Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-27

to be wasted on food. clothes and rent. a
person cannot live without food; Langly had
| tried it, not an economical experiment,
but largely through forgetfuness, and he
found to his astonshment that hunger ac-
tually forced itself upon his attention, after
a sufficient lapse of time. Tile changeable
English climate not to mention the regula-
tiOns of that moral body, the police force.
compelled him to cover himself, and a room
he needed mainly to keep his stacks OF music
dry. The church of st. Martyrs-in-the-Eas
afforded a very good living to its rector and
a very poor one for its organist, although
If people were paid according to professional
proficiency in this world the salaries of
clergyman and musician might have been
reversed. Those who entered the church
Z door came not to hear the sermon, but to
listen to the music.
Langly never applied for more remunera-
tion, because deep down in his musical soul
he knew he was already taking advantage OF
the generosity of the church authorities,
and he lived in constant fear that some day
they would discover this and righ teously dis
miss him. To be allowed to play on that
splendid instrument, erected at a cost of
an unbelievable amount of money was a
privilege which he felt he ought to pay for,
il he were the honest man the deacons
! thought him.
! He tried to soothe his troubled conscience
by telling it that he would refuse to take
| money were il not that shaet music
! dear, even when bought from the man who
gave the largest discount in London. to whose
! shop Langly tramped miles once week,
/ but thus the guilty have ever endeavored to
! lull the inward monitor. well knowing while
| they did so the sophstry Of their excuses.
! The consciousness of deceit told on Langlys
| manner; he cringed before the rector and
| those in authority. Never did one of the
| kindly but deluded men accost their organ
! ist without causing a timorous fear to spring
| up in his heart that the hour of his dismissal
| had arrived. Yet let moralists say what
! they will the wicked do prosper sometimes
! on this earth when they shouldn't, while
! the innocent suffer for the misdeeds done by
! others. There the case of Belcher, for
! example, and although II must in justice be
| admitted that Belcher's hard luck caused
| the organist many twinges of conscience,
! still, of what avail are twinges of conscience
| when the harm is wrought? If, in our sell
| fshness we bring disaster on a fellow crea-
| ture after regret can scarcely be called repa-
/ ration.
| Belcher was the hard-working industrious
man who pumped the organ in St. Martyrs.
! and besides labOrng during the regular serv-
! ice. 1t was also his duty to attend when the
| organist wished to practice the selections
/ which afterward delighted the congregation.
| This was Belcher's grievance. Langy had
! no "muSsy," as the OverwOrked pumper told
| his sympathizing comrades at the Rose and
| Crown" He would rather follow the vestry
| cart all day with shovel, would Belchor,
! than suffer the slavery he was called upon
| to endure by the unthinking organist, who
never considered that bending the back to a
| lever was harder work than croolling the
! fingers to the keys. Besides, Langly could
| sit down to his labor, such it was, while
| Belcher couldn't. Naturally the put
upon man complained, and Langly at once
| admitted the justice of the complaint, at the
| same time exhibiting a craven fear that a
rumor of his uniustifable conduct might
reach the ears of the church authorities. The
| honest Belcher now regretted that he had
borne his burden so long. for the reprehen-
| sibla organist Immediately offered to COM
| pound with the blower by paying him some
| thing extra each week, II he would say moth
| ing about the additional labor 1t was
| Belcher's misfortune rather than his fault
| that mathematical computation was not one
| of his requirements, and he failed to appre-
! ciata the fact that there was a limit to the
| musicians income a limit very speedily
reached. He was an ill-used man and he
| know 1t, so he struck oftener for higher
! pay and got it, up to the point where
! I.angly insisted that there was not enough
| left TO keep body and soul together, not to
| speak of the purchase of music, and threat
ened to complain to the rector, which at
| last he did, not mentioning, however, that
| ha had received extra remuneration, because
he did not wish to exhibit the organist's
| culpablity in all its responsiveness. He told
| the rector that he would rather accom-
pany the yestry cart in its rounds than ac-
company an organist who had no "mussy"
on pore" man. He was always ready to
pump a reasonable quantity of air, but II
an organist knew his trade so badly that
| he needed to practice so much IL was hard
that the man at the lever should bear the
brunt of his incompetence The rector
thanked Belcher for his musical criticism
and said he would see about It,
While the virtuous Belcher took his walks
abroad with his chin in the air, as BELTS
one who has done his duty, the transgressor
crept along the byways and scarcely dared
to enter the silent church. He lodged the
rector as long as he could, but was at length
run to earth. The kindly old man put his
hand on the culprits shoulder and said
you have been oyerworklng Belcher
hear"
II shall be more thoughtful In future, SIR"
murmured the nervous orEanst in excuse
'I'm agrald I've been playing too much, but
II Is dficult art"
"of course 1t is" interrupted the clergy
man. II have made arrangements to satisfy
the ambition OF Becher, which appears to
tend in the direction of yestry cart and we