Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1876-03-11
MR. BEEcnER's NEW pARIsu1oNER.
A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE, AND WHAT
STRANGE THINGS 1T REVEALS.

STRANGE THINGS 1T REVEALS.
When the annual auction sale of Ply
mouth pews came round in January,
1877, there was much anxiety among
the remaining brethern. Church af-
fairs were not entirely prosperous.
The decision Of the great council called
by DR.. Buddington and DR.. Storrs in
the summer of the centennial year, de-
claring Plymouth Church outside of
the pale of Congregationalism, had
been followed by the secession of more
than half of the members of the excom-
municated society. 1t is true that the
church was still crowded every Sunday
morning and night, and the lecture
room filed to overfowing at every, Fri
day evening prayer meeting. But the
crowds were no longer crowds of ad-
miring partisans. People now went
only to laugh at the jests and buffoon-
cry ofrthe capital mimic-jests ,%tand
buffoonery now grown positively coarse
where before they had been merely
audacious. And curious folks went to
behold the completest wreck of the'cen-
tury. ... . -.er..e
The fears of the brethren were real
lied at the sale. The bidding was not
lively, although the preacher prefaced
it with speech of unusual jollity, and
the auctioneer surpassed him
self In cheerful rapidity of utterance.
Gloom hung over the little knot of still
faithful brethren. Brother Shearman's
sobs alternated with the patter, patter
of the big drops that fell from his over
full eyes. He was Niobe in breeches,
surrounded by grieving group.
Brother Ross Raymond bid seven
teen hundred and fifty-four dollars for
O pew. This brought no Joy to the
They knew too we'll that
brother Ross had not seventeen hun
drsd and fifty-four cents to hire his pew
with. .. .-.. ..
A pew was knocked down to Broth
er Bob Raymond for eleven hundred
and sixteen dollars. The brethren
smiled not. They knew that Brother
Bob was, in the language of the unre-
generate, capper or roper-in; for
they had put up the job themselves.
PASTORAL Helper Halliday secured
q pew at the nominal price of forty
seven hundred dollars. They also knew
that Pastoral Helper Halliday was a
capper in q white neckcloth.
The auctioneer had been busy for
two hours, and no bona-fide bids so
far.
But what was this =? Why did the
brethren arouse themselves from dolor-
GUS inattention and open eyes and perk
ears? Why did Brother Shearman
cease to sob and weep and begin to as
sumo the slippery smile by which you
may know the highly pious lawyerin his
lighter moods /? ..a-s
A stranger, up to that time unno-
ticed by the brethren, had come forward,
and was actually bidding against ex-
Brother Joe Howard.
+" Twenty.one hundred dollars, . SAID
the stranger.
"Twenty:one hundred aud fifty"
said the artful ex-Brother.
"Twenty-one thousand" added the
stranger, quietly. s.a
The ex-brother sat down, and invar-
iably Industrious, began to scribble a
scene for 0 new American drama on
the fly leaf of q hymn book.
+" NameY" said the auctioneer to
the stranger, while the brethren whis-
pered among themselves. us
I" You may put it down Cash. >" said
the stranger, advancing to the desk
and counting out forty-two crisp new
greenbacks Of $500 each.
" HalleluiahP calculated PASTORAL
Helper Halliday, fervently.
i" lis the money good money! asked
She cautious Shearman, who always
keeps an eye pealed for the wiles of the
wicked. Each note was was carefully
examined. Each note bore the auto
graph of Mr.. New, formerly OF Indian
apolis. Each note was worth it's face
value in gold, barring the premium.
MIR. Beecher's new and liberal parish
oner picked out his pew and then left
the church. He was a tall, dark per-
son of quiet and gentlemanly demean-
OF. no WOt6 uu utbV6I ONSFCObt WHICH
reached down to his heels, and wide,
queer-shaped velvet skull-cap, quite
different from ex-B Brother Joe Howard's.
His cheek bones were high, his beard
pointed, and his moustaches fierce
and horizontal. Most of the brethren
agreed in pronouncing him q foreigner.
At oil events he was an acquisition. t
Before long it was evident to the
brethren that this new parishioner was
very eccentric person. His regular
ity at service won him much approba-
ton. He always entered the church
door pnnctually before the opening ex-
ercise, and walked decorously up the
aisle to his pew. Yet nobody could be
found who had seen him outside the
tabernacle, either approaching or GO
| ing away. Brother Shearman put Q
private detective on his track, but the
private detective failed to learn whence
the stranger came or whittier he went
He invariably attended the Friday
-.