Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-04-11

said no, his second son should be baptized
as the first had been, in the presence of
the great congregation. 1t made me mad
TO think that man should be so unfeel
ing toward the partner of his bosom and
the mother of his children, but Knew
that talking would not accomplish any
thing, so | said sort of quick-!ike: they
say marriages are made in heaven in my
own mind have my doubts of thai and
why can't ba ptIsms be solemnized in
heaven tooS You are as near to heaven
here "a anywhere, and will stay With you
and take care of you She thanked me
and said the thought was comforting
one, but that she wanted me to go, and
tell her all about it. So / dressed both
boys in their white dresses and brought
them to their mother 30 be kissed, and
thought if ever there was Christian
ripening for the kingdom, it was Mrs.
Grey.
"When the bell rang, their father came
for the children, and you would have
thought TO have seen him walk to church
with those two boys-one in his arm and
the other leading by the hand-that the
earth wasn't good enough for him 70
walk on, or the sun fit to shine on them.
When ne walked up the broad irle could
read in the very can't of his head and the
back of his coat as plainly as if it had
been WI tten there: Look at me, all ys
men and women in this great congrega-
ton. Two years ago I lived in one of
the meanest houses in Bay Lodge; now I
own the best. Two years ago l was
stranger in your town; now there is not
place or an office in your gift that you
would not lay at my feet. Look at this
child-my son. Do you suppose [ would
rave him baptized in a little three by
nine room, with nobody but his mother
and an old maid to look onf He is only
repetition OF his older brother,-only
type of more that are to come. l have
prevailed; Israel has prevailed; this one
will prevail; we shall all prevail; we shall
go on prevailing.
"At this point old Parson Elliot asked
for the name of the child. Now, the
Parson was getting old, and he had never
been overnight in his wits, if he was
minister. he ought to have known bet
ter, for he baptized the other child; but
the judge was 80 lifted up by his thoughts
about prevailing, that when the person
asked for the name, what did he do but
up and say Israel, and be was baptized
Israeli
81 think that brought the judge to him
self, for he gave kind of start, as one
will when his wits have been wool-gath-
ering. The men and the women had eli
they could do to keep from bursting. As
for me, Mary, I'm free to say that I was
glad of it. You would not catch a wo-
man to be SO proud or lifted up that she
would forget the name of her own child,
and when man sits himself up TO be SO
independent of his wife that he doesn't
need her help even in the baptizing of
of their children, it is high time some
thing was done to bring him down peg.
"He walked home in silence. Mrs.
Grey was worse, and she had her eyes
bandaged tightly. When she inquired
how Cad behaved, I managed to say that
Cad did beautifully
"And SO those boys were called the
Israelitee, = that is while they both iiv-
ed"
"WhY, aunt, did one of them dief"
"The younger one di zn't live very long
after his mother passed away"
"You don't mean," SAID Mary, 'fthat
Mrs. Gray died?"
81 don'E mean any thing else Mary; and
l will say" added /, as 1 folded up my
sheet, "that don'G believe in visions or
spirit manifestations, but if any one ever
did nave warning, l had before the
youngest Israelite died!"
"Oh, aunt, do tell me all about it."
"Not to day, Mary; that must be-
story by itself"