Middletown transcript., 1897-08-07

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GsS ~ phreys sat swing.
! !: ! !. J. ! ! !: ! !: : !. ! !.
~ ~ ing his feet some
&KLkR M six inches above
fTSSHlN The 1oor, in the
49,. MIAV Hamen corner
iW. WMt IN of Wimpletor
VII :. chuTch-a shock
IM.I ~ haired, unwash.
MIN ed, out-at-the
G[S knee urc b n,
W hose most redeeming quality seemed
to be his wide-awakeness, whereas
almost every one else nodded or yawned
or dezad. | say seemed, for later il
proved, for time at least, his con
demnatioD instead of his redemption:
/ cannot say what brought him there,
tho in all probability it was his own
legs; and | felt quite sure ere Parson
Humdrum had rolled out half dozen
of his sonorous sentences on some
abstruse dnctrinal question that they
were not doing their own bidding in
staying where everything was so quiet
and dull and droning. l knew it was
not his own will that was keeping him
there, for be sat in front of me, and
by every sign which it is possible for a
ten-year- old boy to give without
actually speaking out in meeting, he
said to me: 81 don't want to stay any
longer. This is too poky a place for
me. | mean to CO."
Then there began in pantOrnime a
struggle between his desire to go and
his awe Of the place and people. One
pew was not large enough to hold him
He ranged all over its six sittings, and
even surged out into the aisle, in his
restless tossings and slidings. "'Rang-
ed P' should have said wriggled.
Not content with starring as the in
carDation of unrest, with his nuMer-
GUS wrigglings and twistings and risings
up and sittings down, fiourishing Of his
cap, and an "I-am-about to-start-out-
others" look in his eye, he occasionally
aggravated his rebellion against being
forced by propriety to sit still and lis
ten to what interested him not the
least by whispering, nodding and beck
oning TO another boy, who had at first
occupied seat beside him, but who
had been separated from him 10y the
tactics of keen-eyed Mrs. Smith, who
took it upon herself to bring the young
culpIit to good behavior.
81, intimidated by her commanding
mods and gestures, the young rebel re-
luctantly occupied all alone the other
half of the pew in which 1 sat, and
every moment his spirit of insubordi-
nation grew more and more turbulent.
He glanced up at Mrs. Smith with
defiant iook in his eyt, accompanied by
Q, flourish of his cap aud half-rising
posture, as much as to say, "l'm going
now."
A shake Of her head, accom- panied
by the stern compression of her lips,
was barely able to restrain him upon
the ragged edge Of departure. But he
slumped back into the seat again, with
a half-ashamed and yet desperate look
in his eye, as much as to say You
can't keep me next time" Then he
tossed his shock of red hair aud shot
defiant, curious glances into he faces
of the little congregation, one by one,
ending his unsatisfactory scrutiny with
an almost audible sniff of contempt /
suppose, at the idea of twoscore of
living beings having so little sense Of
what was of human interest as to sit
and NOPE through such a dry perfor-
nance for an hour or two.
Ever and anon he cast a furtive
glance at me, as tho to discover the
least trace of sympathy With his dis
dainful opinion SO unequivocally ex-
pressed by his fdgeting; and l verify
believed had he discsrned such in the
faintest degree, it would have encour-
aged him to arise and do the desperate
deed Of boiling in the midst of Parson
Humdrum's prosiest passage on the
number seven as scriptureal symbol
Of perfection, illustrated by ready
made factory illustration.
l did feel tory for Sunday, not
knowing but'that the boy might be ill.
! felt sorry that he was SO benighted as
not to nod and dozs with che rest. But
| did not dare indicate my sympathies.
Parson Humbrum was beginning to be
annoyed by Sandy's misbehavior, and
to glance with rising choler around to-
ward our corner Oftener than was con-
ductive to the smooth aud uninterrupt-
ed unwinding of the subtle thread of
bis learned discourse. Perhaps he was
wondering why in the world one Of h!s
able-bodied brothers and Jealous I is
ter were not equal to the task of quell.
ing one small boy; OF be was wishing
in his heart of healts that Ufficious
meddlers would let the children alone
and not aggravate their petty misde-
meanurs by blunderingly trying to re-
press them. At any rate, 1 saw that
the rebellion Of Sandy Humphreys
against being compelled TO stay where
people did not exert themselves to in-
terest him, was disturbing factor in
Parson Humdrum's labored effort to
enlighLen us on the sep.ennate principle
in divine administration.
For my own part, began lnwardly
to be as rest less AS the boy, and Mr..
Smith by this time was far more Aus-
traled than /. Al times was strongly
tempted TO resort to the heroic measure
of getting up, going out myself and
beckoning the youngster to follow me;