The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-01-08
AN OLD-TIME STORY.
Why the New Meeting House Was
Moved From the Hill.

Moved From the Hill.
Yes, twas the last sermon we ever
heard in that old house, or t was ever
preached by the good old man.
Some wouldn't cali it sermon.
though, an perhaps 'tisn't jest the
word for it, but twill do we'll enough.
I'll tell We how twas. if we're in no
hurry, an then We can jedge for yer
selves. There's a good moon Jest afore
ten, or whereabouts, an that's as soon's
YEN want ter start. reckon. So pull
around the lounge, Kate; an, Nose,
poke up the blaze a bit There's
nothin' like a big fire to tell stories
by, specially when they're old-time
stories, told after the chores are done.
Wen keep the cheers, Cynthia, an
leave the lounge for yea young folks
Set the apples on the hearth, if YOU
haven't room, an I'll take Joe. He's
pooty big to hold, but then, | never
could talk frst-rate about ola times
'thout somethin' on my knee It sorter
leads my thoughts back, We know, N
helps bring things to mind.
Well, yG see the way twas, we'd
been tryin' ter build a new meetin'-
house. The schOol-house wasn't large,
still it held us comfort bly, most times;
but one way n another we got to
talkin' mp a new house, an almost be-
fore we knew it we'd decided ter
build it.
| s'pose't always happens on such
occasions that there's about half-a-
dozen places where a meetin' house
can be built, an about as many differ
ent ones who think the good twill do
all depends ON its bein' built where
they say. Twas so with us, only more
so, for we had more'n half-a-dozen
places.
After awhile, though, we got 'em
down to two, but by that time the
height of the steeple couldn't be de-
cided on, an a special meetin had to
be called to settle that
Ears the stecple was concerned. /
didn't care so very much myself or
really whether we had any steeple at
all but it did seem 5 though the build-
i'm oughter be in the trees by the
schOol-house. You don't know how
pOoty twas there in summer time,
fore the biggest trees bowed down
an winters, too, for that matter. The
trees WIS always full of birds n things,
a-singin' an a-chipperin'
An sich q nice place ter tie yer boss
of hot day. An if a baby begun TO
fuss an fume-as babies will when the
sermons uncommon dry-why. We
could take EN- out under the trees an
show 'em the birds m things. an fore
ye'd know ii they'd begin ter crow an
ter laff
Well, as Is tellin' We, Manda N |
sorter wanted it there. An in fact, all
the old folks did. but the younger ones
thought 'twouldn't be seen much
among the trees, and they wanted it
out on the Hill bit
We felt badly enough about it, we
old folks did an tie little Scripter
they scraPcd up, sich as "A city that's
set on hiii.' an somethin' about
goin' zap to the house of the Lord, -
an so forth, didn't comfort rs much
nor make the old trees seem any less
like home.
Well, the long am short ont is, we
let it 90, an they built the new house
on the hill. Twas long i'm the early
fall, an the house was nearly done an
off'n on we'd heard it limited twas
bout time ter hold meetin's in it, So
the fust thing we knew, one Sunday
twas given ont that two weeks from
chat Providence permittin' -
services would be held at the new
meetin' house.
This was more tryin' than YOU d
think, l $ pose, for us older ones
We'd put oil leavin' the old house so
long that it seemed almost's though
'twouldn' happen in our day--least-
wise not till spring. An when meetin'
let out that afternoon, we was sober
set, l can tell We! Deacon Coleman,
remember, took it harder'n most OF US.
He'd paid good deal towards the new
house, an one way am another had
helped it along amazin 'ly, but he chung
to the trees as hard as any of us.
After sermon that day, he tried to be
as chipp3nt as usual, but we could
sect he wasn't feelin' right; an when
| tried to cheer him up little the
tears came an he couldn't say a word.
The next two weeks wus bustlin'
time. The ones who favored the hill
was busy a-tiNm' an a.fin efyin' the
walls n pulpit an seGdin word
here on there among the cor gregatiOn.
Twas about all the town liked of, i'm
fact, an the good feelin' wus so gen
eral that even we Older ones began to
think that perhaps little good might
come Of it, after all.
But all I once the was somethin'
else TO think about The minister was
some time, but as he kept-a-preachin'
'twasn' much noticed. He'd watched
the thing closely from the start. bat
never would say one word either way
about the buildin' SPOT, an the most
pryih' old lady in the parish didn't
know whether he wanted us to build in
the trees or on the hill Manda thought
she knew, md l thought | did, but we
couldn't have told for certain.
Well, after the notice the old man
grew suddenly worse; so fast, in fact
that at the end of the second week VIZ
had no doubts whether he'd ever bC
able to open the house at all; nd W.
older ones forgot our troubles, anC
went about talkin' not of the new
church, but of the minister
He'd been to Us all that ministe
could be, an we All loved him. Gu
folks, specially looked upon DIR Holl