The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1878-01-26
ApuNArloN PARTY.


On Christmas Day tho annual
donation party took place, and the
Elder determined to give his Pa |
tor . handsome present. Noticing |
IN advertisement in . Chicago |
paper which offered magnificent |
ailver-plated casters for one dollar
eAeh, he bought Que for . dollar for
u purpose Of presenting 1t to the
minister - . feeble token Of his
Friendship and admiration. He
knew that the minister would be
tempted to measure his Elders
ftiendship by the value Of his gift
ard he therefore felt that by afiix-
. tag marked Sl4 he would add to
the good mans pleasure without
directly incurring the gnilt Of
lying. Accordingly he prepared
the delusive tag, and, sending tho
caster 10 the parsonage, felt that he
had been unprccedently liberrl aud
successfully economical.
Now, Il happened that eighteen
other members Of the minister's
congregation had also seen the
| Chicago advertisement, and had
presented their Pastor with mag
ninccnt silvea-plated casters
though without tags, When,
therefore, among tho dazzling
array Of nineteen distinct casters
The Elders gilt Haunted It's iusin-
cers legend, the eighteen other
givers felt indignant. Had they
been wise IN their, generation they
would have kept quiet, and re-
, | ceiyed credit for having expended
"a each for every caster; but they
| were strictly honest people. and
they dislikcd the Elder, whose
sugar, they insisted, contained
,, more sand than the interiors ol
Of tho average Teunessecan really
required. They therefore lost nc
time In acqualntiny the Pastor
With tho Elders little gamc-if
that expression can without i'm
propriety bs used IN connection
{ with an el'.ar. Tho astute minis
. ter received the information will
ii q sweet, sad smilc, but foypore tt
Q express any opinion upon the sub
jcct beyond suggesting that some
J; ono might have cheated the Eide
by selling him caster for an ex
. travagant prize.
3 This took place on Christina
evening, and at about so'clock The
u next afternoon the minister, car
. ryiny . small package, entered tn
' Elders grocery. Upwards OF
/ dozen leading citizens were at tha
precise moment engaged in spit
ting Oh tho grocery stove and ex
). changing other social amenities
u In their presence the good Paste
thanked tho Elder for his nool
gift and explained that while ther
). were few things in this world tho
!. gave him more real comfort tina
y 4 caster, he could not but feel thu
with o world full Of suffering q
. around him, q conscientious ma
.. ought not to own more than eisl
teen casters. He had, therefore
X as he went on 10 say-brong'
back the Elders nineteenth ca
!. ter. and desired to exchange It r
~ N ten dollas' worth Of grocerle
This would be equivalent to pla
iuq at least four dollars in II
hands Of the Elder besides u
/. usual profit upon the ten dollar
worth Of groceries. AS to u
n. precise nature Of the groceries, \
would not presume to dictate, b.
would simply suggest that cg
, aud ham would bring Joy to .
he humble parsonage.
Z. In the presence Of the doz'
y, leading citizens the Elder cou
~ !, ! not refuse 60 reasonable q rcquos
He received the caster in silen
and ordered his boy to put up =
dollars' worth Of hams and fire
eaqs. The Pastor thanked BIZ
and after urging him to call at '
uersonage, and limiting that pos
NJ ply he might be willing to sell b
ri. two or three more casters at T
~ 'sr same rate, took his departu' !
Il. Il. That night the Elder kicked
fsmily cat completely through !
II axufr