The morning call., 1891-06-10
THE PARSONS
RAIN-ST0RM.
III. j. B.

! ton was a good one.
The parson visited Fox Hollow for the
purpose of making himself acquainted with
! the people, and he thought if he could find
| an opportunity to preach there that he might
| take the farm. The place was very pleas
ant, and the people, so far as he could see,
| industrious and agreeable, but they had had
no religious meetings for years. There was
a small implanted Westinghouse in the
| vale, used sometimes for a schO0l-house
! and occasionally for other secular pur-
| poses. 1t had been built by former gen.
! Grafton for place Of worship, but the chill
! dren Of that generation, though honest as
! the world goes, had sadly fallen from grace.
| The leading man Of Fox Hollow was
known as Deacon Long" his father had
! been a deacon in regular standing, and the
! title had descended upon him as mat er OF
! social distinction. He was thrifty farmer,
| was Jabez Long. and had once represented
! his town in the State Legislature. ms man
/ ParSOn Surely sought.
"If." said the pars0n, after stating the
! business which had called him to the Hol-
! low, ." could find opportunity to preach to
| the PEOPLE Of this place, 1 might take the
! farm which has been offered me.
/ well, now. look here, parSOn,' returned
| the deacon after a brief consideration, you
| and might as we'll be blunt and honest.
| 'Taint no use beStini round the bush. Fact
/ is, our people don't have much Ialtn III hIIl-
/ listers. anyway"
! Thereupon Parson Surely mildly, but en-
! pbaticallv. explained to the thrifty deacon
! that religious ordinances were but introduce
! tory and supplementary to taIth IN God ana
| heaven. lie asked for no faith IN himself
/ only in so far as he reflected the love and
! mercy and will Of heaven.
! After some further conversation Deacon
! Long said he would consult with his friends.
/ He did so, and upon the following day he
| waited IN the par>On to report.
! "Well DarSun," he said, I've talked with
| the folks and they don't seem to think 1t
would pay to hire preacher They can't
/ see the use As for tie preachin' they can
! read all they care TO know, and as for pray
! in. they don't have no faith in Il"
! No faith in prayer?' said Mr.. Surely, IN
! surprise.
NO sir. Your prayers can't alter any
! thing. You can't pray one hair white or
| black. Old John Sample saws if minister
! could pray for rain, and nave 1t come Just
J when they wanted it. 'twou,d be some use.
| You see, paTsOn, that very thing shows you
! how weak YOU and your prayers are"
! Parson Surely was touched IN tender
| spot. He faneied that he could give these
! skeptical inhabitants Of Fox Hollow use
! full lesson on the ways Of Providence.
Suppose" he said, after due elaboration,
Il could pray Tor rain ana nave II come just
( when you want lt?'
"In that case" replied Long, promptly,
"we would hire you and run the risk."
Parson Surely proposed that they shou Id
meet the leading ones OF the settlement In
! the Westinghouse that evening and talk the
/ matter over. To this Mr.. Long asSented,
| and went away to make the necessary ar
! Tangements.
| Evening came, and a majority of the
! grown-up people Of FIX Hollow was assem-
! bled, and Parson Surely was with them.
/ The matter was duly considered and Deacon
/ Long put The proposition thus:
| "PaTsOni We, on our part, agree TO hire
| Won to preach for Us, and We will pay you
! either 10 money or in work. You, on your
/ part, agree that you Will give US rain just
! when we want il. Is that lt?'
with one slight qualification" said Mr.
! Surely, smiling. Il cannot promise to grant
/ request on which you shall be divided. |
/ cannot pray for one mans benefit 10 another
| mans injury. The request l am to answer
! must be entirely unanimous"
! This was considered eminPntly fair, and
! upOD these terms the contract was maze.
! MI Surely moved his family to Fox H0l-
| low and took possession Of the farm, and
! forthwith commenced his lab0Ts as pastor
| The peopIe very quickly found in him one
! quality which they liked. He would work.
! and he was not afraid If work. h was a
| farmer like themselves, and understood the
! business. Next they found that he was
! genial and cheerful, and that his Sabbath
! services were really interesting And then
! he organized a Sabhath-SchgOl, under the
| influence Of which there was a marked I'M
| proyement in the children. And he did
! more than this. He opened an evening
! school. the benefits Of which in time were
sought by some who had grown past the age
! Of childhood.
! The spring passed and summer came.
| July opened scorchingly. The second week
! of the midsummer month found the earth
! at Fox Hollow very dry. The potato tops
/ were dropping, aud the leaves Of the corn
were curling up. 1t WAS decided by the
| pc pic that they must have rain.
! Now" said old John Sample. who was
| one OF the most skeptical among tn N, ''is
/ the time TO try if the parson can keep his
| promise. You'll see, l reckon, how he'll
| collapse.
! A committee waited upon the parson aud
! informed him that they wanted rain.
Every well" h. said, "Pil meet our friends
| this evening at the church, and the matter
| will be settled upon"
The people were interested and curious,
! and when evening came the Westinghouse
| was full Tor nearly every inuabtant of the
! age Of understanding was there. The par
| son opened the way To deliberatiOn by stat
ing the purpose fer which they had met.
You want RAIN" he said, ''and L am to
bring it to you"
That's what you promised" returned
| Mr.. Sample.
"Exactly," said the parson. "and now we
have only 10 decide upon the time when you
| will have 1t. You will remember that you
! were 10 be unanimous in this particular.
| Now say-when shall the rain Gomez"
Hold on" cried Deacon Long, starting
to his feet "Pve got the very best Of nv
! lay clover and herds-rasS In windows. L
| must get that in. Let US have the rain to-
morrow night"
mo, no." interposed a thrifty farmer
| named Lamsnn "Pye engaged a crew of
I hat- tTfffr IN NOR
ing to cut down my clover Let 1t 90 over
to another day"
Then" said John Sample, "let us have
it as soon as neighbor LamsOn gets in his
clover. That viii be by Thursday, sure"
Mr.. LamsOn nodded in the affirmative.
"Then el's have it Thursday"
Upon this up jumped Mrs. John Sample
and Mrs. JabeZ Long.
That's the day for the children's picnic"
they cried, Don't, for mercy's sake, have
il rain that day"
'Su pose we set Friday them" suggested
the deacon.
But on Friday Peter Kempton had ar
ranged TO have men at work Singing his
barn. If others were to be accommodated,
he didn't know WHY he shouldn't be.
'Well, my friends" said Parson Surely,
'since you cannot agree upon the day, sup
pose you let the Lord take care OF the
weather during the present week and we
will consider further on another day. Ii
you say so we will meet again on Monday
next"
To this there could be no objection, and
the good people separated.
On Thursday the children had their pic
mic, but were hurried home by the threaten
ing clouds. On Thursday night and all day
Friday the rain fell glOriOuSly.
On Sunday ParsOn Surely took for his
text:
"Behold, the heaven and the heaven of
heavens is the Lords, thy God; the earth
also, with all that therein is"
He preached to them a sermon on the
utter futility of mans attempting to inter-
fere with the ways of Providence, and babe
them consider. from their own experience
of the past week, what a clashing of indi-