How Sally Miggs Feel from Grace.

Evening Post, Volume LXVI, Issue 152, 24 December 1903, Page 9

How Sally Miggs Feel from Grace.

Didn't nobody ever tell ye about how Bally Miggo fell from grace!"- enquired old Mrs. Peters as she leaned over the. front gate. "Wall, Ido &ay ! Now, I'd •-thought that'd be one of thcr fust thing*, you'd hear in Kilo, ahtt bein' bich a poplar young woman in hor day* an' jest na pup'lur now, to bo aura! Now you conw light in an 1 oot down whilo I'm' apickin' this hero hen, an' I'll toll yo all fcbout et. Ther parson's comin 1 tcr dinner, an' I haint no tune ter lose. "Wall, ui&h on thirty yenr ago mo on' Bally was gilU 'together, an' wo jut thunk ther world an' all of each other, sure enough; an' whero Solly went I wont, un where I«weiit Sally w<?ut. Wo allus went ter mornin' on' evenin' meetin', «n* prayer meetin' an' ther revival* together. They want no -Sunday-school them days, c-r we'd a goiv; there, too. 'lliat's how come we both got ther spirit at thtr same, an' both was bnptiz an' jined church. Ah' after thet, *f I do «iy «t myself, there won't no two in Kilo lived closer accordin' to ther light give thun me an' Sally Miggs. Keerful ! Why, nil ther eyes o' Kilo won on v* two, 'cause we had bwn a leetle giddy -on 1 light-lu-ndod «fore. Yer •co, me un Sally wo wn« 'uncommon fond of diuuiin' an' fun, an' all of thet hed tor so give up, an' up sho was give I "Now, I ain't *ayln* itothin erbout myikclf, 'cause- tho Lord know* I ain't no naint, nor never wu«; but 1 will ouy thet Sally Mings was jiat ther wweetMit nn' be/« gnl thet ever lived in Kilo. I never ■©ft sicu a- kind an* gentle galas Sally was, in' «o tender-hearted, too. Aii* as fer ,bein' true, why when she give her promise erbout anythin' you could jist couut on et bein,' kcp*. ' "Sally she hed one of them sweet faces with big blue eyes, kinder surprised likeez of she was allus a leetle' bit surprised *t what you wa» sayin'. But sich kind eye* thet once yer see 'em yer knew Jrom thet minute thet Sally's soul wa^all right. She bad nice yallor hair, soft as theso pin feathers, an' ther prettiest hands in Kilo. But what took me most waa ther gentle clingin' way eho hed. Why, ther man what ud »y a crnel thins ter •ally Miggs 'ud be a brute! 'Jest plumb brute ! j "Lemmo see, whero was I? Oh, yes, me an' Sally , got converted thet winter, I ju»* Sally wo* jist sixteen year old, an* natchully she wa» kinder easy swung, bein' a clingin' sort of a gal, *nyways, an' «eems like ole Deacon Busby began ter make love ter Sally right eftvay. Ther otfi deacon hed been a power in they meetirns fer years, an' he .ituttcnly hed helped convert Sally, an' I guess Sally kinder felt she ow«d her soul ter him. Anyhow, she seemed to a' most worship ther old deacon, though he was thirty years older 'n she was, an' had six leetle children besides, belli' a widower. "Say, it's wonderful what power some o' those old geezers gits over young gab, ain't it! Thet was jist ther way et was with ole. Deacon Busby. He was one o' l,h«m dried-up old codgers thet sing out almighty loud in mcetin' an' then chastise whom they lovetb, in o. hoss trade. My, but he wa» dase-ftated an' ornery out o' meetin', but in meotm' he wna ther Lord's right-hand man. ter hear him iell et. But ho had a fishy eye, an' I ddlua say, 'Prwarve me from a man with a fishy eye.' But, howsomede-ver, he suttinly did come et over leetlo Sally Miggs, on' by ther end of a "month arter she had been convart«d she was jist a-wor»nippin' thet old fraud of n- deacon, an" ho an' ehe was engaged private au' unbeknownst to any but me. Sully allus told me ev'rythin'. ' , "They wasn't ter bo married fer two years, 'cause Sally wouldn't be of ngo until then, but the deacon watched her mighty clone, an* «Uus walked home from meetin' with her. Ho didn't make much love, 'cause he'd a been a Weaned lookin* old monkey et thet, but jist talked