Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1875-10-23

y
made it quite publicl" Mr.. Gildersleeve
was beginning tofeel nettled; this pretty
piece of temper held neither him nor
his cloth in much reverence or regard,
certainly. "I do not presume to die
tate, he pursued, "but let me ask you,
in all friendliness, if you think the house
of prayer suitable place for trihing and
fiirtation2"
"Mr Gildersleeve," said Sally, "no-
body ever dared speak so to me in all
my life Our dear old rector, Mr.. Tab
ernacle, 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 wish he were
alive |"
Mr.. Gildersleeve smiled. Who knows
but he would have liked to follow the
example of Mr.. Tabernacle2 But he
said, instead: 81 am afraid that Mr..
Tabernacle was both blind and deaf"
which had much more ungracious sound
in the ears of pretty woman than he
intended.
Miss Sunderland rewarded him by
opening her fine eyes very wide, and
looking as if he were the first specimen
of his kind that had ever come within
her ken. "You have taught me, Mr..
Gildersleeve, said she, "that your re-
igion is not inconsistent with rudeness.
1 wish you good-morning and she
swept past him, shaking out an odor of
sandalwood from her silken fallals, and
left him standing crestfallen and aston
ished 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 seem
ed to him as if the church were quite
empty without her. He had hoped
that at the last moment, just before the
organist should cease his voluntary, she
would come softly stepping up the broad
aisle in her India muslins and rose
colors but not she. He could not pre-
vent his mind from wandering away from
the text now and again-for the man
was mortal, like the rest of us-nor help
hoping that she might be absent from
town, or trife under the weather !;
anything rather than that his foolish
words should be capable of driving q
young soul from the mercy-seat, from all
the holy influences that to his mind re-
sided in the service and ritual, turning
the earthly eyes heayenward 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 Eagle
thorpe with all his spiritual enthusiasm
kindling for the work before him, and
here his most deliberate act had result.
ed in shutting out this sweet woman
from the ministrations of the temple
He made it his business to call up at
Sunderland Hall that week and try to
remedy his mistake. He found Miss
Sally at the piano, the room still echo
ing with her voice but she left ii
directly, in spite of his earnest request
that she should proceed with the pas
sage from Mozart's Twelfth Mass.
: 81 came," he said presently, "tc
make sure that.no one was i'll at the Hall
Not seeing any of the family at church,
l I had fears"
"You are very good to trouble your
, self SO far about your neighbors' souls,
{ frigidly, as if she had said ''You are
? the most meddlesome man alive !"
: "Nay, but that is the duty I have
3 made my choice and my pleasure" he
said
"I will call grandmamma, she inter
J.; posed. And presently the quaint little
!, old lady came hobbling down stairs OF
s her cane. But Miss Sally failed to re
g turn.
n Mr.. Gildersleeve went home with
n heavy heart. He had meant to do s,
s much good in his parish-to battle 81
: bravely with wrong, to restore harmon,
and goodwill toward men; while her
:. he was creating discord and i'll feelin,
p with every word, and perhaps becoming
d the means of closing heaven against tn
vt girl whose welfare-spiritually, let u
hope-had suddenly become dearer t.
o him than his own
|. Old Mrs. Sunderland, Miss Sally, an,
:; Mr.. Tom, a rather fast young man, wher
g all that was left of the family at th
e Hall. Perhaps, if there had been
It father or a mother, Mr.. Gildersleev
% would have felt himself relieved of re
e sponsibility in a manner; but whe
I, Sunday after Sunday went by and n
If Miss Sally illuminated the great empt
d pew, he began to feel as if he ha
s. indeed mistaken his calling, especial
Ie when it came to his ears that she ha
s given up her class in Sunday-school an
4 resigned her situation as treasurer of th
y Dakota League, and even went picnicl
s. ing with Tom on Sunday afternoon
,e and played rollicking airs Sunday ev'
ly nings for the amusement of his con
Of panions!
lg Mr.. Gildersleeve was at his wits end
but he was determined to make OF
t. desperate effort, and solicit Miss SUI
!" derland to join his confirmation clas
Whenever he called at the Hall she WI
r. sure to be out or engaged therefore |
a. wrote her note, tender as a mother
eloquent as a lovers, begging her, fl
Z, her sn11l,s sake and for hia own naana