The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-01-10
The Widow That
Was Called
BY M. QUAD
Copyright, 1911, by Associated Lit
erary Press.

dist meeting house in the village 'o1
Hampshire there was nothing left t.
buy paint 1t had been hard work Il
get the last shingle on the roof. They
said they would leave things as they
were for a couple of years and theI
finish up, but the two years ran on t.
ten, and not an Improvement had beer
made The church building had be
come weather beaten and dilapidated
but Deacon Harner and Deacon Smith
ers said:
THE Lord amt askln' us TO put or
style. He will keep track Of us In 9
stable as well as in palace"
The only kicker was the Widow
| Saunders.
There was talk at intervals of a'
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 a poor parish and poor pay, and
/ there was no religious feryor. In adj
dition to this, the Widow Saunders had
to be reckoned with. She never kept
| still for month at time. She was
| full of schemes to improve those pews,
and Ii was a cold week when she did
not call on the parson TO say:
IL am trying to live so that ! may
go to heaven when | die, but dunno. :
why. Sister Saunders, what Is it?''
would be asked, although the good
man we'll knew what was coming.
IT'S them pews. You may have no
ticed me there last Sunday. l went to
worship the Lord, but had q erick in
the back, n twist In the shoulders and
limp In the left leg. and was think
Ing Of liniments instead of the golden
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 10 be done. but at the same
time find an excuse for putting 1t off
little longer. There is always a eli
max to everything, however, and one
came In this case OF course ii was
the widow who brought 1t about.
though she didn't plan to. She went
over to Medina 70 visit her sister. and
there was religious revival on. Her
pulses were stirred She made pro-
fession anew. Evening after evening
she felt her soul throrbing. and she
finally called on the revivalist to ask:
Brother Bebee. do you believe that
individuals have mission for good or
evili"
Certainly. sister-certainiy." was the
reply.
do you think humble widow wo.
man like me has oneT
81 do, and It is for good There is no
telling what you may accomplish If
you set about II in the right spirit"
II have sometimes thought 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
sudden some day you may feel that
you have a call. and then you will be
shown the way"
AS the widow afterward explained to
her friends:
The very next night I was awoke
by voice saying to me that had a
call to paint them pews myself. |
had waited and waited for others. but
they had faran by the wayside. II
was now for me to do the work with
my own hands. ! had never used
paint brush, but the call would guide
my hand"
The widows sister had a 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 1t until
they had taken their seats. The paint
hadn't dried. 1t wouldn't dry until the
last trumpet blew and perhaps not
then II smelled and smirched and
smeared and stuck. Some got moro
and some less. but each and every one
carried away a 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 ''call'' TO |
paint the pews he waved his arms in |
the air and beloved:
"A cali be durnedl BY the great |
horn spoon. you orter be made 70 lick |
Il all Off,
Deacon Smithers." replied the wild |
DIV. ''the revivalist over at Medina !
said that
"Durn the revivalistr'
For week the affair threatened to I
disrupt the congregation Then va
-ious other people had calls" The I
paint was scrubbed off as well as pos.
sible. the pews torn out and rebuilt /
md a painter hired to put on two
coats OF white, and. once having tack.
ed the work, 1t was continued untr 4