The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1896-11-19
The Old Church Pew

or Screech owl; call me which of these
YOU like. so long as YOU do not clins
to your heathcnish superstition and de
scribe me as bird of ill-omen.
l am an owl OF venerable age. and
may reasonably expect that you will
pay attention to my whim. Moreover
the whole of my life has been passed
here. in the precincts of this antique
pictures sque, tumble-down church
which. alas, the new rector seems full
ly determined must soon be. what h.
calls. restored. These dear old rafterS
will have to give place to some higl
art invention in way of a ceiling; and
the gh-backed, dark-eaken pews. SC
ondeared to us through sacred memo
ries, will be supplanted by new ones OF
pale yellow wood. l heard them dis
cussing it in the vestry the other day
and | hissed and snapped for more
than an hour after. until nearly chok'
ed with rage and modification.
l could tell you story concerning
each OF these quaint old pews. only
dare say you'll find one enough. So,
as twilight is coming on, I'll fly down
beside you, and perch upon the reading
desk; then you need not strain your
ears to listen.
IL tAlt SdAAlt " spus L NVuih loNArNA
choose the pew with the ragged rcd
hassocks, about half way down the
middle aisle. There are three shabby
looking prayer books. with brown
leather backs, lying on the ledge, one
2 little smaller than the others-ah.
you see it now. Well, had just come
into the world when the owners Of the
two large prayer books first made their
appearance in that pew. My poor dear
parents, now dead and gone, have de-
scribed them to me with much minute.
ness, little guessing what the sad Sc
quel might be.
They were a young couple of most
prepossessing exterior-or, at any rate,
the happiness which shone in the eyes
of both gave one that impression. He
was the village carpenter, and just
married to the girl he had always low
ed, pretty little Rose. the innkeeper's
daughter.
My father and mother brought me up
to take friendly interest in every in
dividual belonging to our congrega-
ton; but more especially did they
watch, with pleasure, the weekly de-
votions of these two young creatures.
For they were regular church-goers
and every Sunday saw them in their
accustomed seats until an event hap
pened to add a new sweetness to the
peaceful sameness of their days.
/ was already a promising young
owlet. and sufficiently intelligent to un-
derstand something of the ceremony
when they brought their tiny infant to
be baptized, down there. over the old
stone font. a fine little fellow, and
how he screamed when the rector--a
splendid type of the regular out and
out gentleman he was, and quite diff
fercnt to our last mportation-took
him in his arms. and sprinlled the holy
water on his miniature rosy visage.
How proud the young mother looked
as she tries TO hush his shr!ll cries.
Ny parents were so highly edited by
the spectacle that they took me- out On
glorious housing expedition that
very night in the farmyard which lies
TO the right OF the village pond and
which has since been one OF my favor
ite haunts.
All, well, time crept On, and the little
babe whom l had last seen and heard
in his christening robe no longer de-
tanned his mother at homo. hut grew
old enough to accompany her and his
father to church.
AZ lLG utE4uu4uS We tllFIAilIltu w
cry hope that the boy would prove a
blessing TO the fond parents, TO whom
he was so evidently all in all. But,
alas! / was the first to note that as
the childish precoci-y Guickened and
developed within him the evil instinct
seemed to predominate, and was ever
ready to eXtinguish the gooi.
He used TO turn round during the
service and make faces at the school
children, then he would take his mar
bles out OF his pocket ana count them
over when his parents were not look
ing. The dear old hymns that my
owls always delighted to hear possess
ed for him not an atom of attraction.
Notwithstanding that he had learned
to read at the village school, he did not
even trouble to follow the words,
though | doubt not that through con-
stantly hearing them some of the lines
must have entered and, perhaps un-
consciously, become engraven on his
brain.
After a few years had thus elapsed
his parents came one Sunday alone,
and | ascertained that the boy. devel-
oping a taste for book learning, had
been apprenticed 10 a bookseller in the
nelghborlng town. Occasionally he re-
turned home for snort holiday and
accompanied his parents as usual 10
the old pew on Sunday morning. But,
alas! his behavior was even less ex-
cusable than of yore. He would either
sleep through the sermon, or, on the
sly, dip into book which he held con-
cealed with a dirty yellow cover
After this, owing to many sad fam
lily losses, my mind was too much
distracted by personal sorrow to oc-
cupy itself with the misfortunes of
others. First, my father died of asth-
ma; and my poor mother heart-broken
at his loss, did not long survive him.
Then my only brother was unfortu-
nately caught in a trap, placed in the
church, believe, by some rural natur-
alist. Unable TO release the poor fel-
low, VINO screamed most piteously.
had in silence TO behold a strange
looking man come ana carry him away