Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-12-16
Beating His Wife.

body was talking about il. 1t was too
bad, they said. What was too badf
Why, the new minister had been beat
ing his wife Was it possible2 Yesg
there could be no doubt about it. Mrs
b., who lives next door, heard shrek
about 10 o'clock last night-a woman's
shrek from a chamber in the parsonage.
She looked across, and through the cur
tain she could see that man and woman
were running about the room in great
excitement He was hourish:ng stick,
and striking with it, The blows could
oe plainly heard. And as he struck, she
screamed.
Mrs. s. could hardly sleep that night.
she was 30 excited by what she had seen.
She was up early next morning. She
hurried through her breakfast, and then
started QUITO See the poor abused min
ister's wife, and comfort herr Not :
bit Of it. She went to Elder A. 5, found
the family at the table, and told ths
news. Then she footed on 10 Elder BIS
and Deacon c. g, and over half the town
The half that she had not time to call
on soon heard it from the other half,
and before noon there was a great ex-
citement IN Ballville
The officers OF the church discussed
the matter with heavy hearts. Such
disgaceful conduct could not be en-
dured. Something must be done But
what? Call at once on the minister and
his wife and inquire into the matterf
Oh, no that would not be dignifed and
official. Beside, there could be no doubt
about it. Did not Mrs. s. see the beat
ing with her own eyes? So they called
a meeting Of the session, and summoned
the minister and his wife, he TO An
swer 10 a charge Of unministerial' con-
duct, and she 10 testify in the case.
They came, greatly puzzled and sur
prised. The case WAS gravely stated by
the senior elder, when the culprit and
witness burst into a laugh. Checking
themselves when they cav how serious
and sad the session looked, they e1-
planned:
The minister's wife, though an excel
lent woman who loved everybody, cspe-
cially her husband, did not love rata.
But, the house having been vacant for
some time, the rats had taken posses
sion. When they went TO their cham
ber, huge rodent ran under the bed.
The wife screamed the husband caught
up a stick and tried to kill the intruder.
/ Every time he struck at and missed the
rat the lady screamed again. How
could she help it? 1t was an exciting
scene, and must have looked very funny
10 their neighbors, who were watching
through the curtained window. They
laughed heartily when it was all ovcz
and the rat was dead, and they could
not help laughing whenever aAy
thought about it.
The m were in fix They were
down ol. frs. S. for making fools oi
them. They d her, "Why didnf
| you go over minister's and make
sure about natter before You re-
ported it?' --d she retorted, why
didn't you go and inquire into it before
you called a neeting?" And all the
town that talked about how the minista
abused his wife is talking about what an
awful gossip Mrs. S. is, and how she
/ fooled the elders Of our church.
lam mortified and Disguised Is there
any way to cure these misunderstanding
/ gossips? Would it be right to hang
them? II seems to me that the passage
in the third chapter Of James about the
tongue ought TO be printed in big letters
on q card andhung up in all our churche&
/ Don't you think SOP