Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-02-25

mortar which gave it an adobe APP |
pesrance Inside it had been lathed,
plastered and painted. In length it
was twice it's width, and was divided
into three rooms of nearly equal di-
mansions. At the front there was
general living room, next came the
bed room and at the rear, the kitch-
en-, which also served as a dining
room. The house was cheaply though
neatly furnished, showing much good
taste and all things considered, it was
by no means an undesirable home
for an outland village of that period.
geographically, its location was not
the most eligible for it stood near
the extreme northwestern terminal
of an extensive vale, at the base of
a ridge or narrow plateau and as a
consequence was, in some degree ov-
ershadowed by the more pretentious
residences on the ridge which were
owned and occupied by more preten-
tious people-some of them.
In this lowly home of theirs, Jesse
and the good woman who loved and
mothered him, dwelt happily togeth-
er Always she placed the boy first,
and we are not disposed to cause her
any uneasiness by reversing this or
der of preference, decision in which
the reader, we are sure will most
heartily concur for of course he has
recognized in the speaker, our friend
Mrs. Miranda Badleigh, who, with
Jesse and the Armstrong; had reach
eu the village after long and weari-
some journey, something over two
years before.
Jesse to his intense relief had just
passed out of that fateful period in
the boy life, when he daily under
goes the hated rrocess of having his
face washed and his hands scrubbed
by a female ogre who digs into his
ears with her fingers, and floods his
eyes with a villainous mixture Of
soft soap and hard water, until he
fairly bowls with pain, and tries his
best to wiggle himself out Of the
grip of his merciless tormentor. Alas.
it is no go.
Now then. John William. just
you be quiet, till | get your face
washed or I'll box your ears-I
will" And John William subsidies
What else can he do?
AS for Jesse, he had also already ar
rived at that interesting period of
life when the scions of a respectable
family no longer deem it desirable to
sit quietly with their parents well up
toward the front of the church where
there is little to be seen beyond the
adjustments of the choir which, BY
reason of the rather trivial cast they
sometimes assume, such as a small
note scrubbed on the blank space OF
a leaf torn from the hymn book and
slyly passed by young Mr.. Firman
Tickle to Miss Galena Giggles or the
frequent Encouragement of some |
portion of garment !
which wickedly persists in getting
out of order; or the lofty airs as
sumed by that Moberly girl who is
wearing for the first time a brand
new hat of many feathers, fixings and
furbelous-'ar quite diverting to
the younger element in the congrega-f
tion-but to one unaccustomed tol
this phase of public worship, would
seem rather to detract from the rev.,
erential spirit which is generality
thought TO be appropriate to the
highest development of the religious
atmosphere in the house of God. !,
But alas! even these interesting
features of choir life can hardly
atone, in the mind of the boy, for
those conditions of church atten-
dance which seems to require a
fair observance of the proprieties
uu6 the ONCdolOll anu IiS pioNN' hS
boy realizes that he is directly under
the eye Of the minister who seems TO
be watching every move he makes
and this unnecessary surveillance
disturbs him; it makes him uneasy;
in his heart he resents it, he squirms
in his seat, he looks over his should
er at that other boy just across the
aisle there; he twists up his mouth
and grins, he shuffles his feet and
accidentally hurts his toe, then he
pushes his fist into his eyes and rubs
them a little; then he yawns and
drops into brief nap, with his head
leaning on his mothers shoulder,
and dreams about Christmas and
what he is going to get. He would
rather sit with the other boys on the
back seat, but his mother says no"
So he stays where he is till church
is out; though he knows it would be
a lot more jolly to be with those
boys of his own age, he could keep
awake with them.
Paw! lem me sit with Hen Miller,
mayn't IL"
L 4.