heaven An' her soul's good, an' roligl'n, an' bo on, Mi' ho finally got the poor innercent gal so, frightened of hell an' damnation thot eho really believed thet unless she married him sfre would aha rely be lost ! Ter think of et! An' her. ther sweetest lcetle gal thot ever trod airth ! I did my level best ter swing her 'round on 1 git her loose from old deacon, but "twan't no use. /'Well, et went on tlmt-away fer erbout * year an* a lialf, an' folk* was all atnlkin' erbout Sally Migga, an* how scond'lous ct was fer her ter marry an' old •codger like him, an' her so «weet an' good an' pure, an' almost sanctified, tho' (the never did quite be!i<»ve she was thet. But •ho suttinly was thcr best woman in tho church, an wholly saved ef anybody wa». And she hed sich a takin', gentle way erbout her thet she- could make a convert 6* most anybody, an' when we was havin' revivals et was stilus Sally Miggs thet rescued the most lost aonlts, "Erbout »dx months aforw Sally's eighteenth birthday there was a wonderful revival in Kilo. Souls thet hed never felt the movin 1 of ther sperut was moved then, an' many got saved thet has since gone above er backslid, an' Sally Miggs did wonderful work. Seems like ev'ry one «hft spoke ter flopped right into ther fold an' was saved, cent one feller, an' him i»he ncr nobody ©.so could touch. 'An' thet made her jist co much more anxious ter save him, an' she spent dim' all her time in ther meetin'a a-pleadtn* an' afrtyin' with him, but no use, 'Thet there one feller was Tom Gordon, a strappin' big , feller, thet lived on his pa's farm over nigh Richmond, on ther county-line, an' he sUttinly was wuth navin 1 , fer he was er mighty han'somo young man. Ho hed kind o' curly black faa'r, an' a big, honest face, 'uth brown eyes thet sparkled, an' strong aa an ox. Trouble was he hed been rai»ed by an aunt o' hifl'n in Boiton, an' she betn' a Unitaryan, he got notions of his own, an' he jist natchuliy wouldn't bo mode ter believe what ho didn't l>olievo. An' I never see er map wha,t could be so kind on' so sot at thcr same time ! 'Feared like he kinder' enjyed Jbein' pled wifh, an 1 jist when Salfy'd think he was a-comin' ter ther fountain, he'd shako his head an' sort o' smile, an' «li«'d know he hadnH no idee of comin'. "Wall, «ir, toward ther «nd o' them three week* o' meetin' Solly jist sort o* dung ter Tom Gordon, an' I noticed ther 016 deacon folt uneasy, an' sure 'nuff one night he cornea up ter Sally whilo she was kneelin' by Tom Gordon an' pleadin' an' prayin 1 an' ther tears jiat flowin' down her cheeks, an' he taken her by thcr shoulder kinder rough an' says, ,'Lefo ther heathen go his own way as a brand ter ther burmhV an' Sally never stops but keeps right on, an' then 'ther old deacon •hakes her kind o' rough, an' says, 'Don't wnstfi no more time on ther young fool,' an* hs gives her another ehftKd r so thet ehe kinder fdlls back'ards, an' hits her crazy bone aginst ther «eat. behind her, nn' Tom seem' aiie was hurt some ways, an' not knowin' how it wns, up an' slaps tiler deacon a good one on his jaw. Wall, there was so much excitement goin' on the-/ nobody took notice of et, but I 'low thrr deacon was mighty mad, an' ter make et wiivfti* fially let Tom Gordon .*ie her bonu. i 'A uiyi t The* old deiicuii he folWed cfloiiK behind ez mad «z blozea,

