The Bossier banner., 1885-06-25
A VACATION.
How Rev. Mr.. Elderberry En-
ployed His Season of Rest.

Reverend Jonas Elderberry had
preached in Flintville twenty years, and
had never had aVacation. Sickness and
death had caused him to use few Sun
days now and then, and after much de-
liberation, not entirely free from acri--
mony, the church had decided on each
of these occasions not to deduct any
thing from his salary, concession
which was thought very generous, as
he received ,seyen hundred year, and
the parsonage rent free. Still these
brief respites from labor were not vaca-
tons. Thongh q quiet man. Mr.. Elder
berry was not without ambitions and
dreams. He sometimes wrote short
articles and poetry, which appeared in
magazines and newspapers under the
veil Of 50. E.,n and were pronounced
by the editors imaginative So it
was not strange that he often fancied
himself and his little wife, Matilda,
going on real vacation, and looking
upon the mountains and the sea. But
these dreams we're like others he had of
owning reliable gold watch instead of
the ridiculous silver turnip that ticked
away like toWn-clock in his pocket,
or of owning homesof which he could
speak proudly as my house." In his
sober moments-and most of his life
was very sober, indeed-he never ex-
pected to have any of these dreams
realized. s.a,e+s-ra5.ss
The children that had come to the
parsonage had all died in infancy, and
perhaps that was the reason that there
was almost always some one stopping
there. All the cousins came, even to
the fourth and fifth degrees, and cousins
reduced to their lowest terms, SO to
speak; and this abundant hospitality
cost something, in spite of the fact
that Mrs. Elderberry was the. maid
of all work; and so, Notwithstanding the
sevenhundred year. and an occasional
tve dollars from some editor, Mr. Elder
berrys only bank stock was few hun
dreds in what was called. expressively,
''back salary sagss
tlintville, though an old place, was
little more than one long street, lined
with white houses, well hidden from
the road by honey-locusts and poplars.
The Orthodox Westinghouse had re-
ceived sundry coats of paint, but in
other respects was, just as it was the
first time Mr.. Elderberry entered it. /
The people were conservative, and the
orthodox were the most conservative in
the places so they quietly ignored the
smart little pine box called '.The
Church, (which had sprairig up on one
side OF them, and the squat brick build
ing around the corner called the Halle
inlah Chapel, and resisted innovations.
Rev. Julius Surplice. rector of 1.-The
Church, " took a vacation in July; but as
ne was an unmarried man, it was sup
posed he spent the time with his parents.
! AS for the Chapel, its ministers came
and went too often to need a vacation;
while In Flintville, as Mr.. Elderberry
read his sermons, it was known that he
Mrote tnem; sblt ganY male member of
ms Hook, if asked his opinion of such
iaoor, would have said: ''It must be
easy enough to sit in the house, and
write things out fef your head, If YOU
nave been to college" AS for the
: women, while they considered sermon
wrlting too deep for the female mind,
shey yet considered it something of the
ts'o: nature OF woman's work. not a definite
BUSINESS, but an occupation to be taken
up at edd moments, as kniftino. or
paschwork, when nothing more impor-
tant was going on. eA
Is nature 1se s can not endure everlasting droop-
and MIR. Elderberry had twice asked for
ay, vacation without success. when Mr5I
ni1akers of Chicago, after doing
sonething very sharp in corn, sent his /
sNsW 70 FIintyille. to visit her fathsrsl,
Beacon Billings. n : never sa heard Of =
sbn shllisler preaching through Augustr'
s sne exclaimed, lifting her beieweled
aa 9aaas And the next Sunday the long
uesired ,S vacation was granted. although
squire Pogg opposed it, saving, if he
nIreu q man to hoe corn, he did not ex-
peeS @ nim to skip every OTHER rew.
. aWhere shall we 90, Matildap,, said
al. s.r Eidierherry. thenext morning.
Ne. exclaimed Mrs. Elderberrv.
II'einuioasiy. '1tsyourvacation, Jonas.
IL a. aon,t see how / can leave. There's
sie mems. and the house, and the mis-
Sy SS,1hary bed-quilt; and Cousin Alzina
| slsap,e 2, To come any das.n,
NY dear, said Mr.. Elderberry.
WI, WIN 1nll eyes, IF 1 go anywhere you
snan al accompany me" q
thursday evening came: but Mr.
!Eioeroerry had not succeeded in obtain
ing cent from the ..back SALARY - He