Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-05-01
BY ROBERT TIMsoL.

oolng temporary duty In an eastern
city. He was little man, nervous,
meek and suspected, not without ap-
parent grounds, of ritualistic learnings.
He had q pure, innocent face, and
his pantaloons we're always shiny at
the knees. He loved vestiments, al
tar clothes, and constant services, and
was believed to be vowed to a cele-
brate life, to which no one objected,
as he was not IN any way desirable
parti or an important person. He had
no property, expectations or connec-
tions worth mentioning; no shining
talents and no visible ambition. The
leading families of st. Hildegarde's
took very little notice of him, and al
lowed him to do as he pleased with
his early celebrations, to which such
as were inclined restored. His work
was mainly in the chancel and among
the poor, and this he was understood
to do very well. II no chose to fast
that was his affair; the Vestry paid
him enough to get his meals at ho-
tel like gentleman. II he liked tn
spend his time in alleys and tenament
houses, this was quite correct; the
church recognized duty Of the low
er classes, and employed men of his
sort to attend to it. By strict con.
struction his business was merely with
the services; but zeal was creditable
in q young clergyman who had his
way to make. The parish standard of
preaching was MOI high, and he was
not q very fair reader, which was Of
more consequence; a great many peo.
pie came out on Sunday morning as a
matter of course, and if the inner cir
Gle of the more devout was satisfied
with what went on in the church the
rest of the time, why then there was
no more to be said. So the priest in
charge pursued the even tenor of his
way in peace,
1t should have been in peace; but it
presently ceased to be so. He could
not tell what had come over him, but
it was something strange and terrible.
The devotional calm which belonged
to his Office, the sweet and high med
itations on holy things were rudely
shattered by an intruding element
from q world lying in wickedness.
Or, no; it must be the baseness of his
own heart, so little renewed and con.
secrated, that it found allurments
without and longed for forbidden
fruit. Such things, he had heard and
read, were in the world, but hereto.
fore he had not seen them, or had
passed unheeding by. Why must
they come so near him now-him who
had thought himself principled In
grace, stranger and foe to pomps
and vanlties? This belonged to the
weakness of our nature, the manifold
temptations we daily meet with. But
then such temptation had never
come to him before. He was but a
miserable sinner, worthless weak
ling. Had he lied with his lips when
he assumed the sacred character; with
his heart when it gave itself to the
higher llfe2 These horrors had beset
st. Anthony, who escaped then by
prayer and fasting. He redoubled his
privations, and the strip of carpet by
the bedside in his little room became
so worn that his landlady thought of |
giving him notice to leave.
1t was very harmless demon
which thus disturbed his monastic |
calm; at least you and l might have
thought so. 1t was fair to look upon |
indeed, but as rnacquinted with las.
civlous glances or seductive wiles as
with horns and hoofs; really it meant
no harm, and had nothing whatever to
do with the devils that used to tease
st. Anthony. Miss Monica Verney's
pew was well up in front; once week
her mother shared it with her, on
other days she was frequently there
alone. Her family would have stared
at the thought of asking the poor
priest to dinner, or even to tea. AS
often happens with the young Amerl-
can girl, she had many distractions;
social duties were thick upon her,
whether she would or no. But her
mind reserved corner for devotion,
which she had been taught to regard
as a necessary feminine accomplish
ment; and she spelled church with a
capital. 1t was not her fault that her
eyes were very soft and very dark,
her complexion delicateiy clear, her
general appearance such as might be-
come formidable and haunting to
guileless anchorite who had been
brought up in a band. box and theo-
logical seminary, and had since sue
cessfully avoided seeing anything Of
the world. Persons who were better
judges of such matters than the Rev
erend Septimus have assured me that
at times her expression was quite
sanity. This applied only to certain
phases of her ingenious countenance;
when she dressed for dinner, when she
was dancing the german, or when she
had to give young Featherstone his
quietus, the saintllness was less
marked. But the minister saw her
nu1x. a. oh,,rn1 o,>J Aho Lxun t:1~~ 80