Show 1 PARSON A JU ai it was meeting time in massachusetts hay bay colony on a sunday morn morning ingin in june 1070 the fifty or sixty log buildings which made up tip the settlement stood silent aa as so many tombs among the black stumps of the halt half cleared fields for every soul in the tile place from front tho the old man of ninety to the youngest child was in the meetinghouse meeting house on the hill bill every soul that is except abner true abner true whose father was a deacon and tithing man and counted second only to td the minister himself in III rigid piety was actually playing truant from meeting and arld this in a village which looked upon plym auth and weymouth as dangerously worldly towns relaxed in fit morals and manners by overmuch prosperity but abner had worked from sun to sun every day of the last week and knew le lie must do the same every day of the next week and the week after that for the corn was to bo be hoed the tile grasa grass crops got in and a score of other tasks to be done it seemed to him too hard that on this one day of rest he be should be obliged to sit mt upon a backless plank bench all the forenoon it indeed lie did not find himself forced to sit there longer since parson gladley Pl adley who rarely preached less than three hours sometimes preached four and on once C e or twice had been known to exceed five hours houm abner felt burt the sermon would not be a short one this day even acco according riling to the preachers idea of brevity and the more he be thought of it the more he dreaded it until he became willing to incur any punishment for tho the sake of escaping that discourse so when deacon amos with his ills wife and younger children were ready for meeting no abner could be found hidden ill in the little haymow of the rough birn barn lie saw the family depart his father marching ahead equipped with musket bandoleer and powder horn for king philip phillp and his indians were at war against the whites and no man throughout the colony went to field or church without his arms similar groups similarly accouter ed paced solemnly along toward the tile rude sanctuary nary upon the lull hill until abner seeing 11 that all had passe passed 1 f felt e I 1 that he was safe for the present and lay donn town upon the oft soft liay hay to prepare for the bound sound nap lie had ho so longed for below old fly the farm horse stamped and munched without the hens liens crowed in ill the sunshine with a drowsy note now that should have been favorable enough for slumber but between ills its guilty con what he had done and his fits dread of what deacon amos would do abner could not manage to go to sleep lie ile began to wish himself liim self upon that backless plank ben bench cheven even if the sermon were to last all day yet a tardy arrival would be nearly as great an offense as not to come COW e at all and he had not the courage to meet the public reproof which parson Pl gladley ailley might nol minister or to hasten the private chastisement that deacon amon would surely inflict the time went on the old house was yes I 1 still now the hens liens uttered only an occasional cas ional croak from the far distance the pr preachers eichers oice voice came canie down on thiV tho warm arm breeze in a softened murmur abner was dozing what was that he heard a sound blat wakened him quite and ho he sprang up to listen nothing but a slight swishing sound in the tall grass behind the barn nothing but that it was probably some fox or polecat on the watch to snatch a chicken abner peered out through a it crack to see ft if he lie could discover the animal for r the I 1 hivish swishing ing sound seemed drawing nearer in the meeting house pardon gladley had turned hilbig his big hourglass twice anil and now the sands of the third hour were almost spent before before him rows of serious men women and children looked up in reverent attention not once removing their earnest eyes from the tile minister the heavy door was flung open tint and shut again with a loud bang that startled every member of the congregation A boy and streaming with pei spi 1 ratio rit lon i ran up tip the broad aisle and fell exi liati sted at the foot of the pulpit every man stretched out his hl hand to the musket musk that stood beside him but no ona A no one balila 1 word or uttered an ex I 1 N whatever the danger was baand and the knew well what it might be this was I 1 gods house and in fit it none but gods servant alvild raise a voice vicoor or venture upon any action unless he lie permitted the minister descended from his place leaned over the panting abner arid caught r the few words the boy bad strength to whisper Sit savages full mealing up to take us una unaware warel the minister returned to the pulpit kindle your matches brethren said le 1 e in a voice of perfect tranquillity the ring of flint and steel sound sounded of nil all over the house make ready your guns continued the minister taking up a heavy musket and blowing blow ing the match or fuse by which ib it was discharged musketeers to your stations ye that harp but swords or pikes be fast 11 the congregation obeyed these orders 03 calmly as they had been given men headed by deacon true silently ranged themselves ea at the loopholes which which were pierced in the door and along the walls each fach knew his position 0 I 1 and it I 1 d took it without delay or 01 hesitation n while while the fifteen men who had bad no firearms sat stiffly on the benches with the women and I 1 children moi most st of whom had bad not looked behind them since abner rushed in parson gladley looked at the hourglass which still continued to run and quietly I 1 resumed hid ills sermon around the sides of it the room the musketeers stooped nt at the loopholes amid the light vapor from their smoldering kinold cring matches on tho the benches the body of listeners kept kep t their composed countenances turned upon the preacher save Us his voice the ra f WAS no sound but an infrequent met metallic tilli e rattle as some musketeer examined