The Newtown bee., 1888-11-16
THE BoYCOTTER'S DREAM.
John H. Patterson in United States Mail.

Dea Norrogage supposed himself to be a very devout Christian. He was promi- nent in church work, active in the reviv- als, liberal contributor to home and for eign missions and recognized pillar of the church in the village of Discordia. He took one newspaper devoted to the interests of his own denomination and one which was an organ of the political party to which he belonged. On mat ters religious or political, he read only one side and never deemed the other wor- thy of attention. He saw little virtue and less religion in other denominations and, as for the men who differed with him in politics, he always thought they, or at least the majority of them, ought to be in State prison. He never believed any statement made by them in matters political. They differed with him; there fore, they must be wrong and that was all there was to be said about it.
 Time at last brought a change in the administration. The party to which the deacon belonged was beaten and the dea- con supposed the country was gone to the bad. .Ie gazed out from prejudiced eyes upon a nation which was heneeforth mere ruin, hardly fit to be temporary refuge for the saints who had here no abiding place or continuing city, even when they had things their own way. The new administration did not at one fell swoop turn out all the postmasters who were the appointees of the defeated party. The post office at Discordia was of the fourth class and, after several months, the postmaster general appoint cd a postmaster there who was in politi- cal accord with the party inpOwer. The new appointee differed with the deacon in politics, belonged to different church and disagreed with him on nearly all questions of village policy. They had been opposed to each other on the road tax question, the school house site ques- tion, the goose ordinance question and or the great issue as to whether the union Sunday school picnic should be held on Methodist hill or in Baptist hollow. So the deacon regarded his appointment as the death blow to any honest and effie- tent postal service in Discordia. He de- clared his purpose of sending all his let ters to be mailed at the railway station, a few miles distant and advised several of his neighbors and brethren to do the same. To avoid visiting the post office, they arranged with one of the merchants in town that he should receive their mai at the post office, bring it to his store and there distribute the mail matter to each of the neighbors who had confederated with the deacon to withhold their pat. ronage from the new postmaster. They succeeded in making serious inroads or his scant compensation, by diminishing his box rents and cancellations. At the same time, they took occasion to make complaints against him for every slight detention or trifing irregularty in theil mails and often censured him for delays and errors which were not his fault.
 It never occurred to Dea Narrogage during all this period that he was not ar exemplary Christian. He used to pray inthe Wednesday night meetings witt great fervor for the reign of peace an( righteousness to come. He would ex hort the brethren to put away all strife all evil speaking and to cultivate tho graces of charity and neighborly kind ness and good will and he expatiated with faltering voice on his growth il grace and the serene joy of his soul il his triumphs over the old Adam of sin
 One evening, the deacon sat up quit' late, drafting an earnest remonstrance O the citizens of Discordia against the poo and demoraliZed postal service which tho government had inflicted upon the afore said good citizens of Discordia in and by reason of the recent appointment of Johi Totherside as postmaster, whereby thu patrons of the office had felt obliged t, send the ir letters a considerable distanc to post them and to make arrangement at their own expense to secure the dis tribution of mail addressed to them. H had conferred with several of his neigh bors, who were as dissatisfied as himsel and, pursuant to their suggestion, ha, prepared this broadside to be fired at tn new postmaster.
 
 ficult to the deacon and it strained hi mind little, so that when he went t. bed his brain was little over-excited b the effort. He fell at last into troubles sleep and his overloaded brain wrough a dream. He dreamed that he had die and that his immortal part approache the gates of the Celestial city. He fel the serene confidence of life member i an agricultural society as he enters tn fair ground. He had no idea that hi credentials would for moment be ques toned. He was surprised to be stoppe at the portals and required to give hi name. St. Peter called an angel to hi side and said: ssTell the recording ange to come hither with his book" Ther was a Tapping of wings, sweet in soun as dulcet music. A balmy air of sweet est fragrance was waited as zephyr ou of the gate and the sound ofharps and C the anthems of the redeemed was born in delightful melody to his ear. The des con felt thrill of joy as he anticipate the glories of which he was to be a shal ,cr forever and forever.
 Presently the recording angel cam bringing the book. St. Peter said him: s'Here is one calling himself De Narrogagc. He cometh from the plane Earth and from place thereon called uxs