Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-13

TINE sexton stood IN the porch OF MILFORD
Westinghouse pulling Justify at the bell
rope The old people Of the village came
stopping along the street. Children with bright
faces tripped merrily beside their parents or
mimicked a graver gait in the conscious dig
nifty Of their Sunday clothes. Spruce bache-
lors looked sidelong at the pretty maidens, and
fancied that the Sabbath sunshine made them
prettier than on week days. When the throng
had mostly streamed into the porch. the sex
ton began to toll the bell, keeping his eye on
the Rev, Mr.. Hooper's door. The first glimpse
of the cergymans figure was the signal for
the bell to cease its summons.
But what has good Parson Hooper got upon
his face" cried the sexton in establishment
All within hearing Immediately turned about
and beheld the semblance of Mr.. Hooper pac.
ing slowly his meditative way toward the meet
ing-house. With one accord they started ex-
pressing more wonder than if some strange
minister were coming to dust the cushions Of
Mr.. Hoopers pulpit
The cause Of so much amazement may ap-
pear sufficiently slight Mr. Hooper a gentle
manly person of about thirty, though still a
bachelor was dressed with due clerical neat.
ness, as If "A careful wife had starched his band
and brushed the weekly dust from his Sundays
garb There was but one thing remarkable
in his appearance. Swathed about his forehead
and hanging down over his face, so low as TO
be shaken by his breath, Mr.. Hooper had on a
black veil On a nearer view. II seemed to con
sist Of two folds Of crepe, which entirely con
cealed hts features except his mouth and chin
but probably did not intercept his sight fur
Their than to give a darkened aspect 10 all liy-
ing and inanimate things. With this gloomy
shade before him good Mr.. Hooper walked on
ward at a slow and quiet pace, STOPPING some
what and looking on the ground, is custom
AIRY with distracted men, though nodding kind
ly 10 those OF his parishioneTs who still waited
on the Westinghouse steps But so wonder
struck were they that his greeting hardly met
with q return.
Such was the effect Of this simple piece of
crepe that more than one woman OF delicate
nerves was forced TO leave the meeting house
Yet perhaps the pae-faced congregation was
almost as fearful a sight to the minister as his
black veil 10 them.
Mr. Hooper had the reputation of a good
preacher but not an energetic one; he strove
10 win his people heayenward by mild, per
suasive influence rather than to drive them
thither by the thunders Of the word The ser
mon which he now delivered was marked by
the same characteristics OF style and manner
as the general series OF his pulpit oratory but
there was something either In the sentiment OF
the discourse itself or I'm the Imagination of the
auditors which made II greatly the most power
full effort that they had ever heard from their
ly than usual with the gentle gloom Of Mr.
Hooper's temperament The subject had ref
erence 10 secret sin and those sad mysteries
which we hide from our nearest and dearest
and would faiu conceal from our own con
Eciousness, even forgetting that the omuiscient
can detect them. subtle power was breathed
into his words. Each member If the Congre-
cation, the most innocent girl and the man OF
the hardened breast, felt as If the preacher had
crept upon them behind his awful veil and dis
covered their headed inQuity of deed or
thought.
The afternoon service was attended with
similar circumstance. At the conclusion the
bell tolled for the funeral OF a young lady. The
relatives and friends were assembled in the
house and the more distant acquaintances stood
about the door, speaking of the good qualities
OF the deceased, when their talking was inter
rupted by the appearance OF Mr. Hooper, still
covered with his black veil 1t was now an
appropriate emblem The clergyman stepped
into the room where the corpse was laid, and
bent over the coffin to take a last farewell OF
his deceased parishoner AS he stopped. the
veil hung straight down from his forehead, so
that If her eyelids had not been closed forever,
the dead maiden might have seen his face.
That night the handsomest couple in NIL
ford village We're to be Joined in wedloCk.
Though reckoned a melancholy man, Mr. Hoop
er had a placid cheerfulness for such occasions
which often excited a sympathetic smile where
hvelier merriment would have been thrown
away There was no quality Of his disposition
which made him more beloved than this. The
company at the wedding awaited his arrival
with Impotence, trusting that the strange awe
which had gathered over him throughout the
day would now be dispelled. But such was not
the result When Mr.. Hooper came. the first
thing that their eyes rested on was the same
horrible black veil which had added deeper