an' when Tom Gordon left Sally at ther gate thi*r olu deacdn come- et all over her agin, an' ho rondo her promiso thet *>o loiil' px she ued a soul tor .save sho would bo ujs'ti. An' Snlly nhv was so niiffcnbul fclw promised, an' she agreed thot ez loiir (.•?. «lu> hed any hope of heaven sho would jine her life tVr old Deacon Busby's. Oh, ho certainly was a sly 010 codgvr, 'onuso ho knoxved once Sully givo a promise she'd nover breuk it. • "Wall, sir, thcr npet night Tom Gordon he didn't nsk Sally ter let him s«e her home, an' twquldn't hey' done no good, anyways. Yer &cc, sho hed writ him a note, sityin' she w«.i awful sorry ho wns .i last soul, but thet she must leavo him erlone, 'cause lie thet touches pilch j>hall to defiled, an' tha she would always pray fur him, nn' bo on. "An" urter that fer a month Tom Gordon sco mo home from every mectin', and I was mighty proud, though I knowed ho only did it 'cause it gave him a chanco ter walk behind Sally a ways. "Wall, by an 1 by, Tom quit comin 1 ter meetin', an I noticed Sally 'ud allus look round ther church uueaay like, an' when sho didn't see him sho would look kinder aid, un 1 mighty soon guessed how things wa*s. So I up nn' tole Tom Gordon, an' ef ever you sec a happy leller et was him. Et was long night Christmas then, un cold n« Greenland's icy, but ther next prayer mfctin' night Tom went an 1 sat on Miggscs porch until ther old deacon lef Sally at thei- gut«, nn' then when sho come up on ther porch Tom says, 'How do, Sully?' <md ■ S«lly she kinder jumps, an' 'fore ah© thinks slie su3'«, 'Oh, lorn !' «n' thet ther great strong feller he has her in his big arms in v minute, an' when she twists ter get away, ho jist kisses her a. good one right on her lips, un his eyes luughin' at her oil ther time, Solly she was mighty mad, lut sho couldn't stJr^iand nor foot, an' j.'om ji&t held her there. 'Sally,' ho says, 'you love me, an', you know you do, an' what's moro, you ain't goin' ter marry that old 'Sa'nt-singln' fraud. ■ You'ro goin' ter marry me.' An' then she begin ter cry, un she aaya, 'Oh, lemme go, lemme go!' but Tom he "Just hugs her up tighter, on' kisses her' real •• oft like. Ther ole deacon hadn't nevu 1 kissed her, 'cause she wouldn't let him, but let or no let, Tom Gordon allus did do jist what he pleased. An' fuab thing Sally knew sh© had her arms round his neck in' was havin' a good cry, an 1 Tom kop 1 ' talkin' soft like all thor time, a-coinfortin' Iwir, nu' lie kcp' sayin' nil thor time, 'An' you will marry me, Sully; an* you must marry me, Sally,' till he nigh had thcr poor gal hypnotised, though we didn'Uknow of no sich thing; them days. "\er see, Sally was jist dyin' fer some one ter love her, an' ther ole deacon hadn't jio more lovo in him than a anake has, an' all ther time she felt liko a aiuner, but she had never been so happy all her life. An' at ln«t oho up an says, Tom, I do lovo ycr, an' I nave, an I can't help it, but I can't never marry you, 'cause I promised Deacon Busby, an' I can't break^my promise.' Then Tom says, 'What did yer promise him?' an' Sally tells him all erbout et, an' how she promised to be ther deacon's «z long as her soul was saved. Thet kinder stumped Tom, an' he just said, 'Damn it!' Sally sho clapped her leetle mitten ovor his .mouth, but 'twas too late, an' ther wust of it was ther old deacon happened ter go by jist then, an 1 heard it. But he jilt wienked by, nn' Sally an' Tom never knew he heard et. * "Wall, nex' time Sally seen ther deacon Ahe up an' tells him cv'rything, liko oho had o rt ter do, an' ther ole deacon pertonds ter bo awful shocked , an* he cays Tom is a lost soul, an' thet he once heard him say 'Damn it." An' he Baj-» thet anybody what uses thet word is lost.. Then Sally she flares right up an' says sho don't believe no little tiling like that* looes nobody's soul, but ther 010 deacon he says 'Yes, it does,' an' then ho tries ter moke Sully promjjw she won't never see Tom agin, but ehe won't promise thet, 'cause Kilo is aich a leetle town she couldn't well help seem' him by accident once in a. while. ■"When Sally got homo she got ter thinkin' erbout what ther deacon hod said, an' erbout Tom, an' erbout ther deacon, an' ther more aho thought ther uioro she loved Tom, on 1 ther »nore she hated ther fish-eyed 010 deacon. F^ev two days she waa feelin' fearful bad, an' ehe hardly «eenwd aliVe, but one night, a week aforo Christmas, ahe got up right in the middle of ther night an' kneeled dawn on ther floor