Divers Women

Divers Women

Project Gutenberg's Divers Women, by Pansy and Mrs. C.M.
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Title: Divers Women
Author: Pansy and Mrs. C.M. Livingston
Release Date: February 17, 2006 [EBook #17785]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DIVERS
WOMEN ***

Produced by Roy Brown

DIVERS WOMEN
BY
PANSY AND MRS. C.M. LIVINGSTON

LONDON
GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS
BROADWAY, LUDGATE HILL GLASGOW, MANCHESTER,
AND NEW YORK

THE PANSY BOOKS.
LIST OF THE SERIES.
1. FOUR GIRLS AT CHAUTAUQUA. 2. LITTLE FISHERS &
THEIR NETS. 3. THREE PEOPLE. 4. ECHOING AND
RE-ECHOING. 5. CHRISTIE'S CHRISTMAS. 6. DIVERS WOMEN.
7. SPUN FROM FACT. 8. THE CHAUTAUQUA GIRLS AT HOME.
9. THE POCKET MEASURE. 10. JULIA RIED. 11. WISE AND
OTHERWISE. 12. THE KING'S DAUGHTER. 13. LINKS IN
REBECCA'S LIFE. 14. INTERRUPTED. 15. THE MASTER HAND.
16. AN ENDLESS CHAIN. 17. ESTER RIED. 18. ESTER RIED YET
SPEAKING. 19. THE MAN OF THE HOUSE. 20. RUTH ERSKINE'S
CROSSES. 21. HOUSEHOLD PUZZLES. 22. MABEL WYNN; OR,
THOSE BOYS. 23. MODERN PROPHETS. 24. THE RANDOLPHS.
25. MRS. SOLOMON SMITH LOOKING ON. 26. FROM
DIFFERENT STANDPOINTS. 27. A NEW GRAFT ON THE
FAMILY TREE.
GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS.

CONTENTS.
SUNDAY FRACTURES: CHAP. I. --SOME PEOPLE WHO WENT
UP TO THE TEMPLE. CHAP. II. --SOME PEOPLE WHO FORGOT
THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. CHAP. III. --SOME PEOPLE
WHO FORGOT THE EVER-LISTENING EAR. CHAP. IV. --SOME
PEOPLE WHO WERE FALSE FRIENDS.

NEW NERVES.
"HULDY."
WHERE HE SPENT CHRISTMAS.
VIDA.
HOW A WOMAN WAS CONVERTED TO MISSIONS.
MRS. LEWIS' BOOK:

PART I. --THE BOOK


PART II. --THE BOOK OPEN
BUCKWHEAT CAKES
FAITH AND GASOLINE
BENJAMIN'S WIFE

SUNDAY FRACTURES.

CHAPTER I.
SOME PEOPLE WHO WENT UP TO THE TEMPLE.

An elegant temple it was, this modern one of which I write--modern in
all its appointments. Carpets, cushions, gas fixtures, organ, pulpit
furnishings, everything everywhere betokened the presence of wealth
and taste. Even the vases that adorned the marble-topped flower-stands
on either side of the pulpit wore a foreign air, and in design and
workmanship were unique. The subdued light that stole softly in
through the stained-glass windows produced the requisite number of
tints and shades on the hair and whiskers and noses of the worshippers.
The choir was perched high above common humanity, and praised God
for the congregation in wonderful voices, four in number, the soprano
of which cost more than a preacher's salary, and soared half an octave
higher than any other voice in the city. To be sure she was often
fatigued, for she frequently danced late of a Saturday night. And
occasionally the grand tenor was disabled from appearing at all for
morning service by reason of the remarkably late hour and unusual
dissipation of the night before. But then he was all right by evening,
and, while these little episodes were unfortunate, they had to be borne
with meekness and patience; for was he not the envy of three rival
churches, any one of which would have increased his salary if they
could have gotten him?
The soft, pure tones of the organ were filling this beautiful church on a
certain beautiful morning, and the worshippers were treading the aisles,
keeping step to its melody as they made their way to their respective
pews, the heavy carpeting giving back no sound of footfall, and the
carefully prepared inner doors pushing softly back into place, making
no jar on the solemnities of the occasion--everything was being done
"decently and in order"--not only decently, but exquisitely.
A strange breaking in upon all this propriety and dignity was the
sermon that morning. Even the text had a harsh sound, almost startling
to ears which had been lifted to the third heaven of rapture by the
wonderful music that floated down to them.
"Take heed what ye do; let the fear of the Lord be upon you." What a
harsh text!--Wasn't it almost rough? Why speak of fear in the midst of
such melody of sight and sound? Why not hear of the beauties of

heaven, the glories of the upper temple, the music of the heavenly
choir--something that should lift the thoughts away from earth and
doing and fear? This was the unspoken greeting that the text received.
And the sermon that followed! What had gotten possession of the
preacher! He did not observe the proprieties in the least! He dragged
stores, and warehouses, and common workshops, even the meat
markets and vegetable stalls, into that sermon! Nay, he penetrated to
the very inner sanctuary of home--the