Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-01-08

istinguished-looking men you will find them
nobodies. l never inquire now-it is too
painful to be told that the nobe-presenced
man who smiles so condescendingly Is Mr..
Smith, whilst that other Misunderstanding
being is Lord This or the Duke of That. 1t
upsets ones cherished ideal as to what the
aristocraey should be-
Beatrice Clauson, then, was very fair to see
and had what silly people call thorough
bred look. Fond as those amiable men, her
uncles, were of the girl, she was doubly dear
to them because that look was Individually
owing to the Talbert strain of blood in her
veins.
This morning she threw books music, paint
ing, everything aside, and played with her
new toy. 1t was Saturday. The "Tabbies,"
who invariably went shopping together, were
bound to Blacktown to buy groceries. Before
starting, Herbert found his way to Beatrice,
and asked her if she had any commissions to
be executed in the city. He discovered her
with flushed face and rumpled hair romping
with the child. Ho watched them with amuse-
ment; then, going up stairs found after a little
search in one of the attics, some antiquated,
battered toys, which five and thirty years
ago had been dear to Horace and himself.
He carried them down stairs, and Beatrice
thanked him for the kindly thought and net.
When, in few hours time, tho brothers
drove back with a wagonette full of tea,
coffee, sugar, yellow soap, house flannel,
Bath stone, emery paper, or whatever else
was needful to make the wheels of house
hold management run smoothly, they found
Beatrice still enGrossed by her charge They
did not say much to her. Saturday was too
busy a day to think of anything save the af-
fairs of the house, and as many precious min
utes had been wasted in making inquiries at
BlaclItown station, the brothers were hardly
pressed for time-so hardly pressed that
when, about four o'clock, the curate called,
they sent their apologies by Whitaker, and
left their visitor to be entertained by Miss
Clauson.
The Rev. Sylvanus Mordle, when he
thanked Heaven for the many blessings it had
bestowed upon him, always excepted the name
he bore from the list 1t was, he told himself,
particularly terrible name-doubly so when
its owner was u clergyman. He felt it to be
provocative of laughter, if not of contempt.
Even as n Howard, a Talbot n Montnorency,
or Plantagenet is called upon to live up to
the great name he bears, Mr.. Mordlc found it
incumbent on himself to endeavor to live
away from his singular designation. To
counterfeit the sinister effects of such q
name he felt compelled to affect an air
OK cheerfulness even under the most trying
circumstances which fully justify q mans
looking lugubrious. He considered his
name Il great drawback to him in his
professional career. The gift which every
young clergyman fancies he possesses, of
preaching imprisoned sermons, was sadly
shorn by his name. In this perverted age,
when puns are not considered signs of social
lepravity, Mr.. Mordle felt sure that tear in
his eye-even the delivery of a pathetic SER
mon-would be fatal. The least lachrymose
tendency in manner or words would present
too great temptation to be resisted by weak
human nature in spite of the best intentions
the word 'mording' must suggest itself.
A surname one can not choose any moro
than one can choose a dark or fair skin !:
but whilst the curate was willing to allow
that the name Of Mordle was an unavoidable
congenital misfortune, its conjunction with
Sylvanus he looked upon as foul crime, and
rcviled the godfathers and godmothers who
had tackled such soft-sounding appellation
on to Mordle.
On the principle of living it down, he was
always brisk and CHEEKY III his manner 1t
was never too hot, never too cold, never too
sunny, never tho windy for the Sylvanus
Mordle. He preached almost merry sermons,
conveyed i'll short, incisve sentences, ratified
out in q quick, decisive, quite beyond-doubt
way. His phrases followed one another like
the detonations Of a cracker. They seemed
designed to slap the listener on the breast,
and hammer and hammer away at that sin
hardened receptacle, as if meaning by series
of repeated blows to enforce conviction and
obedience. They were crisp, strong muscular
exhortations, eminently suited to the spiritual
needs of the poorer parishioners. Only when
he preached funeral sermon could Mr. Nor
dies style be cavilled at. On such an occasion
he was bound to be doubly careful not to get
his manner mixed up with his name, SO some
times his discourse did not quite satisfy the
bereft relations and grieving friends.
But q funeral sermon was only due to de-
ceased member of one of the families of
position; moreover, Oakbury is a healthy
spot, and when an important death did occur
the rector was usually in his place to do his
duty. So the Rev. Sylvanus managed very
well.
For the rest, he was man of about thirty,
pleasant-looking and popular, not disdainful
of the good things of this world, yet not han
kering after them-doing the whole work of a
curatc and three-fourths of that Of a rector
for one hundred and twenty pounds year.
1t was lucky he had good constitution and a
small fortune Of his own.
/ This afternoon Mr.. Mordle felt the Tai
berts' excuses no slight to himself. He
begged the bNthers might not be disturbed.
He was quite content that Miss Clauson
should entertain him tete-a-tete as long as
/ possible. He inquired if Az news had ar
rived about the missing mother; then, turn
! ing his attention to the child went through q
variety of those little actions which grown-uI
people, rightly or wrongly, suppose ingra-
tiate children. Noticing how the pretty boy
chung to Beatrice he complimented her on
her rapid conquest of his afections-a COM
pliment i'll which Miss Clauson might hav,
found deeper meaning lurking had she
cared to look for it. He would have called
much earlier TO learn what had TRANSFERRED
but had been compelled to attend funeral
several miles Off He alluded To the melan,
choly reason for his delay with as much
cheerfulness as many people mention a we'd
ding
"And where are your uncles!' he asked.
SIN the h6usekeeper's ROOM" answered
Beatrice demurely.