River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-11-12

WltD HtTs anu ECNtI w Us tIt biu duagGy
Like mother, like daughter" more
strikingly verified; the same inverte-
brate spine, sallow complexion, stony
eyes, colorless hair, and worst of all
the same jealous, suspicious nature.
Without question the poor girl was to
be pitied for the blighting atmosphere
in which she had grown up.
Perhaps, indeed, people of that tenn
perature are to be more pitied than
blamed for the diseased state of mind
which fills their lives with such need
less misery; at the same time our COM
passion is usually bestowed On those
who suffer because of the jealousy,
rather than the ones who endure the
pangs.
From Almira Sophia's earliest child
hood she had been on the lookout for
Sights and iniuries--a search in which
they who engage seldom fail to find
their object. When little girl III
| pinafores. she used to come home from
/ school with long complaints OF the
teachers partiality, of the girls who
| had made faces at her, and the boys
who had called her names. As she
| grew older and her self-consciousness
| increased, if any one looked at her she
/ fancied they were criticising her APP
/ pearance; if any one laughed where
/ she was, she was sure she was the OBJ
/ ject of their mirth.
| Both mother and daughter were
members of one of the village church
es, which they managed to keep about
half the time in hot water with their
! complaints. Each successive pastor,
/ a. - Tho Lost inntrta hnnt
! dreaded the sight of the widow old
white horse hating at the parsonage
for he knew he was in all probability
| to hear of dereliction ON the part of
some one.
Deacon Hall, who had to pass her
house on his way to the village, used
to hurry up to avoid being called in
and asked some such questions as:
what kind of Christian spirit he
thought it showed in brother Gabriel to
sell sugar that fell short four ounces
in nine pounds?" or did he think it
was the way one church member should
serve another, an woman an a
widow at that, for Ztnas Wise to buy
her calf for eight dollars, when he
knew Aaron Teeple got ten for his n,
and hers was worth every cent as
much?"
But one week the Widow Hatch and
Almira Sophia were not in their accus-
toned places in the weekly prayer
meeting, and the following Sunday
their pew in church was vacant at
both morning and evening service, an
occurrence so almost unprecedented
that early in the week Deacon Hall
called to inquire as to its cause.
We'll, said his wife on his return,
which is sick, Mis- Hatch or Amelia
Sophia?"
Neither of EN- was the curt re-
ply, and then the deacon sank into his
favorite chair with an audible groan.
mo. Lovila. the widow saws somebody,
but she didn't tell who. had been SLAM
dering EN-, an she cried an said that
she didn't think after she and Almira
Sophia had lived here all their lives.
an tried to be respectable women an
ALWAYS paid their dues to the church, |
that they would be treated like this;
she said she knew there was some in
the church felt above her but she hadn't
paid any attention to that, and that
she and Almira Sophia had been slight
ed and overlooked, and put upon time
an again. and she had overlooked that
but to be slandered by her own church
members was a little too much, and
not herself alone: she might have borne
that but her fatherless child-and she
and Almira Sophia felt that under the
circumstances it was impossible for
them to 90 to that church any longer,
and had concluded to ask for letters
of dismissal
''And what did Almira Sophia say?"
Il suppose she'd have said the same
thing for she's her mother echo, but |
didn see her at all. Mis- Hatch said
she was completely crushed. She hoped,
but she was afraid she'd never be the
same again she was before.
But what is the slanderP I'm sure
Ihavn't heard anything.
Nor / either. When l asked her
she said it was too public for her to
need to repeat it. | should think with
a momentary twinkle of his eye, "by
the fuss she made it must be pretty
bad, either murder or arson or burg
larry at least.
The deacon was a mild-mannered
man, of great propriety of conduct and |
speech, but after a moments pause he |
exclaimed:
Hang it all, wish they would 90 !
then maybe | could have little peace
of nv life. Only last winter there was /
a row because Mrs. Spence took her /
little boy out Of Almira Sophias Sun
dav school class into he" own, and |
had to get that Strengthened out; and |
not two months ago had to go to the
new minister and tell him that Sister
L. linn ~ TIapvpyr (
Ctwas all on business, tool an she felt |
very much hurt. and didn't know what
she'd done, that the new minister
should 90 right past her to call on the
other church members.
And as the deacon's feelings rose
with the retrospect. he exclaimed with |
added emphasis, Il hope they will 60,
dumbed if | don't!''
Algonac was little country village,
where, when any pebble of incident
dropped into its quiet surface, the re-
sulting agitation quickly reached its |
outer border. So it was soon known /
the Widow Hatch and Almira Sophia |
had stopped attending church, and I
were going to withdraw from it, be- /
cause the bod been slandered by the |
members. &ad that the widow had |
been omnously heard to remark that
''if some people didn't look out they'd /
get the law taken to them.
The SANDER formed the centre of
post-ofiice gossip, and furnished the
principle topic at the sewing society; /
indeed, one or two tea parties were
given on the strength of it, and any
number of afternoon and evening calls I
were touched.
A leading member of the opposite /
church (for AlgOnac boosted only two +
denominations. commonly known from /
the color of their edifices as the +
Brown" and white Church. be-
tween whom existed the bitter rivalry |
too often seen in small villages), was
reported to have said that she was not |
bit surprised; she had always I
had her opinion about some of those /
white church people, if they did act
as though they thought themselves
saints. And the Brown church
minister publicly thanked the Lord
that peace and harmony reigned
among. and that the voice of false ac-
cusation was not heard in their tent OF
Zion. To which the white church
people retorted that they hoped they |
never would be guilty f showing the
narrow. sectarian, self-glorifying |
shirt N hic,, characterized the Brown |