Litchfield enquirer., 1873-07-10

fashionable preacher of the day. Some women have penchant towards theology. i Myra's mother was a. learned Jewess, and 1 held theologic discourses with her rabbis; and had demolished Christianity so often that Myra began to be excited about it, 1 and read and re-read until she began to believe. This curious ehange-at once so awful and so painful to her that she hard 1iy knew what to do-she kept quietly to herself, saying nothing to her mother, and very little to her father,
 "Are Christians good men. papa?" she said, one day.
 "Uncommonly good, my dear-for bu- siness!'' he said. 's1 would rather deal with them than with our people! Bahr' He snapped his fingers at them, for he had lately been set at defiance by one of them. ''I don't care how little see of them!'
 Samuel !" said his wife, in a warning voice.
 Well, I'll tell the truth" said Mir. Tabernacle. ''They are good. They've treated me we'll, anyhow; and always tell Myra Cayendish tke truth
 He had given his daughter that fine name because he loved her from the first. Love of offspring is very strong with men and women of his race; and somehow the baby had grown up with the second fine name always sticking to her. She was called t'Miss Cavendish" more often than Miss Myra.
 l ''And, mamma, dear,'' said Myra, s'they 1 believe just what we do. There was Dr. Smiler expounding Malachi, the other day, and he said just the same as you i did"
 ''Some of their priests are learned re- turned Mrs. Tabernacle, notified "It don't matter where you go. perhaps, 'as I have thoroughly grounded you; and as for Samuel, your father"
 ''Tut, tut I go on business, my dear What does 1t matter what you believe |? It matters what you do."
 Myra turned away from the two and | sought her own room. At church her 1 growing convictions cameupon her with redoubled force; and Dr. Smiler. who was by no means gifted with missionary or apostolic zeal, had yet without his know ing 1t, managed to convert her. Of what good may we not be the unconscious in struments! Smiler, D. D., was 8 spoon 1 ey. soft fellow, who preached touching sermons, very we'll suited to his audi ence; had little or no learning, but bor- rowed a good deal, and was beautiful reader. He would almost weep at his own tones when he read; and concious of | his strength as well as his weakness, he took care to pick out the Sundays of the finest lessons, gospels, etc., and would then read himself nearly the whole of the service, to help the curate-or, rather, assist 1 ant-Who was, Of course. 6 good foil to him. It was whispered that he answered an applicant for the port of reader with, You're exactly the man want; but you have a magnificent voice, and you read we'll, therefore you won't do for me- 1 Knowing his weakness as we'll as his strength, the doctor used to supplement and back up his soft sermonswith learned dlscourses on the ''minor prophets" and, as he drew from sources of which his con- 1 gregation knew nothing, he seemed 6 prodigy of learning. Myra drank in eve " word, and. upon one Sunday, when the doctor read the 'sSermon on the Mount that most beautiful of all written les sons-in way that no one could excel Myra felt her soul go, as 1t were, from her, and fell back ID her pew, a convert to those tender, holy and persuasive words. Mir. Tabernacle sat peering through his white eyelashes at one of his custo- mers. thinking upon cent per cent. Dr. Srniler thought of the appropriate action and was kindled into enthusiasm at the l glory of his words as a mere lesson; and there, crouching in the corner of her pew, little Mora gave her soul from the faith of her fathers, and trembled with rapt adoration and holy awe.
 What Dr. Smiler had so happily begun the same preacher finished; having crib bed the ideas of some learned commenta- tor on Isaiah, he made an excursus, leav- 1 tha mil roro-ohAkc %o hoI- oe themselves; and so expounded Isaiah lii while MT. Tabernacle was snoring-that the scales seemed to fall from the eyes of Myra, and she was forever converted. 1 Oh, if Dr. Smiler-who was so well 1 pleased with himself, that mornine-could 1 have seen and understood the meaning of the low courtesy Myra gave him as he passed by, rustling in his silk gown, to bless and dismiss his congregation from the altar, how differently would his heart 1 have sweiled Poor man, he was utterly l unconscious of the work he had done. or, rather completed.
 ''How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good tidings," murmured hum- ble Myra to herself, with pang of pain, as she thought of her mother.
 | Dr. Smiler, es he stripped off his sacer- dotal robes, seemed to think so too, as his eyes fell upon his neat black silk stock ings, shapely legs, and patent-leather 1 pumps.
 l There was somebody in that fashiona- | ble chapel, whom both father and daugh- ter desired to see; for, in modern life, even our prayer-goings are not quite pure This gentleman-for the person was male was MT. Percy Gower-or Gore, as peo- | pie called him-one of an intellectual race. | and heir to baronetcy.
 Collaterally descended from the poet | GoIer, the young fellow was of good breed on both sides for some generations; l but had the misfortune, in worldly point of good families generally-he did not | value money as the world values it. He had vast love for what is beautiful, and taste which was quite unexceptionable, but very general. He not only loved fine horses and wellbuilt carriages, but knew and appreciated good yacht, fine pie | ture, and a well-bound book. If he loved good cigar, he also desired sound and even curiously fine bottle of wine. The unfortunate young fellow-who, like the heroes of the noble historian of ''Paul l Clifford. was worshipper of the beauti- l 1ul-Ieu also at the Ieet or the True and the Good. If he built shooting box, it was gem; il. f..he purchased gun, it was admirable in its make; all his volumes were bound by Riviere; his clothes were made by Hill; his cabinets were from Gil low; his diamonds from Storr 6 Morti- mer; and his wines were not bought from Messrs. Gilby:
 So, again, his pictures were by Land seer or Millias-and he bought very few of the other academicians'; and his horses were picked from the very best studs. He wanted but little here below, but he want ed that little good. Unfortunately he in- herited this taste from father who de- sired considerably more than he did, and left Percy very little to pay for his wants.
 l The day which Percy met. with Mr. Tab