The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-05-08

Our little town of kettlcwel had inbab-
| ltants 10 the number of ten thousand and
three churches; hut of these latter. two were
what at that date were called district
churches and the great ancient parish church
was the ecclesiastical center of the town.
Like many another such noble structure, it
was but poorly endowed, and the rewards
which it offered to its minister were chiefly
the contemplation of venerable architecture,
and social position of considerable import
ance. The saying always was that none but
man OF fortune could be rector of Kettle
we'll Consequently, at each vacancy the
bishop was in difficulty. Rich men he couId
md able men he could find; but to find one
rich and able, too, was not so easy, and at the
last appointment, being unable to meet with
clergyman thus doubly qualified he had
chosen wealthy parson of rather meager
abilities, who was now our spiritual
CHIEF. The Rev. Anthony Brent was
cheerful man, understood with a merry nose
OF ruby, and countenance denoting neither
deep learning nor that isolation of character
which Is natural in men who live above the
world Indeed, Mr. Brent did not live nor
affect to live, one inch above the level of
commonplace cheerful life He told lis from
his pulpit that human things ara frail and
nothing worth, and that man is full of misery.
but having folded up his sermon, he seemed |
to have folded up his theology too for when |
You met him on week DAYS he was full of |
comfort and good cheer Perhaps we are |
fastldious people; perhaps we are ignorant;
certain it is that we never could quite satisfy |
ourselves that Mr.. Brent was altogether |
gentleman His manners were no better than |
bilthe llSsom creature such as he might have |
picked up in ten years between twenty-five |
and thirty-five He had way of alluding to |
my gardener" and my banker which |
seemed to show, so Sparkling said-Mr. Brent |
employed the rival practitioner-that some |
ufle IN his life he had neither bank nor
garden 1t Is very possible that had he |
not been so good natured, his vul- |
garlty might have been obvious, which il |
never was; for, indeed, we could not be ouite |
sure that he was vulgar at all Another thing
puzzled us: where had his fortune come froma |
tie was very wealthy and widower, and our /
idea was that Mrs. Brent had brought the
money Ihis, too, was guess, and nothing
but guess. Such, then, was our rector: o
man liked, but not greatly respected, and vet
man whom none could condemn or fairly |
despise; a shallow man, equal to reading his |
newspaper, and no more; on good terms with
the world, able without any strain of con-
science to preach sanity sermons, copied out
from standard divines, and at the same time
I'VE an easy average life;a comfortable man,
with good intentions, sound digestion. full
purse and cellar, and one who never let his
kitchen chimney freeze,
1t was the reverend widower Brent whom
we upon consideration had assigned to our
lively Mrs, Barbara Temple as third husband
and events went rapidly to show that our
forecast was not inexact Mr. Brent was
about fifty; Mrs. Barbara Temple was well
known to be about forty-five; SO that on the
score Of age there was nothing against the
match: and as to inclination, the rector soon
made it evident that there was no obstacle on
his side. Everybody remarked that he took