Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1883-08-10
Eelerf Reahing.
Breaking the Sabbath.

"But what is it about your pa and
ma being turned out Of the church ?"
said the grocery man. 81 hear that
they scandalized themselves horribly
last Sunday"
"Well, you see, me and my chum
put up job on pa to make him think
Sunday was only Saturday, and ma
she fell into it, and guess We are all
going to get fired from the church for
working on Sunday. You see they
didn't 90 to meetin' last Sunday be-
cause mas new bonnet hadn't come,
and Monday and Tuesday it rained,
and the rest of the week was so muddy
no one called, or they could not get
anywhere, so Monday slid out early
tsAtlhe daily paper, and on Tues
day my chum he got the paper off the
steps and put Mondays paper in its
place. | watched when they were
reading it, but they did not notice the
date. Then Wednesday we put Tues
days paper on the steps, and pa said
that it seemed more than Tuesday,
but ma she got the paper of the day
before and looked at the date and said
it Sc med so to her, but she guessed
that they had lost day somehow.
Thursday We got Wednesdays paper
on the steps, and Friday We rung in
Thursdays paper, and Saturday my
chum he got Fridays paper on the
steps, and ma said she guessed she
would wash tomorrow, and pa said he
believed he would hoe in the garden
and get the weeds out, so it would
look letter to folks when they went
by Sunday to church Well, Sunday
morning came, and with it Saturdays
daily paper, and pa barely glanced it
over as be got on his overalls and
went out in his shirt sleeves hoeing
IN the front garden. And | and my
chum helped ma Carry water to wash.
She said 1t seemed like the longest
week she ever saw, but when we
brought the Water and took a plate Of
pickles to the hired girl that was down
with the mumps, We got in the lilac
bushes and waited for the curtain to
rise. 1t wasn't long before folks be-
gan going to church, and you'd died
laughing to see them all stop in front
OF where ma was washing and look at
her, and then 60 on to where pa was
hoeing weeds and stop and look at
him, and them drive on. After about
a dozen teams had passed l heard ma
ask pa if he knew who was dead, as
there must be a funeral somewhere.
Pa had just hoed into humble bees
nest, and said he did not know Of any
that was dead, but knew some that
ought 10 be, and ma she did not ask
any foolish questions any more. After
about twenty teams had stopped, ma
she got nervous and asked Deacon
Smith if he saw anything green; he
said something about desecration and
drove away Deacon Brown asked pa
if he did not think he was setting IA
tad example before his boy, but pa
said he thought it would be good one
if the boy could only be hired to do it.
Finally ma got mad and took the tub
behind the house where they could
not see her. About 4 o'clock that
afternoon We saw dozen of our con-
or, CATION, headed by the minister, file
into our yard, and my chum and
knew it was time to fly, so we got on
the ck-steps where We could hear.
Pa met them at the door, expecting
some bad news, and when they were
seated ma she came in and remarked
it was very unhealthy year and it
stood people in hand to meet their
latter end. None of them said word
until the elder put on his specks and
said it was solemn occasion, and ma
she turned pale and wondered who it
could be, and pa says, don't keep us
lie suspense, who is dead? and the
elder said no enc was dead, but they
called as duty they owed the cause
TO take action on them for working on
Sunday. Ma she tainted away and
they threw a pitcher Of water down
her back but they all swore
it was Sunday and they saw ma
washing and pa out hoeing as they
went to church, and they had called
to take action on them. Then there
was few minutes conversation /
could not catch, and then we heard pa
kick his chair over and say 1t was
more tricks of that darned boy; then we
knew it was time to adjourn, and |
was just getting through the back
fence as pa reached me with barrel
stave, and that's what makes me limp
some."-Peck's San.