Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-11-12
"It's most yexatious incident. !" said the new

rector.
"vexatious!" interrupted my aunt with per-
ieCI!y recovered composure; sits maddening."
Inere was q curious contrast between the
words and the tone in which they were uttered,
and the rector smiled as he said:
nope. after the first natural ebullitiOn Of
ieenng. you will be able to accommodate your
Inference with this Miss Payne amicably."
there now, goOd-by. / shall see you-on Sum-
day"
MY dear Miss Gayfer," said Miss Triple
your energy of character quite astonishes mel
conid no more do what you have done than
could write Frank sermons for him."
Its just as well the world holds q few people
who have some control over themselves" said
my aunt with a laugh.
THAT'S remarkable woman" said Mr.. Jor-
don as ne drove away with Miss Triple.
"A remarkably disagreeable woman" SAYS
the lady with a little shudder.
DO you think so2" said the new rector and
both lapsed into silence.
''ThOse people mean to m axe match of II, -
said my aunt as she waited for Miss Payne
Love and cough they say, can't be hid, and
anyone can see that she has made up her mind
to marry him Apretty dance she'll lead him,
too, poor fellow"
Miss Payne was lady Of ponderous build, but
short in proportion to her bulk, with COM
plexion like an uncooked muffin, and eyes in a
chronic state Of moisture. apt to overflow on
slight provOcatiOn. She was elephantine in her
movements, wheeZy and faint in her voice. and
lachrymose in her general views. Aunt Agatha
who had been chirping merriiy, Strengthened
herself in her chair as the Click of the front gate
announced the approach of this obnoxious per
sonage.
''Wel!" exclaimed my aunt as she waddled
into the room.
''Oh-h-h!' sobbed Miss Payne, sinking unin-
vited into chair
My aunt eyed her with profound contempt
Out gave her time to recover breath before she
asked:
well Miss Payne, have you anything to say
why should not put this matter in the hands
OF my lawyer, and take proceedings against you
for your abominable trespass?"
MISS Agatha!" gasped the offender, "I de-
clare you Brighten me, and my heart is that
"Stuff!" said Aunt Agatha promptly.
only think, Miss Agatha, what's the use of
going to law with me"
II know" broke in my aunt, ''that whether
You boil snow or pound it, you get only water;
but to put up with such an abominable outrage
as this is to invite injury. Those that make
themselves sheep have no call to complain if
the wolf eats them"
my dear Miss Agatha pleaded Miss PAYNE.
Don't dear Miss Agatha me woman said
my aunt; ''it makes me sick.''
Il declare. Miss Agatha. I'm more vexed than
you can think. You know damp makes me SO
miserable"
II don't know" said my aunt abruptly.
1T really does. and the ivy did make the wall
DAMP
Then you should have told me about it. and
not sent people trespassing in my garden"
II never thought, Miss Agatha, JobsOn was
going to do so much. told him to just trim
the ivy SO that it didn't make the wall damp"
II don't believe it" said my aunt. 81 know
Jobson very WELL and you told him to cut it
down or he wouldn't have done so. and you
made him believe that knew all about it,
~ didn't really, Miss Agatha; no really, ]
didn't. When saw what he'd done. you might
nave Knocked me down with feather. I'm SO
sorry you We're annoyed"
Annoyed" said my aunt with vehemence.
Miss Payne, could have skinned you!"
Poor Miss Payne gave start of unmistakable
alarm that my aunt's sense of the comic over
mastered her indignation, and she broke into
laughter after which she felt that it was quite
hopeless to prolong the interview, and she ac-
cordingly brought it to an abrupt close, saving:
Wen, Miss Payne, it's no use crying over
split milk. I don't forgive yen yet, and it's no
use pretending that do, but will not say any,
thing more about this affair. But if you ever do
such thing again won't spare you, mind that
"Ah, now, Miss Agatha" said the old lady,
gathering spirit with this promise, don't half
90 the thing while you are about it. Let us be
friendly and neghborly.''
"We may come to that in time was the renlv
Hes fool that asks much, and he's more fool
that grants it. l feel very sore about this mat
ter, l can tell yOu and I shall take week and a
day to get over it. And now the less that's said
about it the more likely shall be to forget it,
Miss Payne gasped, heaved her deepest sigh,
shook her UNDERGONE head, and waddled off.
CHAPTER II.
Aunt Agatha pronounced Mr.. Jorlan's first
sermon Every sensible" and wondered what
such man could see in that ''mincing, affected
little bit of goods, Miss Tipple.'
But as the weeks went by she did not hear of
him quite In the way she liked in the cottages
where she visited, and she heard of him good
deal more than she liked in parson at the
parish. at garden-parties archery-meetings and
social gatherings OF various kinds Not that
he failed to visit among the humber inhabi-
tants OF Hilderstock, but while she heard of
him as smoking his pipe with them, talking
about their gardens, or their pigs and their
poultry and otherwise rendering himself yery
popular, he never seemed to speak to them of
religion, or about purely professional topics.
This was very different from the practice of
the late rector, Jealous evangelical, whose
dutlful disciple Aunt Agatha had BEEN though
In her sturdy independence she had sometimes
ventured to express her doubt as to the wisdom
OF prolonged exhortations in houses where the
struggle for existence was hard and exacting.
Tor; as she would say. 'syou can't make wind
mill 20 with pair of bellows"
Something between the prolixity Of his prede-
cessor and the too purely mundane converse of
Mr. Jordan would have been her idea of the
happy mean.
'Ihave just been telling Mrs Gimpson." said
he one day when he encountered her at the door
of a cottage. that if she wants her hens to lay
she must vary their food little"
Don't you think there are some things more
important than hens eggs you might speak to
Nanny Gimpson about?" asked my aunt, look
ing him full in the face. '.I'm afraid she's
dreadfully ignorant, and they say parsons are
souls waggOners."
Do you know, Miss Gayfer," he answered,
that when see that cheerful. active old lady.
stricken with pain and with years, making the
thinnest of lfvelihoods by unremitting care. vet
always contented, l feel that it is for me to
learn and be silent; she is the te acher"
My aunt was silent for a second or two. and
then answered. There is great deal in what
you say, but it is way of looking at things
that is new to me. If it is the right way, 1
think have wasted good deal of time"
Assuredly not, said he, you have carried
brightness and order into many homes. and
wherever go ind you have been an influence
for good. Sympathy is the true open sesame
to a human heart, and in power Of sympathy we
men lag far behind women"
From that time q gradual change was obser-
yabie in Aunt Agathas dealings with the poor
folk whom she visited. 1t would have been