The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-27

The Minister'S Bureau
ALGEESNOO GISSTNG.
Expense" etc, etc
BY ALGERNON G1ssTNG,
Author The Scholar of societys Expense etc. etc
1898, by Alsernon GIssIng)


fects took place, and the young minister
thought he could not do better than show
himself Familiarity at such a Characteristic
assembly His mother supported the idea,
telling the girl JEANNE that he would be
better out of the way whilst they got the
remainder of the things into order. What
ever he might be in the pulpit, in "redding
up house Cornelius was pronounced out
OF place. So he went.
As was expected, nearly all his flock was
present as well as that Of the rival estab-
Iished denomination, including the clergy
man. the Rev. Z. G. Holonutt The latter
was kind and affable, fraternally greeting
his young friend" and fellow-laborer, and
pressing on him all the kind offices in his
power This naturally strengthened Mr..
pobinson, and his nervousness resolved it
self into an effIsive but quite genuine cor
diality.
"Ha. you've Just missed old Hudspeth,'
remarked the vicar. as the sale was about
20 begin He'd have been a problem for
YOU Mr.. Dickinson, worthy OF your novi-
tiate. He puzzled us all and slipped US all at
last But rest be with him"
Amen heartily" the other exclaimed.
'Did he, then, belong 10 no persuasion?
"'ro all he steadily asserted. Certainly he
VltuUeFdleQ
itv. But l believe he was Shaker in his
heart"
"A Quaker?"
"A Shaker-don't you know the sect? All,
we'll I'll explain it to you another time.
so-called 1 suppose, because they shake
every established order, ha! ha! Level us
all down to uniform insignificance. He
would have given you a problem in con-
version"
But the auctioneer's voice sounded, and
all crowded to the first lot.
II was at this sale, some two hours later,
that Mr. Dickinson bought his bureau. He
didn't possess one, and as he felt 1t
right thing for a minister to have, he ven
tured on the three pounds to which the
article in question was carried by the one
broker who was there, universal applause
greeting the spirited victory Of the young
minister Although Mr.. Dobinson was far
above the consideration of any ignoble eff
feet of his acts, he was not displeased when
told afterwards that this piece of behavior
alone had decided two recalcitrant men,
bers of his meeting ito give him a hear
ing"
Truly. the workings of the spirit are be-
yond our KEN as the minister himself OBJ
served when producing this incident to his
mother in extenuation of what he knew
savored of extravaganza and pride. Nor
was this the only effect to result from the
purchase of that bureau.
There was nothing extraordinary in the
piece OF furniture itself. 1t was made Of
oak, with a slanting top and drawers be-
low, with brass handles, and looked service
able and buslnesslike in the room Mrs. Dob
inson had plainly furnished as her sons
study The young minister was intensely
proud of it. He knew this, and frequently
rebuked himself when, pretending to COM
pose his sermon, he would lean back in his
chair and gloat over the novel possession like
a boy over his frs. trousers. In particularly
abandoned moments ne got up and eyed the
article from various parts of the room,
bending his head this way and that to
heighten the effect of it. After the fatiguing
efforts, therefore, of his first Sabbath, it
was not surprising that he dreamt, not of
his congregation, but of his bureau.
1t was a striking and a vivid dream, and
one likely to make deep impression on one
of simple mind like Mr.. Dobinson. He mar
rated it all to his mother the next morning,
and on her advice to the Rev. E. G.. Hollo-
mutt later in the day. Briefly it was this:
The young man dreamt that entering his
study. he saw Old Hudspeth sitting at the
bureau with an open folio before him. AL
though he had never known Mr. Hudspeth
I'm life he knew Immediately that the figure
was his, and from tho description he gave
OF it to the vicar, what was stranger still
was that a vivid likeness of old Hudspeth
It actually was, down to the very hair on
the tip of his nose. The old gentleman rose
and shook hands with him-"Ay. a Shaker,
you see," interposed the vicar facetiously
and congratulated him on having. obtained
the bureau. In no hands could he leave it,
he said with more satisfaction. Only he
must attach to it one condition. 1t was the
recollection Of this particular moment in the
interview, said Edr. Dickinson, that thrilled
him more than I'll, for Mr. Hudspeth fixed
his eyes on him with peculiar expression,
and at the same time. without lowering
his eyes to the book itself, placed his finger
at d particular passage on the page which
lay open, seeming to direct the minister to
read. He did read, and remembered clearly,
Icing much struck by the words, although
he could not for the life of him recall a
single one of them. Those words apparently
constituted the condition. for Mr.. Hudspeth
said no more. Indeed, as Mr.. Dobinson
looked up from the page: the old gentleman
had disappeared and the minister awoke.
Mr.. Holonutt pointed out the inconveni-
ence of having a bad memory, and asked the
minister how he proposed to recover the
condition upon which the bureau had been
entrusted to him. This had puzzled the
dreamer. but he hoped that the words of it
might recur to him at some unexpected mo-
ment like other things did which were tenn
porarily forgotten.
Lets hope, at any rate, that he won't de-
prive YOU of your bureau for not fulfilling
the conditions" observed the vicar. I'VE
shall have 10 come with bell. book and
candle if he attempts"
Mr.. DobinsOn, however, didn't always I'M
derstand a joke and in this matter he was
very serious. so on his return he I'M
pugned his mothers wisdom in sending him
to the priest" The Young man regarded
the dream anything but a flight of the
imagination, and in the incomplete state in
which it stood the experience threatened to
prove prejudicial 20 the opening of his min
isterial career. 1t made him appear con-
siantly preOccupied, an aspect not viewed
with any favor by flock. when at least the
subject of II is a manageable young man.
So Mr. Dobinson had his difficulties from
the very first, and from overweening
pride in his bureau he turaed to an incipient
dread Of it, and confessed to his sympa-
thetiC mOther however. fillIv nerited