Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1886-01-21

the trees or on The NIL. Manda thought
she knew, md / 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 we
had no doubts whether he'd ever be
able to open the house at all; md we
older ones forgot our troubles, and
went about talkin' not of the new
church, but OF the minister.
He'd been to us all that minister
could. be, an we all loved him. Our.
folks, specially, looked upon DR.. Holl-
man as a saint. I We'd known him
years afore he come West. Before any
O. you wus born, he'd sat by our fire,
N talked with us about the days of
our fathers. ~ @
Besides, when Manda N stood up
in the best room, way back on the old
Kennebec farm, twas he that tied the
knot. To us he seemed an old man
then. His folks lived way up New
Sharon way, but Manda n | met 'em
on the boat from Boston once, an from
that on we wus always friends. After
we came West. he used ter be ter our
place often.
In them days Manda used ter have
turns OF bein' homesick. In fact, all
the women-folks wus hOmesick, more
or less, for a time, an used. ter talk
about things way back in Maine-the
quiltin's, N the apple-parin's, an how
the girls spun an woye; then tellFhow
they longed ter see old sGranthur such
a1one's folks, m sold Square some
sbody-else's girls N all that. But
when DIR. Hollman's folks had come
over, md the Colemans-they're from
the East, too-why, we'd fix things up
till we'd almost forget we'd left Maine
at all. t'fN ~
Manda'd have Injun puddin's, m
| brown-bread,, IN baked beans, an all
theiD own-East fixin's. An then when
evenin'd come, we'd git round the fire
m have regular old-time sing.o An
such singin'! ), If DR.. Holman couldn't
put in the bass. then I'd jes' like ter
hear some one t could.
/ We'd git up all the old hymns m
songs N pennyrials, from GLOW Gen
tly, Sweet Alton, IN "Old Folks at
Home,' clear up to Like Mighty Wa
tiers Roll" an / jest wish yer could
hey heard us! We was old-fashioned,
ter be sure, but then we made noise,
nd not such badssoundin' one yer
might imagine, either !, ~
| Why, one night the deacon went to
the door to see if the moon wus up, N
sure's you live, there, on log in the
yard, listenin' with all the ears he had,
| was good-sized bear. ! ASStAD
We wanted to catch that bear, OF
course, but the doctor said 'twouldn't
/ do at all, when he'd come there jest
ter hear us Sing, an lettin' alone the
good it might do him, who knew but
he's from down East, toop So we let
him be, and when the boys went out to
hitch up the deacon's oxen they said
| Well, as / told We, the second Sun.
day found DR.. Holman poorly low, an
the prospect of his preachin' again
slim.
There wus good many hard feelin's
!. among US then, an some of the unrea'
sonablest ones said they b'lieved the
minister wus workin' in our favor
The wust one among 'em- Steve
i BLACKWELL said he'd no doubt we ole
folks were glad-of the drawback, as j
KEEP the meetin' house shut.
Of course, we paid no 'tention tt
this, m tried hard to keep it from thu
minister; but somehow it got to, him
an he felt dreadful about it. Jus
what we feared came of it-Dr. Holman
decided to be there the next Sunday
he was alive. II DGA f}t3F's
Well, when Sunday came, sur,
enough, after the buildin' was crowded
fun, Our poor, sick old minister, bowed
m tremblin', came in md went slowl,
up to the pulpit steps. Here he restet
awhile, then tried to go up :
He started twice, then with quie
, well! well!'' sank down upon tn
J bottom step.
In minute dozen of us wus rount
him, but he said a little rest woul,
make him right, as he wus only it'll
faint Manda feared he wouldn't be
/ for every wrinkle in the old mans fac
was familiar to us, an twas plain h
!, was very low.
I y s'Ephraim," I remember she whis
pered to nae, "Ephraim, he can neve
: stand it. Try to have him let us tax
} him home"
He had only come from fear of bein
/ misunderstood, we wusl sure, and wha
J to do under the circumstances W
} hardly knew. | was about to tr
/, once more to'haye him put off preach
. in, when the old man began feebly t
rise.
, Slowly, very slowly, he straightene
himself up, an as he turned the kline
faded eyes once more upon his peopl
twas still as the grave.
| Every eye WIS strained, n teal
S wus in most of 'em. Steve Blakewe
4 moved m fidgeted in his seat, an HI
t pale cheeks told what an impressio
the scene was maxim on him.
e Proud N headstrong, he had, durir
r. the summer, led the young members
S every attack. | saw him-I see hi
t now, as he partly rose, started 4
StOpptus tHtu uiiiOot lou eOWdiuS VI
h totterina form as it settled back agai
$ onto the steps.
couldn't move. Manda crowde
@ by me an in moment wus by h
e side. As The faint wore off, the mini
y ter whispered somethin, to Blackwell
: \ who turned nd asked us TO be quiet, ,
5 DR.. HOLMAN wished to speak.
D In a second you could have heard
V pin drop. He rose up slowly, sti
n leaning on Blakewell's arm. Then I
: spoke, but his voice was dreadful
" weak and Uncertain.
The spirit is willin'," he ,begal
d s'but the flesh is weak. very weak :
}. tried hard to be, here to-day, for yo
o zhavewaited patiently, an | couldn
h bear to disappoint you; but | find l a
/ not as strongAas | thoughtAan' no
/ may ask one favor of you-only on,
- / IT,, af~a,I x-n,..n tb:,,H IL chs1Ifchst H.