The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1910-05-13
THOSE CHURCH
SPIRES
BY M QUAD
-----
Copyright. 1910. BY Associated Lit
erafy Press

churches. The MethodistS Dullt
house Of worship with cupola ana
hung bell there. The Baptist edifce
was also to have cupola and a bell,
bur the funds ran short at the roof. 1T
was the intention to wait year or SO
and then finish up, but five years had
passed and nothing more had been
done. Meanwhile one bell pealed for
all. aud both sects dwelt together in
unity. There was no envy, no jealousy,
no criticism.
Then the blow fell II came like a
thunderboIt. Deacon Wheeler of the
Methodist church and Deacon Ames OF
the Baptist leased ten acres Of land Ia
partnership and planted It to corn.
zach furnished half the seed and was
TO do half the work One day when
the corn was tall enough for the first
loeing and the two deacons We're
working side by side Deacon Wheeler
pointed to patch Of grass and oh
served.
Deacon, it strikes me that that is
good place for bnmblebees' nest"
"Yes, kinder looks that way" was
the reply
"Bumblebees orter be rooted out"
..Waal, | dunno. The Lord made
'emD
But they are pesky things. We
shall be plowing this corn with horse
next time, and s'pose they pitch into
him? reckon I'll root 'em out"
"But don't kill any more'n need be.
It's wicked 70 rake life ii you don't
have to-"
Deacon Wheeler found Oumblebees
there. They also found him. They re-
sented his intrusion at once. They
likewise resented the near presence OF
Deacon Ames. They went for the two
men hot foot and got in their work
and chased them from the field. 1t
was after the bees had given up the
pursuit that Deacon Ames turned to
the other and exclaimed:
Now see what we've got by your
meddling. If you wasn't IN old fool
you'd have let them BUNDLES alone,"
"Old fool? Why, Deacon Ames, yoD
are sir years older'n bew
But told You to let 'em alone"
"say, Deacon Ames, you are talk
ing mighty sassyr'
sBut I've got a right to-
'eYes, talking mighty sassy for a
Baptist
sAnd what about the Baptistsf"
'sWaal you can see your meeting
house from here Does it look like
meeting house or a cooper shop? |
guess morc'n one stranger has had to
ask to tnd OUT
Are you digging at me because we
hain't got d cupola or bellf"
I'm a-saying that if more bumble-
bees had been stirred up mebbe your
folks would have finished the build
ing"
II was all over between the deacons.
Deacon Wheeler went home to tell his
wife about it, and Deacon Ames
walked straight 70 the parsonage and
said to the minister
-Parson Jones, something has got
TO be did I've been insulted, our old
building has been insulted. and now
If we can't 80 at it and finish it up
III sell out and move away
eve don't want no cupola nor bell.
Cupolas are for schools and bells are
for factories. What we want and
what we are going to have is a spire
"a thing shooting up in the air about
sixty feet-something that can be
seen for FIVE miles around. Cooper
shop Wen show the Wheeler crowd
whether we've got cooper shop or a
church. That ere spire shall pierce
the clouds on the one hand and the
hearts Of the Methodists on the other.
TN be before their eyes night and
day They'll have TO walk in its
shadder 10 get to their own church
I Cupolas and bells? Why, they hain't
had nothing Of the kind in New York
/ city for hfty years past. Our build
ing is going to be right up to date,
even If we have to put in bathtubs
and electric bells"
or course Deacon Wheeler and bis
sect heard OF these things, and the
deacon winked with his left eye and
replied
\ Going ID have spire. eh? Going
TO be seen for FIVE miles around. is It?
Waa you jest wait a little. Mebbe
there'll be two spires to be SEEN"
And so theirs wns. The Baptists
had no sooner begun work on theirs
than the other sect started In and
sold the hell, demolished the cupola
and began on spire. Then 1t was a
race to see which spire should be the
highest Each one jealously guarded
its secret AS a matter of fact, as
measurements afterward proved. the
Baptist spire was just tbree-Guarters
OF an inch the longest. but one rubber
neckiug from the earth could not have
been sure.
After six months the spires were
completed. and each church planned
for festival to be held the same
night. Two hours before night fierce
storm OF thunder. lightning rain and
wind set III. 1t had been raging half
AZ ttnt,., 4tsftnn q fff.onf Y.fonlt HVug