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


Lord you've got to pay good price for
your cookin' row. as there Amt a woman
- the country fool enough TO step into
But, Lar said Aunt Jane breaking off
with her happy laugh-the laugh of one who
revels in rich memories-'.what' the use of
short of it is that Sally Ann had her say
about nearly every man in the church. She
told how Mary Embry had to cut up her
weddin skirts to make clothes for her first
baby; an how John Martin stopped Hannah
one day when she was carryin her mother
a pound OF butter an made her go back an
put the butter down in the cellar; an how
Lille Dawson used to make Ann pay him for
every bit of chicken feed, an then take half
into his garden, an how Abner Page give
his wife % cents for spendin money the
time she went to visit her sister.
Sally Ann always a maSterful sort
of woman, an that night it seemed like she
was possessed. The way she talked made
me think of the day of .Pentecost an the
minister. I'd been wonderin' all along if she
was goin to let him off. She turned around
to where he was settin under the pulpit, an
says she. Brother Page you're good man,
but you amt so good you couldn't be bet
ter. 1t was jest last week., says she, that
the women come around begin money TO
buy you a new suit of clothes to go to
presbytery in; an / told EN- if it was to get
Mrs. Page a new dress 1 was ready 20
give; but not dime was / goin' to give to-
wards putin finery a mans back I'm
tired O. seem the ministers walk up into the
their wives sittin down in the pew in an old
black silk that's been turned upside down,
wrong side. out an hind part before, an
sponged an pressed an made over till You
can't tell whether it's silk or caliker or
what
women that expected the roof to fall down
on us when Sally Ann said that right to the
minister But it didn't fall an Sally Ann
the of the SAINTS a an the de
crees of God, says she, there amt many
can preach a better sermon; but there's
some of your sermons says she, that amt
fit for nothin' but kindlin' fires. There's
that one you preached last Sunday on the
tWenty-fourth verse of the fifth chapter of
hundred an fifty sermons on that text,
an l reckon I'll keep on hearin EN- as
the preachin'. Anybody would think says
she that you preachers was struck blind
every time you git through with the twenty
fourth verse, for l never heard a sermon
on the twenty-fifth verse l believe there's
men in this church that thinks the fifth
chapter of Ephesians hasn't got but twenty
four verses. an I'm goin' to read the rest
of it to en- for once anyhow
An, If Sally Ann didn't walk right up
dained, an read what Paul said about men
lovin' their wives as Christ loved the
church, an as they loved their own bodies.
Now says she, If Brother Page can
reconcile these texts with what Paul says
about women submittin an bein' subject,
he's welcome to do it. But says she, if I
w
time reconcilin'. I'd jest say that when
Paul told women to be subject to their
husbands in everything ne wasn't inspired;
an when he told men to love their wives
as they loved their own bodies he was in
spired; an I'd like to see the presbytery
that could silence me from preachin' as long
as wanted to preach. AS for turnin out
O. the church, says she, I'd like to know
who's to do the turnin' out. When the
disciples brought that woman to Christ
there wasn't man in the crowd fit to cast
stone at her; an if there's any man now
adays good enough to set in judgment on a
woman his name amt on the rolls of
Goshen Church. If 'Lizabeth,' says she,
had as much comon sense as she's got con-
science she'd know that the matter o. that
money didn't concern nobody but our Mite
Society, an we women can settle it without
any help from you deacons and elders
Well, L reckon Parson Page thought If
he didn't head Sally Ann off some way or
other she'd go on all night; so when she
kind O. stopped for breath an shut up the
big Bible he grabbed hymn book an says:
" Let us sing "Blest be the Tie that
Binds"'
He struck up the tune himself; an about
the middle of the first verse Mis- Page got
up an went over to where 'Lizabeth was
standjn' an give her the right hand of fell
lowship, an then Mis- Petty did the same;
an first thing we knew we was all around
her shakin hands an huggin' her an cryin'
over her. Twas regular love feast. an we
went home feelin like we'd been through n
big protracted meetin' and got religion over
again.
was down with slow fever-nervous col
lapse old DR.. Pendleton called it. We took
turns nussin her. an one day she looked
up in my face and says: Jane, know now
what the mercy of the Lord is.
Here Aunt Jane paused and began to cut
three-cornered pieces cut of a ime-stained
square of Powered chntZ. The quilt was TO
be of the wild goose pattern. There was
droWsy hum from the beehive near the win
dow and the shadows were lengthening as
sunset approached
zone queer thing about it," she resumed,
hot vi Gof liz M tall i'm nf
one of felt like laughn'. We set there
as solemn as if parson was preachin 70 us
on lection and predestination. But when
ever think about it now l laugh fit to kill.
And I've thought many a time that Sally
AIMS plain talk to them men done more
good than all the sermons us women had
had preached TO us about bein' shame
faced and 'submittin' ourselves to our
husbands, for every one O. them women
come out in new clothes that spring, an
such a change as it made in some of en-!
I wouldn't be surprised if she did have
Bible says an ass spoke up once an re-
proved a man, an ! reckon if an can
reprove man so can woman An it
provin' now as they did in Balaam's days"
How about you and Uncle Abram%' [
suggested. Didn't Sally Ann say anything
about you in her experience"
Aunt James black eyes snapped with
some of the fire of her long-past youth.
la, no. child" she said. 't.Abram never
was that kind of man. an ! never was
that kind of woman. 1 ricollect as we
was walkin' home that night Abram says,
sort O. humble-lIke: Jane. hadn't you bet
ter git that brown merino you was look
in at last County Court day?'
AN says, Don't you worry about that
brown merlno, Abram. It's allyn in my
bottom drawer right now. l told the store
keeper 10 cut 1t off jest as soon as your
back was turned, and Mis- Simpson is goin'
to make it next week. And Abram he jest
laughed and says, We'll, Jane [ never saw
your beat You see. l never was no hand
at 'submittin myself to my husband like
some women. I've often wondered if Abram
wouldn't "a been jest like Sias Petty if
I'd been like Maria. I've noticed that when
ever a womans willin to be imposed upon
there's always a man standin' round ready
to do the imposin. L never went to no law
book to find out what my rights was. l did
my duty faithful to Abram, and when |
wanted anything ] went and got it, and
Abram paid for it, and 1 can't see but what
we got on jest as we'll as we'd "a done if
I'd a-'submltted myself
Longer and longer grew the shadows, and
the faint tinkle of bells came in through
the windows. The cows were beginning to
come home The spell of Aunt James dra-
matte art was Upon me. b, gan to feel that
my own personality had somehow slipped
away from me-. and those dead people,
evoked from their graves by an old wom-
ans histrionism. seemed more real to me
than my living, breathing self
There, now, I've talked you clean to
DEATH she said with happy laugh, as |
rose to go. But we've had real nice time