Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-11-28
A Circuit Riders Trials.
Prom the Philadelphia Star.

Prom the Philadelphia { tar.
A number of young clergymen, all
graduates of the Methodist Theolog
down town the other day and
were relating to each other anecdotes
of their experience IN the various
fields to which they have been az
signed My most amusing e1per
ience,' said the younger brother,
was in little village in Iowa where
the conference sent me to begin NV
ministerial work. Ny circuit iuclud-
ed three or four little villages and as
many school houses, and L tried 10
preach a sermon a. esch place once
every two weeks In tie village of
Edgewood dwelt a good old lady
named Mrs. Wickham. an emigrant
from the Green Mountains. and one
OF the pillars OF the church. l had
just been married before going on
tho circuit, and the next day after
sur arrival iu Edgewood, Mrs. Wick
ham sent for my wife and hyself TO
como to her house. Ia the after
noon we went and were warmly
greeted hy the old lady. I am SO
glad YOU have come Brother l.,
and brought your wife, said she.
1 have been waitin' and wnitin' you
don't know how anxiOusiy ever since
Brother Jones went away, which Is
nigh unto three months, and there
has ut ben a preacher in this house
since I've got some little things TO
do that | have been savIn' TIL the
minister como. and now Won nave
brought sister l.. Let's get them
off n our hands and then we can SIT
down and have a good long talk
I confess that l was a little puz
zlei at this reception. not knowing
exactly what the people On my CIR
euit had been in the habit of saving
up for the minister to do. However
/ was not long left in the d RI. The
old lady disappeared into the kitchen
and soon called for Us to follow. We
/ did 20 and found the room Uttered
/ with TWO or three old bedsteads tha'
4 had been taken to pieces and spread
about the floor. In the middle oI
] the floor stood Mrs WIckhaTn, with
= big kettle of boiling water by hen
side.
Now, Sister L, jest you take
this here apron OF mine, or youl
spoil your dress she said to NV ,giTe
( The pesky bugs have been 50 bad IL
in these bedsteads that l have some
times felt Just as If couldn't walr
till you come to give them a good
seaiding-
This. then, was a part of the cir
cut rider duties IN Iuws, tho1ght
L but the old lady St emed to take i
80 entirely rs i matter of course
that the preacher should help bel
with her work that couldn't well re
fuse. Nv wife lang gly put on tn.
apron and went TO work, and L tool
off my coat and cuffs and took hol,i
too. 1t WAS a long Job, and after W,
had got tie bedsteads Thoroughly
sealded they had to be carried III
stairs, set up and corded, for the,
, were the old fashioned kind of bed
, steads, IN which ropes did duty in
stead OF springs or stats
But this did not end the work 70
on coming down stairs the old lad
remarked that the stove was a littl
warm vet, but that if WAS csrefu
= 1 could black it without burning IN
: hands. This was little too rnuc
b and L Was about TO rebel, but IL
q wife whispered to me that We rnigt
e as well make day OF It. So "
g went at that stove and polished
e till you could see your face in it, an
a then helped the Old lady clean u
e the kitchen. BY that time the sn
e was down and our hostess kindlype
r, mitted us to Withdraw. Did we Sta
.e to supper. Why, bless you, ii
% good soul, in her Joy at getting b.
house cleaned ny, forgot to say an
se thing about supper. We were gil
10 enough to get home without beir
Y asked to dig up the potatoes {
ee build calf pen. But ever sin
ne that day my wife and l have alwa
,g had prior engagement when ask,
,iI to visit Mrs. Wickham
st II yyas the old woman in Tad;a