St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-04-02
Uncle Tins Talent.

Uncle Tim held up his saw and
squinted along the teeth to see neither
it was closing it's set" He failed to de-
eide, in his surprise at finding that he
was taking aim at the minister, who
stepped in range just at that moment,
on the street side of the fence. His
eyes came into gear again as he laid his
saw on the wood-pile, and stepped up
to the fence, saying, "Well, it is queer.
It's only minute ago | was thinkin'
about you. l was thinkin' what a good
sermon that was you gave us last Sun
day mornin', and how l would tell you
so the first time | saw youn
Uncle Tim was the wood-sawyer and
days work factotum for the village.
Unlearned as he was, the minister al
ways missed him if he was absent from
church-he was such a helpful listener.
And to Uncle Tins compliment he re-
piled, "You told me what you thought
of it at the time, in the way YOU listen
ed to it; though, for that matter, you
always seem to be interested. | don't
suppose you know what a comfort such
nearer is to a minister. If all the con-
gregation were like you, | think it
would turn my poor sermons into good
onesn
"Thank you," said Uncle Tim. 81
don't always git the hang of everything
that's said. But l should git less if /
didn't give attention.. An | always
says to myself: 'The minister he works
hard to write his sermons, an if folks
don't listen to 'em its pretty discourage
ing An L says, you can't put much
into the contribution-box, Tim, an
you can't talk in prayer meetin', but
you can count one in listenin'; you can
try to 'preciate what other folks do.'n
"The talent for approaching is an
excellent one to have" remarked the
minister.
"Well, as 1 look at it, it's one as isn't
denied to nobody" said Uncle Tim.
San if it's the only one I've got I'll try
not to wrap it in a napkin. When Dea-
con Mason does me good by one of his
experience talks in prayer-meetin', |
think it's no mOre'n right he should
know it. P'raps he has times of think
in that he can't say anything worth
while, and it stands to reason that he
can talk better if he knows he's doing
somebody some good. An when Wild
der Hatch is maxim such gritty fight
to keep her children together and give
'em an edication, l think mebbe il
makes it little easier for her to stand
up to it if neighbor drops a word OF
probation once in while"
The minister said nothing, but there
was look of Expectation" on his face.
and Uncle Tim continued: "Tbe other
day | see the young school-ma'am was
lOOkin' worn out and sober like. | i'm
agined them big boys from the Holler
was wOrryin' the life out of her. AM |
didn't know how l could help that. But
at noon | just went down to the school
house purpose to tell her how nice
ouI grandson was gettin' along with his
'rithmetic. And she said it was better
than half dozen cups of tea for cheer
ing her up-she did. An when l see
Sanford's boy take little Irish girls
part that the other boys were torment
in, an they jeerin' him, went up to
him, an says, Uncle Tins nothin' but
wood sawyer, but he knows enough
to see that you've got the stuff of gem
tleman in YOU You see old folks don't
notice the boys enough. An there's
Jim Brady, drinkin', card playin'
shooting match creetur', who goes
around a good deal like a dog without
any owner. He knows folks despise
him. But Jim's right handy with tools,
an when | take my saw to him to have
it filed, and tell him he does that Job
bettern any other man know, 1 think
1t helps him to have a little more re-
spect for himself, 1 do. You see it's
dreadful easy to look at faults-at
faults ID children, faults in hired folks,
an faults IN tavern keepers an faults in
prayer meetin's. But as look at it we'd