his gun or loosened his iron bitted broadsword in the scabbard the words of the preacher sounded through tho the hou houe se and even as aforetime the heathen did furiously rage and did compass the children of the covenant with spear sandwith and with javelin around about A high pitched thrilling screech filled the air without and now rose above the ministers voice it was sustained alred and ib prolonged in many savage throats there came quick sharp on the root roof and walls like hailstones F basat 1 a arett bre t fell bask by A om his ills loop lose lole with an arrow through the brain another man rose from his seat picked up I 1 the gun which brett Bret had thad dropped and took the vacant station A dozen muskets answered the storm of their fire seemed to check the I 1 advance of the indians inasmuch aa as the brew grely faful fainter er and lind the pattering of IV V I 1 Y I 1 the arrows parson gladley lint not interrupted apted sermon although ills voice bad been temporarily pora rily drowned bythe by the noise of the assault and def defense ewe except for the instant that he cast one glance at the musket beside him and another at the hourglass all the men who could act were at their posts why should he lie not riot continue to the end while waiting for the desperate dp erate gl file e which must come ills Hi sense isenbe of duty 4 told him that he lie ought not to cease his 1 Is holy office before ilie the appointed time except under compulsion in which he be mast must recognize the tile hand of god his ills hearers bearers understood this as well as if ho jie had bad declared his determination in BO so many words alicy did their part by listening with steady attention again the tile cries grew louder and arrow nights flights thicker the gun guns replied but this time the attack attach was not repulsed A ponderous thumping on the door which 8 shook book the whole building told that some kind of battering ram min was being employed to break brenk it down A few more such shocks shock and the door must fall only a pinch or two of sand remained in the hourglass still it was not quite empty and parson Phi gladley olley preached on crash 1 theodoor the door was half off its hinges binges the firearm nien men crowded behind it and delivered a volley that appeared for a minute to clear tho the passage thero ther was yet homo sand in the hourglass alie parsons lips could be seen to move though his voice was not heard A renewed yell and the cris crashing bing blows once more beat upon the door no shots answered this time for tho the muskets were empty an arrow whistled led across the church and stuck quivering in the front of the pulpit around the edges of the shattered door hatches hat elies and anti clubs club were brandished brandishes bran dished in tho the faces of the defenders who dashed them aside with the butts of their guns the women began to scream the last fast sand ran out of the hourglass parson gladley bowed his head bead and said amen ill I 1 and all the congregation answered together amen up sprang the hitherto motion leaa listeners women to the rear men to the the tile front and from the pulpit the old minister with sword and cuu gun led the way to tho the aid of the others who were lvere beginning to give ground before the mass of hideously painted figures who were forcing their way through the entrance then came out abnot another tier side of the puritan character the fierce energy almost joy with which the colonists fought fough ans as a surprising as the stony self control they had shown but it moment before ahead of them all it parson gladley swung his mighty sword with cries which betrayed the old horse soldier of cromwell and afar rison for such he be had been and arid of those who followed him more than one had stood in the ranks of the who met the charges of prince cavaliers cavaliere cava liers and repelled them too As if he be remembered tills this tho the minister lifted up his its strong voice ina in stern psalm which had thundered over the battlefields of Naseby and marston moor the war song of Javid avid the king rejoicing over bis his victor 1 I I 1 have bave pursued mine enemies and overtaken them neither did I 1 turn again till fit they were consumed 1 I have wounded ahem that they were not riot able to rise they are fallen under my feet for thou liast hast girded me with streng strength lii unto the battle thou hast bast subdued under me those that rose up against me inc the indians were like wolves combating lions they shrank wavered and were pressed back to tho the door through it and outside of it then by one last rush they were broken scattered and dispersed they ran in every direction for the shelter of the woods many of them fell by the way under the pikes and swords of their pursuers was saved within the meeting house now halt balf ruined dim with powder smoke and heaped with broken benches arrows and dead bodies the congregation gathered around its minister who blackened and bloody with gown torn to mireda and a great slosh slash across till his forehead once more raised up his voice this time in the glorious strains of one of their triumphant hymns all joined in it even the wounded who could scarcely arcely bc lift their heads bonds from the ground and the dying who sang ing their last brEst breaths lis away in the grateful chorus when the injured had been cared for and anti there was once more time for ordinary matters parton parson gladley called abner true to him son abner thou u well so cu cunningly to avoid those ruthless rut liless sta savages and warn us bet betimes inies Forit ilits thou meridest meri test reward abner looked up astonished and this shall bo be thy reward that for ti thy 1 y I 1 willful kt alful tarrying away from abo sane tu auary ary thou shall shaid leneive no discipline from the church but my father will stammered taie boy wy of a surety lie will placidly replied tho the minister and I 1 trust it may do thee good fa come with me abner bald said deacon amo anios manley 11 pike in youths companion |