The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-27
CHAPTER XII.


CHAPTER XII.
Albert Langly found himself COM
PEELED to search for a cheaper room
The thin young man bitterly regretted
that good money had to be wasted or
food, clothes and rent. A person can
not live without food. Langly had
tried it, not as an economical expert
ment, but largely through forgetful-
ness, and be found to his establishment
that hunger actually forced itself upon
his attention, after a sufficient lapse
of time. The changeable English eli
mate, not to mention the regulations
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-E East afforded very
good living to its rector, and very poor
one for its organist, although if people
were paid according to professional eff
cheney in this world the salaries of
clergyman and musician might have
been reversed. Those who entered the
church door came not to hear the SER
mon, but to listen to the music.
Langly never applied for more re-
Enumeration, because deep down in his
musical soul he knew he was already
/ taking advantage of the generosity of
constant fear that some day they
would discover this and righteously
! dismiss him. To be allowed to play
on that splendid instrument, erected
at the cost of an unbelievable amount
of money. was a privilege which he
felt he ought to pay for, if he were
the honest man the deacons thought
! him.
He tried to soothe his troubled con-
science by telling it that he would re-
fuse to take money were it not that
sheet music were so dear, even when
bought from the man who gave the
] largest discount in London, to whose
shop Langly tramped miles once a
week, but thus the guilty have ever
endeavored to lull the inward monitor,
well knowing while they did so the
sophistry of their excuses. The con-
seriousness 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 organist without causing a timor-
Gus 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 was the case
of Belcher, for eample, and although
it must in justice be admitted that
Belcher's hard luck caused the organ
list many twinges of conscience, still,
of what avail are twinges of conscience
when the harm is wrought? If, in
our selfishness. we bring disater on a
fellow creature, after regret can
scarcely be called reparation.
Belcher was the hard working, in
dustrious man who pumped the organ
in st. Martyrs, and besides laboring
during the regular service, it was also
his duty TO attend when the organist
wished to practice the selections which
afterward delighted the congregation
This was Belcher's grievance. Langly
had no ''mussy," as the overworked
pumper told his sympathizing COM
rades at the Rose and Crown" He
would rather follow the vestry cart all
day with shovel, would Belcher, than
suffer the slavery he was called upon
to endure by the unthinking organist.
who never considered that bending the
back to lever was harder work than
crooking the fingers to the keys Be-
sides, Langly could sit down to his
labor such as it was, while Belcher
couldn't. Naturally the put-upon man
complained, and Langly at once adj
mitted the justice of the complaint. II
the same time exhibiting a craven fear
that a rumor of his unjustifiable con-
duct might reach the ears of the church
authorities. The honest Belcher now
regretted that he had borne his bur
den so long, for the reprehensible or
sanist Immediately offered to compound
with the blower by paying him some
thing extra each week. if he would
say nothing about the additional labor.
1t was Belcher's misfortune rather than
his fault that mathematical commute
ton was one of his requirements. and
he failed to appreciate the fact that
there was limit to the musicians in
come, limit very speedily reached. He
was an ill-used man, and he knew it.
so he struck oftener for higher pay.
and got it up to the point where
Langly insisted that there was not
enough left to keep body and soul to-
gether, not to speak of the purchase
of music. Belcher yearned for the tail
of the vestry cart, and threatened to
complain TO the rector. which at last
he did. not mentioning. however. that
he had received extra remuneration.
because he did not wish to exhibit the
organists culpability in all its repul-
siveness. He told the rector that he
would rather accompany the vestry
cart in its rounds that accompany an
ofganist who had no ''mussy" on q
pore" man. He was always ready to
pump reasonable quantity of air. |
but if an organist knew his trade SO
badly that he needed to practice SO !
much it was hard that the man at the |