The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1912-02-15
The Widow That
Was Called
By NJ QUAD
Copyright. 1911, by Associated Lit
nrarv Press
By M. QUAD

get the last shingle on the roof They
said they would leave things as they
were for a couple of years and then
finish up, but the two years ran on to
ten, and not an improvement had been
made. The church building had be-
come weather beaten and dilapi lated,
but Deacon Harner and Deacon Smith
ers said:
THE Lord amt askin' us to put on
STYLE He will keep track of us in a
stable as well as in a palace"
The only kicker was the Widow
Saunders.
There was talk at intervals of at
least painting the pews, but it never
amounted to anything more than talk
There seemed to be a general feeling
that when the Lord got ready to have
the pews painted he would give sign
Meanwhile ministers came and went
1t was poor parish and poor pay, and
there was no religious fervor In adj
dition to this, the Widow Saunders had
to be reckoned with. She never kept
still for a month at time. She was
full of schemes to improve those pews,
and it was a cold week when she did
not call on the parson to say:
Il am trying to live so that I may
go to heaven when l die, but dunno
why, Sister Saunders, what is it?"
would be asked, although the good
man well knew what was coming.
Its them pews. You may have no.
ticed me there last Sunday. I went to
worship the Lord. but had a crick in
the back, q twist in the shoulders and
a limp in the left leg, and I was think
ing Of liniments instead of the golden
shore. Parson, if don't go to heaven
them pews will be to blame for it."
More than one parson tried to get
the congregation started on the delay
ed Improvements. The men would
come together and talk over what
ought to be done, but at the same
time find an excuse for putting it off
Il little longer There is always a eli
max to everything. however. and one
came in this case. Of course it was
the widow who brought 1t about,
though she didn't plan to. She went
over to Medina to visit her sister. and
there was a religious revival on. Her
pulses were stirred. She made pro-
fession anew. Evening after evening
she felt her soul throhbing, and she
finally called on the revivalist to ask:
Brother Bebee. do you believe that
individuals have mission for good or
evil?''
certainly. sister-certainly. was the
reply.
do you think a humble widow wo-
man like me has one?"
II do. and it is for good There is no
telling what you may accomplish if
you set about it in the right spirit"
Il have sometimes thought I had a
mission to paint the pews in my church
over home but I've worked for twelve
years without accomplishing anything"
But keep it up-keep 1t up. All of
a sudden some day you may feel that
you have call. and then you will be
shown the way"
AS the widow afterward explained to
her friends:
THE very next night l was awoke
by voice saying to me that had a
call to paint them pews myself. l
had waited and waited for others, but
they had fallen by the wayside. It
was now for me to do the work with
my own hands. l had never used a
paint brush, but the call would guide
my hand"
The widows sister had lot of left
over paint around the house. The col
ors were white. red and black. She
sympathized with the mission. and she
mixed them together and used kero-
sene to thin the stuff down.
Not until next Sunday morning did
any one in the village even suspect
what had been going on. Some Of the
congregation hardly suspected it until
they had taken their seats. The paint
hadn't dried. 1t wouldn't dry until the
last trumpet blew and perhaps not
then. 1t smelled and smirched and
smeared and stuck. Some got more
and some less. but each and every one
carried away portion. OF course
there was no sermon. There couldn't
be, There was an investigation in
stead. and something awful happened
at that investigation. For the first
time since he joined the church Dea-
con Smithers swore. When the widow
explained that she had had ''calP' to
paint the pews he waved his arms in
the air and beloved:
"A CALI be burned! By the great
horn spoon. you orter be made to lick
it all off,
Deacon Smithers," replied the wild
ow. 1.-The revivalist over at Medina
said that
"Durn the revivalist!'
For a week the affair threatened to
disrupt the congregation. Then va
rious other people had ''calls." The
Alint was scrubbed off as we'll as pos
sible. the pews torn out and rebuilt