Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-05-21
Franks of q Peer.

Aylesford used to tell me about the
pranks he played on a bashful parson
who stopped for month or so at
Packington during his fathers lifetime
Joe says he travelled all the way down
to London and spent one whole after
noon knocking about ST. Johns woods
trying to find woman who would
aid him in his little joke. Finally he
hit upon an aged damsel of easy virtue,
whose career of ignominy was stamped
upon every feature. He instructed her
how to act in the part she was to play.
He promised her q rich plum if she
filled the role well. Then he hurried
back to PackingtOn the same evening.
The next morning the family and
guests-there were nearly a dozen
there at the time-had just finished
breakfast and entered the drawing
room when the servant announced that
there was q lady below who wished to
see Rev Mr.. "a lady to see me,
stammered the young parson. sit ca
ca-can't be-there must be some
mistake. Wh-wh-what does she want?
Wh-wh-what's her name? Who is
she?'
Eyes, sir, she asked if you were
here, y replied the servant, land when
L told her you were she seemed terri
bly, excited Say [ want to see him,
and immediately she said, who
shall [ say?' I asked her. and she re-
piled: Tell him it's Marian-he'u
know. I'm his wife.
At this there was CONSERVATION
among the company. Joe's sister,
who seemed to have taken a great lik-
ing to the young parson, said: Your
wife! o Mr.. -, | thought you were
unmarried"
"So-so I am. There must be some
m-m-mistake. Mummy wife! NM
Marian! l don't know her. She must
be a lunatic. I w-w-won't see her."
''Oh, yes, you had better see her,"
said Lord Avlesford. Graham, ask
the lady to step up
The little fellow was frightfully dis
tressed, and when the door opened and
the terrible harridan, all paint, frills,
and fummery, appeared, he actually
shrieked in dismay. ''She's a l-l-luna-
tic" he cried frantically.
''T'll lunatic you," said the old witch,
approaching him. You'll run away
from me, will you, and leaving the
poor children starving?" And as she
got closer to the poor parson she as
sumed a pathetic tone and said, ''Oh,
Percival; Percy, dear, the little ones
ask me every day, Mamma, where's
papa-will he never come back?' Have
you no heart? I've searched for you
everywhere" 1t was getting warm
there just then. The young curate
looked as if he were going to have an
apoplectic fit. The company divided
in opinion. One half resolved that the
parson was an arrant knave and the
other thought the woman was a mani
&C. The earl said TO the claimant:
$50 home, my good woman, and take
my word for it, your husband will fol-
low you this very morning." Joe
whispered to her, Go" and the VEN
cradle bag departed with the remark:
''You had better come home to your
brats. I've found you once, and I'll
find you again if you don't. So re-
member"
Aylesford says that the sufferings of
the poor fellow were so terrible that he
(Joe) already repented of his joke.
The parson left Packington that very
day, and the same opinion, perhaps,
still prevails about the young man.
Some say he is sly and wicked, while
others declare the woman was mani
ac.-London Cor. Philadelphia Times.