New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1891-10-21
DEACON PERKINS, TRIAL

~ ~ IL; C'1A hui u IN, an
fl ,UfA}fEff,#8IE{aaI=EE;Hsd nuthin' but the
f-NgAsSSGA}T--1 truth.'
Vyk;ANJN/ So spoke Mrs
.&& se4t@esat> Martha Judkins
called Aunt
Martha for miles around-as she
ssat busily knitting in her
kitchen door. The shining
zneedles were not brighter than her
black eyes, in spite OF her sixty years.
Ayoung man with merry blue eyes
who stood carelessly leaning against
the porch replied: E"That's gospel
truth, Aunt Martha; ev'ry word Nv it.
You see, I'd been down to the barn
for halter he'd borrowed, an 1 see it
'all from the stable door. Thar the
deacon stood onhis back piazza, bold
as lion, a huggin' an kissin' gal.
"'Twan't his wife, nuther"
@"The shameful, brazen hypercrit,"
:gasped Aunt Martha. "I'll hev him
up in meetin' this very evenin'. Anhe
the father of family, one of 'em a
babe in arms, an his poor wife Off a
sick bed! A pretty creature he to be
leadin' in q prayer like saint But
he does pray beautiful Did you know
the gal, Ozro?"
"Don't know her name, Aunt Mar
tina; pears as if I'd seen her, too, but
my horses are a-waitin'."
~ 4;,o3
*Ozro" called Aunt Martha after him.
''Sure to be THAR" he replied, strid-
ing down the front walk between the
tall lilacs and roses. There was an
unusual twinkle in his bright blue
eyes which would have BODIED mis-
chief to those who knew the rest.
Ozro Meachim held the important
position OF stage-driver and mail-car-
srier between the little village of Tuffer4
ton and the nearest railroad town,
some five miles away. He was gen.
eeral favorite on account of his unfail-
ing good-nature, and he was sure to
be the bearer of the latest neighbour
hood gossip. He was cordially well
coined by all the women folks of the
village.
fullerton was one of those moral
villages where marriages, births and
deaths form the most exciting topic of
conversation, and where a murder or
an elopement has not happened with
in the memory of the Oldest inhabit-
ant. Yet here was scandal at their
very door.
Aunt Martha fairly trembled with
excitement as she snatched up her
sunbonnet and hurried down the gar
den walk. She would run over to
Mrs. Arthur's, who was her nearest
neighbor, n quiet woman, not given to
gossip, so not generally the recipient
of Aunt Martha's confidence. But
this was something she could not keep
till she went to her bosom friend, Luz
.cindy Allen, for Lucindy lived full half
a mile away. ...,
Mrs. Arthur sat quietly sewing in
sher cool sitting-room, the door opened
wide to admit the breeze and the sweet
smell of the lilacs. She looked surpris-
ed as Aunt Martha unmatched the gate
and hurrying up the path sank on
the steps and famed herself vigorous
dy with her apron.
"Why what is the matter?" said
Mrs. Arthur. "Come right in here
where it is COOL"
''Matter enough, Mrs. Arthur" re-
piled the old lady. GIVE he'd a shock
that | won't get over till my dying
day"
Have, you had any bad news, Aunt
Martha?" >.s.
.tBad news? The wust kind of news,
when a deacon an u pillar OF the
church falls from grace, an he q MAX
in such beautiful pray RS
''But you have not told me who it
rs that has fallen from grace, Aunt
MARTHA"
..You don't mean to say that you
ha mt herd on it? Then you'd never
guess, Mis- Arthur Ozro Meachim, he
Jest stopped to give me a paper, an I
seq to him: tOzro, what's the news?'
an sez,b he to me: i dunno ez orter
tell We, but | see somethin this morn
yin' down to Deacon Perkins that
beats me all boiler. Thar he stood
-on his back piazzy a huggin' an kissin'
a. gal. II want his wife nuther.'
Them's his very words. Then I seq:
who wuz the gal?' but it pears he
didn't know,
Mrs. Arthur oked puzzled, for Dea-
pcon Perkins was one OF the first men
lin the village and much respected.
sShe WAS certain there was a mistake