River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-10-21
WHAT HE BELIEVED IN.

school, too. and has face as flat and
solemn as a half-baked pan-caket'
"What -Jem Knight-has he mar
ried a reg neutrality-suspicious.
and be- good woman, and him one OF
the jolliest, tabe-it-easy- and-do-as-you-
derned- please cusses between here and
Chicago?"
That's the talk.
Great Jee-rusalem! a sweet time
he'll have. jest fancy her making him
slick up to the music of slow church
bells Sunday mornings and marching
him off, stead Of having good time
at the gardens, to . straightforward
pew to listen to Gospel mush!'
Thus spoke a couple of Jem Knight
familiar chums, amid knot of the
same ilk, who were seated in the en-
ioyment of their customary beer and
cigars in Bottler's popular saloon.
Tom Winter, third one of the party,
seemed to be particularly impressed by
the conversation. He was sharp
eyed Young chap of % or Whereabouts,
who was noted for the almost reckless
manner in which he went in for ebay
ing a good time" Not that there was
anything really vicious about him. He
was straightforward, manly, and hon
est, but full of desire to enjoy life in its
freest-gong aspects, and especially
liberal in his views touching the obser-
vance of Sunday as a religious ordi-
nance. No one had ever heard of his
going to church. or that he cared a
button either one way or the other
about church going or any of its
traight-laced arrangements. Hence
it was with more than common sur
prise that his chums heard him say:
well, | don't undertake to know,
gents. If Jem's wife was the right
woman otherwise, | should say he q
made good strike, getting one who
coes to church. ] don't 90 much on
churches myself. | used to 90 with the
old folks when | was lutte shaver
about knee high to a duck. But that was
when / had TO. It's a COOL many
wears now since | was inside of one.
As said, don't 20 much on it my
self. It's too slow for my taste. AT
the same time, l believe in woman
going to church. I've noticed the wo-
men that 90 to church are generally
the best sort. 4 man can depend on
'em. They keep things straight at
home and bring the children up right.
A man can feel safe, when he IS away
having his own fun, that they won
be running away into any of the blam-
cd dance hall aud beer-garden foolish
ness that winds up so often IN disgrace
t. mans home. o, you boys may
sheer. Iallow it may ali be q humbug.
and too slow for men like us. But it 5
dead sure; the women who 90 to church
are the steadiest sort man can tie to.
don't care how much you laugh and
poke fun. I've seen too many wrecke 1
homes and ruined lives grow out of
picking wives from free dances and
Sunday picnics There's too much
nonsense in il for me. If ] ever marry
/ shall. do as Jem has done-pick a
wife that goes to church "
And he did. To the increased sur
prise and establishment of his chums,
the iovial. rollicking, devil-may-care
Tom, who had all his life gone in for
every species of free and-easy-enjOy-
he meut: made fun of parsons and what
called long-faced, church-going milk
soos. more recklessly than any of them.
actually married member of the Rev.
MIR Gracely's church, woman who
was noted for the solidly serious aspect
Of her face and strict observance Of
the Sabbath.
A nice-loOking woman, 10 be sure,
and steady, with not bit of nonsense
about her. A rare good hOusekeeper,
too, who kept herself and all things
about her in the very best of apple
pie order" That much was conceded
only. as one of the boys put it:
Too laundering orderly! A nice
time poor Tom'll have, now. We shall
see him creeping about with face as
long as a fiddle.
This proved a mistake. So far as
outer appearance was concerned, Tom
lost none of his old-time jollity ofspeech
and demeanor. and he seemed to re-
tain all his old pleaSurc-lOving DISPOSE
ton. Whenever he met the boys he
was as h cen as ever to have a good
time; nett ler did he fall into going to
church. On the latter point ne re-
marked once in strict confidence that it
was ali right. and mighty good thing
for a woman to 90 to church, but too
slow aud hum-drum for a mans enjoy
mem.
Still, it came to be noted after awhile
hat he was not exactly the old Tom.
As he years rolled by and three hand
soIue children began to accompany
their mother to Sunday-schoOl, and
who weae so neatly clothed and well
behaved as to call forth the admiring
comments of all who saw them. their
father grew little more staid and
dignificd, as one beginning to be some
what Impressed with the more serious
aspec.s of life; to feel that a man was
made for something more serious thaD
an endless round of frolc. 1t was
seen, too, that he was more careful not
to let the the good times be INDUCED
in come within the scope Of his home
surroundings. This much. at least, his
wife's influence had accomplished,
Il don't 90 TO church. he said apol-
opetically to a friend one day, "but it
wouldn't be the right thing to let those
bows Of mine get to know Of their IA
theirs free didos. It's all right enough
as far as | am concerned, because
know when / have gone far enough.
But it's best to let the children come
up sort of straight, the way their
mother wants.
4 most admirable woman this same
mother had turned out to be. as Tom
we'll knew. and no little he was proud Of
her YetnOt half proud enough. Indeed,
il was not vet IN his comprehension
to appreciate her full value. 1t did
not enter his conception that the re-
spect which had fallen to himself in
connection with his excellenuy-order-
ed home was entirely due to his church
going wife.
An especially. sensible woman. too.
Albeit it had grieved her more than
words can express that her husband
could find enjoyment in pleasures
which at best were empty and frivolous,
if not positively wrong. by not the
slightest petulant complaint, had she
ever upbraided him or striven by aught
save the gentlest suggestions to lead
I him to her own better way of life.
There came q sad day, alas! for him,