National Republican., 1886-11-18
THE LOST ARM-HoLE,
And How 10 Was Found by Stranger
In a Four-and- Half Street Church.

And How IL Was Found by n Stranger
In a Four-and-a-HaIf Street Church.
He was from out OF town, good-look
ing man, and slightly bald. His wife was
refined In face and manner. They entered
DIR. Sunderland's church last Sunday aud
took seat next in front Of the pew de-
voted TO the religious medltatlons Of our
Chief Magistrate and his universally re-
epected young wife. He did not come TO
see the President, but from a pure desire to
hear q very able sermon in defense OF the
Bible, and II Is sad that bis respectable In
tentions were covered with biting chagrin,
produced by the following uutoward cir
cumstances:
As the notes OF the organ piled sound on
sound, which died away In rapturous har-
mony, solemn silence reigned for mo-
ment, and the stranger arose TO take of his
overcoat. Rings around, he was the only
solitary thing In motion, aud all eyes In the
rear and on each side rested upon him, com
bined with the close focus glance OF the
presidential party.
Grabbing the lapes with both hands, he
gave nervous pull, and-alack alack
his Prince Albert, unbuttoned, stripped OIL
with the top coat, and there he stood in his
shirt sleeves, a stranger In strange church,
crowded audience. and within touching
distance OF the President Of the Uniked
States and bis entire family.
1t seemed as though the Holy Bible on the
pulpit uttered smothered groan of pity,
and the pews fairly shuddered with a con-
doing s6ud.
II was an awful moment for that poor man,
and IL seemed an eternity TO his good wife.
She knew that the President never made
such spectacle, and what would the young
mistress of the white house thinkP She
nudged her husband.
With the quickness OF thought one arm
found its proper place In the Prince Albert.
The other made commendable effort and
really too bad-landed between the over
coat and the under one. Now, an arm-to-
armhole struggle began. The more the
poor fellow reached for the right hole, the
more he found the wrong one. The shoul-
der blade snapped and cracked In the gyra-
tions made by the arm while twisting back
and back at the receding and caprlcious
armhole. The rear collar button flew its
fastening and the collar jumped upon the
back Of the strangers head, and, In the soft
rays Of the Sundays sun, surrounded the
bald spot like faded halo. Burdened by
these perpleXities the stranger swayed and
squirmed for the sleeve, conscious Of the
ponderous fact that the head Of the nation
| and the heart OF the nation, her mother,
and a host Of bright eyes were taking In the
| lost armhole scene with degree Of interest
bordering on nervous laughter.
Happy thought His good wife, reaching
| quickly up, fastened firm grip on to the
near suspender, and, tugglng downward,
landed her husband so low In the pew that
nothing was discernible save the faded collar
halo around the hairless top Of his head
| What transpired there no one but the white
house people, who we're in position TO see,
| and the good wife will ever know, but when
| he assumed sitting posture and appeared
above the pew, the lost arm-hole had been
found and the collar had gone back to its
own place.
As DR.. Sunderland arose to name the
text hot tear crept slowly down the
strangers flushed cheek, and fell with @
slight splash on to the rumpled cuff. There
was enough modification In that tear to I'll
| city cemetery.