The Arizona sentinel., 1888-04-21
AUNTY PARSONS STORY.
Why Her Church Will Never Go
 Boarding" Any More.

1 told H zekiah-that's my man. People mostly call him Deacon Par sons, but he never gets any deacon- ing from me. We were married -
 HI, zekiah and Amariah' - that s goin' on forty years ago, and he's Hczekiah to me, and nothin' more.
 Well, as I was saying. says l:
 ''Hezekiah, we aren't right I am sure of it." And he said: Of course not We are poor sinners. Amy; all poor sinners" And I said: "Heze- kiah. this poor sinner talk has gone on long enough. l suppose we are poor sinners. but don't see any use of being mean sinners; and there S one thing 1 think is real mean"
 It was just after breakfast; and, as he felt poorly. he hedn't gone to the shop yet; and so I had this little talk with him to sort O chirk him up. H. knew what 1 was comin' to, for we had had the subject up before It was our little church. H, always said: 1.-The poor people. and what should we ever doP' And I always said: "We never shall do nothin' unless we try" And so when brought the matter up in this way, he just began bitin' his toothpick. and said: What's up now? Who's mean? Amar1ah, we oughtn't to speak evil one of another" Hezekiah always says, poor sinners" and doesn't seem to mind il; but when I occasionally say mean sinners he somehow gets on- easy. But I was started and I meant to free my mind.
 So 1 said, says I: T was goin' to confess our sins. Dan'l confessed for all his people. and was confessin' for all our little church"
 Truth is" says I. tours is allus called one ot the fee eble churches, and am tired about it. I've raised seven children, and at fourteen months old every boy and girl of them could run alone. And our church is fourteen years old," says l, ''and it can't take a step yet without somebody to hold on by. The Board helps us. and Gen. eral Jones, good man, he helps us helps too much, I think-and so we live along. out we do not seem to grow strong. Our people draw their rations every year as the Indians do up at the agency; and it doesn' t seem sometimes as if they ever thought of doing any thing else.
 ''They take it so easy," I said. ''Th att what worries me- I do not suppose we could pay all expenses, but we might act as if we wanted to, and as if we meant to do all we can.
 ''1 read" says I. 'last week about the debt of the Board; and this week, as l understand" says l, tour appli- cation is going in for another year, and no particular effort to do any bet fer, and it frets me. 1 can't sleep nights; and can't take comfort Sum- days. I've got to feeling as if we were 2 kind of perpetual paupeEs r!A, And Aft tt-fs- is real mGahT l suppose I said it lit tie sharp, says ], but I'd rather be sharp than flat any day; and if we don't begin 10 stir ourselves, we shall be flat enough before long, and shall deserve to Se. It grows on me. It has jest been Board, board, board for fourteen years, and Pm tired of it. ] never did like boardin'," says |; "and. even if we are poor, believe we might do something toward setting up house keeping for ourselves.
 Well, there's not many of us; about a hundred. believe; and some of these is women folks, and some is jest boys | and girls. And we all have to work | hard and live close; but" says L .1et | us show a disposition, if nothin' more if there's any sperret left in us, let us show some sort of disposi- tion."
 And Hezekiah had his toothpick in his teeth, and looked down at his boots and rubbed his chin, as he always does when he's goin' to say somethin'. 'I think there's some of us that shows a 
 Of course I understood that hit; but kep' still kep' right on with my and 1 said: "Yes, and a pretty bad disposition it is It's adis- position to let ourselves be helped when we ought to be helping our selves. It's disposition 10 lie still and let somebody carry us, And we