The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-03-02
TOM SAWYER.


of the small church began to ring, and
presently the people began to gather for
the morning sermon. The Sunday
school children distributed themselves
about the house and occupied pews with
their parents, so as to be under super
vision. Aunt Polly came, and Tom and
Sid and Mary sat with her-Tom being
placed next the aisle, in order that he
might be as far away from the open
window and the seductive outside sum-
mer scenes as possible. The crowd filed
up the aisles; the aged and needy post
master, who had seen better days; the
mayor and his wife--for they had a
mayor there, among other unnecessa-
ries; the justice of the peace; the widow
Douglass, fair, smart and forty, gen.
erous, good-hearted soul and well-to-do,
her hill mansion the only palace in
the town, and most hospitable and much
the most lavish in the matter of festivi-
ties that st. Petersburg could boast;
the bent and venerable Major and Mrs.
Ward; lawyer Riverson, the new nota-
BILE from q distance; next the belle of
the village, followed by troop of
lawn-clad and ribbon-decked young
heart-breakers; then all the young
clerks in town in a body-for they had
stood in the vestibule sucking their cane
heads, circling wall of oiled and SIM
pering admirers, till the last girl had
run their gauntlet; and last of all came
the Model Boy, Willie Mufferson, TAX
ing as heedful care of his mother as if
she were cut glass. He always brought
his mother to church, and was the pride
of all the matrons. The boys all hated
him, he was so good. And besides, he
had been thrown up to them" so much.
His white handkerchief was hanging
out of his pocket behind. as usual on
enthusiastically. Tom had no
handkerchief, and he looked upon boys
who had, as snobs.
The congregation being fully assem-
bled now, the bell rang once more to
warn laggards and stragglers, and then
a solemn hush fell upon the church
which was only broken by the tittering
and whispering of the choir in the gal
lery. The choir always Uttered and
whispered all through service. There
was once a choir that was not ill-bred,
but have forgotten where it was, now
1t was great many years ago, and can
scarcely remember anything about it,
but / think it was in some foreign coun-
try.
The minister gave out the hymn, and
read it though with relish, in pecu-
liar style which was much admired in
that part of the country. His voice be-
gan in a medium key and climbed
steadily up till it reached q certain
point, where it bore with strong empha-
sis upon the topmost word and then
plunged down as if from a spring board:
"shan be carried to the skies. aow'ry beds
Whilst others fight to win the prize sne ali thro'
blood seas 80
He was regarded as a wonderful read
er. At church "sociables" he was al
ways called upon to read poetry; and
when he was through, the ladies would
lift mp their hands and let them fall
helplessly in their laps, and wall" their
eyes, and shake their heads, rs mach as
to say, words cannot express it; it is
too beautiful, TOO beautiful for this NOR
tai earth"
After the hymn bad been sung, the
Rev. Mr.. Sprague turned himself into
q bulletin board, and read Oh notices"
of meetings and societies and things till
il seemed that the list would stretch out
TO the crack of DOOM queer custom
which is still kept up in America, even
in cities, away here in this age of abun-
dant newspaper. Often, the less there
10 to justify traditional custom, the
harder IL 10 20 get nd Of it.
And now the minister prayed. A
good, generous prayer, il waa, and went
into delails; IL pleaded for the church,
and the little children of the church for