an' prayed till nigh daybreak. An' ufter thot she was mighty soluran, but sho 'pcured ter bo mighty happy, too. "Ther day aforo Christmas Sally's ma waslgoin' tor give a*dmcnr party, an', of course, ther old deacon was ter be there, an' Sally coaxed until her ma invitee} Tom. Gordon, too, an' urter that Sally wua lots more quiet an 1 thoughtful, but she was er lot moro'huppy. An' come thcr day afore Christmas, she couldn't hardly seom ter wait in- dinner. I was there, an' Mr. Wigly, ther minister, wi' his wifo, an* a hull lot more, an' ther deacon nn' Tom Gordon they jist glared at each other, an' hardly efc at all. Well art«r we hed et the mince pie, an' was havin 1 cider an' apples, Sally she got up an', «ay» soft like, 'Mr. Wigly, I'd like your bk-«stuV Wall, sir, ther minister waa nigh surprised out o1o 1 his shoes. 'My ble»in' ?' ho cried, 'why. bless you, child, what do yer mean?' An' then he p ues two big tears in Sally's eyes, so he jist gets right up an' put his hands on her head an bleawa her good an' hearty. An' Tom an" ther deacon fairly wiggled in their seats,' cause they did'nt know what was up. Then Sally, real solumn like, »ay», 'I Wave long been a member o' your church, Mr. Wigly, an' I thought my soul was saved, but my heart inclines to the wicked, an* I can't keep it from inclinjn'. Deacon Busby here says that sayin' two certain woidi loses one's soul, an' thero \b ono at thi» tab'lo who has said them words.' At this Tom ho got awful red, but Sally went right on. 'My aoul'e safety ' is tho most precious thing in tho world to me, next to one, an' what that one is I don't need t«r say.' Then she stopped an' looked down, an' tried to cay somcthin,' but seemed like she could'nt an' all the timo wo all looked at h*r, thinkin' she must havo gone crazy. An' twice more she got ready to say it, bne eh© could'nt, an' «he had ter pub her hands over her faco ter hido her blushes. Then quick as a wink .isho ran inter ther chiny closet ah' shut ther door. We all listened real close, fer we was mighty ncactxU 1 tell you, «n" ji»t then come veal toft an' low through ther door of Ihcr chiny closet some word*. Wv listened real still, and we jisfc managed to catch them. An' what do yer think Sully Miggs was sayin'? Why, sho was soyin' 'Damn it, damn it, damn it !' real fust un quick. "Beat? Wall I should say we was. An' thcr ole deacon jist got up an' says, 'Alas! her isoul is lost !' an Sully she cum out of i ther closet, cryin' like her heart wa« | broke, an' she cays, '1 know et, I wanted it lost,' an' Tom ho got up on' put hi a arm 'round her right afore all of us, an' she jist cling ter him tight. Oh, I tell yer et was nn excitin' time. An 1 when ther ole deacon «cc what Sally was up to, en' thet now she wa» free from her promise, he jist took his hat an eo-ya, 'Wnlk not in the ways of ther ungodly,' an' skipped out. i "Next day, b«in' 'Chmtiaas, everybody I

was to church but Sully an 1 Tom, bub they waa nuikm' ouch other presents in thcr Migg*o» pirlor, an' was too huppy tor think o' souls, or savin' o' souls. Hut wo hed fcpccinl praycis fer Vm. "Wall, 010 Deacon Busby he up an' married they Widrlor Iliiwkins inside a mouth, nn' Tom nu 1 Sally was married pretty nigh tlfe snme timo, an' I mu&t. «\y nobody never hed happier lives then Tom an' Sally has hed. "Whot? Oh. yes; long 'foro Mary* Ann (that's their oldest child) wns born Tom got converted, nn' Sally was took back into ther church, au 1 I Believe thai ouo Hwear wu« ther only sin she ever done. Forgive? Of course, 'ct wns forgive! Why, didn't if lead ter ther savin' o' Tom "Gordon? That's how Sally Miggs fell from grace, an' sho ono of ther nngcls on earth, cf ther ever was any. I ain't sayin 1 bub what et wns a sin, but goodness me! ef I thought I could trade my ole man off fer a, feller like Tom Gordon I'd swear from now tell next Christmas!" « — Ellis Parker Butlor, in Short Stories.