Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1883-03-15


Wednesday evening prayer meeting at
our house First, there were four peo-
pie came, and ma asked pa to stay to
make up quorum, and pa said seeing
lie had two pair, he guessed lie would
stay in, and if ma would deal him
queen he would have a full hand. l
don't know what pa meant, but he
plays draw poker sometimes. Any
way, there was eleven people came in
cludng the minister, and after they
had talked about the neighbors spell
and ina had showed the women "a new
tidy sh. had worked for the heather,
with motto OH it which pa had taught
her, "a contrite heart beast bob
tailed flush" and pa had talked to the
men about IA religious silver mine he
was selling stock in, which he advised
them as friend to buy for the glory
of the church, they all went in the
back parlor and the minister led in
prayer. He got down on his knees
right under the parrots cage, and you'd
dide to see Polly hang on the wire
of the cage with one foot and drop a
apple core on the minister's head. Ma
shook her handkerchief at Polly, and
looked sassy, and Polly got up on the
perch, and as the minister got warmed
up and began to raise the roof, Polly
said, 30, dry up" The minister had
his eyes shut, but he opened one of
them a little and looked at pa. Pa
was tickled at the parrot, but when the
minister looked at pa, as though it was
him that was making lrreverent re-
marks, pa was mad. The minister got
to the Amen and Polly shook hissaf
and said, What you giving us" and
the minister got up and brushed the
bird seed off his knees, and he looked
mad. | thought ma would sink with
modification, and | was sitting on
piano stool looking as pious as Sun
day school superintendent the Sunday
before he skips out with the bank
funds, and ma looked at me as though
she thought it was me that had been
tampering with the parrot. Gosh,
never said a word to that parrot, and
| can prove it by my chum. Well, the
minister asked one of the sisters if she
wouldn't pray. and She was engaged.
SO she said. with pleasure, and she
kneeled down, but she corked herself,
cause she got one knee on a cast-iron
dumb-bell that l had been practicing
with She said 20. my" in dis
gusted sort of way, and then she be-
gan to pray for the reformation of the
youth OF the land, and asked for ;he
spirit to d .scend on the household, and
particularly on the boy that was such
a care and anxiety TO his parents, and
just then Polly said, 80, pull down
your vest" o, you'd n dide to see
that woman look at me. The parrot
cage was partly behind the window
curtain, and they couldn't see it, and
she thought it was me. She looked at
ma as though she was wondering why
she didn't hit ME with poker, but she
went on, and Polly said, Wipe off
your chin" and then she got through
and got up, and told ina it must be a
great trial TO have an idiotic child, and
then ma she was mad and said it was
mt half so bad as it was 10 be Il klep-
tomaniac, and then the woman got up
and said she wouldn't stay no longer,
and pa said TO me to take that parrot
. ont doors, and that seemed to make
them all good natured again Ma said
to take the parrot and give il 10 the
poor / took the cage and pointed NY
> finger at the parrot and it looked at
, the woman and said, "Old catama-
! ram" and the woman tried to look
, pious and resigned, but she couldn't.
As was going out the door the parrot
, ruffed up his feathers and said, Dam
, nit, set 'em up" and / hurried out
, with the cage for fear he would say
r something bad, and the folks all held
5 up their hands and said it was scanda-
= lous. Say, | wonder if a parrot can
$ go TO hell with the rest of the commu-
4 nityi Well, put the parrot in the
r wood-shed, and after they all had their
, innings, except pa, who acted as um.
e pire, the meeting broke up, and ma
D says it's the last time she will have
II that gang at her house.
+. That must have been where youl
] pa got his black eye," said the grocery
y man, as he charged the bunch of Gel
J. cry to the boys pa. Did the minis
I ter hit him, or was it one of the sis
}, ters2"
|. 80, he didn't get his black eye al
h prayer meeting" said the boy, as n,
II took his mittens off the stove and rub
Is bed them to get the stifrening out
v. 1T was from boxing. Pa told IN!
* chum and ne that il was no harm Il
Ie learn to box, cause we could defenC
le ourselves and he said he used to be |
W holy terror with the boxing glove
" when he was boy, and he has beer
q giving US lessons. Well, he is n,