The Louisiana Democrat., 1891-04-08
DON'T MAKE THE SABBATH
MISERABLE.
HOW CHRIST STOLE THE CORN.

;. - q MA" 'aH NC Joliy ana gay on
Sunday without offending his max er
: it's terrible world to live in, an,
maybe not worth living in at all :
5 and here the speaker, with wry gri
0 mace, squirted a mouthful of tubacc,
i, juice out in the road, then resumint
. said: "Why, when | was little sha
yer l used to hate Sunday as much a:
a dog hates a cat used to dread the
I day as much as any boy ever dreaded
whipping. Aud why Because
on that day everybody had to keep as
quiet as a cburch-tIat is everybody
in our house-lest something might
accidentally have been done to break
the awful stiffness, which my mother
always insisted upon maintaining
throughout the Sabbath day as pro-
per religious observance. we dare
not do more than whisper; when we
walked from one room to another 1t
was on tiptoe; did we read book, it
must be good" one; did we ask to
go play we were sternly reminded Of
the day and told to take up our Bible
and think no more of pleasure. Moth
er would take her good" book with
her to the gallery of the house to read,
and would frequently go asleep there,
too, with the volume fallen to the
floor. We children never dared to
approach her then, she would be SO
cross. Always uneasy that one of us
might be in some way infringing upon
the day she would reply yes, or no, to
all qaestions-these monosyllables ard
nothing more, and would constantly
chide US for the least imprndence (D|
in gesture, or in voice. Oh, it was
dreadful, dreadful then and dreadful
now to even think of
Fortunately, though, my father was
just the reverse of mother with regard
to sabbatarianism. His style was lib
eral, and ours, as his children, would
have been liberal also, but, he was not
the master of his own house I do
confess that he was what | now know
is henpecked. No, no; | don't mean
from experience. Yon needn't laugh.
I've got all the hair on my head to-
day that | had when l got married,
and don't you forget it. Sometimes,"
the narrator, "father would
'lyly tell us to run off and play, but
not to let mother catch us or hear US. .
He sympathized with us and we with i
lin, poor old man! Very little of ).
he Bible did father turn, and yet he !
vas an honest gooo man-one whom :
everybody liked. On the other hand.
mother pretended to be versed in the y
good" book from A to z, and yet ev- "
rybody who knew her confessed thew d
hought she had Grabbed disposition, i,
ue to an excess of piety, said some. k
'oor old mother, she was grabbed {; u
IN her son, and she's long ago dead, q
mt the truth wrongs no one, dead or h
live, and she was grabbed, and all 81
ecanse, | firmly believe, she was too +,
egardfui OF the Sabbath day aod con- cl
nua!ly fretted about trifes concern p
'g it. ii
81 remember once a stranger came ", "
our gate and asked our hospitality
n the night. He was welcomed
lady to the fresde. The next day
as Sunday, and I remember it as a
eautlfnl morning. 1t had tempted ~, ~
e stranger to leave his room before tb
'eakfast it was such o glorious one. wi
noticed him in the cornfeld lust I'll
ross from the house, strolling down as as
g headland taking in the fresh and gn
llmy air, evidently with much en- fn1
vment. Suddenly be leaned for an
ard and plucked few ears of the La
re corn, munchiug them as he turned
d came toward tie house. At this :.
1cture mother caught sight of him. ~ -.
II guest, as he entered the gate, was
nked at mysteriously by father, who ~
the moment was passing. The ~ ~
anger did not comprehend, of p'
arse, and advanced up the steps -
ndering what father meant. He q"
IN discovered, however, for walking 'A'
aight up to him the mistress of the .'0'
lse asked him what he meant BY '"s ,s
obeying holy injunctions, pointing wit
The corn be held in his hand, at the viii
le time. the
Madam" replied the poor devil, WIT
don't understand yon eyact1y y