Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-04-02

woman you ever saw on ordinary occa-
sions; but when came around she was
always fast asleep-or pretended to be
and. though / often gave her a good,
hearty nudge, it never amounted to
anything; she never so much as quiv-
cred, but sat as immovable as marble
statue, with her eyes as close shut as
the jaws of a sprung bear-trap. / did
catch her once. however, by returning
unexpectedly to her pew, after having
passed it. Her eyes were wide open,
but as soon as she saw me she looked
up toward the ceiling with a heavenly
expression, as though lost in pious
meditation. | stayed as long as l
dared, but it was no Use. Her eyes
never quit the rafters, and had to give
it up and move on.
Then there was GIabemall. the rich
contractor. 1t almost made me split
my sides sometimes to see the oStenta-
tiOus way in VIII ch he would drop a
nickel into my pouch. l knew. OF
course, Just how much he contributed;
but everybody else supposed, from the
air of careless prodigality which he
put on, that he had given five dollars,
at least. How different his manner
was from that of Widow Goode, who
sat just behind him! She never gave
less than a dollar. L knew she couldn't
afford it, and it almost made me feel
like a thief to take it from her. She
used to slyp the money into my pocket,
as though she were doing something
wicked, and were ashamed to let any
body know it.
The young ladies would hold out
dime in their delicate gloved fingers
with a sanctimonious air, and then just
as likely as not gggle right in my
face, though / never could understand
what they saw to laugh at; the chill
dren would throw their great noisy
pennies into my pocket with a jolly
eagerness that was quite refreshing,
but | must own that | went away from
their pews Oftentimes with very heavy
heart. and feeling quite cheap, not
withstanding their plentiful donations;
and there was one family of boys
the Little rascals!-who used to put
lozenges into my pocket. [ afterward
found out that their mother gave them
ten cents apiece, and they used to buy
candy with it and feed me with sweet
meats But perhaps the young scamps
We're not really so bad. after all Pos
sibly they thought the little heather
I'll III Inc Il lilllc HOW
and then as well as themselves.
Il have noticed that people like to
sit behind the man who gave dollar
bill. They all of them always gave
mething-and | have been so I'M
charitable rs to think that they wanted
to have it seem to the pews back of
them that it was they who contributed
the dollar, and not the little bald
hos I,1 I
pose one reason why | got this idea
into my head was because when the
first pew gave only small piece OF
money, | wouldn't receive another cent
in the whole aisle; as though, so |
fancied, everybody was afraid to give
himself away, as they say nowadays.
Il used to smile when the deacon
who carried me around would stand up
before t4e whole congregation and
throw handful of coin into my
pocket. Everybody got the impression
that the good deacon was Il very benev-
olent gentleman, and | more than half
believe that he thought SO himself. His
face looked like a horn of plenty, and
he gave the money in such an alb
stracted manner that, though nobody
could fail to see the operation, every
body must have thought that he was
quite ObliyiOuS to anyOne'S presence.
But between you and me. the deacon
never put in any mOney-not a cent. L
assure you. When he went to church
he always had lot of tin disks. Of
course, they were always discovered
when the money was counted. but
everybody laid it to the boys up in the
gallery. However. the deacon's con-
tribution did power of good, not so
much for its intrinsic worth as from
the beautiful example it afforded to
others. If the deacon could be so
liberal, others felt as though
they could give generously also.
There's nothing SO potent in this
world, after all, as a good example.
Il couldn't begin to tell you all the
queer things I've SEEM" continued the
contribution box. ''Some folks who [
knew hadn't paid their butcher for six
months would give literally. and others
who were worth no end of money
would hold out ten cent piece and let
90 of it with great reluctance and with
a sigh and shudder that We're quite
saddening. But the lmeanest man |
ever knew was well-dressed chap
whom detected more than once put
ting in a dime and taking out quar-
ter. | never passed hun unnOticed,
and he was generally considered one of
the main supports of the church, but L
could have told a quite different story"
The contribution box stopped speak
ing Poss BILE, however, it might have
resumed and told many more strange
things, but just at this moment the
sexton came along, and remarking: Il
guess you are good for nothing now
but firewood," crushed the contrbu-
ton box beneath his heavy heel and
Knocked it into kjndlng wood A mo-
ment later and poor old contribution
box was but a handful of ashes at the
bottom of the furnace. Boston Iraas-
script.