The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-12-19

There was nobody at the church
when Miss Stanley arrived, so she
unpacked her costumes and sat down
by the stove to wait. Miss Stanley
always does have to wait for the
others to come to rehearsals.
But by the time her patient old
roam horse had been tied to the hitch
ing rack something like an hour
almost everybody had come. There
was Miss Minerva Saulter-not that
she had anything to do with the can
tata, or did bit of good by coming.
She came simply because she is SO
full OF zeal that she could not stay
away. don't suppose that any body
ever so much as thought of doubling
Miss Minerals good intentions-but
dear, dear, her good intentions al
ways seem to work worse results
than could be accomplished by the
very worst intentions, for if there is
any way in the world, of getting hold
of things by the wrong end, and put
ting everybody in muddle-trust
Miss Minerva for doing it.
Miss Minerva always occupies
front seat when she comes to the
church-no matter what the occasion,
so that evening she went up and
seated herself in front of the three
Ball boys, who were to sing in the
choruses, but liked cutting up good
deal better and always behaved
their very worst whenever Miss Min
erva tried taking them in hand. Close
behind the Ball boys and trying to
act Just like them-were all the little
boys, and that big BOBBY of a Willie
Moss who can't sing, or do anything
else for that matter, but had to be
given speaking part to keep his
mother from getting mad. Then
there were the big girls who were to
be goddesses and sing the solos-and
the middle sized girls who were to
take the angel characters, and the
little girls who were to be fairies
and all who were not behind the
scenes trying on costumes were
scuffling their feet on the floor, and
twisting about in their seats enough
to drive anybody out of their senses,
but The rehearsal could not begin
until Cliff Armstrong came, and Cliff
was out on the sidewalk talking with
some boys. He was the best singer of
any of the boys in the Sunday-school
and his part in the cantata was
very important one. In reality Cliff
was a pretty nice fellow-but you
see he was just at what is known as
the smart age, which, as everybody
knows, is at its very worst stage
along about fifteen-he felt very i'm
portant over his part in the .cantata,
and thought he owed it to himself to
make everybody else feel his impor-
lance too; and it seemed to him there
was no better way of bringing that
about than by making himself as
troublesome as possible; and that
evening, as usual, he was keeping
everybody waiting-he had made up
his mind to find fault with his COS
tume-and do as many other disa
greeable things as he could think Of.
When he got real good and ready,
he walked into the church and
dropped into seat behind old Mrs.
Brown. Mrs. Brown is one of the
members who always comes to find
fault, after somebody else has done
all the work, but she is a cross old
woman any way, and loves to find
fault, especially with boys. She can't
abide boys.
"I'll ventur' to say you'd hunt high
and low, before you found such an
other set of bad boys, as these here
in Smithheld" she remarked to her
married daughter who was sitting by
her. "Look at them Ball boys, now. 1t
does put me out of all patience to see
Brother Banks so meek and easy.
Why don't he make them behave?
There's such a thing as being too
meek, l think"
81 think the same thing, mother
but [ suppose it's because Brother
Banks and Miss Stanley have more
Christian grace then we have that
makes them SO patient" christian
fiddlestickw said the old lady Grossly.
There's sense to everything-but the
cuttin' up is nothing to what it will
be when that Cliff Armstrong comes.
He's the ring leader of them all. He's
keepin' everybody waiting on him
now, just to show off. Mrs. Brown
had not seen Cliff come in.) 1t does
seem curious to me the way Miss
Stanley bears with that boy. She act
ually seems to like him, too, and says
che knows lots of good things about
him. which is a sight more than |