The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1888-02-04
Rev, sEIdeIbeTIy'sV

The Reverend Jonas Elderberry had
preached in Flintville twenty years, and
had never had a vacation. Sickness
and death had caused him to miss a
few Sund US now and then, and after
much deliDeration, not entirely free
from acrimony, the church had decided
Oh each of these occasions not TO de-
duct anything from his sal&ry, a con-
Cession which was thought very gcner-
Gus, as he received seven hundred a
year, and the parsonage rent tree.
Still these briet respitcs from labor were
not vacations. Though quiet man,
Mr.. Elderberry was not without amOi-
tions and dreams. He sometimes wrote
short articles and poetry, which appear
ed in magazines and newspapers under
the veil of y. E." and were pro
nounced by the editors imaginative. !"
So it was not strange that he often
fanced himself and his little wife Ma
tilda, going on real vacation, and
looking upon the mountains and the
sea. But these dreams were like others
he had of owning a reliable gold watch
instead of the ridiculous silver turnip
that licked away ike town clock in
his pocket, or of owning a home of
which he could speak proudly as my
house." In his sober moments-and
most of his life very sober indeed--he
never expected to have any of these
dreams realized.
The children thai had come to the
parsonage had all died in infancy, and
perhaps that was the reason that there
was almost always some one stopping
there. All the cousins came, even to
the fourth and fifth degrees, and cous-
| ms reduced to their lowest terms, SO
to speak and this abundant hospitality
| cost something, in spite of the fact that
| Mrs. Elderbcrry was the maid of all
work and SO, Notwithstanding the
seven hundred year, and an occa-
sionaI five dollars from some editor,
Mr.. Elderberry's only bank stock was a
| FAM h,1nIraiS in Npltaf r1liaI
pressively, "back salary"
FIintville, though an old place, was
little more than one long street, lined
with white houses, well hidden from
the road by honey-locusts, and poplars.
The Orthodox meeting house had re-
ceived sundry coats of paint; but, in
other respects, was just as it was the
first time Mr.. Elderberry entered it.
The people were conservative, and the
orthodox were the most conservative in
the place so they quietly Ignored the
smart little pine box, called '"The
Church." which had sprung up on one
side of them, and the squat brick build
ing around the corner, called the Halle
lujah Chapel, and resisted innovations
The Rev. julius Surplice, rector OF
"The Church." took a vacation in
July but as he was an unmarried man,
it was supposed he spent the time with
his parents. As for the Chapel, It's
ministers came and went too often to
need a vacation while in Fiintyille, as
Mr.. EIderberry read his sermons, il
was known that he wrote them; but
any male member of his flock, if asked
his opinion of such labor, would have
SAID at must be easy enough to sii
in the house, and write things out o
your head, if you have been to college y
As for the women, while they consid-
cred writing too deep for the
female mind, they yet considered il
something of the nature of woman:
work, not definite business, but ar
occupation to he taken up at odd mo-
ments, as knitting, or PATCHWORK, wher
nothing more important was going on
Mature cannot endure everlasting
dropping" and Mr.. Elderberry hac
twice asked for vacation without sue