Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-05-15
LOSING HER HOLD.
A Summer Sermon and the Fruits
It Bore

A Summer Sermon and the Fruits
It Bore
The schoolmaster and his wife, after
morning meeting was over took their way
as usual down Prout's Lane and across the
hill homeward. The path was narrow; the
dominic walked first. He made remark
Mt long intervals to his wife behind him, but
without looking back
esquire wasn't out. Reckon his lumbago's
worse?n
"'S likely"
'Tbe doctor had his little grandchild with
him. Isuppose his daughter has come for
the summer2"
II reckon she has"
There was a long silence after that,
broken only by the buzz of the bees in the
red clover and the ck'k-k of the grasshop-
pers through the hot grass. The old man
stopped, as he always did on Sunday, to see
how much the corn in the lower field had
grown during the week, and to gaze medi-
tattvely at the pigs in their pen. But Mrs.
Holmes had no thought to-day for the pigs
or corn. She walked with her head bent on
her breast, almost forgetting to hold up the
skirt OF her Sunday merino out of the grass
There had been strange preacher that day
an old man with quick, sharp tone like
the call Of horn to wandering sheep-very
different from Father Langley's prolonged,
drowsy hum. One or two Of his sentences
rang IN Ann Holmes ears.
"While you live, livel You wrap your
selves in seltshness and fat content as In
grave-clothes before you are dead. The
world is full of your brothers, starving, cold,
ignorant. Go to themi You owe them
service to the last breath Of your life."
Mrs. Holmes had asked the Doctors wife
anxiously what she thought Of the sermon
as they came out of the church-yard.
Mrs. Perry shook her head contemptu-
ously.
"He's one of these half-cracked, sensa-
ton preachers. What has Amity town.
ship to do with the starving poorl Wekeep
up our almshouse well. Let the big towns
SEQ TO their own paupersl"
Ann was comforted for the moment, but
she remained uneasy. That hint about the
grave clothes seemed a personal hit at her
self. Could the man know -
She hurried past the schoolr1aster when
they reached their own gate, gong up the
spotless board walk, with beds of geraniums
and roses on either side, TO the side door.
She could not resist q complacent glance at
those beds. Not weed; the brown earth
slfted fine and smooth There was no such
garden in the village; no kitchen was so
tAQulSlIcly utdl, uO plIluI 81 SpcCkleSb
and prim. Surely her conscience told her
she was a good Christian woman, fulfill
ing her duty, and had no cause for the
wrench and misery of soul which she felt
just now.
She went up the stairs TO her own cham
Der, laid of her bonnet carefully, and then
unlocked drawer 10 the press. She did
not need TO lift the white towels. She knew
perfectly well what was pinned up in
them. The Undertaking of snowy linen,
the worked fanpels, the fine wooden shroud
She had put in every stitch in them. Could
the man have lmownl
Every matron in Amity had her "funeral
suit" provided. II was n matter OF pride
TO them, just as Mrs. B., in Boston, would
delight In her old satsuma or her Corot
The Amity people gloried in their new GEM
etery. The Holmeses had their lot like ths
rest; q narrow one, for there were only
two to be buried In IL. Ann had her choicest
roses set out there. She had directed in
her win every detail of the trimming on
her coffin.
She thrust her hand under the shroud
now and pulled out lutte bag of gold coin.
They were the savings of years; pennies
scrimped out Of clothes, milk, meat. They
were to pay for the handsome granite mon
ument Erected to the memory of Daniel
hOlIltS anu AIM Ills WllCs
"While you live-livep'
She dropped the bag as If some one spoke
at her back, locked the drawer and went
down stairs.
The "piece'' was spread as usual on Sun
day moons; flaky bread, clover-scentsd
honey, delicious pies. Ann, as she cut the
pie, was comforted by sense of spiritual
well being. No woman made such crust in
Amity No woman was more faithful at
meeting, at Sunday school, at missionary
society. In what had she come shortl her
starved soul demanded of its Maker. Every
duty, great and small, had been well fin
ished.
Mrs Holmes was fifty-hve years CT age,
but she used to speak of herself as near her
grave She twisted up her hair in a wisp,
and wore the scuttle bonnets proper to old
age The work of life, she held, was finished
for her and Daniel. They had paid for the
farm, so that when one died the other was
sure Of maintenance; the farm and house
were in perfect order, the cemetery lot was
bought The money for the monument was
a kind of friiling embroidery on this per-
fected life, the handsome flourish to the sig
nature which closed the deed
AS she sat pouring out the tea, thinking
these things over, her husband "reckoned"
again that the squlre's lumbago was bad,
Then he yawned drearily and fell asleep in
his chair in the sun.
How much Of his time he spent In yawn-
ing and sleeping Yet thirty years ago
Daniel Holmes was an eager teacher, keep
ing well abreast with the knowledge and
ideas of his time, living N the world Of
books, newspapers, music and pictures
She, too, had been live woman then. Bue
they had come out OF town into this village,
and set themselves to scrape together
money TO buy this farm. What was this
change that had come to theml Had they
been really spinning their grave clothes
out Of selhshnessl
Ann went to afternoon service; but she
did not hear word of Father -Langlsy'e
discourse. She was back in the towns.lonet
forgotten voices sounded in her ears.
There was Dams brother, Jack, poor fellowi
She saw him plainly in the crowd A gay,
affectionate lad who might have turned out
well If he had been guided But he had
married "a feather-headed girl, and Ann,
out Of patience. had turned them both
adrift -
AS they walked home that evening she
said to the schooimaster; how long is lt
since we heard from john. Danen~
He did not reply al first, and when he did
Il was with q strained, annoyed voice
''Twenty-Eix wear"
81 wish 1 ard Abby could have hit it OF
together. / am feared that 1t was not
right to shove them off, with neither money
nor religion for a STAFF ;"
Daniel made no reply, but Ann under
stood his silence as more bitter reproach
than Wofos- -~--