The Jennings daily record., 1902-03-31


When Carson Vaughn took charge
| of Trinity church and Of its congre-
| cation he did not dream of the rocks
| that lay in his apparently smooth path.
In fact, the rocks did not develop un-
| til after the Christmas holidays. The
| trouble began in small difference of
| opinion concerning Christmas decora
| tions. Some wicked girls bent upon
| shocking the more sedate nSmbers
| mixed mistletoe with the moss that
was twined around the altar Rev.
| Carson Vaughn had sided with the
| sedate ones and the mistletoe was Sc,
| aside. Everybody had treated the mat
| ter as joke, that is everybody save
| the ringleader of the wicked ones,
| pretty Young society reporter She
| took the matter not only seriously
but vengefully, and forthwith proceed
| ed to make the Rev. Carsons life
| burden to him. Taking down his SER
| mons in shorthand and criticising his
| English afterward in open scorn, was
one of the favorite vents for her dis
| pleasure, but there were others.
| Vaughn felt himself sighted and ridi-
| culed at every turn. He was reso-
lulS Hdu anu HelU on HIS way
but he could not help knowing that
| Mable Anderson was at the bottom of
| all his trouble and he would have had
| more mildness than the average strong
man possesses if he had not once or
twice heartily wished her out of his
parish. For instance, when Nable per-
suaded the young people to boycott the
fair he held for the benefit of the Old
| Woman's Home. The sedate ones SYM
pathized with the harassed preacher.
but as they were chiefly business men
! and mothers of families they could be
of little practical assistance Sym
| pathy alone will not get up a fair. The
home was relieved by subscription and
the war waxed warmer. The climax
| came when in the beginning
of lent Vaughn preached from
the text: Little children love
one another Those who We're
unprejudiced declared it the best
sermon he had ever preached, but
Mable bit off the end OF her report
ing pencil and left the church. After
that her pew knew her no more, and
when any one attempted to sound her
on the subject she would respond with
eloquent disdain:
Don't mention him.
| Carson was relieved He could
write a sermon now without concen-
trating his whole attention upon it's
grammatical construction and he could
deliver il without feeling that he was
watched by eyes keen to criticise. He
would perhaps not have said Openly
with his lips that he was glad To have
| 6 a kon off hor Of nj r.,
cation but he was. and there were
more than enough tS~nouce his tree
dom from restraint.
Il do believe, Nab, he is actually
glad to get rid of YOU" one of her girl
chuIns coilfided sweetly.
No doubt he is, my dear" Nab re-
piled smoothly. but he can't be half
/ SIS glad 10 get rid of me as I am to
get rid of him. Still the hit hurt, as
the girl chum knew it would, and Miss
Anderson began to feel that her dig
| nifty demanded demonstration.
| The very next Sunday morning found
her wheeling out toward Trout creek
with basket and rod. To an old gentle
man who piled her with inquiries she
explained that she was going fishing.
But on Sunday, my dear young
lady! Why, what will your preacher
say to you?"
"Oh, my preacher doesn't care what
I do SO long as l do not come to
church." she replied gayly.
Of course poor Carson heard all
| about it before the week was two
days older and Saturday evening
| found him sitting over his study fire
! feeling that he ought to do something
desperate, and unable to decide what
! the something should be. Gradually
| however, resolution took shape, and
/ with a shiver of reluctance he pulled
| on his heavy coat and went out into
| the cold February night.
| Miss Anderson was at home. She
| the Criterion and was lying on the
| library rug watching the play of the
| freight on the ceiling when Mr.
| Vaughn entered unannounced.
Il wished to see you alone,' he ex-
| planned as she scrambled to her feet,
there are some points of difference
between us that it would give me great
pleasure to reconcile"
"Oh, / don't know" she responded
carelessly, I'm sure that | am quite
satisfied with the situation
But l am not" he cut in sternly.
you have spread the report that I
~ Go Z -,
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