Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1865-11-15
THE CRACK IN THE CHURCH FLOOR.

rough stone, with a peaked roof and an
odd little steeple, where e set of sweet
bells hu1s. 1t had the queerest little or
gan gallery, with carved balustrades about
winch cherubinls seemed TO flutter Once
( the French Huguenots who settled New
Rochelle had worshipped there, but It was
an Episcopal church now, and most
OF the residents belonged to it Not
that they alNayG attended regularly for
once 1t was said, driven to madness by
tae beggarly array of empty pews, the
! Rev. Elias Baubury had begun mis- SER
mon thus Dearly beloved Mr. and
\ Mrs Norroway and hir Parmelyea" -
addressing the only members present who
we're wide awake. Bat that was of a
rainy day, and before the organ came
the pew organ, bright and loud Of yoice
which wicked people, not to be tempted
out BY sermons, came to hear When this
4 become an attraction, and good Mr. Uess,
on- German organist had formed a choir,
there was, on pleasant mornings, quite a
display Of best bonnets within, and of
wagons, gigs and saddle horses without
Then would hunch-backed Timothy
/ Brown parish clerk and cordwainer, tip
| toe during service time, and save himself
trouble by putting boots and shoes made
or meuded through the week, under the
seats of his customers wagons, that they
might take them home themselves: and
returning, drop asleep until charitably
awakened by the head Of the house of
Adalr occupying the front pew, who
poked at him across pews with umbrella
or walking stick, and caused him to start
/ 10 consciousness with a sonorous "Amen,"
generally absurdly out of place, but some
times as ridiculously in the nick of time
One October day, the last of the month,
which chanced to fall on Thursday, We
went, according TO custom, to practice
some now music at the church Early as
/ il was. 1t was Christmas music, for we ju>
teaded to make a grand display Of our
requirements on that day, when the
church was full Of strangers. And | sup
+ pose no one had 4 thought but that on
/ Christmas day old Mr. Hess would 81 at
! the organ, and we fill each place behind
/ tie red esrtain Of The choir. That after
noon slapped for Abby Alair, and we
walked over together She had the so
prano voice / sang contraito There
were maple leaves thick about the
church, and quite a red carpet of them
rustIcd under our feet Some had blown
in the church itself. aud tae hunch- backed
clerk was haJLling about, picking them
/ up.
You are the frs, tins time, ladies'. he
said
/ ~Tas arst-then Mr.. Hess has not come
} vet
I All he's come, Miss SoPhy; warrant
him FOR that The first ladies, I meant
/ Bat he's not playing
We ran up the steps Of the organ gal
Iory. Abby first At the head of them
She paused. aad E-neither Of Us know
/ ,vhy-stood still also The loft, just com
ing from such a bright October sunlight
was dark, and re could not quite make
out what Mr. Hess was doing lie was
T on his knees, his head bent down
as nc p7avirg 81 whispered Abby.
Wo crcpt forward n step. / SAID IS Mr.
Hess" There was no answer. / said it
/ louder. Ne answer still Then Abby and
/ I, instead of going forward, ran back and
screamed together, and brought old limo
( thy from the aisles below
/ Our poor organist knelt there dead
We farcied ne must have felt death
stealing over him. and knealt down to
pray. There was sweet smile on his
+ face, and one hand was in his bosom
clutchine his leeket, in which lay coiled a
/ tr1ss Of faxen hair We buried it with
( him, for ,-e all felt that it must be some
relic Of the past iFc Of which we knew
nothing After that the organ stood dumb,
aud we missed the dear old German face
and the kindly voice with its foreign ac-
4 cent which we knew 50 we'll, and without
hin, we had no heart to sing Not even
ii Christmas time.
in the spring when vioIets were on his
crave. we heard that a new orGanist had
been engaged, and that the Thursday and
SATURDAY afternoon instruction was to re-
commence. and the choir came together
once more in the church. The cid minis
ter was there ard with him a gentleman
who looked about thirty years old. lie
had a fine. tall feature, an olive comp ex-
ion. and eyes never seen save when the
complexion is pure olive; Spanish eyes
shaded by jet-black lashes When he
stepped forward to speak to us | saw that
he was very slightly lame. Kind old Mr.
nanburv introduced Us in an irnpromptu
sermon Under the head Of firstly, he
informed our orranist that we were the
most amiahle Of choirs, to whom hitherto
. all those dissensions peculiar to such IN
stitutions had been utterly unknown
Secondly. he let Us know that Mr.. Andrew
Hudson did us favor by coming among
ps ana that he was O wondrous organise