The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-10-22
Selected Storp.
The DeacOn's Tenth.

most powerful sermon on Christian
Givin', in which he took what ] call
purity strong ground Among other
things, he said we'd aught to do rs much
for our religion as the old Jews did for
theirs; an while it was all right to lay
up for a rainy day, an get ahead if we
honestly could we should set apart at
least one.tenth of our income as the
Lords money.
Now, think the elder went leetle
too far" says to my wife Hubby, as
we was drivin' home from meetin'.
Givin' is well enough, but get most
tired hearin' these ministers forever a
dingin' about it,,
WAL, Lyman" says Hubby, I" why
don't you try givin' tenth?-try it for
year anyhow"
"Then I'm sure" says Hubby, with
that queer little smile o. hern that she
sometimes has, "it'll be real savin' to
we to go in systematically a givin' yer
tenth"
Now | hadn't any idee of dom it, an
keepin' a reckonn' of what / con-
tribute-in fact, | thought that verse
about lettin' yer right hand know what
yer left hand was dom was rather
agin it, but somehow Hubby has cool
way o. takin' things for granted, an
though the mildest of all women, she
ginerally manages to carry her pint.
Next mornin' see her maxim a book
out o. some sheets o. paper, an rulin'
'em off an stitchin' onto 'em a paste
board kiver, an on the outside she writ
in big letters that was as plain to read
;,S 6 I 80 -
she handed to me an said nothin.
That very week l got pay for MY
wheat; it was an uncommon good crop /;
it came to six hundred dollars. / was
a sittin' by the fire a countin' it up with
some satisfaction when Hubby just stuck
under my nose that book, "The Lords
Money"
What's that for, Huldy?" says |.
Why for the TENTH" says she.
Bless my SOUL" says l wrigglin'
an twstin', " that would be sixty dol
lars; can't STAN that"
She didn't say anything, but set a
watchin' me, an | knew it wasn't no
use a dodgin' her; so | took SIX ten
dollar bills, all crisp an new, an laid
'em in pile.
"Yis, yis," says l, tryin' to screw
my face into a smile, an to act as if I'd
been calkerlatin' all the way through to
give 'em.
Ye see there was an awful sight o.
old Adam in me. | jest set there a
begredgin' that money. l most wished
the wheat hadn't come to so much.
Then l happened to remember what
The elder had said in his sermon-that
it would be mighty hard wrench on
us at first to give tenth-that when
the fingers had got crooked up a
graspin' this worlds goods it was hard
to get 'em Strengthened out, but that
when we'd become used to this way o.
givin', we'd enjoy it, an be blessed in
it as much as in prayin' and readin' the
Scriptures. A thinkin' on that sermon,
made up my mind to double my sub
scription for the elders support, an
that would just take the sixty dollars.
AS l harvested my crops, an sold
'em, was astonished to see how the
pile grew, an l had to think it over
middlin' sharp to know where to invest
it so 'twould do most good, an [ was
gettn' over the wrench little until my
interest money came due. The year
before old Uncle Nat died, an most
unexpectedly had left me five thousand
dollars. If the legacy had dropped
down from the skies l couldn't have
been more surprised. Now | had
three hundred comm in from it, an
it most killed me to take thirty ont, an
put it aside for the Lord. l couldn't
help whinin'.
C Now Hubby" says l, don't we
believe the oil Jews deducted their
taxes afore they laid by their tenth?"
Il Dunno" says she, "we might
read up Leviticus an Numbers, an
Deuteronomy an see."
I'd rather pay the whole thirty dol
lars than wade through all them dull
books; an them" says | a thinkin'
hard, accordin' to what these agents
that come around Begin say, sup
pose it would be a good pecooniary
SPECIFICATION to give to the Lord.
They tell about throwin' out crackers
an show how them is blessed in their
basket an in their stores that bestow
their goods on the poor. Anyhow, I've
made up my mind to try it,"
Now Lyman Tubbs, don't we go into
this tenth business with no such
worldly motives, If we do yen be
worse than Ananias and Sapphira, who
was struck dead at once. Not but that
the Lord has said," III never leave
thee nor forsake thee" but if yer I'M
dertake to drive sharp bargain with
him yen find out that he'll get ahead
of we every time. No, he's given us
all we have, an I'm thinkin' he'll ask
some mighty close questions about the
way we've used it,"
Hubby didn't very often preach, but
when she did her sermons were what !
call pointed.
Time passed on, an l got used to
givin' my tenth. didn't squirm over
givin' it as l did; in fact, got kinder
raised, an to feelin' liberal. l didn't
sell so much as turkey without putin
aside tithes of it.
1t happened in the summer that my
wife's cousin Silas and his family came
to see us, an | was a braggin' about
givin' my tenth, an l supposed he'd
neverheerd o'sech a thing but Silas saws