The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-11-24

1890 W. y N'' 49,
IN u o. the worldly minded people
see the young men come along and lis
ten for a minute at the church door
and then 60. Now II ye'd had a rous-
In way with yc and made things hot
they'd ha' come right in and might ha'
bin converted"
II am quite aware of my imperfec-
TONS" Mr.. SoD0r said, land am ready
to remove them and myself out Of your
sight and hearing, but l want it under
stood that you have %covenanted with
me to pay me SO much a month and
you haven't done 1t, and l must either
live III credit or starve."
I've lived on credit and traded on
credit" said Deacon Sitter, land no.
body thinks the worse of me. but then
! never was a confessed pauper."
"You are at liberty to live on credit
again." Mr.. Sopor said, "but as a Chris
tian you are o at liberty to force your
pastor to do so. 1t would be a disgrace
to the Christian name."
The meeting grew stormy and adj
journed without any attempt to pay
the pastors salary. The very next day,
however, something happened to rem
der the pastor less anxious about his
salary. He received Il letter, informing
him that an uncle had died, leaving
him an estate of over 100000. Just as
1t was growing dark he started for
the deacon's store, intending to smooth
things over about the salary. The dea-
con, however. had gone home to sup
per and Mr.. Sopor directed his steps
toward his dwelling. He found the
door ajar and vas about to knock with
his knuckles IN the panel when the
door opened and a small parcel was
thrust into his hand, and he heard the
stern voice Of the deacon's wife:
"There! Take that and be off with
you. And don't you come loafng
around here again."
The door was banged in his face.
He stood d~umfounded. Then he turn
ed away with a sigh and went toward
his boarding house, still holding the
parcel. When he reached his apart
ments, he struck n match and lighted
his lamp. Then he looked down at
the parcel which he had laid on the
table. 1t was covered with Il piece Of
brown paper. He took it UP, felt the
weight of it and wondered what It
could be. He had once lent a lamp to
Rachel for her bicycle, but 1t didn't
feel like that. So he slowly removed
the wrapper and found within-two
slices Of stale bread with n slice of
cold meat between them. .
His heart sank. This was indeed a
wicked act, a most u%nprOvoked insult.
1t was throwing the dog a bone and
then kicking him out.
Next Sunday after the preaching Mr..
Sopor told the congregation that he
was going to leave.
"You owe me four or five months
salary, but I'll make a present of 1t to
the church," he said. 81 an sorry I've
had to complain Of poverty because
Of your failure to pay me what YOU
covenanted. Still | am grateful that
at least one among you showed a dis
position to help me. | went to the
door Of one Of the members the other
night, and the lady Of the house kindly
thrust this parcel into my hand"
He held up the parcel, opened 1t and
exhibited the two slices of bread and
the slice Of meat. There was consterna-
ton all around, but most of all In
Deacon Sifter's pew, as the pastor held
up the sandwich and turned 1t In diff
ferent directions SO that all might see
1t. Then he pronounced the benedic-
ton.
I am not informed what the congre-
cation said or thought. I only know
that while the people In the village
were at dinner Deacon Sitter went
round to the pastor and carried him
away to the Sitter dwelling. Mrs.
Sitter had recovered sufficiently from
Mysteries to talk between sobs and
spasms. This was the explanation she
gave:
Just at dusk a tramp came to The
house and asked for something to eat.
Mrs. Sitter put up a big, substantial
sandwich and handed 1t out at the door
to the tramp. al she supposed, for 1t
was pretty dark, and she saw only the
outline of a man. She accompanied
the gift with the admonitions already.
recorded. Afterward she was sorry
she had given the rogue anything, for
she found that her husbands overcoat
was gone and was sure that while she
was getting the sandwich the tramp
had entered through the Enclosed door
and stolen the garment.
So 1t turned out that just after the
tramp had absconded with the coat the
pastor come up to the door, and hence
this story.
MI. Sopor didn't leave the church,
and he did marry Rachel, and l am
going down next week. IL all be well,
to see the baby.-Brooklyn Citizen.
MirrOrs In Show Windows.
Effective results in show windows
are often produced by the aid of mir
rors, doubling the exhibit, or even
seeming indefinitely to extend 1t. A