Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1889-08-17
PRICE, Sl.OO PER ANNUM.
A Sign of Convalescence.

ry was pillowing his head his
couch was strewn with trades
mems bills that pricked his
sides like thorns. and nearly
all life's common ills were
goading him with horns. The
deacon sat beside him as the
moments licked away, and
bent his head to catch the
words his pastor had to say.
If ! never shall arise from
this hard bed on which | lie.
If my warfare is accomplished
and it's time for me to die.
take a message to the sexton,
before | pass away; tell him
fires are for december, and
open doors for May. Tell him.
when he lay the notices upon
the pulpit's height, to shove
them meath the cushion. far
out Of reach and sight. And
when he hears the preachers
voice in whispers soft expire,
that is the time to slam the
door. and to rattle at the fire.
And tell the other dcacons,
too, all through the busy week.
to hang their boots up in the
sun to hatch Sunday squeak.
With steel shod canes to prod
the man who comes to sleep
and snorc and use the boys
who laugh in church, to mop
the vcstry floor. There's an
other. too. the woman who
talks the sermon through tell
her | will not mind her buzz =
my hearing hours are few.
Tell her to hang her mouth
up some Sunday for a minute,
and listen to text. at least
without a whisper in it. And
tell the Board of Trustees not
to weep with bitter tears, for
! can't be any dcadcr now than
they have been for years. And
tell half my congregation I'm
clad salvation's free. for that's
the only chance for thcm-bc
tween the desk and me. And
IA farewell to the choir how
the name my memory racks!
If they could &c, up their
voices as they do get up their
backs why the stars would
hear their music and the wei
kin would rejoice, while the
happy congregation could not
hear a single. voice. But tell
them | forgive them, and oh.
tell them that ! said ! wanted
them to sing for mc-when
You're sure that am dead.
His voice was faint and
hoarser, but it gave laughing
break, a kind of a gurgling
chucklc. like a minister might
make. And the deacon he
rose slowly. and sternly he
looked down upon tine parsons
twinkling eyes with portent-
Gus frown and he stifily
said Good morning." as he
went off in his ire, for the dca
con was the leader of that
amiablc choir.
ohm Dawson. OF Cleveland,
Ohio. is a middlc-aged man
who is intelligent and rational
on every other topic but is
thorough crank on the subject
of bills of large denominations.
I He is well known among bank
ers. brokers and merchants,
and knowing his weakness for
large bills they save them for
him, as they generally know
what days Dawson makes his
rounds. He walks into a bank
or office and says, Any large
bills today If the cashier
hand him a 500 bill he is de-
lighted, but If the bill should
happen to be OF a $1,000 de-
nomination he goes wild with
Joy. This is his procedure
lie takes the bill into his
hands. fondlcs it. look at it
with longing eyes, places it in
his vest pocket and walks up
and down the room for about
five minutes. lie then takes
the bill out of his pocket and
with Thank you, sir" he
returns it. ne dcvotes a day
or two every week to this sort
of thing, and the more money
he can handle and place IN
his vest pocket the happier hc
is. In all other respects Daw-
son is as rational as any man
in Cleveland.
Electric Bitters.
SO. =. q. 80. III 4 s,..t,s,.