Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-02-09

@'i'Ald to think, - grieved the old lady,
'that now ! am myself responsible for
their levity. How can | ever go into the
meeting house again? And I'm sure
can never preach after thisl'
That same morning concern" Of the
biggest kind had been laid upon Miss
Priscilla's gentle and reverent spirit. Ir
the midweek meeting, at which the mem
bers Of the day school, carried on as an
adjunct Of the Friends organization,
were present, she had seen unseemly
smiles exchanged between some of the
children. The longer she thought about
it the more the circumstance weighed
upon her, and on first day morning
Friend Priscilla rose to deliver the mes
sage that had come to her.
Strange to say, she was slightly nerv-
Gus for the first time in her preaching
experience. She surreptitiously felt in
her pocket for the customary handker-
chief, and finding it in its place against
a time of need went on with her SER
mon. Fate was against her. Just as
she was fairly under way there were
hasty steps on the pavement outside, the
door opened with crash, and squeak,
squeak, squeak, came a strange man UP
the aisle to front seat almost under the
speakers nose. Such an entry would
have made a sensation in any Quaker
meeting, but imagiue the feelings of the
assembled Friends at finding that the
bold invader had settled himself COM
fortably on the women's side of the
housel
The sermon was forgotten; every wo-
man on one side, and every man on the
other, and every youngster in every part
of the house craned his or her individual
neck to set a good view of the new
conner, who so rasniy 1aSC:sieed traditions.
Friend Priscilla herself lost the thread
of her discourse and stood there help
less in the general amazement. The
stranger, startled by the silence and by
the fixedness of the numerous gaz 5
fastened upon him, reused himself to the
situation, surveyed the two divisions of
the house and proceeded to act. Squeak,
squeak, squeak, along the stones outside;
and squeak, squeak, up the other aisle to
a front seat in the Quaker synagogue.
The elders breathed again; the chill
dren Uttered, and Friend Priscilla en-
deavored to gather up the broken threads
of her interrupted discourse. But the
inspiration had fed. After one or two
Intellectual struggles to enunciate prop
er sentence, the little lady sank into her
seat, placed her gray bonnet precipitate-
ly on her head regardless of the white
face ruffle, pulled her carefully ironed
and folded handkerchief from her pock-
ct, held it before her face and gave her,
self up to agitation.
Friend Priscillas pocket handker
chiefs, like the rest of her belongings,
were fine and beautifully kept, and the
ones devoted to use for state occasions
were religiously laid away in a box by
themselves. AS she sat there rejecting
on the untowardness of the immediate
: occurrences Friend Priscilla's one con.
ISOLATION was the recollection that the
handkerchief now decorously dropping
before her face in long, half fold had
been taken that morning from the sacred
box in which her best were preserved.
Rudely breaking in upon her medita-
tions came an audible snicker from one
corner of the room, followed by giggle
from another quarter. She was aston
ished to find the meeting breaking up
and friend at her elbow saying de-
murely, though with a laugh in her eyes:
'sPriscilla, hasn't thee made q mistake
in. thy kerchief? That hardly looks like
the ones thee usually carries" One
hasty glance at the article mentioned,
another at the smiling looks directed
toward her by the entire audience, an
awakening to the conviction that it had
been necessary to close the meeting on
account of the incongruity Of her attire,
and Friend Priscilla hurried out and
home by the back way.
First day school had no charms for
her that day. Her dinner was weari-
ness to tho flesh. The cat concluded a
blizzard had swept the heart of his mis-
tress, and retired to seek consolation in
the light Of the fire and the warmth Of
the rug Afternoon ran on toward twi-
light, and twilight deepened into even
ing, and still Friend Priscilla Gibbons
sat there gloomily, wondering how it
had ever happened, and bemoaning that
she of all people should have brought dis
credit upon the sacredness of Friends
meeting, for it had takenno second glance
to show that what she had supposed to be
neatly ironed, fine white handkerchief
shading her agitated little face had been
in reality long white stocking, dangling
its toe and heel audaciously toward the
audience. Philadelphia Times.