The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-12-19

the stream, until his bald head and
full shoulders were twenty yards
away. Then quick as thought the
young man crept forward, gathered
up the reverend gentlenan's gar.
ments under his arms, leaving only
his towel and his boots, deposited
the clothes under a hedge about a
hundred yards Off, and returned to
his post for observation.
The church clock chimed half past
9; the vicar in the water heard il and
struck for the bank. His amazement
and horror may he imagined when
he saw that his clothes had disap-
peared, and that nothing but the
towel and the boots remained. For a
moment he stood as if thunderstruck.
Then he rushed about in all direc-
tiOns in state of most unecclesias
tical excitement and searched the
bushes, peered under hedges, looked
up into trees, all the time hurting a-
complete continuation service on the
heads Of the unprincipled scoundrel5
who had made away with his ward
robe. A quarter to 10 struck. The
church, the distracted vicar thought,
would be now filling; the carriages
of the country gentry would be dash
ing through the village street his
right reverence the lord bishop Of
Virginia Water would have arrived,
and here was he, the most important
man in the place after the squire,
shivering on the banks of a river in
a towel and pair Of boots!
The position was a terrible on &.
But no shipwrecked mariner ever
deserted sail, no desert traveller ever
saw water, with more genuine JOY
than did the vicar hear the sounds Ct
approaching footsteps. Quickly he
sprang back into the streem, and
waited to see who was coming. The
steps were those Of some one evident
ly not pressed for time, and who,
from the nature Of the song he was
caro!ing, had certainly no intention
of attending the ceremony at the vii
lage church, but they were the fOOts-
steps of a man, and at that moment
the vicar felt that he could have hall
ed the presence Of the most irrecIaim-
able member of his parish with de-
light.
The seconds which elapsed between
his first hearing the footsteps and the
appearance Of the figure seemed to
the vicar like hours. but at length
Mr. Gerald Maldon emerged frenl
the shrubbery with pipe in his
fingers and ballad on his tongue
commemorating the dupIicity of a
certain duke of Seven Dials.
Hi! Mr.. Maldon! Mr.. Maldon ="
shouted the vicar, The young man
stopped short in the middle of the
chorus, locked up in the trees, away
over the fields, behind him, and
strai Int ahead of HMM fact, every
where but in the right direction.
The vicar renewed his cries.
"IIi Mr.. Maldon ! Here! 1t is ],
the vicar. Pm in the river! Some
thiel's gone off with all my clothes
and I've to be at the church at 10 to
assist at the confirmation What on
earth am | to do ?"
The young man gazed with adj
mirably feigned astOnishment at the
hald head and the agonized red face
of the half-submerged vicar, and giy-
ing vent to prolonged whistle said :
"By J0ve. sir, if you've to be at
the church at 10 you'll have to hurry
up, for it only wants five mintes
now. The bishop has already arriv-
ed, for he was yarning to the COVER
nor about a quarter of an hour back. :"
This was not strictly true, but it
had the desired effect of intensifying
the wears agony.
"But | say, Mr.. Maldon," said the
Wretc..%d vicar, "What am | to do i?
| haven't time to get any fresh things
from the vicarage. l cau't go to the
church as | ammo, no, don't mean
that. But really l don't believe that
any man was ever in such a predica-
nent before. What can do?"
"Well," said Gerald, "there's only
one way out of the difficulty that |
can suggest. My suit is not, perhaps,
of a particularly clerical cut and
color, but it wouldn't show much
under surplice, and he could run
over to the church in it without any.
body noticing you, Why shouldn't
you put it on?"
but what are you to do? ?" gasped
the vicar.
"Oh, it dosen't matter about me, .
replied Gerald: "I'Ye nothing to do
and I've lots of tobacco and shall en-.
| t,.,y 4 F.,II IL