Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-06-21
JQck-in-the
Pulpit

III CuS COOL SlcSu uopIAS VI 'Ai'
| woods, among the early spring wilt
weeds. Jack-in-the-pulpit stands
preaching on Sundays, week days ant
holidays, to the oaks, the birches, tn
elders and sassafras, the adder
tongue, anemone and crane-bill, t.
the rabbits and squirrels, to the cat
bird and the flicker, as they frfsk ant
fiutter, wave, rustic and bloom al
around him. He breaches very mucf
what we are learning in Sunday
school, and is Just now trying to pre-
sent the "Blesseds" so that his wild
wood plant and animal congregation
may comprehend. He seems to do II
so impressively that the wise little
screech-owl, who though but half as
big as the rest of the owl family Is
quite as intellectual, stores all he
has heard away In the innermost
depths of his knowing little head and
there It stays till the long vacation
calls us out once more to our little
summer camp near woods and creek
Then, in the long, still, moonlit and
starlit summer nights the small
screech-ow1, from his perch up in a
tree, on the edge of the woods, passes
Jacks sermons on to me; and here
are some OF them:
Blessed are the Poor In Spirit.
W. The bashful dandelion grew just
outside the woods, on the path along
which the children dawdled to and
from school, and she could gaze
straight up into the blue, blue sky
and towards the sun she loved SO
dearly. When she watched the swal-
lows skimming gayly along, she
would often sigh, "Now, If could
only fly like them, I really could get
nearer to him-to that beautiful
warm and golden SUM-
"Why don't you stretch, then?''
asked tall, straight sapling close
by, land stand on your tiptoes as I
do? Then you'd be a good bit nearer.
You could get a good look at the sur
and, moreover, the sun could get a
good look at you, and maybe he'd ask
you who you are and where you come
FRONT"
ooh, I shouldn't want the sun to
do that" faltered the dandelion ~
should be scared and not know what
to say; he's so big and so bright and
I'm SO little and so very low down. -
ooh, we'll, of course" laughed the
sapling, eff you're as bashful as all
that! The sun won't hurt you. Pluck
up some spirit, do; and don't be such
'fraid cat The sun won't hurt you
any more than the school children do
when they look at you as they pass
BY"
But the dandelion felt she just
couldn't stretch any higher, and ev'
cry time school lad or lassie point
ed at her and called attetion to that
"big and awful yaller dandy" she'd
crouch back among her long grass
leaves. Although by the middle OF
summer, when her golden disk had
changed to fluffy white ball, she
managed to straighten up quite bit
she was still far shorter than the am
bilious sapling, and still far, far be
low the glowing sun.
"Stretch, who don't your insisted
the sapling STAND on your toes anc
stretch!" he repeated, waving his
short green branches above the dan
delion. She, however, shook her heat
and whispered, "Pm afraid" Even as
she did so, the summer breeze lifted
all her silvery, feathery seeds ant
waited them up, up, higher than thu
3sapling, higher than the topmos
ltree-tops, higher even than the skim
ming, soaring swallows; up, up
straight toward the glorious COLDER
sun as he smiled brightly down upol
the earth.
! Blessed Are They That Mourn.
Today" announced Jack-in-the.pul
pit, I'm going to speak about plump
tailed, bright-eyed squirrel which ha'
been caught, when but wee, youn'
thing, to be kept on sale in big stor
in town; where, one day, jolly youn'
uncle bought him and the green tin
revolving wheel furnished house b
Lived in, for Dick and Davy Armitage'
Christmas present. My! how gla'
those boys we're to get him! HOY
dearly they loved him! how conscier
tiously they cared for him! and hoy
happy they were with him, down il
the laundry, where his house stood O
the broad window-sill feeding him wit
nuts, and watching him as he cracke
ia-l frN1{oIoH Sninn in