Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-12-06

ing. You see. the arrangement for.
Mr.. Cribber to preach was somewhat
hurried1y made. !"
ssBut it isn't only the text-it is the
sermon itself the people are talking
about, sir. didn't pay much atten-
ton myself, but Mrs. Grundy will have
it that, though the words were differ
emit, the substance, the backbone, the
skeleton was just the same"
1.-The skeletonr' exclaimed the vicar,
in a horror-stricken voice.
'.Well, that is the word my wife
used" said the church warden. apollo
getically. AZ didn't quite follow her
myself; for, though I've heard of peo-
pie having skeletons in cupboard. I
never knew of one in pulpit Mr..
Gruniy laughed at his own smartness,
but a dark cloud settled upon the broad
brow of DIR. Sparkle.
81 think" he at last said, gravely,
that the people must have been misled
by some passing resemblances and fam
cied analogies. Hearing the same
text, the thoughts of those who were
present in the morning would natural
ly run in the lines suggested by my
treatment of the subject, and they
would thus read a meaning and refer
ence into the, perhaps, confused Ian
guage of a young and inexperienced
preacher, which were not really in
tended to be conveyed by him."
Mr.. Grundy. who had a profound re-
spect for the vicar, was duly impressed
by this exposition of the case; but, re-
calling the whitening criticisms to
which the unfortunate Cribber had
been subjected by Mrs. Grundy and her
friends at the supper-table the previ-
Gus night, he ventured to make q fur
Their stand.
mo doubt there is great force in
what you say, sir, and you are well
skilled in the workings of the human
mind. as becomes an able minister of
the New Testament; but there are
some things Mrs. Grundy and those 1
have heard speak can't get over-heads
and divisions and illustrations all COM
ing in pat"
Poor DIR. Sparkle was in terrible,
fix. So far as words went, he had al
ways been truthful, and he was not
naturally mean man; but what was
he to do now? There was Grundy
waiting to be gulled. and it was incum-
bent on him to say something. He gave
little sigh, and spoke in his softest
accents:
''Well, you see, Mr.. Grundy, not hav-
can not discuss the matter in detail;
nor would wish to think any thing to
the disparagement of young man
who has been very highly recon-
mended to me. Several partial solu-
tions occur to me, none of them re-
flecting unduly on Mr.. Cribber. Posi-
bly,, we may have looked into the same
commentary"
Mr.. Grundy gave a knowing nod.
Possibly Mr.. Cribber may have
read some article of mine in one or
other of the religious periodicals treat
ing of this subject. 1 say possibly,
though do not at this moment recall
having written any thing about it,
Mr.. Grundy gave another yet more
knowing nod.
''And there is yet another hypothesis
connected with the obscure topic of
unconscious cerebration and remi-
niscence. tell you, candidly, Ihave
preached on that text before-at the
Abbey once, and elsewhere, perhaps.
Mr.. Cribber may have heard me. My
thoughts may have passed into an i'm
questionable mind. They may have
been reproduced without the slightest
consciousness on his part that they
were not strictly original. There have
been most remarkable instances of this
phenomenon"
Mr.. Grundy was evidently i'm
pressed.
81 think" he said, II can under
stand how it happened now, and the
explanation you have given is very in
teresting. But perhaps, under the cir
cumstances, you might find some more
suitable gentleman for the curacy."
81 almost think you are right,
Grundy," assented the vicar, eagerly.
''Mr. Cribber seems scarcely up to the
mark for such congregation as ours.
There were several other applicants
who were most highly recommended
Mr.. Playfair, for instance"
II am sure he would be popular"
said the churchwarden.
''Well, / shall give the matter my
best consideration; and you may rest
assured it will be my wish to do what
ever is for the highest interests of the
congregation.
DR.. Sparkle spoke in his most dulcet
tone, but as soon as Mr.. Grundy left
the room he sat down and wrote as
follows to Rev. Jonathan:
DEAR SIR: From what hear of the sermon
delivered by you last night, 1 regret that am
obliged to conclude that you are altogether
suited to my curacy. My people have become
accustomed to original or at all events inds-
pendent, thought in the pulpit; and do not
suppose you would yourself maintain the ap
plicability of either of these words to the dis
course with which you favored them. return
the testimonials you sent me, and beg to re-
main, yours faithfully, p. SPARKLE.
Having sent this ill-tempered pro-
duction to the post, the unfortunate
man was forthwith ashamed of him
self. and would gladly have recalled it.
He blamed himself for all that had
happened, and became victim to hor-
rible remorse and abject fear. His
wife, who had learned something of
what had passed, had her own suspi-
cions; but, like wise woman, she
kent them to herself and did her hest