The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-11-19
DIP. THATcHER's QUEER STORY.

t4--A- irt-l--SS "a --t-4-A-tA p
nc sis and telepathy. Dr. Thatcher, who
vas regarded as q mere provincial. and
! ETho had listened atteltively 70 the mes,
/ extraordinary yarns. asked # ne EliEht
I relate a singular experience OF his own.
Ieiag urged TO the recital and quite
aware that his disclosures would De re-
garde5 as confidential he related the fol-
lowing details Ct an cxpe-ience which,
he youchsd, had eliminated within the
past two years of his life in q Kansas
town.
About the same tine that the pastor o.
the Bethesda church left to accept aAbet-
ter and mere remunerative mission II
Texas, he said, / got letter from Rev.
Payne Dudley Of Manchester. asking me
I country for a young preacher OF his
faith and attachments. As Dudley had
been a classmate Of mine. and rs I had
nc particular reason to doubt the high
: Qualities Of his character and attain
:. Tnents. I Immediately thought Of the pos
'sibility Of securing hisc for Bethesda
c1urcn. Of which I was 4 reputed mem
Der. though. I must say. neither an ac-
tive servitor nor a very cdifyinS sup
pct That very evening a committee OF
( church members called at my house ard
asked whether I could suggest anyone
{ for the vacant. pastorate.
Without stopping 70 consider the awk-
ward DTe1tcaEcnts that might ensue 4
Dullcy proved 10 be . failure or Q d.sap-
+ po.ntment. / at once mentioned his name
described him as handsome. eloquent
and earnest young clergyman. said that
+ h had been classmate Of mine ana in
tinlated that. If properly approached. he
might be willing to come 20 Us \ CORE
! spondcnce was begun between the vestry-
men and Rev. Mr.. Dudley, and the quick
result 80 the whole business was that he
c. me West, called al my house and, being
Hospitality invited. took up his tempo
rary residence with NE. I need not 60
irlo the particulars of his instant success
with his new paTishioneTs. During the
three or four weeks of his stay ar my
house, I VIII not say thct he cVaGed M
Inquiries about his career since we left
college but gradually became Impressed
v IN the notion that he preferred 10 keep
lis own counsel about his past. He had
been in n obscure mission in Vermont,
had lest track of all our mutual friends
in a word. we had nothing in common.
think il must have been about. the
fC urth day after his arrival and installa-
ton in nay house. that / got late call
from patient in one of the near by Wiz
lagos. 1t was my habit 70 80 out the
back door ard get into my buggy in front
the barn, driving thence out the side
read. which led past my porch 70 the
a. I glanced toward my front door I saw
q young woman sitting on the TOP step
G the porch stairs. with her head upon
her knees. J stopped and called to her
asking Did YOU wish To see the doctor
Miss But she rose quickly 10 her feet
ailIed down the steps and went swiftly
access the lawn in the opposite direction
4 that in which I was bent. I must have
forgotten al about this incident the next
aay when. about noon. taking turn 10
ny arb3r. 7 saw the same Young wo1sar
standing under a poplar tree across the
street watching me. As knew every enc
In town, and as this particular stranger
showed an uncommon fascination for InE
place I at once decided that her pres
eLce had something to DO with the pres
cnce OF Rev. Payne Dudley.
even went 50 far as to ask him
whether he had noticed q pa;e. brown
haired young woman. ia dark dress.
lettering about. but he answered frankly
that he had not. He G7t rooms of his
own soon after that COINS into the fat
over ThornburEs book store There was
nc p.csoytery. and Dudley. delighted with
the generosity of his new congregation.
v-as. apparently very proud and very mach
Interested in his new home. confessed
I didn't half like him bet as / was now
regarded IS his sponsor, and as everyone
had a word of praise for him. I was
obliged % smother m antipathies, and
encouraged him as far rs / could. With
this purpose in view 7 attended service
Oh the Sunday of lis first sermon. bat.
try rs I might 1 couldn't get my mind
either upon him or his utteranees For
the woman ! had seen on my doorstep.
and who mad disappeared the same time
that Dudley moved. was In the church.
4, first she sat In a dark pew Well back
toward the door. but once. I'm the middle
o. sAe sermon, she came CUT INTO the a,sie
-" ~ 1i-''-'s" Nis '"Nt T." ara 1ii'
ct-hlel IN across 'ne c3ipeted PLATFORM
ai'. GUY - s-.Hl INTO '-.t leanep
or q @-.u asseo AT h'shoers, NJ ne
j. 'nal woman but ~ ha9n notlced
~ ~-Ie lOl'neI Iil" lhe i"eAtl'y OF lis
- ranger VINO seemed % re ioiio"''S 'l'.
ua-ey' out lhat VS. the nor OF ta'
Nreck on the O. -. ard ~. and Tor two
weeks ai'er['aTd was lmprsssed int'
.its service OF ths Falif1tu' teho-hE the ili-
Jo7u an" assisting the company SUR
90. operas eils
F'as 9uite ragged out when J got home
.'-~ .--uil t1tShu services iof e"o @.
.i-Iee alliays our one eFenins anout
--ll en- a9uF ..i'er me ere ~ huliiel
lfssei 'hfoush town Fl'so sing. tha
station agent came ~ 20 ms mouse Win
sent T. ne al the way from Boston
I asAed me eh.Il ms name lie was ao9t.
81 .+i'-t y'-t.-,f eHr.S-. N'.i-
Dudley hen he took letter from h-s
ecNet X was addressed 20 ne out un-
s.e0- nc l.1t .'ol,e- - come rom ~ es
me boy Ralph was his that b. seemed TO /
l.-Ne dsseItad t-ie ehi.2 ana iaat unless
20 .'tlte- 'o-ii- ~ ii' ,.4 80 ---i1 q,
s' - .e ~