Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-07-28
neacon Emmons, Fxperiepce.


ity, full in earnest to do this, his Lords
work, and to do it with all his might. but
he did sometimes feel discouraged. "My
dear friends" he said, "you all know
though did not give any notice to that
effect-that this week is the Week of
Prayer. l have mind to ask you to
make it for this once week of practice
instead. Perhaps you will find work that
ye know not lying in your midst. And
let us all on Saturday evening meet here
again and choose some one brother to re-
late his experience of the week. You who
are willing to try this method, please TO
rise.
Everybody rose except ole Amos Tucker,
who never stirred, though his wife pulled
at him and whispered to him imploringly.
He only shook his grizzled head and sat
immovable.
Saturday night the church assembled
again. The cheerful eagerness was gone
from their faces they looked downcast,
troubled, weary-as the pastor expected.
When the box for ballots was passed
about, each one tore bit of paper from
the sheet placed in the hymn books for
the purpose, and wrote on it a name. The
pastor said, after he had counted them !:
deacon Emmons, the lot has fallen on
you"
I'm sorry fort" said the deacon, ris-
ing up and taking off his overcoat. 81
ha'n't got the best of records, Mr.. Parkes,
now tell ye.
"Well, brethren, he said, am pref.
ty we'll ashamed of myself. no doubt, but
| ought to be, and may be l shall profit by
what I've found ont these six days back.
I'll tell you just as it come. Monday l
looked about me, to begin with. am
amazing fond of coffee, and it amt good
for me--the doctor says it amt so |
thought I'd try on that to begin with. |
tell you it come hard. l hankered after
thst drink of coffee dreadful Seemed as
though l couldn't eat my breakfast with
out it. feel pity to man that loves
liquor, more'n 1 ever did in my life before !;
but feel sure they can stop if they'll
try, for I've stopped, and Pm goin' to
stay stopped.
"Well, come to dinner, there was an
other fight. 1 do set by pie the most of
anything. l was fetched up on pie, as you
may say. Our folks always had it three
times day, and the doctor he's been talkin'
and talkin' to me about eatin' pie. l have
the dyspepsy like everything, and it makes
me useless by spells, and unreliable as q
weather-cock. An DR.. Drake he says
there won't nothing help me but to diet. |
was readin' the Bible that morning while
sat waiting for breakfast, for twas Mon
day, and wife was kind of set back with
washin' and all, and came acrost that part
where it says that the bodies of Christians
are temples of the Holy Ghost. Well,
thinks l, we'd ought to take care of 'em if
they be, and see that they're KEEP clean and
pleasant, like the church and nobody can
be clean nor pleasant that has dyspepsy.
But, come to pie, l felt as though couldn'tl
and, 10 we, l didn't eat piece right
against my conscience; faoin' what
l knew / ought to do | went and
done what ought not to. tell we, my
conscience made music of ME consider BILE,
and l said then l wouldn't never sneer at
drinkin' man no more when he slipped
up. I'd feel for him an help him, for l
see just how it was. So that days prac-
tice Civ out, but it learnt me a good deal
more'n 1 knew before.
81 started out next day to look up my
Bible class. Well, 'twould take the evenin'
to tell it all, but I found one real sick,
been abed for three weeks, and was so
glad to see me that felt fair ashamed.
Then another mans old mother says to me,
before he come in from the shed, says she
He's been sayin' that If folks practiced
what they preached, you'd ma come round
to look him up afore now, but he reckoned
you kinder looked down on mill-hands
I'm awful glad you come Brethering, so
was l. tell you that days work did me
good. got poor opinion of Josiah En-
mons, now tell ye, but l learned more
about the Lords wisdom than month O.
Sundays ever showed me.
"Now come fellowship day. thought
that would be all plain sailin' seemed as
though I'd got warmed up till l felt
pleasant towardst everybody, 80 l went
around seem folks that was neighbors,
and twas easy but when come home
Squire fuckers black bull is into tn
orchard tearin' round, and he's knocked
two lengths of fence down fat! Well,
the old Adam riz up then, you'd better
b'lieve. That black bull has been break
in into my lots ever since we got in tn
Saftermath, and it's Squire fuckers fence,
and he won't make it bHll-strong, as he'd
oughter and that orchard was a young
one, just comm to bear, and all the new
wood crisp as craoklin's with frost. You'd
better b'lieve / didn't have much Teller
feeling with Amos Tucker. l jest put
over to his house and spoke up pretty free
to him, when he looked up and says, says
he: Fellowship meetin' day, amt it,
Deacong I'd ruther he'd hs' slapped my
face. 1 felt as though l should like to
slip behind the door. l see pretty distinct
what sort of life I'd been Twin all the
years I'd been professor, when l couldn't
hold on to my tongue and temper one day"
"Breth. e-ren, interrupted slow, harsh
. voice, somewhat broken with emotion,
"I'll tell the rest ont. Josiah Emmons
come around like a man an Christian
right there. He asked me for to forgive
him, and not to think twas the fault of his
religion, because twas his'n and nothing
else. l think more OF him to-day than
ever done before. was one that wouldn't
say I'd practice with the rest of ye. l
thought twas everlasting nonsense. I'd
ruther go to forty.nine prayer.meetin's
than work at bein' good week. b'lieve
my hope has been one of them that perish;
it ha'n't worked, and leave it behind to-
day. / mean to begin honest, and it was
seein' one honest Christian man fetchedme
round tot"
Amos Tucker sat down and buried his
grizzled head in his rough hands.
go on, Brother Emmons, said the
minister.
"Bless the Lord !" said the quavering
tones of still older man from far corner
of the house, and many glistening eye
gave silent response.
"Well, when next day came l got up to
make the fire, and my boy Joe had forgot
the kindlin's. I'd opened my mouth to
give him Jesse, when It come over me sud-
den that this was the day Of prayer for the
family relation. 1 thought wouldn't say
nothing. | Jest fetched in the kindlin's
myself, and when the fire burnt up good I
called my wife.
"'Dear me = says she. I've got such
headache, 'Siah, but I'll come in a minnit.
1 didn't mind that, for women are always
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