The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1909-04-30
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Aunf .Sal!y'S
Beebr,eS.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
lcopyright.. 1908, by T. c. Mcclure


expense of providing them. Deacon
Hastings was consulted. He had con-
&ributed. half the lumber to build the
ehurch and the two stoves that heated
tH and he was the boss. He said he
wanted no changes. Aunt Sally said
she4l get even.
Just what Aunt Sally meant by, her
half threat soon developed. She came
TO church Juggling big feather pillow
under her arm, and the pillow was
used in her pew for a cushion. She
had come in late, and the sight of her
walking up the aisle with the pillow
was q novelty. 1t was more; it was
scandalous-that is, Deacon Hastings
30 considered it, and he opened his
batteries as soon as the benediction
was pronounced. Never in all his life
had he heard of such thing, and he
hoped for the good of the cause and
the morals Of society the pillow would
be left at home thereafter.
"Look a-here, deacon" answered
Aunt Sally, II was watching you all
through the sermon, and you was
hitching around on the hard seat like
"A boy on tacks. You may continue to
hitch If you want to- but shant. This
pillar will comesw with me every Sunday
until we have pew cushions. l don't
believe the Lord is going to punish
any one for wanting to be comfortable
fnschurch.p
\ But our forefathers stood up to
Worship, argued the deacon.
Eyes, know, and l guess they got
more religion in their legs than in
their souls. If you don't want me to
come to meeting you can say so, but IL
como the pillar comes along"
The deacon said it was q rank case
of heresy. and he would have put her
out IL he could have secured any sup
port. All others advised him to let the
matter go, and for three months Aunt
Sally and her pillow were features of
the morning service. But she wasn't
satisfied with her victory. Summer
WAS coming on, and the flies were COM
ing about and she boldly preached the
subject of protecting the church with
screen doors and windows.
And make a complete surrender to
Satan!' shouted the good old deacon
az he grew red in the face.
Don't you try to keep flies out of
your houseY she asked.
But my house is not church. If
the Lord wills it that flies shall enter
this sanctuary it is not for us to keep
them OUT
II saw you batting at one that want
ed to light on your nose last Sunday"
Then ] shall ask forgiveness for it.
'ter Bently, you have almost disor-
,ized this church with your feather
allows and other ideas, and you must
70 no further We were years in driv-
ing Satan and his temptations out, and
now they must stay out"
"rn pay half on the screens" she
persisted
You would probably pay half to
have fiddle introduced here to help
out the singing, but that will never be.
If ! had to open a screen door to get
into this church I never could feel
right in my conscience thereafter"
Aunt Sally went home to do some
thinking. She hadn't far to go, and
the barn on her place was still nearer.
The flies had really become a nui-
sance. and, though fans were permit
ted. the deacon had a scowl for those
who waved them too vigorously. And.
besides, it is trick to fan the back of
ones neck and keep bluebottle fly at
distance. She felt that she must
adopt some heroic measure to call at
{ tention to the nuisance, and after
three,,Or four days the idea came to
her. She had half an acre of ground
around her house and she decided
that a couple of hives of bees wcieM
give the place more homelike look.
She therefore engaged man with a
team to go forth among the farmers
and make purchase.
Just whether the good woman
timed the man to get back on Satur-
day night will never be known, but it
did come out that she advised him to
leave his wagon and the hives in the
alley near the church over Sunday.
And, suspiciousIy enough, some folks
thought she did not attend church on
Sunday. 1t rained Saturday, and her
rheumatism was worse.
Sunday morning brought hot wealth
err. There was the usual congregation.
and doors and windows stood open.
and the flies frolicked. BY no posi-
bility could Aunt Sally have known
that certain boy would come loafing
along that street at IL o'clock on his
way to the river. Neither could she
have told that he would halt on see
ing the hives and the bees flying
ABOUND and after two or three min
utes pick up three or four rocks and
send them against the hives with a
smash. OF course the bees resented
1t. They weren't taking any sass Off
a tow headed boy. The trouble, how
ever, was that the boy put on rapid
transit and got away. In hunting
around for his trail the bees found
the open doors and windows Of the
church, and they reasoned that one
kind Of meat was as good as another
for. them, and they entered. Three
minutes later the congregation was
going out. They went out the handiest
way and without decorum. There
Rara choufs and ehrieks and walls