The Forrest City times., 1892-05-06
"THANkFUL !" ELLIS"

 ee,d. tracking q broad. black shadow veil sc oss the pillows of green falling te,ore the winds swift passage and rising again as the sun sent long quivering gleams through the bright restless blades.
 Beyond the wheatfield. just across he creek. Deacon Ellis was plough ing his corn His hearty chirrup whenever old Moll turned into a new the big road And between furrows the good deacon whiled away the time by singing the old familiar meeting house hymn:
 Come, thou fount of every blessing"
 It happened that while the deacon was singing in the cornfeld Farmer Foster and his wife were driving to town in their new Jersey. They were crossing the creek at the turn of the big road, and stopped Il moment to give the mare a drink just as the dea- cons song rose to it's highest pitch:
 Here I'll raise mine Ebenezer,
 Hither by Thy help I'm come.
 And hope by Thy good pleasure,
 Safely to arrive at home
 The farmers wife laughed as she D shed back her sunbonnet to listen.
 The deacons singin 'Zekiel !" she said. same's if his only COW didn't fall in the ditch yistiddy, an break her leg. an have to be knocked in the head
 The farmer tapped his whip at a fly on the back of his mare
 An the same. he said. 'as if his biggest heller wasn't down with the pink-eye. Nothin' cant stop him a-thankin' Of the Lord Nancy. Rain or shine, summer'n winter hits all the same to Deacon Ellis. There's allus somethin' not quite as bad as it might "a been. I've a good min to drive by and ax after the heifer Nancy"
 Do Zeklel. Hitll look kinder neighborly" said the farmers wife, and the Jersey wagon turned out of the big road into the red lane running past the deacon's cornfied. The dea. con saw them coming. and called old Moll to halt while he went over to the worm fence and exchanged how dye dos" with his neighbors Greet ings being over Farmer Foster in- Guired after the deacon's wife.
 Well she's ailin' some to besure :" was the answer. She's ailin' some, but the Lord be praised for it. she's up an about again!'
 An how's the heifer deacong'
 Poo ly. mighty poo'ly; but 'taint the only one we've got an I'm a-thank- in of the Lord for that.
 Farmer Foster took up his lines; it was no easy matter to condole with his neighbor Ellis
 Well deacon" he said. we druv by to tell you as we felt pow'ful cut up bout that fine COW O yours as broke her leg yistiddy. but seems you don't need no help to bear your bad luck"
 Deacon Ellis pulled cedar splinter from the fence rail before he an- swered.
 Well" he said slowly my ole oman set a sight O store by that COW an my little gal cried for milk last night to be sure. We'll miss old Spot thar aint no denyiu' O that But we've got sight O nice beef off'n her an that's somethin to be thank ful for"
 See here. deacon;h Mrs. Foster would hear of no further thanksgiving In the midst of such dire misfortune. She understood exactly what the loss of the COW meant to the invalid wife and sickly daughter of the man who was straining every point Tn order to pay off the mortgage upon the few acres he called his farm. ''See here deacon. she said. you send David over to my house every evenin' an get quart O milk for that little gal to us an David can cut across lots an come for 1t in no time. The deacon thanked her and said he would. and in his heart he thanked the Lord for the unexpected good and that night he thanked Him aloud upon his knees. for the gift of neigh bors and friends. And the next morning at breakfast when blessing had been asked upon the humble meal and Mrs Ellis set a mug o Farmer Fosters nice new milk be- fore the sick child who clapped hel little hands joyfully at sight of it tn, deacon bowed his gray head again. and thanked the Master of mercies | second time For all His many bless ings."
 The next Sunday he was in his ac customed place at the village church aud when he knelt to pray few woulC have suspected as he poured forth hi prayer of praise and thanksgiving | that his only COW had broken her leg l in the ditch and his best heifer haC dice with the pink-eye oniy the weel | before and that his last and only hop, of COW had been stricken down witt | the same disease
 Streams of mercy never ceasing Call for songs of loudest praise.
 Higher and fuller the sweet son. rose. as if the singers life had beel one continual round of peace. and hi pathway one of roses and perpetua | summer. The good man shut hi eyes to visible things. and closed hi heart to worldly cares; and neithe the dead heifer nor the unfortunate COW could shake the foundation o thankfulness in his heart
 Spring ripened into summer tn corn in the deacon's field looked healthy. But the wheat alas tn, sun creeping across the waving bill lows found rust among lhe ripenin!