The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-03-15

ere, when you and the plate, just put
In this shillin' for me- It's only your
Rev. Mr. Lacey that I'm spitin'
I've no feelin' of 'arshness towards any
one else, not even to his poor dumb
pig, that knows no better"
Then Mr.. Hardman said good night
and turned off in the direction of his
own house. He was not feeling very
happy: absence from church was very
unusual with him, and he began to
think that he was being irreligious;
30 he said aloud:
'Only this afternoon-all my dailiers
too perfectly scandalousi'
But in spite Of this he still felt ire
ligious
1t then occurred to him that as soon
as he got home, he might go through
the church service by himself. There
would be no organ. iand no surplice
and no offertory; and hymns that you
chose for yourself were not the same
as the hymns that were chosen for you
Still it will be less irreligious than
nothing at all.
He had just reached the extremity of
the churchyard wall, when he encoun-
tered Mr.. Lacey's gardener, Henry
Wick; and Henry Wick was smoking
short black pipe. All the church war
den in Mr.. Hardman arose at the sight
| of this:
Come now. Wick," ne said, in rather
severe remonstrance, couldn't you ave
left that pipe till afterwards. You don't
want to go into sacred place of wor-
ship sinking of that stuff
| M. II
-"You needn't trouble yourself, Mr.
Ardman. I'm all right l amt going
to no sacred place of worship"
"Eh? What?" said Hardman, stag
gered by the coincidence.
Wick took his pipe from his mouth,
spat, replaced it, and became voluble
'It's the principle of the thing object
to. | wont be spoke to of a Sunday
afternoon, and you'd ave thought that
i'm bein' a parsonl might ave known
better than to want to do it. e says
to me: I've told you five times to
mend that hedge so that the pig can't
get out So it might be five times, but
I'm a gardener, not rememberer; still
I'm not worm and I won't be spoke
to of Sunday afternoon by no man.
Now think of it, it was as much your
fault, Mr. 'Ardman. if you'll excuse me
for sayin' so, as it was lis. pointed
out to i'm that the 'ole in the edge was
in the right place. The pig didn't get
into our garden, only into the paddock.
Then e said that the pig went acrorst
the paddock and got into your garden
and ed just turned it out. So he be-
gan abusin' of me and praisin' of you,
Mr.. 'Ardman."
"Speak of me, did you? You don't
call to mind no details, l suppose,
| Wick
| '"E said YOU were good man, and
the best church warden e ever ad, and
you'd got more real talent for gard min
than any man in the parish. They
was nice words to use TO me! Any'ow,
we've got the new danlia, and you can't
buy that in shops, nor get it at all ex-
one else in Gavisham will get it for two
years to come. 1t amt in the CATER
logs, and e said that e wouldn't ave
you interfered with and annoyed. Then
e said. as ed have given me notice ii
it 'ad been Monday; 'owever, I'll give
i'm notice"
NOW, WICK, you just listen to me, y
interrupted Hardman.
The controversy which followed was
long and illogical, and the more obsti-
nate man prevailed. Hardman was the
more obstinate man.
The result of the controversy was
that Wick knocked out his pipe and
entered the church with Hardman,
trifle late Mr.. Claxton noticed their
entrance, and worked the pale yellow
gloves off again under cover of the
general thanksgiving. Mr.. Hardman,
for the first time in his life, handed the
plate around without wearing gloves at
all.
Rev. Mr. Lacey and Mr.. Hardnan
have both mended their hedges Henry
Wick is still in Mr. Lacey's service, and
desires to commence an orchid-house
Mr.. Hardman possesses a specimen OF
the new dahlia, and has just finished
a leg of capital pork-a present from
the vicar-which was eaten with onion
stuffing and associations Barry Pain
in London Black and White.
An Inquiring Mind.