The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-05-16
THE CHURCH MILITANT.
BY BARRY PAIN.

AS 1 passed the vicarage, 1 thought
that it looked q likely place. walked
on a few yards, and then it seemed
to me a pity not to see if the place was
as good as it looked. So / went back
and asked at the bacE door If they could
give me a job of work.
The kitchenmaid said there was no
work for me, and she was not inclined
TO talk. But she fetched me some bread
and cheese. and l had a nance TO looIl
round. marked the s~cuilery window;
it was out of sight of the road, fas-
tened with the usual simple catch. with
no bars or shutters. y regular invita-
tion-a window like that is. 1t seemed
to me a one-man jot, and just as good
that night as any other night.
So that night, by half-past ten, l was
in the shrubbery of. the vicaragc gar
den. smoking my pipe and watching
the house. There was only one light:
itwaS in the study W indOws downstairs
At II o'clock that light went out and
another appeared in the upstairs VIII
dow. That's all right" l said TO my
self. Parsons finished writing his
sermon and gone up to bed" When the
whole house was dark, / went round It
once or twice, just 10 see how things
lay. l couldn't tini anything better
than the scullery window, but that was
quite good enough. / was impatient
TO begin, but 1 did not consider it safe
TO start work until half-past twelve.
The window gave me more trouble than
l had expected; the catch was very
stiff. and l had nothing but my pocket
knife to force it back with. However.
I got it back at last and opened the vim
dow very slowly, an inch at 4 time, max
ing no noise. Then l got in.
| no sooner got my feet doHn on the
scullery floor than | was knocked head
long. and found a 13-stOne weight on
nv chest. l asked it, speaking under
difficulties, TO get of again. l was a
bit daznd. for / lad come down hard
and bumped my head, but l saw the
only thing to do was TO sham drunk.
-snd l spoke thickly. 1 undid n end
of my collar. pulled my hair over my
forehead. hung my lower lip, and rut
On a bieary stare. by the time that
man had got off my chest, struck a
match on the heel of his boot, and lit the
candle behind him, ! looked a complete
drunk if ever any man did.
| could see now that the man who
had knocked me over was Rev. VIII
liam Lake himself. And the more L
looked at him, the more l felt sorry that
/ had ever come.
Well" he said, you dirty little
.Einger-headed, two-penny h~alf-penny
scoundrel, what are you doing here
l hiccoughed and answered: Thor
thish was my housh-nummer twenty
Nillctsh Terrish. Amt thish rip"
That won't d." he said; Il heard
YOU round the house an hour ago-or l
shouldn't have been here waiting for
YOU. Besides, drunken men don't
open windows that way. You're not
drunk. Drop it,"
thought about it Tor a moment, and
saw that there was a good deal in what
he said. So l dropped it. l fastened
nv collar again, sat up, and pulled of
my cap.
Very WELL" 1 said, then what's the
move now?"
L suppose he saw my hand slipping
round, for he said, quickly: Have you
any weapons"?
"Bless you, no! 1 only"
Before l could finish he was sitting
Oh me again. 1 tried a smash at him,
but he caught my wrist and nigh broke
it. After that L didn't try again. 1t
wasn't only that he was bigger. heavier
and stronger than most men,; he was
quick as light, and you could never
tell from his eye what he was going to
Go next. He went all over me carefully
and took my knife, and the shooter, and
my Jenny. Then l saw that the game
Vas up.
What a silly little liar you are!" he
said.
As l have said, 1 saw that it was all
I'D. and l couldn't make it any worse.
1 was a good deal disappointed, and l
had been roughly handled. and alto
gether l was not in the sweetest temper.
So l spoke cat. 1 said that l did not
want any iduJeSti'e Othi'VSuJ PASaSLi
ing from a Substantive omitted) like
himself. All / asked was what his lad
jectiye omitted) move was.
IF you swear any more" he said, i
shall be compelled to you consid-
cradle physical pain"
1 had a bumped head and a barked
elbow. I was fairly COPIED. and my