Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-03-06
ON than a month of Sundays ever showed

His will, he shall know of the doctrine.
whether IT be OF God, or whether | speak of
| myself ?"
"Well, it's so," answered tho deacon I;
"rs so right along Why, never thought
so much Of my Bble-class, nor took no seci
int'rest in 'em as do to.day--not since he.
gun 10 teach. l blieve they'll come more
Ieglar now, too.
"Now come fellowship.day. | thought
that would DO all plain sailin' seemed as
| though Id got warmed mp Till lolt pleasant
towardst everybody so went around seen'
folks that was neighbors, aud twas easy; but
when ] come home at noon spell, Philury
says, says she (: Square fuckers black bull
is into TIL orchard atearin' around, and he's
| knocked two lengths % fence down fiat =
| Well, the old Adam riz up then, you'd better
b'lieve. That black bull had been breakin'
| into my lots ever since we got In tn after
math, aud It's Square fuckers ience and he
| won't make 1t bull-strong "a he'd oughter,
| and that orchard was a young one lest comm
TO bear, and all the new wood crisp ~ crack
| Inns with FROST You'd better b'leve |
| didn't have much feller. feeln' with Amos
| Tucker jest put over to his house and
| spoke pretty free to him, when he looked M
| and says, says he 9 Fellowsbip-meetn' dav
| ant 1t, deacon p I'd ruther he'd ha' slapped
| my face. l felt as though ! should like to
| slip behind the door. j see pretty distinct
| what sort OF life I'd been livin' all the
years d been professor when couldn't
| hold on TO my tongue aud temper one
| day ~
Breth.e-ren," interrupted a slow, harsh
| voice, somewhat broken with emotion, " RI
| tell the rest on I. Josiah Emmons come
around like man an Christian right there.
| lie asked me for to forgive him and not to
think t was the fault Of his religion, because
twas his'n and nothin' else. I think more OF
him to-day than / ever done before. | was
one that wouldn't say I'd practise with the
rest OF ye. / thought t was everastin' non
sense. I'd ruther go to forty nine PRAYER
meetins than work at bein' good week. |
| b'lieve my hope has been one of them that
| perish 1t ba'n't worked, and | leave it be-
hind today. / mean to begin honest, and it
was seem one honest Christian man fetched
me round to t."
Amos Tucker sat down and buried his
| grizzled head in his rough hands.
Bless the Lord ~ said the uuayeriup
tones OF still older man from a far corner of
the house, and many a gistening eye gave
silent response.
$50 on, Brother Emmons," said the min
lister.
Well, when next day come got up 10
make the fire, and my boy Toe had forgot
the kindlins I'd opened my mouth to give
him Jesse, when it come over me sudGin
that this was the day of prayer for the fam
lily relation. / thought | wouldn't say
nothin'. jest fetched in the kindlins my
self, and when the fire burnt up good !
called wife.
headache, 'Siah. but I'll come in a minnt.'
didn't mind that, for women are always
havin' aches, and was jest a-goin' to say 50,
when remembered the tex about not bein'
bitter against 'em, so | says Phlurv, YOU
lay a-bed. ] expect Emmy and me can get
the vttles to-day / declare, she turned
over and give me such a look why, it
struck right in. There was my wife, that
had worked for an waited on me twentY-udd
year, most scarf because | spoke kind of
feelin' to her. ] went out and fetched in the
pail o water she'd always drawed herself
and then l milke ed the COW. When come
in Philury was up fryin' the potatoes, ami
tears ashinin' on her white face. She didn't
say nothin', she's kinder still, but she hadn't
no need to. L felt IA leetle meaner'n | did
the day before. But I want nothn' to my
condition when ! was goin', towards night,
down the sullar stairs for some apples SOS
the children could have a roast and | heerd
Joe up in the kitchen say to Emmy i do
b'lieve, En-, pas goin' to die why,
Josiar Emmons, how you talk = Well, /
do he's so everlastn' pleasant an good-na-
tered l can't but think he's struck with
DEATH
:" tell We, brethren, set right down on
them sullar stairs and cried. | did, reely.
Seemed as though the Lord had turned and
looked at me Jest as He did at Peter. Why,
there was my own children never see me act
real fatherly and pretty i'll all their lives ia
growled and scOlded and prayed at 'em, and
tried to fetch 'em up jest as the twig is bent
the trees inclined, ye know, but | hadn't
never thought that they'd got right and rea-
son to expect I'd do my part as well as they
their'n. Seemed as though l was iindn' out
more about Josiah Emmons' Shortcomings
than was real agreeable.
"Come around Friday got back to the
store. I'd kind o left it to the boys the early
part of the week, and things was a littlo
cutern', but / did have sense not to tear
round and use sharp words so much as com
mon. | began to think t was gettn' easy to
practise alter five days, when in come Judge
Herrick's wife after some curtin calico. |
had han some piece all done oil with roses
an things but there was fault in the
weavin'-eyery now and then thin streak.
She didn't notice it, but she was pleased
with the figures on It, and she said she'd
take the whole piece Well, jest as l was
wrappin' in up, what Mr.. Parkes here said
about tryin' to act jest as the Lord would in
our place, come acrost me. why, | turned
as red as "A beet, know | did. 1t made me
all of a tremble. There was |, adoOr-keeper
in the tents of my God, as David says, really
cheatin', and cheatn' woman. | tell We,
brethren, / was all ola sweat. Mis- Her
rick says ], don't b'lieve you've looked
real close at this goods t amt thorough
wove,' says |. So she didn't take it ; but
what fetched me was to think how many
times I'd done sech mean, unreliable little
things to turn penny, and all the time
sayin' and prayin' that ! wanted to be like
Christ ! KEEP a-trppen of myself up all
day jest in the ordinary business, and ! was
n peg lower down when night come than |
was Thursday. I'd ruther, as far as the
hard work is concerned, lay a mile of four
foot stone wall than undertake to do a mans
livin' Christian duty for twelve workin'
hours and the heit of that is, it's because |
| amt used to it, and | ought to be.
" So this mornln came around, and felt a
mite more cherk. II was missionary morn
| in, and seemed as if t was a sight easier to
preach than to practise. thought I'd begin
to old Mis- Nedders. So put a Testament
| IN my pocket and knocked to her door. Says
!, 'Good-mornin', ma'am,' and then |
stopped. Words seemed to hang somehow.
| ! didn't want to pop right out that I'd come
over and try n convert her folks. ! hemmed
| and swallowed a little, and fin'lly | said
| says l &" We don't see you to meetin' very
| frequent, Mis- Vedder.'
| wink. stay at home and mind my bust
| ness
| "'Wel, we should like to hev You come
| along with us and do ye good says |, sort of
| conCiiatin'.
| "'Look a.here, Deacon y she snapped,
| 'lve lived along side OF you fifteen year,
| and you knowed | never went to meetin' ;
we ant a pious lot, and you knowed it
we're poorer n death and uglier N sin. Jim
he drinks and swears, and MalViny dono her
| letters She knows heap she hadn't ought
| to besides Now what are you a-cOmin here
| to-day for, I'd like TO k.oS, and talkin' SC
| glib about meetn'? Go TO meetin' III 90
or come jest as ! darn please, for all you.
Now get out o. this " Why, she come at me
with a broom-stick. There wasn't no need
on I what she said was enough. l hddRI
never asked her nor ber'n to so much as
think OF goodness before Then | went tC