The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1872-08-01
~ WAS u. u sIowr,

disciplined nerves. pauson Lothrop hsd
exchanged pnipit with Parsoa summer
al, Of North Wearcm. Now, Parson
Summeral, was a man 10 the very outset
likely 70 provoke the risibles Of unspirit-
ualized Juveniles lie was thin, wiry,
friskcy little man, In powdered white
wig, black tights, aud six stockings, with
bright knee buckles and shoe-buckles,
With round, dark, swapping eyes, and
curious, high, cracked, sqneaklng voice,
the very first tones Of which made oil tho
children stare and giggle. The news
that Parson summcra was going to
preach 10 ouryillage spread abroad among
us as prolade 10 something funny. IL
had flavor Ike The charm Of circus act
ing: and on sunday morning OF our story
wc went to the house Of God Ia very
hilarious state, an ready to set of. Ia a
laugh OH The slightest proyocation.
The occasion was not long wanting.
Parson Lothrop had hyorite dog yclcped
Trip, whose behavior 10 meeting was
notoriously far from that ediying pattern
which belts a ministers dog on Sundays.
Trip was nervous dog, and dog that
never could be taught to ooncealhis emo
tons or to respect conycntionalities. If
anything about the. performance in the
singers seat did not please him, he was
apt to express himself in a lugubrious
I howl. Ii the sermon was longer than
suited him, he would cape with such a
/ loud creak of his jaws as would arouse
everybody's attention. If the flies dis
turbed bis afternoons nap he would give
sudden snarls or snaps; or If anything
+ troubled his dreams, he would bark out
/ in his sleep in manner not only to dispel
+ his own slumbers, but those Of certain
worthy dcacous and old ladies, whose
sanctuary repose was thereby sorely
broken and troubled. For all these rea-
sons, Madam Lothrop had been forced, as
general thing, to deny Trip the usual
sanctuary privileges of good family dogs
in that age, and shut him up on Sundays
TO private meditation. Trip, of course,
was only the more set on attendance, and
would hide behind doors, jump out of
windows, sneak through by-ways and al
leys, and lie hid till the second bell had
done tolling, when suddenly he would
appear in the broad aisle, innocent and
happy, and take his seat as composedly
as any member of the congregation.
Imagine our youngsters OH the qai cire
with excitement at seeing Parson Sum-
neral frisk up into the pulpit with all
the yiyacity of a black grasshopper. We
looked at each other and giggled very
cautiously, with due respect to Aunt
Lois's sharp observation.
At first, there was only mild, quiet
! simmering of giggle, compressed decor
ously within the bounds of propriety, and
we pursed our muscles up with stringent
resolution whenever we caught the ap-
prehensive eye of our elders.
But when directly after the closing
notes of the tolling second bell, Master
Trip walked up the front aisle, and seat
ing himself squarely in front of the pull
pit raised his nose with critical air to-
ward the scene of the forthcoming per-
formance, ii was too much for us-the
repression was almost conyulsive. Trip
wore an alert, attentive air, befitting a
sound, orthodox dog, who smells possi-
bic heresy, and deems it bis duty to
watch the performances narrowly.
Evidently he felt called upon TO see
why and what were to occupy the pulpit
\ in his masters absence.
Up rose Parson Summeral, and up
went Trips nose vibrating with intense
attention.
The Parson began in his high-cracked
voice to intone the hymn:
Sing 10 the Lord aloud
please to turn out that dog)--
Aud make joyful noise.
The dog was turned out, and the choir
did their best to make joyful noise, but
we BOYS were upset for the day, delivered
over to the temptations Of Satan, and
plunged IN waves and pillows Of hysteri'
cal giggle, from which neither winks nor
frowns from Aunt Lois, nor the awful
fear Of the tithing-man, nor the comfort
ing bits Of fennel and orange peel, passed
us by grandmother, could recover US.
Everybody felt, TO be sure, that here
was trial that called for some isiul-
gence. Hard faces, even among the
best saints, betrayed n transient quiyer Of
the risiblc muscles, old ladies put up their
fans, youths and maidens IN the singers
scat laughed outright, aud for the mo.
ment a general snieker among children
was pardoned. But | was one Of thai
luekess kind whose nerves once set in
vibration, could not be composed When
the reign OF gravity and deeorum had re-
turned, Harry and ] sat by each other
shaking with suppressed laughter. Every
thing in the subsequent exercises took ,
funny turn, and in The long prayer, whct
everybody else was sin and decorous
Tie whole scene came over me with suct
oyerpower.ng force that ! exploded with
laughter and bad to be taken out Of meet
ing aud marched home By Aunt Lois, Al
convicted criminal What especially
moved ber indignation was, the more sh'
rebukcd and upbralded, the more laugh
"a, ,ill the tears rolled down my cheeks.
Which Aunt Lois construed into w.ifu
disrespeci to her authority aud resented
accordingly.