The Monmouth inquirer., 1865-10-05

Z" And so you do" | replied.

But really, now, if you will consent,
we all wish it SO; and it's only oncel The
bishop can't write aggravating letters
when all we want is to pass the day off
creditably, and get good subscription
With such pure motives, urged by such
lips. what could / do? OF course, !
yielded; and then. just as had shown
them round my garden, and gathered my
most beautiful roses for them, and they
were bidding me goodbye
"And, oh. Mr.. -, | had almost for
got; you will intone the service 2"
No, no-I knew better than that. =
What voice l might have had ten years
ago was exhausted in lifting up, Sunday
after Sunday, the category of the peoples
sins
Then would allow the curate of the
new church, who sang tenor beautifully,
to take the service
Oh, Earndale, how cruel! Here had
asked dignitary to preach, and had a
surplice, new starched and clean, lying in
my study, for my part. and TO be done
out Of it by two young ladies! and for
that puppy. Augustus Claghfern. in high
colIared coat and cossack tie, just come
from Oxford, and great at all the evening
parties, and always followed Fanny Pea
fowerl Oh, Earndale! far better thy
rector's wishes were not uttered then
not chronicled now. They were not cler-
ical!
In the end they prevailed on me to let
Augustus intone, and content myself with
the lessons. There was, however, another
party besides the rector to be won over,
and that party not so easily coaxed ont
of it's whims and prejudices At the head
of it was Farmer Jolly; at the bottom of
1.-THE soul of all the mischief it perpe
trated-Miss Stiers. Rich and decided,
she hated Puspyite ways, and old Jolly
was persuaded we were all to become
perverts to Romanism in the lump, against
our will. just as the Sepoys fancied they
were to be christianized surreptiiously by
biting the creased cartridge He came
with reproachful eivility, and lent me a
folio Book of Martyrs. with pictures of
the cruclties of the Inquisition. Mrs
Jolly gave me an account of visit she
made to hear snch choral service else
where, and couldn't abide it. 1T had
such Popish twang in it-that way of
doing the service" And the worst of it
was, that |, the rector-no party to the
thing, except hv implication had to
smooth all the difficulties Well. there
was only one way Lady Topsticks ask
ed the Misses Jolly to one or two evening
parties. and that qnieted the Jollys; and
Miss Sfiers was. without much persuasion
coaxed int promise to attend Penny
Reading in the school-room in the evening
in the day Of our Festival, and to read
herself-to distinguished and educated
audience, with all the pathos of poetic
sonl the laureate's last poem
Then for week the church Was throng-
ed from morn to eve; all the ladies and
young men came to decorate it, Large
placards, with suitable Inscriptions, were
nailed and stuck round with flowers; the
pillars wound with wreaths; the windows
crowned with earlands; and primroses,
cowslips and every flower of spring, were
gathered from hedgerow, garden and
greenhouse, and tastefully appropriated
The young gentlemen were very busy, and
so were the yonng ladies. | fear their
conduct was not exactly in all respects
suitable to the place they worked in; but
then, as Charley Seabody said. " How
can yon help bonnie Bessie FloSkin down
the ladder. and cnly Look good 2"
At last the day came. 1t was beau
tiful morning. [ went early in the dawn
to the top of Earndale Scar, and watched
the tide waves roll in underline early sun
shine, flashing like the wings of silver
dove Not sign of rain We were to
have fine May day; and for collection,
let me tell you, fiue day is no despica-
BILE power.
The service was at eleven, but long be-
fore eleven large flag waving. and peals
one after the other clashing out from the
tower, reminded Earndale Of what no one
stood in danger of forgetting As the
time drew near, carriage after csrriage
rolled up, clustered with fair faces; and
dashing riders and visitors from the val
ley trooped in. Earndale for once was
gay. There were carriages left standing
without their horses on the green; there
were little knots of we'll dressed people
wandering about; there were the orderly
lines of the school children and disor
derly crowds Of the truants gathered
around the nu'sellers, who brought out
tter merchandise as near the temple as
they dared; there was the organ builder
"a proud man-come from London on
purpose to be present, and to be paid
there was the dignitary in cossack and
band; and Augustus. who stepped from
drag, arrayed in dusty canonical cos
tune, with square cap such as Earndale
never spied before, and thought it some
new fashion.
My duty required me to attend these
gentlemen. so we proceeded through the
churchyard, full of on-lookers, and thro'
the aisles, then beginning to fill; the
churchwarden and sidemen, busy and
anxious. and important, at loss what to
do with the cantankerous Earndalers who