New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-06
CHAPTER II.

Amt Agatha pronounced Mr.. .Iordan's first ser
mon very sensible and wondered what such a u an
could see ia that mincng ected little bIt oi goods
Bnt a. Inc waeks went by she did not near Of him
quite ia the way she liked III the cottages WGrre
she visited. and she heard OF nun Pooa " ,T.
parish at garden-partcs. archery meetings anu
social gathering, of various Kinds. Not mar
he failed To visit among the humber inhabitants "l
Ujlderstocn but while she heard of hlo as smoking
his pipe with them talking ahou. their gardens, OF
their pigs and their pout try. ana oth Tru ring
himself very popular b" never seemed 10 speak Z"
them of religion about purely professional topics
This was very different from the practice oil thG
late rector a zealons evangelical. whose dutiful
dscirle Amt Agatha had beea though in her sturdy
inGependl nee she had sometimes Vrniured 10 eA-
press her Doubt as to tn" wisdom of prolonged eN-
hortatious in houses whore the struggle Tor exist
ence vas hard aud eXacing; Tor as she would say
Won can't make a windmill 20 with PAIR OF Del
lows ,.-,..s ~. $3.50.
cessor and the too purely mundane converse oi Mr..
Jordan would have been her idea o. the happJ
i have lust been telling Mrs. Gmpson' said he
one dav when he encountered her at III" door OF
cottage that il she wants her hens To lay She must
vary their food little.
%sbon't Won think there are some things more inn
portant than hens eggs yon might speak t. nanny
Gimpson abopt asked my aunt, lo0hing nm lulI ~
the face. Im afraid she's drcaIulIY ignorant, anu
they say parsons are souls Waggoners
Do Won know, Miss Gayier,' he answered, that
when | see that cheerful. active old lady, stricken
w III pain and with years. making the ihlnnest "t
livelihoods by unremi'une care set always con
tented feel that it IS for me 10 learn and be silent;
NV aunt was silent for a second or two. and then
answered: There Is a great deal ~ what You say
but il is way of iOokn~ at things tiaj - ne" 20
me. II it is the right way, think nave wasted
Assnrcdly not said he, ven have carried bright
ness and order into many homes. and wherever 20
ind you have been an influence for go,d. SYN
pathy rs the true open sesame 20 human hraTl,
and in power OF sympathy we men lag far behind
From that time a c1alual change was observable
IN Aunt Aratha's dealings with the poor folk whom
She visited. 1t would have been diIcu.t Ia say
exactly what 1t wasA \ more frequent toucH q
Tenderness a greater readiness 20 make allowances
for the circumstances and difficulties Of each
oreafer readiness 10 help there could not be- but
there was less readiness to scold. 80 .
Sometimes. IN the course of her ihdelatgahIe
sounds, she would meet with ana nave pheasant
converse with the rector, and would come nome
mite radiant with pleasure Az olhcr tiiHt sue
only heard Of him as having been the ne anu SON
Of some party rowing Miss llpple ana hef Irl'nn5
down the river organizing pichicS ana O. lei
frvolites on which Aunt Agatha looked WIN scahl
liberation.
THAT man. she remarked one day, might put
new life into the whole parish AID he's becoming a
mere butterfly. It's bad enough now; what II VIII
be after be gets married to that shallow. worldly
minded woman Heaven only knows
One dav in early an umn, As Aunt Agatha was
moving softly among her astcrs and clrysanihc-
NUNS musng probably OF these matters har.h
crashing noise and shock as or earthquake rudeiy
the direction from which the sound had come, ana
there where Miss Paynes fauntIng eyesorc OF red
brick upper story had been, was clond 9f dhst
nOmentlv thinning, aud leaving inc GEAR DIue OF
bright October sky.
"A good radiance of had rubbish was Aunt
Agathas brief eX lamatOn; bat then, the poSslb'l-
ties involved suddenly ia ,hlng upon her mind, hhe
added: Heaven forgive me! Why, the woman
and that poor little haif-staIved Lucy Chalk may
be buried IN those ruins'
bonnet dying behind her quite unconscious OF the
amazel look of the butcher over the way, the group
of mlliners at Miss Frmins. and the portly land
lord of the Red Lion. who, ignorant they were Of
| what had transpired at the rear Of Aunt Agatha
dwelling, were half amused and half curious about
! her deshabille and her haste.
| Here hi she called 10 two men who were
| passing 'JObson. ] yler, come with me 10 Miss
! Payne's directly. There has been an accident
there: the new story Las fallen in
fastening with them round the corner OF Horn
Lane. she came upon Miss Tpple, escorted by tine
| rector, with whom she was gaily. con gersing.
NV dear Miss Gayfer9 said Miss Tipplc, advanc-
| ing with her everlasting wintry SMILE
What is the matter, Miss GayierT asked Mr..
| Inst then a small boy came running by, and
| thinking he might be useful 10 run errands, Aunt
| Agatha impounled him by clutching the collar OF
| his jacket, piece OF his ear ana handihi OF hls
hair holding him in firm grasp while she explained
| to the rector briefly what had happened.
| You may rs well come, she added, though |
| don't know you can do anything Better lame
And wlrhont further parley she hurried on.
| Miss Triple, who chung 10 the rectors arm, ana
with soft invincibility declined either to hurry her
steps or 10 bo eft 10 herself, SD inpeded his mo-
| ton that Aunt Agatha, with her followers was out
of sight In time. When at last he came up, bali
| dragging the shrinking and reluctant Miss Triple,
| whose strong objection to imperillIng either her
| person or her millinery quite Overmastered her
curiosity she heard Aunt Agathas voice ringing ont
| from the dusty confusion with anything but COM
| pimentary cxhortations 10 her recruits, who were
| pausing irresolute at the entrance.
| Don't you go in Miss Agatha-now, don't you'
| shouted one OF the men,. That amt safe, really
| lyon cowaIdly looms said nv aunt, would you
| LEFT the woman die without helpp
Don't 60 Frank, said Miss Triple, You hear 1t
| IL NOT safe and youl get your coat all over dust
Mr. Jordan firmly, but not urgently removed her
grasp