Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-30

a jotting of the motion as he spoke. "Mr.
Wintle seconds the motion" he added, with
glance in the direction OF that gentleman.
Mr.. Wintle, whose eyes had been fixed the
whole time ON the rector's face, gravely
nodded; and the rector rose from his chair
to intimate that the meeting was at an end.
Mr.. Dowthwaite spent the whole of the
afternoon IN drafting an advertisement and
sending copies of it to various clerical and
scholastic newspapers. "Must be sound
churchwoman. One able to play the har-
monium preferred" he added to the list of
requirements There was q standing diff
Guilty about getting not utterly incompetent
performer on the hsrmonium of Little
Puddington; and the good rector thought he
might as well make the obnoxious education
act useful for once.
The interview with Mrs. Piggin he de-
ferred till the following morning, as being
the most unpleasant part of the business.
It went of, however, better than he had
feared. By degrees he got the old lady to
understand that il she sent in her reigna-
ton it would be- gratefully accepteds, and
she would be considered as having put the
parish and the country generally under an
obligation.
''You see, Mrs. Piggin, we are obliged to
follow the times" said good-natured Mr..
Dowthwaite, in an apologetic tone. I'VE
can't afiord to lose the grant another year.
we really can't"
a"Oh, I suppose mot, sir," said Mrs. Pig
gin, fixing her eyes on the rector's face.
"I've been schoolmistress in this parish for
two an twenty years; an we've done very
we'll without any grant. I've brought up
my children to learn their catechism and do
their duty, like their fathers before them. 1
trB an Inh
like; and much good it would do them
If cosld. However, have saved enough,
thank heaven, to be independent of every
one; and-Betsy Jane Pugh, stop talkin'
and 90 on with your sum, or it'll be the
worse for ye."
The rector listened in silence, and finally
made his escape, thankful that the most dis
agreeable part of his duty as reiormer was
over.
But his difficulties were by no means at
an end. The day after his advertisement
appeared he received 127 applications for
the vacant post; the next day brought him
213; the third day produced 96. ALI the
applicants were able to teach every neces-
sary subject, as we'll as several which were
not necessary, and every one was able to
produce testimonials of the highest possible
character.
In his despair, the rector turned to his
sister-in-law, Miss Jordan, who had kept
his house since the death of his wife, and
humbly sued for her advice and assistance.
But Miss Jordan was an elderly lady, with
strong, old fashioned prejudices, and she OBJ
iected to the new scheme altogether. She
sarcastically advised the reinstatement of
Mrs. Piggiu-a course which was plainly
ont of the question. Mr.. Dowthwaite then
turned for help to his curate-the Rev.
Augustine Cope-a meek and gentlemanly
Young man, who acted as unpaid secretary
to the rector when there was anything
troublesome to be done. Mr.. Cope took the
mass of papers home to his lodgings and
made an attempt to select few OF the most
promising applications from the others. At
the end of four hours work, however, he
found that his list contained no fewer than
40 names-an obviously impracticable num-
Der.
At the next monthly meeting Of the board
matters were no further advanced. The
table of the morning room at the rectory-
which served as o board room-was COW
cred with letters Of application and copies
of testimonials; and the members of the
board sat gaping at the piles of documents
in helpless dismay.
"Well, gentlemen, began Mr.. Dowth-
waite, with very vague notion Of what
the rest of his sentence was to be. when Q
knock at the door interrupted him.
"Come in," he cried.
"Please sir" said Thomas, ''there's .
lady wishes to see you"
"But am engaged, Thomas-"
"But this lady has called about the
school board"
"An applicant? It Is rather irregular,
certainly. particularly mentioned in the
advertisements that no personal applications
were to be allowed" said the chairman TO
his fellow-laborers, However, Since the