Litchfield enquirer., 1873-12-25

iormatlon, not having yet examined hls I trunks
 ..Now. Carl. : spoke Mrs. Dayton, don't 1 be so severe. We merely inquired for the purpose of collecting means to purchase him proper suit in case he has no bettar, not rom mldue curiosity assume yoii.na z l Those be his best, 7 asserted Mrs. Ste vens, s'for he certainly would have worn
 better on such m occasion if had had l them ''
 .sWe are to open our house Tuesday evening for the society to meet the min 1ster.o Laura said, .'and think it would be better to postpone the matter until then. Let 1t be understood, if you con- clude that such contribution is neeessa- 1 ", and people will come prepared, y So saying she followed her brother, who thought the carriage had waited too long already" sa e The subject of the offending suit was continued. s' declarei" said Mrs. Day. ton, t'I was shocked at seeing MT. Clin- ton enter the pulpit with that woful-look- ing coat and old fashioned par1ts.' l Bless me!"> cried Isaac Bond, ssthat is a little too much for Trinity Church to l face-a little too mucl-somethine must be done.' @
 "Why, Brother Bond, , replied Mir. Dewey, ''do you think our church must have basis of fashion in order to be 1 what 1t should? don't know but it is 1 out of place, but can't understand why the gospel may not be listened to with as much satisfaction from a man attired in old-fashioned clothing, as vice perse. For my part, must say think he preach ed better sermon to-day than he would had he been arrayed in purple and fine 1 inen.'"
 ''Mercy!'' calculated Miss. Clemens. Brother Dewey. am surprised; how can be so absurd?" Il think as much" Mrs. Bowen aver red. ''it's simply the height of folly to presume upon our tolerating such a state of affairs. really feel that we have been hum1liated in the eyes of the other 1 churches, to say nothing of the shock to ourselves @
 "He must be in very straitened circum- stances, . suggested MT. Stevens. ''That is just what think responded his better half, 'and I believe our best way will he to make mp purse for him, independent of his salary, and present it Tuesday evening"" .r- They decided, at last, to act upon this suggestion; so after maturing the plan by l which 1t should be accomplished. dis persed to their homes.
 l The Tracey mansion was brightly illu- | minated. Rare exotics from the conser- vatory were ingeniously arranged with delicate wood flowers, and the mingled perfume foated out upon the air in be- l wllderlng sweetness. Beautiful paintings l decorated the walls, and choice statuary the inches; and from the midst of rich drapery and luxurious upholstery of the | drawing rooms, rose the ceaseless hum of voices, and rustling of elegant robes of the assembled guests Tall, handsome Gerald Clinton moved among the number self-possessed, smiling, and social, not withstanding his odd clothes, that i'm parted queer, not to say an awkward ap- pearance to his otherwise fine figure. | Laura Tracey was standing alone little aside from the company, when Ned Iiara- phere approached.
 s'Miss Tracey, will you not favor us 1 with some of your ininaitahle saaxasie2 I hear them all calling for you. Instru- mental first, if you please, and some of l your matohless songs afterward; reserv- ing the best of the wine for the last of the feast you see," and Ned proffered '1 will play for the company, certainly, l MT. Lamphere, but be good enough to dispense with fiattery; I dislike it. ?
 Il give you my word for that, Miss Tracey; I have great dislike for fattery myself, consequently never employ it. Laura was beaten, so wisely seated her. 1 self at the piano without further remark. and played in her really superb style sev- eral pieces. And Ned Lamphere "turned l the leaves. 1nwardly delighted at an op- portunlty of bending over her head, and l watching her brilliant performance. Mir. Clinton made his way to her side and said, ''You play finely, Miss Tracey: would like to hear you sing, will you l not?"
 ''Yes, provided you will assist me-" "Ah! but II that were impossible?' "But 1t is not. heard you, as was passing along the hall yesterday, singing the opening solo i'll 'Jeptha's Daughter. and we will sing that
 ''Ha! ha, laughed Ned Lamphere. com. mitted, aren't you?''
 ''Very well," smilingly answered the minister, ''I yield
 All conversation ceased, as his voice. in ''sweetly solemn" tones, was heard sing ing
 Joy flies the peaceful valley, Glad voices ring no mors."-
 At the conclusion, Marvin Brooks, ,chor- ister, commented, "His execution and rendering are perfection;' and John Mead. oFganist, added. 'sHis voice is mar vellous in richness and culture.'' Thus the evening pleasantly passed; and after refreshments were served, Judge Marks presented to ''the pastor, in be- half of the company, 8 purse of two hundred dollars, which met with an ap- preciatiye response.
 Isaac Bond ''quietly dropped few re- he said, wherein She hoped Mir. Clinton was made to understand that this was for his present wants with considerable en- phasis on the presea0, and not to be in- cluded in his salary"
 The pastor certainly recognized the ''position;" will he acquiesce in the re- quirements? We shall see. The week with its duties wore on. and another Sunday came and passed. StiIl | the old-fashioned clothes were worn. to- gether with the low-crown felt hat. An other Sunday and another; still no change. What could 1t mean?
 Some of his people began to feel indig- nant, and at length expostulated, through a committee of one-Isaac Bond-whose duty it was to wait upon Mir. Clinton and tell him frankly, but kindly, how, by this inconsistency, he was creating dissatis- faction among the members, and beseech him to discard the 'ssuit. :"
 In Carl Tracey's words, sIsaac Bond came; he saw, but did not conquer" and the only report given to the public was the Identical minister, in the indentical habiliments. making his weekly rounds of pastoral calls, visits to the sick, and preaching the Gospel from Sunday to Sunday, always in that disgraceful suit, ? ! said Mrs. Bowen, and she angrily deelar- ed, ''that if some course were not taken to remedy the evil, they would leave Trin- ity and take pew in Grace Church. where poor dressmakers and stingy min. ! ister would not moless them.
 l For the occasion of the decoration of the soldiers graves, 1t was arranged to nave speakers from the city of B., and MF Clinton wac ohoSaD os fhn;, I,<,,on =.