The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1907-01-30
The Music That Hath Charms
By William Hopkins, in the Pacific rsonthIy

there was still the painting to be
paid for, the finishing Of the spire
and the erection Of bell, 1t was i'm.
perative to restore harmony in orde'
that they might get to work again on
their strawberry festivals and grab
bag socials.
Accordingly, certain Sunday In
early March was set for the deciding
trial. Brother Broadside was to
preach in the morning and Mr.. Paul
Pennington in the evening. The
congregation would then decide by
ballot the relative merits Of the two
candidates.
Thus it was that on this particu-
lar March morning when all Nature
rang out in peans Of praise for its
Springtime resurrection, when the
birds perched and sang their cal
leluias" in the treetops, the wild
flowers flung their incense to the
skies and the blue dome of Heaven
smiled down in beneiiction upon the
little prairie town, there was heart
burning and strife within its temple
walls.
The Broadside faction sat on the
right-hand side of the church, con-
spicuous for its black bombazines
and poke bonnets. Already the
prospect Of a soul-saving revival had
induced sanctimonious cast of
countenance among some of the cid
er sisters, as a forerunner of the in
vitation to the Mourners' Bench.
The Pennington faction. on the
left side, presented a more cheerful
albeit determined front, topped OF
with certain levity Of headgear that
accorded III with its black bombazine
background
On the tick of eleven o'clock the
two ministers entered the church
from the study door and mounted
the steps of the pulpit After read
ing the usual announcements for the
week-the meeting of the Official
Board, the Ladies' Aid Society, the
Band of Hope. the Women's Foreign
Missionary Society. the Sunday
School and the midweek prayer
meeting, Brother Broadside began
the service.
All the windows of the building
were opened wide to the soft Spring
breezes that wandered through the
audience, toying gaily with Deacon
Simpkin's hoary forelock, and rust
ling the pink roses that nodded atop
of knowing little hat in the so.
prano's corner
After long and wordy prayer of
the good fashioned sort, implor-
ing God to be good, generously in
forming Omniscience as to the needs
Of the world, apologizing to the ALL
Wise Creator for the state of affairs
existing in His universe, offering
much advice, and his assistance, to
Omnipotence, he arose and turned to
the hymn book.
As the stentorian tones of the
preacher lined on the words of the
hymn,
Hank from the tombs, doleful
sound,
Ny ears attend the cry"
a bold little sparrow perched upon
the easement. and with saucy perk
Of his head, lifted a blithe "Excelsis"
over the solemneyed audience, then
skinned away into the boundless
blue.
Miss Sallie felt the caressing
breezes on her cheeks. watched the
| tiny songster as he skinned the sky
caught the elusive breath OF the wild
blossoms, and saw through vista
of black bombaZine backs the fields
of glowing flowers. Something OF
the bubbling, buoyant beauty of il
all struck an answering chord in hel
soul that went soaring on, like the
tiny songster, toward the boundless
love It expressed But
I'VE mortal men come, view the
ground
Where we must shortly lie,'
recalled her suddenly from her rev
erie. With the spire, the bell, ths
painting. was also the expense Of al
organ TO be considered, so in tn,
meantime on special occasions Mis-
Sallie loaned her piano. So whil'
the treetops danced and the bird
earolled on the outside, within tn,
oaken doors the audience followed
the lines Of the solemn hymn.
CHANGING without quite knowinl
why toward the perch from whicl
the brown sparrow had fiuted its Joy
Gus "Excelsis." Miss Sallie struck