The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1905-06-03
Seleft Storp.
Painting the Meeting House.
BY VI. OF AID.

hNh'lN ute htN HdiuN hthtu btulhu HlS
head aud his eyes fixed ON the Seth Thomas
clock on the mantel shelf in vacant way
Il m Jest a-thinkin about our meetin'
house, he replied, after heaying long
sigh
That meetin house has worried you
till almost wish it had never been built
Why can t they let it 20 as it is !?
Three wears previously dozen or 50 Of
a certain religious denomination living in
and about the hamlet of Harper Corners
had set about 10 build a meeting house a.
ossssfeialhers used 10 call H. The build
ing bad become completed aud dedicated
at last, aud the appointed pastor would
drive out from 1onesdale every Saturday
afternoon 10 hold services. but, alas the
painting had not been taken into their cal
culatious. All were agreed that the e,liice
ought to have two good coats outside, even
if the interior had to be left for three or
four years to come, but As every man had
given all he was able to. il was puzzle to
figure cut how anything further was to be
accomplished.
Yes, il has sorter worried all Of a.,
replied Moses. A. he INDUCED in another
long sigh.
Wall, pose the building would look
better il painted, unused the wife, a. she
began to narrow on the heel Of the sock in
her own hands, but YOU aiu lookin for
any miracle to happen, are you
Not skassiy, ma. Some tia peddleT
Or chicken buyer mas tonne along and hand
ou, a hundred dollar, 6" d. the Iaiu'in
but I ain lookin for it.
No. / guess not However. don Ice
alum os,r il. View al done what We
c5nld and the ~, anus, he left Go proSi-
lence
Farmer Harper moved over TO she table
aud the lamp aud picked up biz county
paper. t. whlch he subscribed by the year
and paid in Stove wosI lie baia been
trading 10 minutes l.,,i,re be >nldenly
burst out with
Wall by jingo'
Me~e> Harper do You know Whs, you
arr >ayiug sharply repSimaudel the wife
a, she almost let her knitting fali to the
iiour IN her a>loui>hmrnt
Il di,in mean Ia swear. Hammer, but
but
Bar what Have any Of our ma ybur>
cows iicd q their barus been burned
No. wish Lucy vas home What
time iiI ,he say she i lie back from the
frul5c
About midnight, she guessed, bet you
can never tell when those young people
viii break up They arr esin 10 Pop
corn. rull la~>es candy anl PLAY ou the
a,,I.ls..n. zal 1t may b. > 70 slock ia the
noroin before she gets home Why
Masse
Ill daaao. be 'auely replied 1t
i,-t struck mc 10 inquire Ne. she prob-
ails Nun be- home before > claek Ii
beats al erea,ioa how alaay folk arc killing
each other this winter Here a many
., SIX places about IL
Nc,, it dreadful aud don ,posc
We hear 81 half Il rm II thu, world Is
gu,a 20 y1me Co an cUd through wicked.
nc~-. It wua h. very long nov II the
cad ,7sns- before sprins sc shan { want 30
paint for our mersiu' house
Mrbbs we'd hrter waIt aud -ev
The husband had found something ia
the rapcr 10 sring al exclamation from
hin. bul, a. the wiie bad not pressed him
to explain. he had gone Ia bed to think
and argue aud ponder Sith himself instead
Of Ia sleep When breakfast was ever next
morning au.i he had finished srca>ins his
b,.ai, and va rrady to 20 90 the barn he
gave l.acv. the Is year- old daughter, the
wink, and put the Weekly Banner into h.
pocket AZ the same time,
What j, it, daddy she exeilr'lly
asked. ~ the doors Of the barn closed on
them
For answer be put the paper IN her
hands aud pointed out \ certain article
Ii read. ia effect, that the sport loving
citizens of iloue>,iale had raised purse Of
Sl00 Ia tt presented Il the fastest stepping
horse appearing at the racing GA the froEen
river At a date five DAYS ahead
Well, daddy was queried again after
the article had been read,
Don say a word to your mother mot
a word he whispered
But what does il mean
Don you see, gal Il don say that
PAGERS are barred out, but It free for all
..l-e
Wall, there our PAGER Jim, l0okin
Us right in the face over the head Of his
stall and putty nigh uaderstandin' every
word we say Is thar a criter for 20 miles
around that can throw dust or snow in
,im's face Where's your wits, gal ?
But, daddy, You don't mean--you
can mean she stammered, as a glim-
mer of what he did mean began to pene
trate her mind.
.'S-s-s-s-h, gall Your mother would
put her foot down and hold it there.
She call it next to beeomin' gambler
aud pirate, and mebbe she d pack her
duds and leave the house. hahn said
a word to her-not a blessed word.
'You-you mean to put Jim in the
race p
The father nodded his head.
'And-and win that hundred dollars!
''Win her jest as sure your born
But, daddy, said Lucy, after draw
ing long breath and feeling something
rise up in her throat and choke her, ''you
cant do it. You are almost the same as
a deacon of the church. and what would
folks say p
Il want that hundred dollars, gal, and
want it bad want it to pay for putin
two coats of white paint on the meetin' =
house 1t seems Jest as if Providence had
left it on the road for me to pick up.
That is, it will seem so if-if -
IF you wasn't almost deacon, she
walled
mo, that is if you We got the spunk to
drive Jim in the race and win the money.
| dasn do it, though don't believe the
Lord would lay it up agin me, considerin
the use T. make Of it, but you can. You
are good gal, Lucy-a mighty good gal
but you hain't been baptized in the river
nor made profession, and folks can only
roll up their eyes and groan and pass it
over. You can handle Jim as well as |
can, and all you've got to remember is to
L 1 II IL. h., h.,