Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-10-16
PARsON PkATER'S WATCHWORD.
By WILL ALLEN DRoMGooLE.


O. that young parson, ez war too young
ter know right from wrong, anyhow"
But public opinion was divided as to
the cause of the Bear Cove trouble.
The young preacher himself declared it
was simply "the natchril result Nv the
effort ter mix sin an religion, which
every body knows air no more give ter.
mixin' nor lie an water"
Old Grandad McElroy asserted that
s'the corn shuckin' down ter 81 Larkin's
war the hull cause O. the disturbmint.
Not" he said. THAT corn-shuckin's air
not lawful an good entertainments
theirse'ves, but when they be turned
,nter dancin parties aud dram-drinkin'
hit air time ter STOP"
So Grandad ''sided" with the prea CHI
er, who threatened 10 "unchurch' the
jewellers, old and young; while Granny
Haley took sides with the young folks,
who ''aimed ter thrash the parson out
the day he done sech."
So the matter stood, until it suddenly
occurred to one of the offenders that
Parson Lyle had no jurisdiction over
them, since he was a Baptist, when in
vestigation showed that none but
Methodists had been violating the
church law.
The news was promptly reported to
the young preacher, fretting over the
sins OF the Bear Cove brethren, and he
recognized at once the fact that he was
powerIess to execute his threat. One
meeting house did not make them one
church, although the Bear Cove wor-
shippers has been a very united and
friendly people. So much So. indeed,
that Parson Lyle had entirely over
cd I,ei too hot hor
two denominations composing ais con-
gregation.
He recognized it now, however, as he
sat in his lonely little cabin under the
shadow of the mountain trying to dis
cover, if possible, some other means of
s'circumventin' the works o. the evil
one" 81 might preach 'em sarmon,"
he said, ''an' pint out sech ez air not
ftten ter enter the Kingdom.
Hit air union meet'n' house
an / sartinly hev that right"
The information IS to the Parsons in
tention went the rounds of the neigh
borhood, exciting, if possible, more in
dignation than the threat of expulsion
had done.
'sHe aira meddiesome young rooster
Granny Haley declared.
To which expression of opinion
Grandad McElroy added, He air
game one, duyuOW, We alf UOUH Ter al
NIT that air. he sartinly air game''
"Waal," retorted Granny, II didn't
know ez the church war needin' Nv
prize fighters
''Yaas, it air." said Grandad. ga
preacher hev ez much call ter defen'
his principles ez cyarpinter an
blacksmith hev. Eff he don't do
1t he air APP ter be plumb overrid, I'm
a-thinkin'."
All the conversation OF which these
remarks were a part was duly and eIab-
who felt no little qualification at
Grandad McElroy's approval of his
spirit. He determined, therefore, to
proceed freely and boldly in the course
which he felt the situation demanded.
The little log church, tucked costly
under the wing of the mountain at the
head of the cove, was new venture.
The people had done well without it,
some of them said, the Sc1atchout
meeting house, five miles distant, being
quite near enough for all their needs
and purposes. But one progressive
spirit among them had set the ball of
innovation Tolling, and it had rolled on
until the Westinghouse, a marvel
Of cedar logs and fresh daubing spread
itself under the elm and ash trees like
hen waiting "to gather her brood un-
der her wings"
1t was a union meeting-hous open
to any shepherd kind enough to come
and break the Bread of Life to the hun
cry flock without money and without
price" Such thing as paying a min
Cove. When the young preacher
pitched his tent under the shadow of
old Bon Air that towers above Bear
Cove, he thanked heaven that here in
the fertile strip Of land, where rent was
cheap and labor light, he would be able
to minister to the needs of his own body
at the same time that he fed the nun.
gry souls of humanity.
'sTney-uns air not ez hongry ez I
lowed they war;" he told himself as he
sat for q moment under the withered
hop-vine that iattled about the cabin
door and nleditated on the punishment
ne meant to administer to the offenders
Of the Lords vineyard.
He would preach them sermon they
would not soon forget. for daring to
threaten him. He had lahored among
them almost two years; worked for
nothing to receive at last a threat of q
E'thrashing." He meant to settle the
account with them the very first ''big
day" when the entire neighborhood
would be out to hear. He would risk
the thrashing; he was simply able to
de end himself.
Defend himself-ah! that was the
trouble. His fight against sinful world
illness had been distorted into a COM
mon case of self-detense. His own
grievances had multiplied so fast as to
swallow up the sin against his Master
He had lost sight of the real root of evil
IN his regard for the worthless branches
that mad sprung from it.
Some Ruch fhouoht came To him as ha
sat alone with his Conscience, but b
put it aside. He could not afford to
play the coward; he knew those people
too well to risk his claim to their re-
spect in any such way. He would fight
it out with them. He would not de-
pend upon his cloth to protect him, nor
because Of it would he take their in
suits. There was time enough ito str
Up good sarmon," he told himself,
"an' hev it ready 'ginst Christmas Day,
three weeks of an fallin' on a Wednes-
day.