Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1894-07-06

sing.
The teal Yes had
crept into lie 3 paused
seems as ii ] might 10 much to
help. Yes, indeed; fake him and
welcome" So Mrs. Elkanah took
HIM, and five others, as well, ere she
reached home.
All the ladies except Mrs. Prout
We're present on Saturday afternoon
to help arrange for the morrow, and
very tastefully it was done before
they went home.
An unusually large congregation
gathered in Calvary church that
Easter morning. Bachelor Ben
came for the express purpose OF ad,
miring mis- own tea-roses, and Aunt
Emily walked in from Timbuctoo, a
distance of four miles, to see her clean.
ders. The Reverend james Grace
worthy preached a most excellent
sermon from the text, Consider the
lilies and all the ladies who had
sent callas felt that they had dis.
played profound wisdom. The flow
ers scented the whole room and the
birds sang with might and main.
through hymns and sermon, through
prayers and responses.
Alter the service the birds were car.
ried home by their owners, except
Mrs. Seyerns who lived too far away
to come. Mrs. Peck bore Dick to hel
own home with great care. Then, in
the gladness OF her heart, the side
spring buggy and redroan steed We're
placed at the service OF Aunt Emily
to take her small self and great ole
anders out to Timbuctoo; and the
offer was accepted. With the excep
ton OF Bachelor Ben's tea-roses all
the other plants were left in the
church, to be taken to the several
houses next day by Mrs. Peck; but
that eccentric little man wheeled his
darlings homeina hand -cartthrough
the Sabbath streets. No use in
leaving everything for that wife OF
Pecl,'s to do he remarked grimly.
sShe's done enough'' The Mump-
williams smiled and said to one an
other, Il suppose he really couldn't
bear to be parted from them another
minute!'
AS the time for retiring drew near,
Mrs. Severn's bird became an object
of solicitude. Ifleft in any ordinary
place, Tabby would be sure to get it;
but at last the problem was solved
by removing the hanginglamp from
its hook in the ceiling and suspend
ing Dicks cage from that.
The weather had been gradually
growing colder all the afternoon, and
when Mrs. Elkanah woke next morn
ing the mercury was within five de-
grees of the zero mark and the wind
blowing at terrific rate. With
dread foreboding she thought OF the
plants at the church; but when she
reached the !sitting-room all remem-
brance of them was, for the time,
driven from her mind, for there in the
middle of the room sat Tabby licking
her paws, with Dicks empty cage be-
side her, and golden feathers lay
strewn all over the carpet.
The wind had drawn out the fur
mace fires at Calvary church, and the
chairwoman of the decorating com
mittee spent the whole of Monday
in returning frozen gera-
NUNS, callas, and fuchsias to their
very indignant owners. The hardy
azaleas were not really harmed by
the frost, although the beautifrlbuds
and blossoms wereinjured, OF course.
A crisp fye-dollar bill and the
whole of Monday afternoon We're
spent in riding over to Metropolis
and purchasing a bird rs nearly like
Dick as possible. Tuesday morning
was consumed in taking him out to
West Mumpville and explaining
matters to Mrs. Stevern, who was
grieved, as might be expected. The
new songster might bejust aspretty,
but not five dollars nor fifty could
make his golden feathers the same
that gentle Alice Severn had caressed
as she lay coughing her life away.
And it was veXatious to reflect that
if she had only remembered to re-
move the center-table from it's accus-
toned placeunder the hanging-lamp,
Dick would really have been as safe
as she fancied him.
AS the Peck tamily-there were half
IL hnshel Of theni-sat about the
dinner-table OH nI'-aeslaay noon, Ia
cable, laden with bakers
bread, muddy coffee, sodden vegeta-
bles cooked by the inexperienced
hired girl, and the remains Of a roast
a week old, the mother OF the fam
lily related her woes with that yearn-
ing for sympathy common to the
feminine heart.
But Mr.. Elkanah had woes also,
and was more just than merciful, as
a hungry man is apt to be. ''Well.
he said, pushing away
the remaining half oflis unpalatable
coffee, 81 should think you We're
plumb fool! Ifyou had given five
dollars toward decorating the church
lou'd have been considered the soul
If liberality; and now it has costyo
that much besides your time and
trouble and making all those other
women hate you for spelling their
pants Why, i'll the name OF com
non sense, don't you stay at home
aid give few cents and let some
bsdy else do the work, as other
nrn's wives do?''
In which estimate OF other mems
wives ] fear there was more truth
tInd poetry.-Good Housekeeping.