Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1874-03-28
WHOLE NO. l42

sharp eyes scanning curiously the man.
| uscripts that Uttered the table.
The minister sighed as he put aside the
| half modelled thought that was already
taking form and beauty in his fertile
brain. and turned patiently towards
| the homlier details of his pastoral af-
| fairs.
No, L haven't seen Mrs. Jason yet,
but shall walk by that way this even
| ing, and will call and see about it,
He turned to his writing, but the in
quisitiye dame was not yet satisfied
advancing step nearer, she glanced un-
tremendously over his shoulder with a
knowing wink, and the significant COM
ment:
Yer ter work like good feller,
Already. l s'pose on that Rockrest SER
mon?'
And as she caught the mingled look
of surprise and annoyance upon his
face, she added. good naturedly by way
of explanation:
Our Sam was out to the corner last
| night, an he see Tim Tyler, old Blod-
gett's head man there, and he said that
Blodgett himself and some % the other
big bugs was terribly taken with you,
an, was bound to have you anyhow"
This view OF the case was no at all un-
palatable. if the medium herself was
| little rough in her expression of it, but
more than all, there was the ring of
genuine feeling in her voice as she said
in a lowered tone:
I'VE shall be dretful sorry to lose you,
Mr.. Bryce, that's tact. But we amt
such fools as to think that you'll live
on the pinched pay that we can afford
much longer. Its only single men,
| with sly, side-long glance at the pam
sizes, that can afford to preach for us.
But I'd like to say one thing if you
won t think me sarcy,' (Mr. Bryce pro-
tested honestly against such an itnpossi-
bility) AN that is, that seein' old
Blodgett is caD'n in Rockrest, an what
ever he says all the rest are pretty sure
to say saye' to, wouldn't if was YOU
say much about the temperance question
which you've been so fierce on, over
there. You know he owns big distil-
lery there, an he materially feels little
OH that point, and
Mr.. Bryce interrupted her with some
warmth:
IL my conscience bids me speak, all
Rockrest shall not bride my tongue. |
shall speak for temperance as freely
there as here. whether rich parishon-
er smiles or frowns.'
The dame pressed her thin lips togeth-
er with an air of disapproval, that was
fatty contradicted by the look of pro.
found admiration tnat shone in her keen
eyes, as she said with feigned indiffer-
ence:
Jest as you think best, of course. If
you've a mind to quarrel with your
own bread and butter, it amt nobody's
business but your own, L s'pose'
oh fully appreciate your good mo-
tives, Mrs. Crosse replied the minister
of IL
good woman had declared, many a time.
to be 'as good as Il bushel of smooth
words in another mans mouth and as
she went thoughtfully about her work
she put up her hands more than once
to wipe away the tear that would come
as the thought of the probability of
their being so soon obliged to part with
him.
L know he is beyond and above u.s.
she meditated sorrowfully as she chopp-
ed away at the snowy curd that rested
upon her knees. But | don't know as
that hinders his doin' us as much
good as if he was more like us, for in
looking up to him, perhaps it makes
us willing to look higher still.s
And all this time, Mr.. Bryce sat idly
beside his table, the papers spread out
before him, guiltless of ii single pen
mark, while with a far away look curl
ously compounded of loving hopeful
ness and the yet unsubdued impatence
and festlessness common to weak hu-
manity, he looked thoughtfuIly into
the upturned faces of his pansies, as If
taking counsel of them in regard to the
test sermon that was already beginning
to agitate his busy brain. You are too
worldly wise IN your purple and gold,
you little flower nabobs!' he laughed,
tapping with his idle pen the gorgeous
petals of his silent confidents.
Its safe to consider the meek faced
lilies, OF the patient Mayflowers that are
content to hide under their brown leaves
until Gods own finger of sunshine beck
ons them forth into the light, but you
are too suggestive of the good things of
this world to be safe counsellors for |
mans conscience
And mentally chiding himself for the
moments wasted in idle speculation. he
set vigorously to work revising and i'm
proving the temperance sermon that
was to be delivered on the following
week.
'I'll put all the best and freshest pow
ers of my mind to this,' he said firmly,
1 won't shirk another and perhaps
higher duty for the sake of making
friends with mammon, even for her
sake
There was a world of tender regret in
that one little pronoun, and if poor Edna
Earle could only have listened to its low
ing cadences, the weary, uncongenial
tasks, the harsh reproaches of her coarse
minded sister-in-law, and even the dis
conraging uncertainty of her own fu-
ture, would have been forgotten for the
time, in the glad serenity of satisfied
heart.
[To BE CONTINUED.