Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1880-12-09
KITTIE'S MENDING.

All O1 us together, like leaves Ill gust
lIumbled indeed down into the dust.
KlTTIE'S MENDING.
Deacon Stanley was by no means
penurious man. He was only, as he
said, an economically savin'" man, |
lie was in good church standing, devout
and sincere. He had a good wife and
dutiful daughter to make him pleas
ant home; was considered "well-tO-do,'
though a farmer, and the comforts Of
the house were not forgotten in this de-
sire to he economical Nevertheless,
this one "savin'" bump caused Mrs.
Stanley and Kittie a great deal of trot-
BILE. lie would persist in wearing his
clothes until they were so patched You
could hardly tell the patch from the orig
inal garment. Mrs. Stanley had hand
ed all the mcnding over to Kittic rs her
work. and Kittic did 50 hate mending;
and, together with her pride and her
chagrin that her father would persist
in wearing such clothes, her troubles
were great.
"Why, he wears meamer clothes than
any poor on tile town. she exaggerated,
"and he was just cheating the rg-pirk-
er," and he would only laugh.
Mrs. Stanley, too was tritle ashamed
that her husband should so persist in
making patchwork Of his garments,
but the kind soul had given up the ar
gument long ago. The church parson
had been talked to about the drAcon'5
peculiarity, but, as the deacon WAS a
Christian in every other respect, gave
to the church and her missions, helped
the poor and did not neglect his family
this one sin-if sin it could be called
was considered but minor one, and
SO the deacon escaped ccnsure He
often heard remarks, though, both be-
hind his back and to his face, to which
he would respond laughingly, turning
the remarks into jokes, and none Of
them ever make the slightest ripple OF
anger upon his ocean of good nature
The parsonage of l. was being
repaired, and the young minister was
boarding at the Stanleys' during this
process, and preparing for the conyen-
ton which was to be held in their so
cicty the next week.
Suddenly he took Il great interest in
the family sitting room, and found II
pleasanter, am ashamed to say, read
, ing and talking to Kittie and her moth
er afternoons than writing sermons TOl
the people of l. to sleep under, ol
, even seeking out the unruly sheep oI
, the flock who had climbed the Srcta
rian fence. And Kittie well, perhap
, she, too. took more interest in the after
noon talk than the Sunday sermon
Mrs. Stanley, from her placid face, ont
might read that she was well satisfied
with both.
One afternoon Mr.. Stanly came il
, for some cloverseed, which Mrs. s., il
her careful way, had put in Il dry place
|, and she directed him up to the garrct
v After a few moments search he dc
scended with the clover-seed, and lief
:, it in the kitchen, while he prOcecdc
. into the sitting room with, hangingoye
, his arm, three pairs of old dilapidat
:, ed pants he had accidentally stumble
upon where Kittie had hidden them
~ one pair of striped, one of checked, an
another plain.
- "Kittie," he said, laying the cobwcl
and garments tenderly down upon tn
y stuffed chairs, "now this here is SON
y of your work, putting them away an
!, not half worn out You never will /
a. a the economical wife your mother is, IN
" " child. These could be mended into OF
m pair, and, as may want them to wea
>, YOU had better set about fixing 'em Il
ri as soon as mother can spare you
in And ont he stalked as innocent Of al
ao improperly as the meeiest lamb.
Kitties eyes flashed and dropped
she saw her father appear with Il
hated garments, and suspicious trer
re BILE gathered at the corners of h
Nv mouth and bushes leaped to her cheek
of but as he departed out of hearing s.
st, glanced at her mother and mirthfulne
* predominated over anger, and s.
burst into hearty laugh, which W
III Joined in by Mrs. Stanley and the mi
lister, who was fully acquainted wi
III the deacon's failing.
to That afternoon Kittie wore a seriOl
II preoccupied air, which had chang
mt the next morning to laughter at m,
ID unaccountable times and secret tilt,
gs, which quite astonished her mother. Il
cir as at the first leisure moment Kit
all WAS disappearing with the offendi
'gs garments, Mrs. Stanley asked;
elf "IIow are you going to fix them, X
igs tic?'
he And Kittie answered, giving them
He spiteful shake:
ing "l'll fix 'em, never mind.
pc. And the minister, finding Kittie l
the in the sitting-room that afternoon, I
In it his duty to continue his sermons
Zen his own room.
asst In the evening Kittie said TO
the father:
rhe "Those garments you wanted mt
owe ed, father, hang up in the closet hes
igs, your Sunday ones"
dly "Thats right, my dear; you'll mi
rb- a good wife yet for somebody" he
rh< swered encouraglngly, while XII
tie Auothered Il hypocritical little laugh
ere The convention was here, and
its parishioners' houses were crowded "
of guests. The deacon's home contai
of for guests, with the minister, P
Primstock and wife, Mr. and Mrs. \
ryday, Rev. Lycumgood, wife and
He ter, but extra help left the hostess
Ired Kittie time to entertain them. In
afternoon of the second day there