Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1874-03-20

| p0IIO
Heidi not, however, proceed to III
! extremity, but sat down, with til
{ washing.stand-th only article of flu
!, niture in the rOom-between him an
l his victim. A spectator who had no
overheard their previous conversation
) would have imagined that they wcr
about to baptize an infant.
The victim had never been SO nea
an officiating clergyman before, ant
the Divine apparently fascinated him
He could not keep his eyes off thos,
bands, one of which he perceived hai
spot of iron mould upon it; would
: it annoy him (the congregation seemed
to be thinking) if he should mention
the fact? Not of course nOw-that
was not to be thought Of; but when
the service was ovcr-if it ever should
he over. He was spared nothing, alb
so!utely nothing, except the Prayer fol
Rain. If a collection should presently
be made from the congregation, would
he have to drop something into the
sOap-dish, he wondered, and found
himself reading the direction in the
Prayer Book, instead Of following his
pastor. They were so close together
that it was impossible to follow him.
"In choirs and places where they sing,
here fOllOwcth the anthem" Will he
propose an anthems The cOngrega-
ton could not sing. 1t would do any
thing to Oblige; it had no force of will
to resist it's minister; bran and milk
had Slapped it's vitals; but it could not
sing. The reader was, for the most
part, monotonOus, but at times his
voice gathered strength and volume
it seemed to the unseen spectator (whO
was now looking through the hole in
the floor at the wrong times. When
he was talking about = the sinner" for
example, he could help casting a glance
in the direction of his congregation,
as much as to say, "YOu hear that"
Abbot's lips were moving all this time
but, as my informant imagined, by
no means in devotional exercises
"This is hartf," he seemed to be NUT
tering to himself-9'this is really very
hard; lie shall never have this chance
again, by .jingO-never, never. will
take care not to travel with him in flu
ture, except on week days; or if l do,
l will take a Dissenter with us-SOme-
body that will protect one from him
who will have something to say on the
other side of the question. How mon
Otonous he is getting"
Here the victim las- my informant
supposes) must have dropped asleep,
for the tones OF the Divine had q |
sharpness IN them which SavOred of |
reproof. But flesh and blood-Or at |
least flesh and bran and milk could
not indefinitely endure such an inflic-
ton. The service had lasted three
quarters Of an hour, though the con-
eregatiOr had not dared to lock at its
watch. However, it was over now.
The Rev. Lane was about to dismiss
his nearer, "Now shall the priest let
them depart" says the Rubric. A
quaint but admirable sentence. What
was he about! "This is terrible! this
5 shameful" thought the spectator,
and 60 do T. He produces n. sort Of
blank cOpy-bOOk from the pocket
he tsok the bands. He is about
20 preach q sermon--a sermon, too, of
MS own composition.
The victims emotions became OBJ
1iOusly almost too much for him. His |
revealed hin to be indig-
rant, irritated, and even reyengefnl,
tut he was not strong. The very worm
t is said, will turn, but not when it ]
las been fed for six days on nothing
,ut bran and milk-besides there was
10 room to turn. He was obliged to
it and listen. When he heard him. l.
elf addressed as "my beloved breth-
en-" aud even as "my dear brothers
md sister," he did not demonstrate. In Is
pite of those plural expressions, it is .
ny informant's conviction that the dis
curse had not been delivered Sefore.
There were descriptions of Tyrolean
cenery in it, illusions to a diet of To-
usts and honey, and other local col. y
ring that proclaimed it to he a recent
fort of its author, yet it was obyi- B
usly framed for a larger audience. i
'OOr Abbot was the house keeper to /;
vhom this clerical MOliere rehearsed
is composition before trying it on his
congregation at home. Its reception
1as ensured, even if it should not
rove to he an Oratorical success. Tied
nd bound by a delicate sense of the
sCOming, the unfortunate congrega-
ion had to sit it through. IF every
'oint did not "tell," at all events it :
Guild not be escaped, the missile being /
asst rs it were at such a very short b
ange. When the Divine rose upon l
he wind Of el0quence, my informant !
escribed his own sensations as those .
t one who is blown from q gun. What =
hen must the sensations of the victim
ave been, who was still nearer to the
npassiOned preacher3
The victim never revealed his suffer.
lgs, Though it is highly probable
nat he ever forgot Them but my in
,rmant adjures me to make them pub :
c.
Not" says he, "that it is possible 7
nat such a catastrophe can occur in Il
" own case; will take good care of !,
nat. But l hope lin spite of what :
ane said in his sermOn) that some h
ines think Of others; and I adjure Q
on to put the human race upon their (
uard. Let no one travel alone with \
n enthusiastic Divine in q district un. u
bV his fellOw-c con ntrvmon =