A Sabbath on a Sheep-Ranch
By Augusta C. Bainbridge
“Are your chores all done, Ella?” “Yes, mother, everything done but turning out the cows,” said a cheerful voice from the back porch. “Here I am, and such a race as those colts gave me. If I had not been riding Dolly, I could not have corralled them. But they are safe now. Guess how many eggs I got to-day!” “No, seventeen, and three missionary eggs besides.” “Well, girls, supper is all ready, and if father and George were here we could easily have it all over before sundown.” “Let’s sing until they come. O, how nice it is to have the house so spick-and-span clean,” said Ella. “All right, girls, you begin. I shall go to the lookout, and if they have not turned the hill, we shall have time for prayers before they get here,” said mother as she walked out to the end of the porch and mounted the platform that led to the roof of the wood-shed. “I never like prayers while the sun is shining, and mother is in such a hurry on Sabbath evenings.” “Yes, I know, Katie, but if we have prayers before they get here, we are sure to have them, but if we wait for the men to come, sometimes we have them and sometimes we can not. You remember the crowd that came in last Sabbath evening.” “Not a hoof in sight, girls,” said mother. “We shall read and pray first, and then we can sing until they get here.” “What blessedness! and it is sundown now,” said Ella, as they sang the dear familiar hymns that so often had marked the opening hours of the blessed day. “By the way Topsy is barking somebody is coming.” “Sure enough, here are father and George, and three men with them, and their dogs and a band of sheep. What does it all mean?” said Katie. “Well, I’m glad we had prayers after all, for it helps me to be patient when these cross-grained things come. More plates, more bread, more supper all around, more dirty dishes, more beds—no, they have their blankets, so they will sleep in the barn. Now I must not say nor think a cross word when mother is so patient over it, and I must not let Ella do it all,” soliloquized Katie. Morning came all too soon to the tired family after the hard work of the evening. Breakfast for all hands must be served early, and the sheep be started by daylight, so they can cross the river and get their breakfast on the green flat beyond before they coil for their noon-time rest. “Never mind, Katie,” said Ella, as they gathered up the breakfast dishes, “we shall have that much more time to ourselves after they are all gone.” The bleating of the sheep, the barking of the dogs, the shouting of the men, the galloping of the horses, and all the various noises incident to releasing a band of sheep and getting them started on their way, were dying away in the distance. Quiet was settling down on the home, and Bibles were out ready for morning worship. A horseman was heard riding back toward the house. Supposing it was a herder coming back for a few home-loving sheep who objected to being taken away from familiar surroundings, no one looked up. The clanking of spurs on the porch said plainly that some one was wanted. “Mother, Hillis says he will ride over with George and me to Heron’s place, and we can see about the roan heifer and those other strays. Can you put us up a bit of lunch?” said father. Willing hands cut the bread, wrapped the sandwiches, wiped the apples, hunted the drinking-cups, and soon the saddle-bags were filled, and rider and horse were off on their way again.351 From “All that dwell below the skies” to “Dear old Duke Street” was, with organ and voices, filling the room with its rich melody and soul-uplifting thoughts, so that no one heard the “Yo-ho! yo-ho!” that would have called one to the door, and saved all from the start when father burst into the room, saying:— “What’s the matter with you folks? Are you all deaf? Hand me my red pocketbook. I’ll come back through town and get those things. My list is in there.” Mother always knows where everything is, and nobody can resist her smile, so “Too bad to bother you again” was the gentle apology that prefaced another good-by, and away he went, crossing the river at the upper ford so that he could overtake the others on the flat. Duke Street was out of the question now. Nothing seemed to fit this case but “What various hindrances we meet.” “How can mother be so calm, when I should like to kick something?” whispered Katie. “Sh!” said Ella. “You’ll feel all right by the time we reach the last stanza.” And so she did, and she rejoiced that—
“Satan trembles when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees,” for she said in her heart, “O Lord, that weakest saint is I.” It did not take long to tidy up the house and dress for the Sabbath service. Sabbath-school lessons were recited in the dining-room, all seated around the table where concordance and Bibles lay ready for reference if texts other than those given in the lesson were needed for fuller explanation. It was Katie’s turn to review, and mother taught the lesson. Angels drew near, and the Holy Spirit sealed the words on open hearts as the passages were read or recited. To study the good Book is to appreciate it. “May we read out under the big tree to-day?” asked Ella. “We will carry the chairs and papers out.” “Yes, dear, I know of nothing to hinder,” said mother. “What about Lambert and Mike?” asked Katie. “Their supplies are in their sacks on the back porch, where they always find them when we are away. They are both marked, so there will be no trouble about that.” “How I do wish they did not come on the Sabbath,” said Ella. “I do not think it will be so much longer. I was talking to father about it the other day. He says it is an old ranch custom here, and the shepherds from the far-off camps expect to come in for their mail and supplies on Saturday. I told him that we should like to give the poor fellows a hot home dinner when they come in. It must be very monotonous to eat their own cooking every day, and that cooked over a camp-fire.” “That will be a nice change for them and for us, too,” said Ella. “It takes mothers to solve problems, doesn’t it?” The Signs, REVIEW, and “Christ’s Object Lessons” constituted the reading for the morning, each one reading a longer or shorter article as seemed appropriate. “Christ in Song” furnished words and tunes for the songs their hearts sang, and the noon hour came all too soon. The Sabbath meals were light in this home, easily served, and quickly cleared away. Then came the missionary meeting. Letters received during the week were read. All joined in prayer and council, seeking wisdom and light, that God’s plan might be followed in answering these and in deciding what literature to send next. The little tract case in the corner was searched for the best that would fit each letter. Twenty copies of the Signs were prayerfully wrapped, addressed, and laid in their place to await the stamping on the first day of the week. Some time remained before sundown, and it was spent in various ways in harmony with the day, ending in a short walk to a favorite spot where nature’s God had “made his glories known.” Father, George, and Hillis came back just as they were preparing for Sabbath closing, bringing the roan heifer and other stray stock with them. This meant supper for them all as soon as it could be prepared. George started off for the cows, while father and Hillis did the other chores. “When we leave our burdens with God, he always does something to make it easier,” said Ella, trying not to be disappointed because she had missed the quiet sunset service she loved so well. “Would you mind, father, if I should ask George and Hillis to stay a little while,” said mother, “we have not had prayers yet?” “No, no, go ahead, it will do the boys good,” cheerfully answered father. “And will you read?” added Ella. “Yes, daughter,” said father, “you find the place for me.” “That wonderful one hundred seventh psalm never sounded so grand to me before,” said Katie, as they later prepared for bed. “It seems as if father is really coming to the Saviour when he reads the Bible. He reads so well, and he brings out the sense so clearly. One can tell just what the meaning is by the tones of his voice.” “Yes, indeed, but best of all, I love to hear him say ‘Our Father’ with us after mother prays,” answered Ella. “He surely can not be far from the kingdom, in spite of his queer ways. Let us keep on praying for him.” “Good night.”