Mary Baldwin College - Bluestocking Yearbook (Staunton, VA)

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lo The Anmial of the deer ' s shoulder instead of in the vital part at which it had been aimed. With a o:reat bound the wounded buck shot off across the field, hotly pursued by Deacon Brown whose Sun- day coat-tails flapped madly in the wind. On and on they flew, the Deacon trying at every step to get another shot. At last Joseph saw his prey disappear behind a high stone fence, and knew that it must have fallen. As he drew near, he saw a man standing over the dead deer, then the enormity of his deed rushed upon him. He, a deacon in the church of Mount Horeb, to be caught chasing a deer on Sunday! His rifle dropped from his nerveless grasp and discharged its load into the ground, For a moment Joe wished it had gone into his own heart. As his startled imag- ination presented before him the terrible consequences of his sin, he saw himself an object of scorn to his fellew churchmen whose greatest respect he had heretofore enjoyed. Then re- membering his own severity on a similar case, there aro.se be- fore his mind a court-room scene in which he stood as pri.son- er charged with breaking the laws of God and man. The oak tree in front of him was suddenly converted into a gallows from whose great arm a man ' s body swung, and oh, sicken- ing thought, it was his own ! As he closed his eyes to shut out the terrible sight, a familiar voice addressed him. He looked up. The man by the fence was his own brother. John. His heart gave a great bound of relief — maybe he was not lost after all. ' ' Joe, did you shoot this deer ? ' ' ■ ' Yes, John, I did, but for God ' s sake don ' t tell on me. Tell on you ! I ain ' t goin ' to tell on you. But you won ' t need anybody to tell on you if people come by to church and see him lying here dead. Come let ' s drag him over the hill out of sight. The two men fell to work and .soon had the dead deer on the other side of the hill, well out of the way of church-goers. The worldly minded John surveyed their work with evi- dent satisfaction. I tell you he ' s a dandy, he exclaimed. How did you get him?

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The Mary Bald ' d ' in Scmiyiary. 9 When Alexander came to the (jld wizard to learn the future of his kingdom, he was told to go at midnight to a neighboring plain and there to fight a spirit in guise of his worst enemy. Although the King conquered in the combat, he received a wound from which he ever afterward suffered on the anniversary of his victory. THE TRANSGRESSION OF DEACON BROWN. It was Saturday, the last day of the hunting season. All day Joe Brown had tramped the woods in hopes of getting one luore buck before the law interposed on behalf of the persecuted animal. But his labor was thrown away. The wil ' deer apparently know that this was their last day of danger and seemed determined to keep in hiding till to-mor- vow, when they might come out to water in safety under the protecting wings of the law. When Joe. weary and dispirited with his fruitless hunt, placed his gun behind his door, it contained the same load it had carried in the morning when he started out. As the tall Dutch clock in the corner struck the hour of nine on Sunday morning. Deacon Brown — for Joseph like his ancestors of the last ten generations, was a deacon in the neighboring church — stood before his mirror putting the finish- ing touches to his toilet preparatory to .setting out for service. Suddenly a shadow falling across the door-way attracted his his attention. For an instant his heart stopped beating — he shook himself to see if he was dreaming. No, it was really true ! There, not five yards from him stood a splendid buck, lightly poised on three legs, while with head high in air he sniffed the morning breeze. It was but the work of an instant to seize the loaded rifle from behind the door, and level it at the breast of the unsus- pecting animal, but, in the excitement of the moment, Joseph ' s usuall} ' steady nerves failed him and the bullet buried itself in

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The Mary Baldwin Seminary. 1 1 But the coiiscietice-Kinittt:!! Joe was in no mood for expla- nation. ' Come on home aiul let ' s jjo tochurch, he answered savagely. Church ? You can go to church if you want, but I am going to stay here and watch him till you come back. At this reply, Joe ' s heart sank within him. To kill a deer on Sunday was bad enough, but to make his brother stay awaj ' from church was worse. No, John, he said severely, you must come, people will talk. As the farmers stood about the church door waiting for service to begin, there were numerous inquiries as to the whereabouts of the Brown brothers. I am afraid something must be the matter, said farmer Black. Joe Brown hasn ' t failed to be here by ten o ' clock, rain or shine, summer or whiter, since he was elected deacon, five years ago come this December. Now it is most eleven. While the first hymn was being sung, the Browns entered the church. The Deacon ' s head was bowed low as he walked up the aisle, but there seemed to be an unusually bright twinkle in the grey eyes of his brother that brought an omi- nous sigh from the elders bench. The sermon for the day was on repentance. After an able discourse, the minister called on Deacon Brown to pray. That prayer! Its like had never been heard in the annals of Mount Horeb The penitence, the humility the utter self-abnega- tion of the petitioner brought tears to the eyes of his hearers. On the way home the elders wives said to one another in awed tones, that Deacon Brown did seen to grow more consecrated every day of his life. The next dinner-table day the minister dined with his fa- vorite deacon. On the dinner- table was a huge roast of veni- son. Why Deacon, you must have had good luck Satur- day, said the jovial clergyman Where did you get him ? ' Over in John ' s old field. was the sententious answer.