News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-09-24
CHAPTER VI


The little church was well filed when
they arrived. The gossip about Mrs.
Murray and her recent marriage had
served to draw many persons to
church who were not in the habit of
going regularly.
Hettie Melvin drew a deep breath of
relief as the pair entered the door
81 give you my word" she remarked
| to Ike Wittekind, who sat by her side
cleaning his nails with the end of his
watch key, that l lowed they would
come up missin'."
"Why?" asked the storekeeper.
Il don't know" she replied, 'but it
jest seemed as eff the people have made
it so roastin' hot fur 'em that they'd be
glad not to have to face it any longer
Eff they was dependent on his piddIin'
salary, it would be different, but she
has enough to keep 'em both up in
comfortable shape"
Ike leaned from his wife, who sat on
the other side of him and toward Het-
tie as if about to make some reply, but
was prevented by the passing of the
couple under discussion, so he simply
! busted his eyes with the preachers
| movements and those of Mrs. Murray
as she seated herself in prim erectness
| in "the amen corner"
"She's faced the congregation on pur-
| pose" observed Hettie to her arch
| sympathizer. whenever he scores up
| fur talkin' agin one another she cuts
| them little sanctitied eyes of hern
| round at us same as to say: Thar,
now; you see what yore a-gettin fur
slanderin' of mer Oh, hate that wo-
man wuss'n a snake" Hettie laid her
lean hand in Tabitha's lap and re-
marked to her: Did you ever see him
look SO pale and shaky? I'll bet my
best COW sometimes in the wind. He
looks as mad as hornet over a busted
nest. Maybe he's upset kase his nest
Is so badly interfered with. He lowed
when he married the rich widow of
the community he'd be in clover, but
he kin see thar amt no fun in livin'
with woman that everybody is ag'in
tooth and toe nail. You may look out
fur a storm of some sort" And Het-
tie settled herself firmly into her seat
as if she feared there might be danger
of her being blown away.
And when the sermon came it was
indeed a severe one. The congregation
had never heard such stern, vindictive
eloquence in denouncing hypocrisy and
backbiting. The people were afraid to
look at one another. Some of them
writhed in their seats and others sat
like beings petrified under the fear
that their names would be spoken out.
Part of the time Mrs. Murray's eyes
in their reddish sockets were cast
downward, and now and then she hid
them with her fan to prevent their
satisfied sparkle from being seen.
Once in awhile an audible grunt of
pious approval would arise from Mrs
Wittekind, and this seemed to cause
the minister to rest his eyes on her as
if for moral sustenance. AS be began
to grow personal he grew white with
suppressed rage. He leaned on the
little rickety pulpit and clinched his
fists as if in mortal combat. The cords
of his neck drew his skin like the rope
of tent.
ut is going on here under your
eyes," he Numbered, "under the very
eyes of you people who pretend to love |
God and obey his commandments. In |
this little mountain village within the |
last month an innocent woman, wo-
man as pure and holy as cody wo- !
man can be, has been robbed of her |
reputation by your idle, devil stained |
tongues Without a particle of foun- |
dation for your vile suspicious many |
of you have openly declared that a |
humble toiler in Gods vineyard has |
married for gold; that his wife is a |
thief; that together they are living on |
money stolen from others. And to |
what do you owe this report upon
which you have been feasting like |
lot of black winged foul scented vul-
lures? You owe it to the report of a
confessed spy, a woman-God grant |
that she may be pardoned-a woman
who has allowed a black hell of jeal
Gus hate to burn within her for TWEEN
ty years. She says she saw the accused |
died This, my people, was true, but it
was not the dead mans will. 1t was a
letter one of hundreds that the sly |
accuser had written to her old sweet
heart begging him to have pity on
her, telling him that she never could
abide by his decision to marry the
woman he did marry. Brethren. this
was only weakness on her part but
the SANDERS she has set ahoat are
criminal, cursed of God. That is all
l have to say. Out of lie you have
built enough to rob well meaning
person of her character and are about
to deprive your pulpit of a pastor"
Concluded next week.
A Suggestion.