The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-01-26

twas still n warm as a day i'm June
Openin' the door we helped the poo
: old man into the plain pine desk, Will,
the people quietly filed in till ever
seat was full, n all the standin' room
; taken. They couldn't all find room, an
some stood by the doorway an the opeI
windows.
We older ones took our places first
s we used to. an as the good mar
! looked round upon the familiar wall:
n faces, the old fire seemed TO come
back again, an lac stood up without
help-where he had stood so many
times before.
The first hymn he seemed IN forget
an at once raisin' his tremblil' hands,
began TO pray, earnest an lovin', as q
father might pray for his children.
Then. slowly he gave out the hymn:
81 love thy kingdom, Lord
The house OF thine abode"
The first verse he partly sung with
us. but after that he stood leanin' on
the Bible, with his eyes closed. Then
in regular order came the text: "a
new commandment / give unto you,
that We love one another"
Then he closed the book, an leanin'
On the whitfield desk, began one of the
greatest sermons on the teachin's OF
the Master that was ever heard in these
parts. He didn't talk long, but when
the last words fell from his lips, sobs
could be heard in every part of the
house.
He didn't read the last hymn, but
handin' the book TO the leader spointed
to these words:
How blest the righteous when he dies !
When sinks weary soul to restP
As they rose N struck the grand
hymn, he sank back into the chair, an
again leaned on the desk.
We all sung that could sing, but
some couldn't, N tears was in the
voices of them as did. / heard Blake
well start in all right. but after the
first line or two didn't hear him any
more. Deacon Coleman did the best
he could, but that wasn't much. An
the Spencer girls, though their voices
was thought little shrill, sang through
their tears as smooth IS the rest of the
girls.
Well, when the singin' was over, we
waited for the dismissal but DR.. Holl-
man didn't dismiss us that day. When
we got TO him, we feared, first, that the
pure spirit had fled. But he hadn's
left US yet, an carefully s we could
We carried him to the nearest house and
waited there for the end.
We'd given up all hopes of ever
hearin' him speak again. when just
afore twelve, that night, he opened his
eyes, n called us each by name. A
few moments later the lips moved, an
We distinctly heard:
''Be not afraid; be not afraid"
After that we heard no more, an a
quarter to twelve. that very night, the
good man breathed his last.
| tell ye. children, twas a terrible
blow to u.s. n the day We laid him
among the trees. Mrs. Coleman and
Manda most give up.
Well, after that twas lonesome
enough. The women folks felt terri
bly,, n all the old homesick feelin'
came back wus N ever. l remember
twas bout q week after the funeral.
I'd been over to the mill n got back
late, when just as / was takin' the
oxen of n the tongue, / spied the dea-
cons horse hitched to the well-sweep.
The folks in the house heard me
drive up, n out they all came. What
was up, couldn't tell, but they could,
md what d you s'pose twas?
Well, I'll tell We. The deacon's
folks had got so homesick n lonesome
that they couldn't STAN it, an had
come over to our place to see il
'twouldn't make 'em feel better.
or course they got to talkin' bout
down East, N how they'd like ter go
back, till they began to hope t they
could go; n fin'ly, just afore I'd come.
they'd actu'ly laid their plans to go.
An there they was, half dead to hear
what thought about il.
Eye sec, Ephraim." said Manda. n
there wus such q hopeful look in her
eyes. Eye seer we can 60 il the 6ea-
cons folks can, nd they say they can
if we can"
Now we'd planned-the deacon an
Ito build frame house for each of
US, another summer. md the money we
had on hand would about do that.
1t would just about take us back
East In good shape, if we didn't build,
too, md really didn't know what was
for the best, twas so sudden like; but
when / come to see the anxious look in
the women's faces, why, of course /
couldn't say but one thing, n when /
said it, yer oughter seen 'emi
L needn't say they were willin' TO
make the old houses do for q spell
longer. In less N week we'd left
things in care of the Liscom boys. an
were off for the land of brown-bread
n baked beans, Injun puddin's md
fre-places.
I'd like ter tell We bout that trip, for
twas one to be remembered. but can't
tonight, for must tell bout our git
tin back.
Twas late Saturday night when the
team that brought US over from the viii
lage came into the clearin' an what d.
ye think We sawa
Why, the shanty was lit MP from one