St. Paul daily globe., 1888-07-21
GOOD SHORT STORIES.
Pat and the Preachers.

Two men dressed in shiny black
clothes, wearing brown straw hats, large
silk handkerchiefs, and white lawn ties
made up in bow, sat a few seats in
front of me in an east-bound train the
other day, says the Topical Talker" of
the Pittsburg Dispatch. Their faces
were as much alike as their clothes.
Both had rusty brown boards, both eyes
blue to the tint of watered milk, both
moses OF which an eagle might have
ibeen envious. and both had feet and
'hands of the largest size.
q The similarity proceeded further.
Each of them had roomy valise of i'm
ltatlOn alligator skin, and cotton UNI
brella. under which, if opened, large
family could find shelter.
> lt5waS quite easy to perceive that
they trod the same path in life. They
were evidently rural preachers, of the
kind that doesn't object to receiving po-
statOes and tithe of the harvest in lieu
of salary.
Very deserving and industrious shep-
herds, both of them, dare say, but not
accustomed to travel on the cars. AT
home. suppose. they had been accus-
toned to receive as a matter of course
the respectful homage of their admiring
congregations. The mistake they made
was that they expected the same defer
ence from strangers, who knew nothing
of their eloquence, the straightnesS of
their walk, nor of their powerful capa-
bilities.
They knew not the heathen, nor the
heathen's estimate of the gOdly.
They were comfortable enough when
l entered the car. The car was nearly
empty. The preachers had taken DOS
session OF two seats, and had piled their
valiseS. umbrellas. and several mysteri-
Gus paper packages on the front one.
After awhile, when the train neared
the suburbs of the city, the car grad
ually filled up until not single vacant
seat remained. The two preachers
complacently continued their discourse
about turnips, theology, and the true
secret OF the happiness of man. One of
them relaxed his stiff attitude of watch
full superiority to the extent of putting
his feet on the seat between the valises.
AT the next station a lot of workmen,
several of them plumbers, entered the
car. Most of them passed on and were
content to go into the smoking car,
where there was simply standing room.
One man. short and exceedingly thick
lrishman, stopped when he came
abreast of the preachers. He looked at
the seat occupied by the valises. Then
he took in the preachers from top to
toe. He seemed to be annoyed that
both of them apparently were obliviOuS
to his existence.
''Say, mister" he said at last, address
Ing the nearest preacher, lis that seat
engaged?"
The blue eye of the preacher cast a
glance of mournful reproach Oh the
chunky IriShman, and the ministerial
voice said: You'll find plenty of seats
farther back, my friend"
The chunky Irishman looked down
the car and then up again. For five
minutes he said nothing, but l noticed
an ugly light coming into his eyes.
'Say, IS that seat engaged by you?"
he asked again.
Cant you see that it is, my friend?'
replied the preacher with calm be-
nlgnity.
There was not another word said for
several minutes by either, but the Irish
mans dark-gray eyes were blazing with
anger. All at once he seemed to make
up his mind. He seized the nearest
valiSe, dropped it into the aisle, and sat
down in the seat thus partially cleared.
"Guess you've been raised with -
lot of hOgS!" he said sharply to both
preachers.
1t was curious expression that came
over the faces of the two shepherds.
Christian patience and a worldly desire
to say something cutting in reply to this
awful accusation were struggling within
them for the supremacy.
But they said nothing. though few
of those sitting near by Uttered in
very aggraVating WaV.