all melted away with a word from me. This unalloyed peace remained
with me a number of days, and when the time arrived for the appointed
prayer-meeting at Uncle Ira's, I had a great desire to attend it, and
I hoped, by asking for permission to go, mother might ask for my
reason. In this I was disappointed with a denial. However, I continued
to pray to Him who owned me as his child, to prepare the way in his
own time. My anxiety increased to do something for my dear Savior, who
indeed was chief among ten thousand. I could drop a few words here and
there, but with great timidity, but nothing of my experience in this
new life; that was hid with Christ in God. I was anxious to attend
that little prayer-meeting, where my mind first was arrested on the
subject of my soul's best interests. I often dreamed of earnestly
praying or exhorting in that prayer-meeting, and would awaken myself
in the exercise. I had a longing desire to invite to this gospel
feast others, especially my young associates.

As Isaac Puffer had an appointed meeting at a brother Crane's, half a
mile distant, on Sabbath at four o'clock P. M., I asked father for
permission to attend, hoping thereby to find liberty to open my pent-
up feelings to my dear parents, who so little understood me. But my
hopes were vain. Father said, in reply, "Laura, I want thee never to
ask me to go to a Methodist meeting again."

O, what a blow was this for my trembling frame! The door closed more
tightly than ever before. Not one word could I utter. I left the room,
to find my old resort in the grove, to weep bitter tears of
disappointment. But widely different was this burden, now resting upon
my heart, from that mountain weight of sin and transgression borne a
few weeks previously. I read a few days before of the baptism of the
Lord Jesus, our perfect pattern. But he came to fulfill. Then I read