Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-10-21

| ooiohoG teIi you tHdt your singing was all
right, was fit for the angelic choir but
that your conduct-ahem! beg pardon.
L was about to speak too frankly. as Won
might think"
"My conduct, Mr. Gildersleeve, said
Miss Sally, " is private affair, subject to
no ones dictationr'
Excuse me if I say that YOU have
made it quite publ1cr' Mr.. Gildersleeve
was beginning to feel nettled; this pretty
piece OF temper held neither him nor his
cloth in much reverence or regard, GER
tainly. Il do not presume to dictate. ~
he pursued, but let me ask you, in all
friendliness, if you think the house of
prayer suitable place for trifing and
filtration 2"
Mr.. Gildersleeve," said Sally, emo
body ever dared speak SO to me in all my
life! Our dear old rector, Mr.. Taber-
nacle, used to kiss my hand when we met,
and thank me for sitting in the choir and
say that it did his old eyes good to see me
| there! Iwish he were alive!'
| Mr.. Gildersleeve smiled. Who knows
| but he would have liked to follow the ex-
ample of Mr.. Tabernacle? But he said,
| instead: Z" / am afraid that Mr.. Taber-
nacle was both blind and deaf" which
had much more ungraciOus sound in the
ears Of a pretty woman than he intended
Miss Sunderland rewarded him by open
ing her fine eyes very wide, and looking
as if he were the first specimen of his
kind that had ever come within her ken.
"4ou have taught me, Mr.. Gildersleeve,"
she said, " that your religion is not incon-
sistent with rudeness. | wish you good
morning!' and she swept past him, shak-
| ing out an odor of sandal-wood from her
silken fallals, and left him standing, crest
fallen and astonished, in the pathway
What panied Mr.. Gildersleeve more
| than anything was the simple fact that
Miss Sunderland was not in her pew on
the following Sunday; in truth, it seemed
to him as ii the church were quite empty
without her. He hoped that at the last
moment, just before the organist should
cease his voluntary, she would come soft
ly stepping up the broad aisle in her India
muslins and rose colors; but not She He
could not prevent his mind from wander
ing away from the text now and again
for the man was mortal, like the rest of us
nor help hoping that she might be alb
sent from town, or tritle under the
weather; anything rather than that his
foolish words should be capable of dr;v-
ing young soul from the mercy-seat,
from all the holy influences that to his
mind resided in the service and ritual,
turning the earthly eyes heavenward from
the inspiring presence of invisible saints,
apostles, martyrs, and all the heavenly
host. He felt disheartened when the day
was ended. He had come to Eaglethorpe
with all his spiritual enthusiasm kindling
for the work before him, and here his
most deliberate act had resulted in shutting
out this sweet woman from the ministra-
tons of the temple! He made it his bust
ness to call up at Sunderland Hall that
week and try to remedy his mistake He
found Miss Sally at the piano, the room
still echoing with her voice; but she left
it directly, in spite of his earnest request
that she should proceed with the passage
from MoZart's Twelfth Mass.
q came" he said, presently, " to make
sure that no one was i'll at the Hall. Not
seeing any of the family at church, | had
| fears
You are very good to trouble yourself
so far about your neighbors' souls, y
| frigidly, as if she had said: You are the
most meddlesome man aliven'
NAY, but that is the duty l have
made my choice and my pleasure" he
| said.
81 will call grandmamma, she inter-
posed. And presently the little old lady
came hobbling down stairs on her cane.
But Miss Sally failed to return.
| Mr.. G1ldersleeve went home with a
heavy heart. He had meant to do so
much good in his parasitic battle so
bravely with wrong, to restore harmony
and goodwill toward men; while here he
was creating discord and ill-feeling with
every word, and perhaps becoming the
means of closing heaven against the girl
whose spiritually, let us hope
had suddenly become dearer to him than
his own!
Old Mrs. Sunderland, Miss Sally, and
Mr.. Tom, a fast young man, were all that
were left of the family at the Hail. Per-
haps, if there had been a father or moth
er, Mr.. Gildersleeve would have felt him.
self relieved of responsibility in a man.
ner; but when Sunday after Sunday went
by and 70 Miss Sally illuminated the great
empty pew he began to feel as if he had
indeed mistaken his calling, especially
when it came to his ears that she had
given up her class in Sunday-school and
resigned her situation as treasurer of the
Dakota League, and even went picknick-
ing with Tom on Sunday afternoons, and
played rollicking airs Sunday evenings
for the amusement of his companions!
Mr.. Gildersleeve was at his wits end
but he was determined to make one des-
perate effort, and solicit Miss Sunderland
to Join his confirmation-class. Whenever
he called at the Hall she was sure to be