Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-04-09
TIE NEW MINISTER.

evening.
For nearly month the Rev. John Dent s
| face had been missing from the tea-tablt
OF Mrs. Dodd In whose family he had been
received as member until his plans for
the future had been decided upon. In that
time he had been handed around from one
member of the congregation to another.
He had talked literature, art and fashion
with the mothers and daughters, and pol
itics and church finances with the fathers
and sons. He had sat down to suppers of
fried chickens and waffles until his stom-
ach began to rebel and cry for rest and
change of diet. Tuesday, Deacon Smith
had spoken for him. On Wednesday he
had pr )mised to see the Martins while
Thursday had been set apart by the Law
SONS as the only day on which the pastor
nm It break bread with them.
Tbs would take him nearly round. True,
there we're number of families whom he
had never visited beyond mere calls, but
they belonged to the poorer part Of his
charge, and were of the class who scorned
to make feast unless they could do it as
well as the rich Mr. Dent hoped most
devoutly that they might not see their way
clear until he had, by a judicious course of
crackers and tea, restored his stomach to
something like its natural tone.
Deacon Smiths supper and the night
mare tbat followed it were safely past, and
he was on his way to fulfill his engage
nents with the Martins; walking briskly
along with the cheerful alacrity of a man
" ho had made up his mind to do his duty,
no matter what it cost him. Suddenly
the brisk walk ceased, and Mr.. Dent TODD
staring do 3n 1T the apparition which had
unexpectedly risen from the thicket of
weeds by the roadside. 1t was not one
from which Mr.. Dent or anybody else was
likely to recoil, for it was small and freckle
faced, and, moreover was so badly FRI ght-
ened itself that it had barely enough
breath to make the following announce
mant:
Please, sir, Aunt Polly has been awful
sick. and mothers had to go off in a
tearin' hurry, and come to our house
another time
OF course Mr.. Dent didn't care, and
another time would do just as well, if not
little better; and having quieted small
Tommy Martins fears by "a winning smile
AID a hearty hand shake, he turned round
and started off in the direction of the
Lawsons, not even asking him self whether
this arrangement would make any differ,
ence to them.
1t was foreoldained, | suppose. At
least that is the only way Mr.. Dent could
account for his doing such an utterly
stupid thing as cutting across lots. vault
ing the back fence and presenting him
self at Mr.. Lawson's back door at an
hour when he was supposed to be eating
chicken off Mrs. Martins chin.
Tho T,aucOpS yUara ahout 70 mart 10 of
their evening meal. Mr.. Lawson, Sam
and John, we're already at their plates.
Mrs. Lawson was arranging the cups and
saucers, and Mary Jane was Fl ling the
teapot, preparatory to her sitting down
when the double rap was heard at the
door,
The Grimeses to borrow something! |
do wish we could get through one meal
without them" said Mrs. Lawson tucking
her soiled apron aside as she went to The
door.
Before she gets it open would like to
introduce you a little more fully to the
Lawson family, that you may understand
how matters stood on that November
night when Mr.. Dent called
Mr.. Lawson was an intelligent welI-to.
do man, honest in his dealing, social and
OF considerable influence in the church.
Mrs Lawson was kind and motherIy and
an authority on all matters relating to
pickles and preserves.
Mary Jane was quite a society leader,
and her way of doing her hair and dress
ing herself was ,lways accepted as style by
her girl friends. The boys were fun
loving and popular, as such boys are apt
to be.
As a family they would have been regard
ed perfect, if it had not been for a bad
habit they had-too common wit b great
many other people-of utting the best
foremost.
When company was coming they spared
themselves no trouble, that everything
might be as pleasant as possible They
scrubbed and swept, and put out their best
glassware and forks and spoons, that con-
stituted their stock Cf silver until they
shone again; ransacked their brains to in
vent dishes pleasing to the palate, to abide
in the memory of their guests forever; ar
rayed themselves In their best, talked their
best; in short they did everything cheer
fully and heartily that could add to the
general pleasure.
But when they we're alone it was differ
ent. 1t was too hard to keep the parlor in
order, and it was such a trouble to carry
everything In and out of the dining-room,
and it was sucn bother to dress twice a
day; as general rule they took their meals
in the kitchen, and spent their evenings,
when at home, huddled around the kitchen
| stove and their toilets, were not what are
regarded as evening dreess, and moreover,
they are apt to betray the manner of the
work in which the wearer had been en-.
gagged during the day; the folds and creases
retaining all the pleasant odors of the
kitchen, so that any one with an acute
sense of smell might have given the Law
SON s daily bill of fare to a dot.
On this particular night things were E
| little better than usual, for they were say
ing themselves for tomorrow. when the
whole house was to be put IL order for the
new pastor.
You can imagine much better than car
describe Mrs. Lawson's feeling when the
| open door revealed to her astonished gaze
not the familiar dirty visage of JONI
Grimes, but the handso re smiling coun
tenance of their new minister. She re
treated step, then stood smiling in dis
may at the unexpected visitor Mr.. Law
son and the boys scrambled up and put or
their coats, while Mary Jane added to tht
general interest of the scene by pouring
stream of hot water on the back of tn,
sleeping cat, which started in a straigh
line for the door, MIR. Dent involuntaril,
stepping aside to let her pass.
At this critical junction Mrs. Lawson
wits returned to her. Stepping forward
she shook hands with Mr. Dent, assuring
him that it made no difference, and tina