The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1879-05-08

merry lwinkle 10 ibe c5rner ui each eye.
WISH vile and three ebildrea be moved
iuto-uu The parsonage, for Squire Jsek
bad SCI bis foot on ihAi- bat into The lasl
house ou lho village street, Which was q
BE- bad ata low feat, partly because /
was ID dreafy and unhealthy locality, !
common being on one side Of il, aud i
duck pond on The other; aud partly be-
cause il was commonly reported to be the
iAyorite resort Of spooks. Here he Rev
solomon aud family lived, Or tried &c
i've They all came very near dying oI
ievets before al was over; and though
they saw no ghosts, they got much ghost.
y advice and counsel during their stliie.
tions, sud from no one more than IRON
Squire Jack himself so that IL was nc
wonder that after years residence, the
Rev. solomon determined TO seek another
tield, nor need any reasonable person be
told With what gratitude be discovered
that another Geld was awaiting him.
But before making bis purpose OF leaY-
ing known TO the people, Squire Jack &
chicken, the famous, high-stepplng, long.
spurred game cock, came over one day,
as be often had done before, to scratch up
the Rev. solomon's peas. IL was in the
village store, the scene of many victory
for Squire jack, that the Rev. Solomon
was again ssssile1 by the usual exegetiesl
battery, winding up with the usual coup
dc grace now, what I'd like to know is,
is preachers nowadays better'n the
apostles wasS
The Rev. solomon said be did not think
tkey were; acknowledged there was
great force aud much truth in what the
Squire had said. IL was-he confessed ii
with shame-a subject he had never
thought much about before coming TO
Hickoryton and which he had never,
certainly seen IN this strong light before
meeting with his good friend Squire
Jack, lie promised he good company
TO examine the subject carefully and
prayeriully, sud lei them know the result
II at all possible, in some way or other.
Whereal they were all right well pleased
a few days thereafter, all early in the
morning, while Squire Jack wa yet
lingering over his pipe in the kitchen,
there was loud, harp rap at the front
door; on opening which the Squire be-
held standing on the porch the Rev.
Solomon Sly with bis wife and three
children. Before the Squire could say
good morning, aud without, indeed,
waiting for any invitation to enter, the
Rev. Solomon, reverenty uncoyeriDg
his head, said, n grave and impressive
voice Peace be unto this house land
walked in, followed by wife and children.
Now, allbosgh the Squire could not help
but notice something unusual in the man.
ner OF his reverend guest, strange, self
air, as it were, amounting al
most to bodness, yet still he regarded
this visit of the reverend family az only
matter of usual occurrence, pastoral
visit, as il were, on large scale. Aud
such, indeed, it eventually turned ont TO
be. Only, before all was over, the whole
occurrence presented itself to the mind OF
the Squire rather in the light of pastor
al visitation than of a pastoral visit.
For the Rev. Solomon and family had
evidently come TO spend tho day. The
was spent in pleasant converse
tion by the old folks, while the children
played and romped upon the lawn, Din
ner came, and right royal dinner ii was
to be sure; for the good Squire, however
be might praise fasting as pious prac-
tice befitting the successors of the
apostles, never once thought Of number
ing himself smeng the herb. eating weaker
but believed in good beef as
as The best Englishman that
ever carved a roast. After dinner, the
Rev. Solomon, excn,ing himself on the
plea Of pastoral work to be done iD the
parish left wife aud children to the care
oi Squire Jack and family, remaIking as
be put on bis bat in the hall, that be
would be back 10 tea at five o'clock
After tea they stayed, and stayed, and
stayed, until it became seriously evident
that The whole parsons family had come
to spend not only the day but also the
nighll Such, indeed, was the solemn
and unavoidable truth. They did spend
the night, and right comfortable night
it was, to be sure, under the roof OF
Squire Jacks commodious mansion.
Prayers aud breakfast over the next
the Rev. Solomon asked TO be
shown to some quiet room, some proph-
cts chamber, where he might devote the
hours TO meditation, prayer aud
study To be sure, said be, have no
books or library with me; nor indeed, DO
! need any. None OF the apostles had a
library, nothing in fact but Bible, II
even 80 much as that; and after due con.
have arrived st your conclu-
sion, Squire Jack, that preachers now.s-
days are not q whit better than the
apostles we're; and II is now my fixed
aud settled purpose to follow their ex-
ample to The very last letter. With
which words the Rev. Solomon aseended
with slow and solemn tread, to the upper
chamber Of the prophet.
Squire Jack was TOO thlck.skInned, in.
teileetuslly,to see he fnil driii OF all this
AZ once; and II was not until two, three,
four, five days OF pastoral visitation Of
this sort had elspseed that be began to
suspect, ss be remarked to Mrs.. Jack,
that this pastor Of our'n HASN'T got hIs
name Sly fer no,hin'! aud 90, wondering
a r.