River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-06-23
THE DEAC0N'S MEETING.
Tow a Soul Received New Light
and Inspiration.

in. lothian. DO You hear? There's
sDme body a-comin' in"
Let 'em come, blast it all! Don't
you suppose I've got ears as well as
you?"
There was a heavy foot on the
scraper, then a vigorous rustling of the
braided husk door-mat and Reny's sec
ond appeal was in whisper.
"Oh, lothian. Don't! I'll have it put
back; I'll do anything, if you'll take
Il at thing off and not make yourself
RI liculous."
Mind your business" growled the
man addressed, and he drew mp still
closer around his shoulders the faded
print bed-quilt in which he had wrapped
himself, and tucked the buffalo robe
tighter still into the arms of his rock
ing-chair and about his knees.
There were only two seasons in Mrs.
Dea Crabbe's household. The transition
Of summer to winter was marked by
domestic rather than solar movements.
On the first day of May, unless that fell
upon "A Sunday, the good woman's
kitchen stove was moved into the shed.
the rag carpet. which had hung sus-
pended on a pole in the attic all winter,
was tackled down in its place, chairs,
tables and lounges crossed over and eX
changed partners, aud after a lively
dance settled themselves down into
their regular summer relations to the
points of compass. After that warm
weather was in order. If a belated
chill ventured to make itself feit in the
far as the old lady herself was con-
cerned. Her husband, who had always
been, i'm his private home life, some
what inconveniently left handed in his
disposition. grumbled out few EN-
phatic denunciations from his secular
vocabulary-for lac was a church dca-
con, and had his prayer-meeting phrase
ology as well-and then quoted Gown
into summer routine, and knew from
the transition that it was time to plant
corn, beans and cabbages. He never
had taken on in this fashion before.
Perhaps he was getting rheumatic.
Reny was just thinking over the re-
spective curative properties of the
herbs in the attic when the visitor
entered.
face of Sam Tooley, the stage driver,
that appeared in the door. He took ont
the red Gotten bandanna with which he
was wont to muifle the trumpet blast
from his nose, and after this little cere-
mony of salute he carelessly diffused
his loosely-hung members on the near
est chair.
We'll, deacon" said Sam. surveying
the old mans wrappings with quizzi-
cal AIR, "be We to hum. or be we gone to
bed, or be We out ridin'? | hoped, for
the prosperity of Zion, that l should
find We to hum. cause you've got ter
preach tomorrow. Dea Turner says
SO. lie wanted me to tell We that Par
son Peters didn't come up tonight"
Sam was one of the most righteous of
sinners. He was as upright as saint
in his dealings and rs fippant as
seoffer in his speech.
so. you see, you'd better be a castin
off the robe of your own righteousness
kind o. patchwork, amt it?'-and
Sam drew up nearer and caught hold of
the corner of the bed quilt for closer
inspection-''anda putin on the whole
armor o. God. You must anoint yer
feet and wash yer head and take the
shield of faith and the sword of the
spirit and go at EN-, hammer an tongs.
Tell 'em they're wicked and perverse
generation, and it's the Lords marcy
they amt consumed. Reel off list o
their sins TO 'em. 'Twon't hurt 'em
none. Tell 'Bijah Davis that he'll pray
like all possessed % the prayer meetin',
and he's been a OWN me for hay nigh
on ter three years and can't git "A cent.
An Joe Joslvn'n grind ont texts o.
Scripture as he grinds out corn in his
mill, but he'll go right home and take
three times the toll he'd ought ter.
And the women'll whine out pray
ers, as women allus win when they
pray in meetin', and end up with a
pious shuttle, an then on their way
home they'll tell a stream of lies about
their neighbors big enough TO carry
sawmill. tell We we ought ter have
few more deacons appointed to go round
and lock into the private lives o these
church members"
Sam paused with a look of serious
concern on his face as he meditatively
twirled his thumbs. The old clock never
licked so loud.
'An' then there's Christy Jones-shell
squeal out a sky-splttin' psalm about
the Lords marcy bein' everlastin' an
To all generations. when she's sent her
old bed-ridden mother off 10 the poor
mouse sos't she can be free to spin street
warn. Wilbur Brown, he's another of
them church fellers. Every body knows
that he starved them two-year-old crit
tiers of his'n till they couldn't stan up,
he's SO 'fraid he'd have to buy hay fore
spring. An then the young Ol..s-they
take to the creed an covenant mighty
easy when them revival fellers come
round. but they're an awful ungodly lot
for all that.
''Now that's the way I'd preach to
EN-. deacon. I'd tell EN- what's what,
and say amen and 'everlastin' and git
pff the benediction and the doxology to
wind it up with. strong, and then I'D let
EN- go home and think ont"
And sam began to collect his scat
s.red members as if about to rise and
depart
set still, sam. said the deacon, who
appeared to ignore the fact that his bed
quilt and buffalo We're sliding down To
he floor. hut Sam would not let him
he'd the skin of his disgrace and rise
INTO his manhood on the sly.
Your things are gittin' off, here,
said, as he jumped up and readjusted
nem with remOrseless dexssrity. FIN
afraid the wind II git in round your
Get; I'll tuck this mp little tighter"
sam, | understand you." said the
deacon, and the grim jaw which had
mapped together like a vice after his
hunder blasts to Reny an hour before,
,egan to relax its tirmness little. u