted to get even with him.
And Mr.. DriscOll, who used to sit in the
choir, and cover his own sleepiness and
divert attention from his own heavy eyes
by laughing in a most irreverent and in
decorOus manner at Mr.. Bellamy IS sleepy
visage and struggling eyes and head
how the good man did want to get it on
Driscoll. So he chuckIed and Rugged
his treasure, 70 to speak, in his mind. He
was so confident that he had found the
panacea for his trouble that he went to
the minister and told him what a burden
his drowsiness had been to him, but that
he had made his mind now to shake it
off, and to continue to keep it off, and he
was certain that he had sufficient strength
of mind and force Of will to overcome the
habit. And the minister was so pleased,
and commended Mr.. BelIamy 50 warmly
and said that he wished he had one hun
bred such men in his congregation, that
Mr.. Bellamy was SO elated, and happy,
and confident that he could hardly wait
for Sunday to come to try his new
method Of averting drowsiness.
Sunday came, however, and soon
enough, too, for it was Saturday after
noon plumb, chick, chock full Of men
with bills, overdue notes, trifing &C.
counts, little balances, payroll, rent,
narrow-gauge subscriptions, political as
sessments, and one little thing and an
other, almost before Mr. Bellamy knew
it, although it hadn't been here half an
hour before he had some suspicion Of it,
and was soon very confident Of it. sun
day morning found this good man in his
accustomed place, devout and drOwsy as
ever. The church was very comfortably
filled with an attentive congregation, and
Mr.. Bellamy was soon cOrnered up in one
end Of the pew, and the strange young
lady who sat next to him was attended by
a very small white dog that looked like
a roll of cotton batting with red
eyes and black nose. The opening ex
erciscs passed off without incident, and
the minister hadn't got 10 secondly when
Mr.. Bcllamy suddenly reused himself
with a start from a doze into which he
was dropping. His heart fairly stood
still as he thought how nearly he had
forgotten his recipe. lie feared to at
tract any attention to himself, lest his
precious method should be discovered,
and slowly lifted his left foot from the
lootstool and held it about seven inches
in the air. As he raised his foot the
strange young lady shrunk away from
him in ovidentalarm. This annoyed Mr.. |
Bellamy, and Disconnected him 50 that |
he was on the point of lowering his foot
and whispering an explanation, when the |
log, which had been quietly sleeping by |
he footstool, opened his eyes, and seeing |
he uplifted foot slowly descending ia
is direction, hastily scrambled to its feet
md backed away, barking and yelling