Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-12-21
: H MINISTER'S
!: FILTRATION.
!; @BY M. QUAD.
COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY G. 3. LEWIS.


The Rev. George Peters of the First
Presbyterian church Of bonneville was
a young man Of about rs. 1t was his
FIRST call, but it was agreed that his
sermons were the best ever delivered
before that congregation. He was also
popular In a social way, and, taken all
around, he had q standing that few
young ministers could boast Of. When
he had been in bonneville six months,
he had made just two enemies. These
were an old maid named Angelina Har-
ris and her father. Neither was an open
enemy, but Angelina was piqued and
provoked and somewhat imbittered be-
cause the minister had kept clear of
the matrimonial net she would have
thrown about him. She would have
been willing to make q match of it
with almost any one. but it was the
ambition of her soul to marry a clergy
man. She struck the young reverend's
trail at an early date, and she followed
1t with ardor and persistency until he
was obliged to give her the cold snub.
As she was n of his flock, and as her
father was a would be pillar of the
church, the snub wasn't ice cold or full
Of carpet tacks, but he made his mean
ing plain nevertheless.
From that hour Angelina Harris had
1t In mind to do that good man up. She
didn't give her hand away by throwing
out little slurs and innuendoes, because
she would have found no one to listen
to her, but she set herself to watch and
bide her time. He who watches and
bides finds an opening sooner or later.
As Angelina was keeping tab on eur
rent events a widow named Moreland
moved to bonneville from Chicago.
She was young, rich, vivacious and
took her place at the head of society
at once. She occupied a house exactly
opposite the one in which the minister
lodged, and it was also next door on
the left to that occupied by Mr.. Har-
ris. She hadn't got settled yet when
Angelina made up her mind hat her
cue was to watch for something be-
tween the new arrival and the minis
Ter. Ole SlZGO Lut NluOW up lOI a MI
and, though she had never seen the
Rev. Peters indulge in anything of the
kind, there was nc telling what he
might do II coaXed on by a designing
woman
A couple of weeks had passed when
one hot afternoon the Chicago widow
sat down at an open window to read
and fan herself. She hadn't been there
ten minutes when the Rev. Peters sat
down at one of his second story win
dows to do the same thing. The wild
ow didn't see him, and he didn't see
the widow, but Angelina saw them
both. She saw the widows fan waved
in n way that said, Glad to see you"
and the reply was waved back, MANY
thanks" Then the widows fan began
an outrageous filtration, and the mill
ister's fan kept company with IT, ana
ever when she waved that she thought
she could love him for himself alone he
wasn't driven off the field. The snuD-
bed girl had watched and bided, II IN
n day or two a social thunderclap shook
the town.
The father Of Angelina. would be
pillar, etc., had not found the Rev.
Peters as clay in his hands, as he mao
hoped for, and his effort to run
things connected with the church 10
suit his own ideas had not proved sue
cessful. He had put up with uelea'
as meekly as possible, but, IKE Ahse-
lima, he was on the watch ana 'ne
bide. That his only child and favorlte
daughter should have failed to make
a sentimental impression was aho'liei
thorn in his side, and a smile Oh sa.is,
faction lighted his face as II calleu
him to witness the last FIVE minutes ol
the Irritation. With his w eyes III
saw those fans working as IL ull'.n
by steam power. He wasn't a man ~
stand anything Of that sort even u Nv
hadn't had a grievance. He drew 'ne
line at q minister riding the oiAe VI
PLAYING croauet and thought ne was
oyerliberal at that. Within d ia! Nc
and Angelina had taken care that aoou.
80 different members OF the ci'ion T.,
been posted on the Irritation.
needless to say that people were uunl-
founded and that the Rev. Peters way.
bled about and almost fell down Ill a
faint when he heard the gossip o Ms
for the Widow Moreland, she was m nn5
han astonished, but of course shc n" ~
to riggle over it. When the elders Az. y.
the church doubted the SANITY .oh a
rel,na,s father in spreading SUCH q
Yarn. he vigorously replied: o..zv or
"Ill show you whether III .," and
not, Call a meeting of the ves1Is, "nt
I viii be there to make my st airtation
and nroye it! When l see a ow -
with nv own eyes, 1 guess l kno" 1t
from a load of coal" was called.
A meeting of the elders wa sn ra,1'I IL
It had to be. The minister wa INT wo IS
AZ we'll as Mr.. Harris. Wnen =" II was
ready to take up the CHARGES S,s !" s,ick'
Elder Elder spooner who asked in his S'''A'
suave way: .u,,s how long
since c,' YOU firted with a woman me- ,ndis.
''" Never yer in all my life" was the mug