Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-09-19

come to his help The readiness of the
'lawyer-looking gentleman to lend the
sovereign looked as if he had friends. but
the curate was rather vexed at his silence
about the ingratitude of man.
One Friday night, however. Mr. Bam-
lett was reading the Guardian, and he
came to paragraph which considerably
astonished him. 1t read as follows
I'VE understand that the luable living
OF Platton Magma, Southshire, vacant by
the death of the Rev Samuel Sloman, has
been offered by the Patron, c. NJ Master
ton, Esq, to the Rev Joshua Bamlett,
curate OF st. Swithin's, w. C. This iv-
ing enjoys an enviable distinction at the
present time Most of its income is de-
rived from property In the city of London,
so that its nominal vualue of $500 a year
Is some indication of its actual one. TIE
population of the parish is 269, and there
IS a good vicarage. We congratulate Mr..
Bamlett on his good fortune
Nonsense, . was the curate's mental
comments, 1.-The Guardian must have made
a mistake. There must be another man of
the same name. Those papers are always
wrong in details.
He took down the Clergy List" and
ran through the BamletS, but there were
not many of them, and not one, save him
self, rejoiced in the name of Joshua.
Surely, he said to himself, 1T can t
be true. | know no one called Master
ton; besides, should have heard of it di-
rect.
Just then his landlady entered the room
with letter.
This came for you, sir, this morning, :"
said she, and I'm sorry it has been mis-
laid -
The letter proved to be from Triben s.
Twiss, the solicitors of c. NJ Masterton 1t
contained formal offer of the ivixg of
Platoon, and mentioned the solicitors re-
greet that their client was present abroad.
They requested Mr.. Bamlett to call upon
them as soon as possible.
He called, accepted the living, and had
read himself in and taken possession be-
fore Mr.. Masterton returned.
One morning he was walking in the
garden of his vicarage, wishing his patron
would come back that he might make his
acquaintance and discover what manner
OF man it was who, having a good thing
to give away, sought an obscure curate as
the recipient of it, when he saw Charley
Micklereed open the gate.
Could it be, thought he, that Charley
had not deemed him worthy of visiting be-
fore his promotion? Did he mean to levy
blacE1mMl upon him? 1t would not be
nice to have the story of the
tobacco spread abroad No! he would not
believe his friend could be so base-espe-
cially as his friend, to Judge by his clothes
and the aroma of his cigar, had also pros
pered in worldly affairs since he left the
prison.
well, Josh, my boy, !" began Mr.. Mickle-
reed, how do you like it? House all right,
square for you before | went away.
You told Them said Mr.. Bamlett;
but what on earth had you to do with
it?"
Everything, > replied his friend; I'm
not Charley Micklereed now, you know.
but Charles Micklereed Masterton, lord of
this manor and patron of this living. Pos
sibly J. P. some day. Wouldn't that be
joke, Ell! Josh?'
4 don't understand said the vicar
feebly.
All! I suppose you never heard of my
great-uncle MastertOn. Well, hardly ever
did before | came out of-you know
what. 1t seems he quarrelled with my
father. She was his only near relation,
and until the newspapers brought me to
his notice. he was actually without any
one to leave his money to. He was pleased
to see | am a man of spirit, and made me
de facto what already was de jMe-his
heir. Poor old chap, we were only to-
gether a month before he died. The only
thing he asked me to do was to take his
name.
'"Then you were the patron of this living
when Mr.. Slomon died?" said Mr.. Bamlett
in disappointed tone. ''Itis not pleasant
to find that favor and not merit, after all,
has led to our advancement. "
Certainly | was, old fellow, and knew
no one who deserved it better than you
Shouldn't have scared if had either. +
owe you more than this for that tobacco, -
replied his friend.
Don't, pray don t put it on that ground,
Charley, demonstrated the other; you
cannot imagine the trouble my conscience
has given me over that matter. If | had
known the offer came from you, l should
not have accepted the living
Just what was afraid Of retorted his
friend; that's why | sent it through my
solicitors. -
1ICn NIL DdILlGUU Uolh6Cl Vi I6SIgulUP,
but his friend, though with some difficulty,
persuaded him to abandon the idea.
well, you know your way up to the
hall, > said Charley, at parting. ''By-the-by,
you II find some more old friends of yours
at the lodge. I've made that warder chap
gate-keeper. He and his family came
down yesterday Wonder if he ever smelt
that tobacco. Sometimes | fancied he
did"
The clergyman sincerely hoped Mr..
Smiths olfactory nerves were not keen.
Whether they were or not, that judicious
individual never breathed word on the
subject. No one in the parish ever knew
that the man who, with a military salute,
threw open the park gate as the vicar
went up to see his friend the squire, had
done the same sort of thing before when
the clergyman visited the layman under
very different circumstances.
The squire was popular and made a |
good landlord, but the vicar never could |
persuade him to take life as seriously as he |
would have liked Occasionally the pair
talked over the lamp-brealing exploit |
The vicar proved conclusiveIy that it was
wrong and foolish, and his friend admitted |
it, maintaining nevertheless that it was |
no use showing man that winning |
outsider really had no chance, and that the |
result of the race was fulze, after he's |
backed the animal and got his money.