Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-10-03
UNCLE JEREMY'S DEVOTIONS

Uncle Jeremy was devotional man.
He was at home In secret and in public
prayer and praise, and in family worship
he was, 1 believe, considered, an exam
pie, at least by the brothers and sisters
of Jonesbury church, of which he was
deacon; for often heard from this one
or that one of the elect who accepted his
hospitality, which was as free as his own
great heart, what a gift he has at prayer!''
or, ibid you ever hear the like? 1t fair
ly lifts one to the third heaven
Uncle Jeremy was nay uncle's brother,
and each summer we all went from the
city out to his home among the hills to
spend the vacation months. By all l
mean my mother, my brother Joe and
myself-that was all of our family since
dear father died.
Remember what good times we had,
how uncle Jeremy was almost a child
with us-Joe and I; he even rolled with
US upon the hay and then kept us busy
picking the hay from his hair. I believe
now it was a ruse of his to get our young
fingers inio his old locks, for they were
old to US even then, when a white hair
was to US sign of age. And remember.
too that the prayers were a source of
dread to Joe and me, they seemed so
long, and repetition day after day of
the same thing. And he always end
ed with this petition: "Grant that at the
last thy servants may all be gathered
from the east, from the west, from the
north and from the south and have the
blessed privilege of sitting down with
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in Thy king
dom aboyeY
| did not think then that it would be a
privilege to sit next to those old patri-
archs, they seemed so far removed in their
lives-from what read of tAem-trom
all freshness and beauty, and even from
love; and had vague idea that they
wouldn't lose that kind of character, the
character had made for them, when
they got to heaven; and / imagined them
spelling the pleasure of our little party
IN heaven. And much more than this I
thought, or rather my brother and did;
we really had no separate thoughts. or at
least none that vera not shared.
If on any beautiful morning uncle Jer-
envy noticed our longing LOOKS out to-
ward the free air and the sunshine, he
made no sign of such knowledge, and he
never shortened or passed lightly over
any part Of the morning service, neither
did he allow any pleasure or business
contingencies to interfere with this early
morning duty.
One summer, as the school year drew
TO a close, and vacation came on apace.
we began to make our plans, and to bring
forth our slumbering anticlpations for
our coming visit to the country. At last
the school closed, and how glad we felt
that the time for our visit was now close
at hand; but the very next day my brother
implanted Of headache, and he seem
ed so splritless and miserable that 1 be-
gan to lose my interest in things about
me, and to feel that life would be nothing
without my dear brother Joe.
He grew rapidly worse, and in few
days was wrestling with fever for his
life. What dreadful DAYS those were
when was banished from the room
where he lay moaning and tossing in his
fever. kept my watch outside day
by day, and at last the welcome news
came to No "The fever has turned; YOUR
brother is better!' Then at last the hours
OF extreme weakness were past, and they
allowed me to go close to the bedside
and speak to my brother, and to kiss
him. l felt that l had never known be-
fore what it was to be happy, those were
such bllsstul moments, when he began
TO get stronger, and was able to talk witt;
me about our visit. Ono day when
we were thus talking, he said:
Last night lay awake thinking OF
the good times we had at uncle's. And
1 wondered if should ever have them
again: sometimes really think shan't.
| don't feel bit as used to; and I've
waited so long for the old life used to
feel to come back, but it don't come.
Well, wien [ was thinking the other
night, remembered how we used to
get tired hearing uncle pray, and so sick
of that about sitting down VITA the old
people, the old patriarch's, 1 mean; and
l wondered il ne really thought he'd
like it; then went to sleep,and dreamed
that | lett you all and went to heaven.
"Left Us allp' I cried In agony. ooh.
Joep
But he SAID sooshingly, "Yoa won't
feel badly when l tell you how it was"
and be went on:
Heaven seemed SO different from
what l thought. They weren't sitting
round In rows at all, and they had the
most beautiful flowers and trees. WHY,
uncle Jeremy's place is just nothing by
the side of heavenl And who do YOU
think | dreamed came to meet mes
Why, man that had such wonderful
face, and smiled on me in snch a splen-
did way. / never saw anything like it
before. And would you believe it, he
said his name was Abraham. I was so
astonished, and asked:
"'You don't mean one of the patri-
archsa'
land why not?' he asked.
Il guess turned very red, and don't
know how ! answered Then he led me
away aud introduced me to Isaac and
Jacob, and they were splendid, too, and
they all said:
"'We are SO glad to sec you, and are
your friends coming by-and-by9'
II said knew mother would because
she talked about it all the time, and l
knew Oucle Iarnrnu vUonJd booo,reo bo