Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-07-28


dozen more who have attended all the prac-
tices."y' IA, r..gi-- ..r =. DID,. o.
"l'll be bound they have. Why didn't you
let me come, young ladies ?"
"We wished to give you SURPRISE"
"And 80 you do" replied /. .9'I geinl.
"But really now, if you will consent, we
all wish it SO, and it's only once! The Bishop
can't write aggravating letters when all we
want is to pass the day off creditably, and
get good subscription" a m.f d
With such pure motives, urged by such
lips, whatcould do? OF course yielded;
and then-just as had showed them round
my garden, and gathered my most beautiful
roses for them, and they were bidding me
good-by-"And oh, Mr.. -, had almost
iorgot-will you intone the service ?'
No, no; knew better than that. What
voice might have had ten years ago was
exhausted in lifting up, Sunday after Sum
day, the category of my peoples sins.
Then woi;ld l allow the curate of the
new church, who sang tenor beautifully, to
take the service? rf |..,
o Earndale, how cruell Here had asked
a dignitary to preach, and had surplice,
new starched and clean, lying in my study
for my part: and to be done out of 1t by
two young ladies! and for that puppy Au-
gustus Claighfern, in high-collared coat and
cassock tie, just come from Oxford, and
great at all the evening parties, and always
following Fanny Peaflower! o Earndale!
far better thy reetOr's wishes were not ut
tered then-nor chronicled now. They
were not clerical!
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 out of its
whims and prejudices. At the head of 1t
was Farmer Jolly; at the bottom Of 1.-THE
soul of all the mischief it perpetrated-Miss
Stiers. Rich and decided, she hated Pusey
ite ways; and old Jolly was persuaded we
were all to become perverts to Romanism
In the lump, against our will. just as the
Sepoys tancied they were to be christian
lied surreptitiously by biting the CREASED
cartridge. He came with reproachful
civility, and lent me folio Book of Mar
tyrs with pictures of the cruelties of the
Inquisition. Mrs. Jolly gave me an ac-
count of visit she made to hear such
choral service elsewhere, and couldn't
abide it. at had such'a Popish twang in
it--that way of doing the service" And
the worst of it was, that l, the rector-no
party to the thing except by implication
had to smooth all the difficulties. Well,
asked the Misses Jolly to one or two even
ing parties, and that quieted the Jollys; and
Miss Sters was, without much persuasion,
coaXed into promise to attend Penny
Reading in the school-rOOm in the evening
OF the day of our Festival, and to read her
selt-to distinguished and educated aud
ience, with all the pathos of a poetic soul
the laureate's last poem.
Then for a week the church was thronged
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
garlands; and primroses, cowslips, every
flower of spring, were gathered from
hedgerow, garden and greenhouse, and
tastefully appropriated. The young gen.
tlemen were very busy, and so were the
young ladies. fear their conduct was not
exactly in all respects suitable to the place
they worked in. But then, as Charley Sea-
body said, "HOw can you help Bonnie
Bessie Floskin down the ladder, and only
look good?" ,..I...........'........, -.
At last the day was come. ltwas beau
tiful morning. | went early in the dawn
to the top of Earndale Scar, and watched
the tide-waves roll in under the 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 fine day is no despicable
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 carriage rolled
up, clustered with fair faces; and dashing
riders and visitors from all the valley troop
ed in. Earndale for once w1bfgay. There
were carriages lett standing without their
horses on the green; there were little knots
of well-dressed people wandering about;
there were the orderly lines of the school
children, and disorderly crowds of the tru-
ants gathering around the nut sellers, who
brought their merchandise as near the tenn
pie 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 cassock and
band and Augustus, who stepped out of a
drag, arrayed in dusty canonical costume,
with square cap such as Earndale never
spied before, and thought it some new
fashion. rrI ......--....f ..tt
My duty required me to attend these gen.
tlemen, so we proceeded through the church
yard full of On-lookers, and through the
aisles, then beginning to fill; the church
warden and 'sidesmen, busy and anxious
and important, at loss what to do with
cantankerous Earndalers who would occu-
py their own seats that day, and not make
room for full-pursed visitors. .Ia.a.sy,s
In the chancel was our choir, as fair q
sight as ever was seen when men-singers
and women-singers served the service of
song In the temple. A row of ladies sat
on each side, and the young fellows In white,
ties behind them: all of both sexes, OBJ
served (what never saw before), for once
looking serious. 5 a" aET'7 p
Ihad objected to their provisioning to-
their seats; country people might have mis-
taken it for another ceremony in which
young ladies take part at the altar. Then
In the vestry l was obliged to use strong
language to induce Augustus to replace in
his bag-(a blue one like q brief bag)-a
stole of white satin with crosses Of gold and
scarlet beautifully in-wrought and with
which he was tastefuly arraying his lawn-o
enveloped shoulders. lf1. yag l--.I.g'r .l,,
Il Eleven O'clock! clash went the bells all
together in q sudden explosion, and then
were still, their several harmonic tones sob
bing and dying away in dissonance. Wei
sailed forth, and the organ discoursed tri-a
umphant music. '.,i7.e,- ai..i.,,. ..,f, So,
Augustus was nervous; he didn't keep his
note, and sometimes made desperate hits at
distances, and only arrived within three-s
quarters of tone. Then the choir was dis,
concerted; only the organist picked them
up so deity that most people thought it
was all right. The performance on the
whole was creditable, only it WAS nothing,