Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1877-08-02
BAsHFUL BENSON.
The New Minister'S First Call, and What
Came fit.
burlington Hawkeye.

The Rev. Jerome H. Benson is a young
man, a minister of great promise, and is
beloved by the members of his flock. But
he is a very bashful young man, and it is
quite a cross for him to make pastoral calls
and get acquainted with the people of the
congregation. He has lived in Burlington
only about eight weeks. A few days ago
he fixed himself and went up to call at the
residence of Mrs Jasper L. B~lasingby, on
West Hill, who.is very stylish, and has
four lovely daughters, and young Mr.. Benson
was accordingly more than usually nervous
and embarrassed, and when he got to the
house and entered the parlor door and saw
company, two young gentlemen visiting two
of the Misses B~lasingby, his wits immedi-
ately went wool gathering.
Mrs. Blasingby bowed him into the par
lor, grandly introduced him to the Young
men, and waved him toward an easy chair.
AS he moved towards it she made a second
effort to capture his hat, and after some
feeble resistance by the young minister she
succeeded. And then the man, thoroughly
demoralized by the loss of his hat made a
wavering advance toward the easy chair,
and then impelled by the thou hit that he
was very selfishly taking the most comfort
able chair in the room, he sYerved aside
did AiGodlilS " oil llNllllS lODhlllg SlTdlpHl
back chair that stood against the wall. Mrs.
the hall, OWNED his intention, and bore
down upon him for the purpose of getting
him anchored in the easy chair. But the
young minister had the weather. gage, and
the more she bowed and hourished and
said, ooh, do take this easy chair Mr.. Ben
sor..' the more steam he put on, and the
i.va.er he worked to the straight back chair.
lie reached it. lie caught hold of the
back to lift it from the wall, and the back
came out in his hands like a loose tooth.
For a brief second he stood there, very
gracefully holding the chairback in his
hand, listening to Mrs. Blasingby's hurried
explanations about the children, and then
he attempted to put the chairback where it
belonged. He didn't succeed very well,
for the back weakened on itself as be fun.
bled with 1t, and two or three pieces fell out
of it. Mrs. Blasingby was now begging
him to leave it alone and sit it down in the
easy chair. His face was so hot and red he
couldn't hear a word she said, SSd in DIES
p~eration he set the back on the chair. lean
ed it against the wall, and picked up the
chair bodily and started across the room
with it without any particular intention,
and followed by a trail of chairbacks, legs
and stray springs that dotted the carpet like
the track OF a tornado. BE doesn't know
to this day how Mrs. Blasingby got the
chair away from him. He can only remem.
Der that when he was about two blocks
away from the house he discovered that he
was carrying a switch cane with an ivory
head, carved in a very Black Crook design.
evidently the property Of one of the
young men, and that his mead was
covered by a jlunty little hat cf
dove colored silk and rough straw,
turned up at one side and decorated with a
pearl buckle and a long dropping hume, ali
of which he had often admired on the head
of the youngest Miss. Blasingby. His pc
%culiar appearance and evident mental dis
tress when he was met i'll this guise BY his
senior deacon gave rise to the rumors that
he was Intoxicated, which were, however, so
we'll explained at the church meeting last
evening that Mr.. Benson was unanimously
requested to withdraw his resignation. This,
we are sorry to learn, he steadfastly refused
to do, and it is understood he has accepted a
chs. laincy at the Black Hills.