The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-31

out cryin' to save my iife,'s said she;
but Lizabeth never shed a tear. She
TAXED Straight on s as Il 1 She'd made up her
mind to say jest so much, and she'd die if
she DIDN'T get to say it, Well.
she, I set out to find the lady that wanted
the candlesticks. She wasn't at home, but
her niece was there, an said she'd heard
and she'd be home in a few days and would
SEND me the money right off. ] come home
tninkin 1T was all right. and kept ex-
Dectin the money every day. but it never
come till day before yesterday. ! wrote
three times about it, but l never got word
from her till. Monday She had jest got
home, she said, and hoped l hadn't been in
convenienced by the delay. She wrote a
nice, polite letter and sent a check for So
that day at the Mite Society but somehow
] couldn't tell had the money right in my
hand to pay back; If the lady, had only
comm ii would all have turned out right,
but reckon it's a judgment on me for med
ding with the Lords money. God. only
knows what I've suffered says she, but il
| had it to do over again, believe I'd do It,
Mary was all the child / had in the world.
and had to see her once more before she
died. I've been a member of this church
for twenty years says she, but / reckon
you'll have to turn me out now
THE pore thing stood there tremblln ana
holdin' out the check as if she expected
somebody to come and take it. Old Silas
Petty was glowerin' at her from under MS
eyebrows, and it put me in mind OF the
Pharisees and the woman they wanted to
stone, and | ricollect thinkin', o If the LORD
Jesus would jest come in and take ner part.
And while we all sat there like passel o
mutes, Sally Ann got up and marched down
the middle aisle and stood rlgnl by LIZA
beth. You know what funny thoughts peo-
pie will have sometimes.
We'll, felt so relieved 1t popped into
my head all at once that we didn't need
[ seemed
but | couldn't help it..
We'll, Sally Ann looked all around as
reckon if anybodys turned out O this
church on account O. that miserable little
money tn be Jacob ys ana 6,a not wife z monay to
go to her dyin' child is too mean to stay in
d Christian church anyhow: and Things Is
a woman that had $500 when she married
has to go to her husband and git down on
her knees and beg for what's her own:
she married you? says she, turnin' round
and lookin' Jacob in the face Down IN IN
that new barn you built last spring: A
pretty elder you are, amt you? Elders
don't seem to have improved much since
o. meanness in EN- it's another, says she.
Goodness knows what she would a-Sald,
but jest here old Deacon Petty rose up.
And says he 'Brethren'-and ne spread his
arms out and waved EN- up and down IKE
he goin' to pray-'brethren, this is aw-
ligious experience, why, says he, very Klno
and condeScendn, of course, she can DO SO:
But when it comes to woman standln
up in the house of the Lord and reVlhn an
BILE says he, for the church of Christ For
don't the ben ApGs snee Fan the Iag
LAS soon as he named the 'Postle Paul,
Sally Ann give a kind of snort. Sally Ann
her say many time that she had as little
use for the 'Postle Paul as she mad TOT
Judas Iscariot And when Deacon Petty
said that, she jest squared herself like she
and says she, The 'Postle Paul has been
dead ruther too long for me to be afraid of
him. And l never heard of him app intln
Deacon Petty to represent him in this
church. If the 'Postle Paul don't like what
I'm sayin', let him rise up from his grave
in Corinthians or Ephesians or wherever
he's buried, and say SO. I've got message
from the Lord to the men-folks of this
church. and I'm goin' to deliver it. Paul or
no Paul, says she. And as for you, Silas
Petty, i am forgot the time cropped IN
to see Maria one Saturday night and found
her washin' out her flannel petticoat and
dryin'. it before the fire. And every time
I've had to hear you lead in prayer since
then I've said TO myself, Lord, how high
can a mans prayers rise toward heaven
when his wife amt got but one flannel
skirt to her name? No higher than the back
of his pew. if you'll let me tell it, l knew
jest how it was said Sally Ann, as well
as if Maria d told me. She'd been havin'
roam COW she'd raised from a little heifer,
and jest because feed was scarce, you'd sold
her off before Maria had money enough to
buy her winter fannelS l can give my eX
perence, can 7? Well, that's jest what I'm
a-doin', says she; an while I'm bout it,
says she. I'll give in some experience for
'IiZabeth an Maria an the rest of the
women who betwxt their husbands an the
Postle Paul have about lost all the gump-
ton and grit that the Lord started them
out with If the 'Postle Paul, says She has
a
like slave for twenty-five years an then
havin to set up an wash out her clothes
clean Sunday mornin, I'd like to hear it.
But don't you dare to say nothin' to
about keepin, silence in the church. There
was times when Paul says he didn't know
whether he had the spirit of God or not,
an I'm certain that when he wrote that
text he wasn't more inspired than you
are Sllas Petty, when you tell Maria to
shut her mouth
JOB Taylor was setin' right in front of
Deacon Petty, an I reckon he thought his
like with his red bandana to his mouth. an
starts out. But Sally Ann headed him off
before he's gone six steps, an says she,
There amt nothin' the matter with you,
Job Taylor; you set right down an hear
what I've got to say. I've knelt an stood
through enough o your long winded pray
ers, an now it's my time to talk an yours
to listen
AN bless your life. df Job didn't set
down as meek as Moses, an Sally Ann lit
right into him. An says she, I reckon
you're afraid I'll tell some O. your
meanness, amt you? An the only thing
that stands in my way is that there's so
much to tell that 1 don't know where to be-
gin. There amt woman in this church.
says she, that don't know how Marthy
scrimped and worked and saved to buy her
a new set O. furniture, an how you took
the money with you when you went to Gin
cinnati the spring before she died, an come
back without the furniture An when she
asked you for the money, you told her that
she and everything she had belonged to
you, and that your mothers old furniture
was good enough for anybody. It's my be-
lief, says she, that's what killed Marthy.
Women are dyin' every day an the doctors
will tell you it's some new-fangled disease
or other, when, if the truth was known,
it's nothdn' but wantin' somethin' they
can't get. an hopin an waitin for some
thin that never comes. I've watched 'em
an / know. The night before Marthy died
she says to me. Sally Ann" says she. II
could die heap peacefuller if 1 jest knew
the front room was fixed up right with a
new set of furniture for the funeral An
Sally Ann p'inted her finger right at Job
to your face. Job Taylor. you killed Marthy
the same as df you'd taken her by the
throat and choked the life out of her.
Mary Embry, Jobs sister-in-law, was
settin' right behind me, an l heard her
say 'Amen!' as fervent as if somebody had
been prayin'. Job set there lookin like a
sheep-killin' dog, an Sally Ann went right
on.
IT know says she. the law gives you
the right TO your wives earnin's an every
thing they've got down to the clothes on