Deacons . sened two buttons of his waist-coat in anticipation. Bill Stevens, a kind of oracle tothe school, whose father was a doctor, and something ofa wag,—Bill Stevens assured his wondering followersthat it was a religious April Fools Day, in which thedeacons tripped each other up, the minister had a foot-race with the sexton, and old Miss Delia Mitchel wouldroll the trencher for four hours and a half with Stubbs. He said he guessed he knew, for hisfather had told him so that very morning at breakfast. • But, if the little folks were excited, the elderlypeople were not less so. T
Deacons . sened two buttons of his waist-coat in anticipation. Bill Stevens, a kind of oracle tothe school, whose father was a doctor, and something ofa wag,—Bill Stevens assured his wondering followersthat it was a religious April Fools Day, in which thedeacons tripped each other up, the minister had a foot-race with the sexton, and old Miss Delia Mitchel wouldroll the trencher for four hours and a half with Stubbs. He said he guessed he knew, for hisfather had told him so that very morning at breakfast. • But, if the little folks were excited, the elderlypeople were not less so. The progressives were jnbilant. They congratulatedeach other slyly on the streets, they squeezed the pas-tors hand when they met him, they exchanged signifi- THE PROGRESSIVES AND CONSERVATIVES. 23 cant looks as they went into cliurch of Sundays. Theyrealized the magnitude of their triumph, and enjoyedit hugely. They felt that a brighter day was dawningfor Fossilville. Not so with the conservatives. They. 7y]/f>^- -^rr^y.},^ ??<IIWIH ^A/C//6yp co/U/i/vibill STEVENS ASSUllED HIS WONDEKING FOLLOWEBS. were in a state of solemn anxiety. They shook theirheads gravely one at another as they went out of themeeting after the vote to hold the picnic was approached in conversation by the pastor, who 24 DEACONS. wished to smooth their somewhat ruffled tempers, theysaid, It was a momentous step, and a terrible respon-sibility for a church to take upon itself; but they hopedthe Lord would overrule it for good. But they had
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookiddeacons00mur, bookyear1875
