The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-09
"TRIP TO CHURCH
Il THAT FAILED.
Woman In Green Did Her Best,
bot the Fat Woman
Couldn't Understand.
Say. is Rockefeller here9'

~ ~SS inc AAbO WAAAIAANH 49,
over in her seat and whispered this ques-
ton to the slim in a green tailored
gown.
The great church auditorium was already
more than Allied with @ congregation col
leoeavely irreproechabls as TO attire; indi-
vfdually. perhaps Questionable AZ % mo-
tive.
as he heref' repeated the Stout woman.
resting her svoirdupois upon her neigh
boris unwilling shoulder.
She Of the green costume noted h In
satiable usefulness of her ~questionsr's
tired eye shifting In thsir puffy sockets
and the consciousness Of her power 90
crafty the longing swelled her pride. From
her vantage in a front scat Of the rear gal
lery she had for fifteen minutes been look
ing down upon the richest man in the world.
The organ was playing a soft sooonnpani-
ment to the rustling inflow Of worshippeis
and the murmured conversation Of thoss
already seated.
Yes. " she said. she 10 here.'
A g~loating smile quirked the stout
woman's thin lips. and abe tried TO rubber.
though the style Of her physique was poorly
suited TO such an act.
@wherep where,'
With an effort tho informant ooniured
her latent expository powers.
in the middle section. about swo-ffths
OF the distance from the rear
or course more explicit directions were
needed to bring down the millionaire
seekers lowering gaze.
you see the woman with the magenta
roses on her hstp'
The seeker nodded vaguely.
'well, the man directly in front Of her
Is he
Then with the self-approvsl attendant
J upon a duty well performed the woman in
green resumed listening 20 he organ
prelude. now approaching its finale.
The choir vas well under way in the
J first anthem. the tenor was making frantic
| efforts to balance himself on upper G and
\ the egotistic soprano had taken her note
calamity with a running high jump, when
the stout woman leaned over again and
mudged her distracted neighbor.
did you say the woman had white
feathers on her hat?"
Her tone was slightly apologize, but
she was cropping persistently for the light.
NO, no, magenta roses; the woman next
to her has a light blue waist and a gray
feather. MIR. Rockefeller ia precisely in
front of her the woman with the magenta
hat"
-Oh, yes"
! The seeker smiled with the steely deter
mination of a Christian Scientist and for
an instant she seemed to share the faith Of
her instructor, who opened the hymnal with
an air of confidence. But when they had
risen under the cover OF the hymn she once
! more gave evidence OF her benighted con-
dition.
DO you mean that man with a bald
crown and white hair?"
The slim, green tailored woman swept
q look over the heads of the congregation.
with a bald crown and white hair?- she
repeated.
At least seven out OF every ten OF the
masculine portion answered the description
completely; the remaining three-tenths
made good in one or the other particular.
Well. no, l don't mean the hydraheaded
creature you describe; he. Mr.. Rockefeller.
has silver gray hair. Don't you see? Right
in front of the woman with"
silver gray hair? ! thought he wore a
wig"
Yes, OF course, it's a wig. but
This animated conversation and the
HYMN ended simultaneously.
"Ye-e-s," faltered the questiouer de-
iectedlv az she sank into her seat.
For three-Qlarters OF an hour the force
full dramatic preacher from Liverpool
spoke TO a motionlsss, almost bTeathlsss
audience. The little woman who had
coached the millionaire hunter was also
under the spell, yet her OF ear WAS sensi-
tive to the inward writings of the I'M
appeaaed sightseer. Once the suffering
enthusiast forgot herself 30 far az 10 laugh
at a Joke OF the speakers, but the next
moment abe breathed the a~gonized whisper,
"oh, 1 wish I could see him"
The prolonged. nuttering sigh that went
I'D from the congregation as the speakers
final word fell into silence was but a faint
echo Of the gasp of relief that heralded the
stout woman's renewal OF her quest.
They were standing for the last hymn
when she resumed her c-ross-questioning:
did you say In the centre aisle?'
In the middle section-the middle row OF
seats"
an the centre aisle?" persisted the seeker.
Now the young woman in the green
costume knew that in a modern church
an aisle ia a passage and that IL would be
unlawful in a crowded auditorium TO OBJ
strlct such a passage but she made a
concession to the stout woman's idiosyn-
Grassy. !
her Jaws and began with the rudiments :
again, determined TO lead the subject Of
her altruism, step by step, TO victory.
Now, look at the centre aisle; count two
pillars from the back OF the church-about
two-ffths Of the distance from the rear"
She glanced down at her listeners worn.
fitting eyes to find that they were looking
anywhere, everywhere but at the spot indi-
Gated by her graphic description. Never
theless, she continued with the confidence
OF one whose method il beyond criticism.
you see there is only one hat with ma
nenta roses in all that section, and that il
next TO the light blue waist and gray
feath--'
There's a red hat over in the side aisle
near the front, is that the one?"
Don't look over there; look in the middle
section. See, you get his profile now, he's
singing with his son-the black haired mar
at his left"
"Oh, his son. Is he there, too"
The sightseer was exultant even in her
despair.
yes, you see the black-haired mani?
Well, now look at the man on his right. !
with his face turned. half around. You
an mistake him. His attitude"
The speaker reddened with the con-
sciousness that everyone within twelve
feet could hear, but in her philanthropic