Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-11-14
!" It's most vexatious incident" said the new

"vexatious." interrupted my aunt with Der.
fectly recovered composure; 'ft's maddening."
There 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
1eeling you Will be able to accommodate your
difference with this Miss Payne amicably."
Oh, nddie-oe-dee! said my aunt. "But
day"
My dear Miss Gayfer," said Miss Triple,
your energy OF character quite astonishes me!
l could no more do what you have done than
couid write Frank 8 sermons for him."
1t just as well the world holds q few people
who have some control over themselves" said
my aunt with laugh
That's remarkable woman" said Mr.. Jor-
don as ne drove away with Miss Triple.
remarkably disagreeable woman" says
the lady with a little shudder
do you think SOP" said the new rector and
both lapsed into silence
Those people mean to make match Of It, d"
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 a COM
pieXlon like an uncOOked muffin. and eyes in q
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 merrily. Strengthened
herself in her chair as the click Of the front gate
announced the approach Of this obnoxious per-
sOna@e.
WE'LL" exclaimed my aunt as she waddled
into the ROOM
''Oh-h-h!" sobbed Miss Payne, sinking unin-
Vited into chair.
but 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
Tor your abOmna5le trespass?'
miss Agatha!" gasped the offender. 81 de-
clare sas you frighten me, and my heart is that
Stuff" said Aunt Agatha promptly.
only think, Hiss 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;
put TO put up with such an abOminable outrage
as TINS Is to invite injury. Those that make
themselves sheep have no call to complain if
the wolf eats them"
'My dear Miss Agatha :" nleaded Miss Payne
Don't dear Miss Agatha me woman" said
my aunt; lit 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.
DAMP"
Then you should have told me about It. and
not sent people trespassing in my garden"
II never thought, Miss Agatha JobsOn was
the ivy so that it didn't make the wall DAMP"
II don't believe it," said my aunt 81 know
Jobson very we'll. 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,"
II didn't really Miss Agatha: no really. T
rhafh o'
have 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 &C
cordingly brought it to an abrupt close, SAYING:
We'll, Miss Payne. it's no use crying over
split milk. l don't forgive ysu 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 agatnI won't spare YOU mind that
.'Ah, now. Miss Agatha" said the old lady.
gathering spirit with this promise, 'don't half
do the thing while you are about it. Let US be
friendly and neighbOrly."
I'VE may come to that in time" was the reply
lies fool that asks much, and he's more fool
that grants it. | feel very sore about this mat
ter, can tell you, and l shall take week and
8
about it the more likely shall be to forget it,
SO gOOd-by."
Miss Payne gasped, heaved her deepest SIGH.
shook her UNDERGONE head, and waddled of.
CHAPTER II.
Aunt Agatha pronounced Mr.. Jordan's first
sermon very sensible" and wondered what
such man could see in that ''mincing, affected
little bit Of goods, Miss Triple"
But as the weeks went by she did not hear of
him quite In the way shed ked in the cottages
where she visited and she heard of him good
deal more than she liked In parsOn at the
parish. at municipalities, archery-meetings, and
social gatherings Of various kinds. Not that
ne Jailed to visit among the humber inhabi-
tants OF HilderstOck, but while she heard of
MIN as smoking his pipe with them, talking
ABOUT their gardens or their pigs and their
poultry ana otherwise rendering himself very
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
dutiful 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, ''yOu can't make wind
mill go 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.
have just been telling Mrs. Gimpson." said
he one day when he encountered her at the door
OF cottage. THAT if she wants her hens to Law
she must vary their food littie.'
"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 lveliho0ds by unremitting care, vet
always cOntented, l feel that it is for me to
learn and be silent; she is the tie acher"
My aunt was silent for a second or two, and
then answered ''There is a 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 a good deal of time'
Assuredly not" said he, you have carried
brightness and order into many homes. and
wherever go find you have been an influence
Tor good. Sympathy is the true open sesame
10 human heart, and in power of sympathy we
men lag far behind women"
from That time gradual change was obser-
yable in Aunt Agatha's dealings with the poor
foik whom she visited 1t would have been
difficult to say exactly what it was A more
frequent touch o: tenderness, greater readi-