Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1889-08-09

up and taking oft his oveTcoat. 81 hall Z
got the best OF record Mr. PaEkeS. now |
tell ye"
'.Tha, isn't what We want" said Mr..
Parkes. I'VE want to know the whole ex-
pcrience Of some among H., and we know
You viii not tell US either more or less than
what you did experience"
Deacon Emmous was a short, thick-Set
man, with a ,hrewd. kindly face and gray
hair, who kept the village store, and had
IA well-eamed reputation for honesty.
We'll. brethren" he said, 4 dono why
/ shouldn't tell it. ! am pretty we'll
ashamed of myself, no doubt, but l ought
to be, and maybe l shall profit by what
I've found out these six days back. III
tell you just as it come. Monday | looked
about me to begin with | am amazin'
fond of coffee and it amt good for me
the doctor says it aint-but dear me, it
does set a man up good, cold mornings, to
have cup of hot, sweet, tasty drink, and
| haven't had the grit to refuse. | knew
it made me what folks call nervous, and !
call cross, before night comes; and knew
it fetched on spells of low spirits when
our folks couldn't get word out of me
not good one, anyway; so | thought I'd
try on that to begin with. | tell you it
come hard! | hankered after that drink of
coffee dreadful Seemed as though |
couldn't eat my breakfast without it. l
feel to pity man that loves liquor more'n
| ever did in my life before; but | feel sure
they can stop if they try. for I've stopped
and I'm a-goin' to stay stopped.
"Well come to dinner, there was an
other fight do set by pie the most Of
anything was fetched ON pie, as you may
say Our folks always had it three times
a day. and the doctor, he's been talkn'
and talkin to me about eatin' pie. l have
the dyspepsia like everything, and it makes
me useless by spells, and unreliable as
weather cock An DR.. Drake he says
there won't nothin' help but to diet. l
was readin' the Bible that morning, while
| sat waitin' for breakfast, for twas Mon
dav, and wife was kind of set back with
washin' and all, and l came acrost that
part where it says that the bodies OF
Christians are temples Of the Holy Ghost.
Well, thinks |, we'd ought to take care of
them if they be and see that they're KEEP
clean and pleasant, like the church; and
nobody can be clean and pleasant that has
dyspepsia. But come to pie, felt as tho
/ couldn't, and 10 ye, l didn't l eat
piece right against my conscience; facin
what knew | ought to do, l went and did
what | ought not to- | tell ye my con
science made music of me considerable,
and said then | wouldn't never sneer at
a drinkin' man no more when he slipped
up I'd feel for him and help him, for l
see just how it was. So that days prac
tice Civ out but it larnt me good deal
more'n knew before
''I started out next to look up my Bible
class. They haven't really tended up to
Sunday school as they ought to, along
back, but was busy here, and there didn't
seem to be real chance to get to it.
Well. 'twOuld take the evenin to tell it
all, but / found one real sick, been abed
for three weeks, and was so glad to see me
! that | felt really ashamed. Seemed as tho
heard the Lord for the first time sayin',
Inasmuch as you did it not to one of the
least of these, We did it not to me- Then
another mans old mother says to me be
| fore he come in from the shed, says she:
|, He's been a sayin that if folks practiced
what they preached, you'd ha' come round
to look him up afore now, but he reckoned
you kinder looked down ON mill hands.
I'm awful glad you come Brethren, so
was /! l tell you that days work done me
good. got poor opinion Of Josiah En-
mons, now l tell We; but learned more
about the Lords wisdom than a month o
Sundays ever showed me-"
A smile he could not repress passed over
Mr.. Parke's earnest face. The deacon
had forgotten all external issues in coming
so close to the heart of things; but the
smile passed as he said:
Brother Emmons, do you remember
what the Master said,-If any man will
do his will he shall know of the doctrine,
whether it be of God or whether l speak of
myself"
"Well, it's So" answered the deacon,
cts so right along. Why, never thought
so much of my Bible class, nor took so
much int'rest in 'em as | do today-not
since | begun to teach. | believe they'll
come more reg'lar now, too.
'"Now come fellowship day. | thought
that would be plain Sailin'; seemed as tho
I'd got warmed up till ] felt pleasant
towardst everybody; so | went around see
in folks that was neighborS, and twas
easy; but when | come home noon spell
Philury says, says she, Squire fuckers
black bull is into the orchard a-tearing
round, and he's knocked two lengths o
fence down fat Well, the old Adam riz
up then, you'd better b'lieve That black
bull has been a-breaking into my lots ever
sence we got in the aftermath, and its
Square fuckers fence, and he won't make
it bull-strong as he'd oughter, and that or
chard was young one jest comm to bear,
and all the new wood crisp as cracklin's
with frost. You'd better b'lieve | didn't
have much feller- feelin' with Amos Tuck
er. just put over to his house and spoke
up pretty free to him, when he looked up
and says, says he, Fellowship mectin' day
amt it, deaconl' I'd ruther he'd ha' slap
ped my face. felt as though | should
like to slip behind the door. | see pretty
distinct what sort of a life I'd been livin'
all those years I'd been professor, when
| couldn't hold on to my tongue and tenn
per one day
"Brcth-c rcn, " interrup ted slow, harsh
voice. somewhat broken with emotion,
'I'll tell the rest ont. Josiah Emmons
come round like man an a Christian
right there He asked me to forgive him,
and not to think twas his'n and nothin'
else. | think more of him to-day than |
ever done before. / was one that wouldn't |
say I'd practice with the rest of ye |
thought twas everlastin nonsense I'd |
ruther go to forty prayer meetin's than |
work at bein' good a week. | believe my
hope has been one of them that perish; !
hain't worked, and leave it behind to-day. !
/ mean to begin honest, and it was seein |
one honest Christian man fetched me
round tot"
Amos Tucker sat down and buried his |