The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-08-30
PASTOR GurREY,s GOODNESS.
why He Does Not Feel Kindly Toward the
Widow Bradbury.

why he Does mol Feel A1nOIy IOWaEu Inc
Widow Bradbury.
Paterson On. j.. Letter in New York Times.
The beautiful sampler entitled "Go Bury Thy
Sorrows and the interesting engraving of Ba-
laam holding an interview with his ass, both of
which adorn the back parlor of Deacon Wright
Smiths house, No. 10 Clark street. looked down
last evening upon an ecclesiastical council of
unusual importance. Deacon Smith, Deacon
BASTARD, who clings to the skirts of a sinful
world by holding a seat in the Board of Alder
men, and other deacons of the Wills-streetB ap-
fist Church, had gathered in Deacon Smiths
cane-seated chairs to listen to the charges which
Mrs. Deacon Bradbury, relict of the late Deacon
Bradbury, had preferred against the Rev. Mr..
Guirey, pastor of the church, and which the
Rev. Mr.. Guirey had promised to prefer against
Mrs. Deacon Bradbury, relict of the late Dea-
con Bradbury. A dispatch to the Times from
this city yesterday summarized the charges
which Mrs. Deacon Bradbury preferred against
her paster, which were, in brief, that he had
treated her coldly, and that this GOODNESS was
the subject of conversation among Mrs. Deacon
Bradbury's friends.
Several witnesses testified to having noticed a
coldness on Mr.. Guirey's part when his widowed
parishioner approached him. Then MI. Guirey
was permitted to make counter-charges. They
were that Mrs. Bradbury had slandered him and
his family, and that by a wicked device known
as a love valentine she had sought to separate
him from his wife. Before his wife had even ar
rived at Paterson, the pastor said. Mrs. Brad
bury had spoken of her in a scandalous manner,
and this fact was proved by the testimony of the
wife of one of the deacons. Further than that,
Mrs Bradbury had said she had not invited the
pastor and his wife to tea, and intended never to
do so. This heartless determination was
duly reported to the pastor by the
ears it came. But the most painful dis
closure which the pastor had to make was yet to
come. One evening last autumn, he said, when
the air was filled with the dead leaves touched
by the breath Of the coming winter, and when
the wild fowl had turned southwark, he wendell
his way in the cool of the evening to Mrs. Brad
bury's house. 1t was getting dark, but he
noticed that upon the door-knob something was
hanging. When Mrs. Bradbury answered his
ring he saw that it was a bologna sausage He
questioned Mrs. Bradbury concerning this novel
decoration of her portal. and she with great
~alactrity charged him with hanging the delicacy
in question on the door-knob. He solemnly told
her that he could never think of her as before.
and that no Christian woman would accuse her
pastor of decorating her door with ancient
bologna sausages. The principles of the Bap-
fist faith expressly declared against that
method of expressing ones feelings, and besides
winter was coming on and meat would probably
be high. No amount of slippers and pen-wipers
would equal a string of succulent sausages in
case the pastoral larder should reach the condi-
ton which history ascribes to Mother Hubbards
cupboard. The incident regarding the bologna
sausage was acknowledged by Mrs. Bradbury to
III OIlUuudt u OCdCOuc3 dlQ COiuC W US NlOWGu
by her as an extremely entertaining occur
sence.
The hideous charge concerning the love val
entine" was next taken up by the deacons. The
pastor showed that NOT only had Mrs. Bradbury
sent him a valentine, but that she had actually
compelled her own son, William, a youth of
tender years, to be the bearer of the missive,
and had instructed him to place it in no hands
but those of the pastor. With discretion beyond
his years, William showed the valentine under
the minister's door, which has since fallen into
decay from the contamination, where, after it
had burned a hole in the oil-cloth, it was found
by member Of the ministers family.
When this episode had been proved out of the
mouths of three witnesses, the deacons nearly
fell out of their chairs, and it is said that unseen
hands substituted the word SELF for sorrow
in the sampler. After the painful effects of the
story had worn away, Mr.. Quincy told how Mrs.
Bradbury had reported that he didn't live happi-
ly with his. family, and that when he learned
that his wife was coming to Paterson he gestic-
ulated violently, and said he didn't see how on
earth he could live with her. Putting all these
things together, the pastor said he had become
afraid Of Mrs. Bradbury, and might, therefore,
have treated her a little coolly. The deacons did
not take any action, and it was not long before
the sampler, the ass and BALKAN had the back
parlor of Deacon Wright Smiths house all to
themselves.