The Bad Lands cow boy. [volume] (Little Missouri, Dakota [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-1886, 1886-01-21
appearanee; f any one laughed where
slle was, she was sure she was the OBJ

appearance; & any one laughed where
she was, she was sure she was the oh
3eet OF their mirth.
Both mother and daughter were
i members OF one Of the Village churches.
which they managed to keen about
! hall the time in hot water with their
complaints. Each successive 1,astor.5
1 down to the last incumbent. dreade3
the sight OF the Widows old white
horse hating at the parsonage, for lie
knew he /, was in all probability to hear.
OF z 2 derellct lon on the part some one.
Deacon Hall, who had to pass her.
house on his way to the village, used
70 hurry up to avoid being called in
and asked some such q lestion as: S3F5,
What kind OF a Christian spirit he,
Thought it showed in brother Gabriel
to sell sugar that fell short four ounces
in nine pounds?, or ibid he think it
was the way ons church member
should serve another, an a woman
/ an @ widow at that, for Zenas Wise
to buy her calf for eight dollars, when
4 he knew Aaron Teeple got ten fer his'n,
and It hers was worth overy cent as
much ?,'' S5 i. "a, ..5l
But one week the Widow Hatch and
Almira Sophia were not in their accus-
j toned places in the weekly PRAYER
meeting, and the following Sunday
their pew, in. church was vacant at
both morning and evening service, an
Occurrences 80 almost unprecede
that early in the week Deacon Hall
1 called to inquire as to its cause. I.
well, Z said his wife on his return,
which is sick, Mis- Hatch or Almira
Sophia2's
Neither OF 'em,' Z. was the curt re-.
i ply and then the deacon sank into his:
fayorite chair with an audible groan.
mo, Loyila, the widow says some
body, but she didn't tell who, had
been slandering 'em, an she cried {, an
tsaid that she didn't think after she
and Almira Sophia had lived here all
their lives, an tried to be respectable
women and always paid their dues
to the. church. that they would
be treated like this; sho said she
knew there was some in the church felt
above her, but she hadn't paid any
attention to that, and that sho and
Almira Sophia had been sighted and
oyerlo oked, and put upon time an
i again, but she had oyerlo oked 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-und she
and Almira Sopoia felt that under the
circumstances it was impossible for
them to 60 to that church any longer,
and had concluded to ask for letters
of Dismissal (, .5-
~ "And what did Almira Sophia say7"
suppose she d have said the same
thing, for she's her mot theirs echo, but
I didn't see her ut all. Mis- Hatch
said she.was completely crushed. She
hoped, but she was afraid she'd never
be the same again she was before 345
"But WHAT'S the slander2 Pm sure
7 havn't heard anything. = & MS "a. 4
, Tor neither. When: I asked her
she said it was too public for. her to
need to repeat lit. / should think"
with q momentary twinkle Of his eye,
E"by the! fuss she made that it must be
pretty bad, either murder or arson or
I. burglary at least. " &
The deacon was q smild -mannered
man, Of great propriety Of conduct
and speech, but after. a moment s
i pause he exclaimed: .,55{3 a ,s
Hang it all, i wish they would 20,
then maybe could havea little peace
4 ofmy life. Only last winter there was
q row because Mrs. Spence took her
a little boy out Of Alnira Sophia's SIM
A day school class into her own, and /
had to get that Strengthened out: and
not many months ago ! had to 60 to
\ the new minister and tell him that
Sister Hatch saw him 20 to Harvey
Apps (was all on business, too J an,
4 she felt very much hurt, and didn't
know what she'd done, that the new
minister should 60 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: IT hope they will go
dnmbed i'll don't! is55i s n
Algonac was a little country village,
where when any pebble of incident
dropped into its quiet surface, the re-
sulting agitation quickly reached its
outer border. Soft was soon known
the Widow Hatch and Almira Sophia
had stopped attending church, and
were going to withdraw from it, be-
cause they had been slandered by the
members, and that the widow had
been ominously heard to remark that
Ah some people didn't look out they'd
4 have the law taken to them.o N
The SANDER formed the center OF
i postofhce gossip, and furnished the
principal topic at the sewing society;
indeed: one or two tea parties were Civ
en- on the strength OF it, and anynum-
Der or afterno on and evening calls,
slF.,1A 4 /, ~,
church (foi Algonac boosted only two
denominations, commonly known
from the color of their euifices, rs the
Brown" and White Church," be.
i tween whom existed the bitter rivalry
too often seen3in small yillages) was
reported to have said thnt she was
not q bit Surprised; but always had
her opinion about some Of those
white church e people,, If they did
act Us though they ought themselves
saints. And the tBl own church,
lministet publicly thanked the Lord
that peace and hrrmony reigned
among them, and that the voice of
false accusation was not heard in
their tent Of Zion y To which the
white church q people retorted that
they hoped they would never be guilty
of the marrow, sectarian. self-glorlfy-
4 ing spirit which aracterized the
dssBroWn churc Z, 5s5,
1 And as the result, q union-meeti
which had been started and was prom IS
ising to bring the two churches into
% closer bond of unity u, was bro ken IN
and the old root Of ;bitt erness between
/ them took q new and Wig orous growth.
The dolescent lawy had hung
out his sign in A gonac, and was bynoo.
means oYerwhe lmed With clients, ner.
Eceptibly brig teneds at the mention 81
/ libel suit, and not only read upH the