Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-07-21
CHAPTER XIII-Continued.

news in them from Joan. The great
est piece OF news that came from
Mary, who dealt with 1t by the page,
and which was briefly treated by Joan,
was the staggering information that
the congregation had asked for Mr..
Presbrey's resignation. This news
came while Eric was in Munich. COM
pleting a brief course of study in that
city, some little time before he was
to return to America. He had gone
first to Vienna and her to Munich,
after finishing the course at the Beaux
Arts.
From all that he could make out of
the disconnected. almost exuberant
letter. Mr.. Presbrey had undertaken
to put himself and God over and above
Horace Blagden in the management Of
the church. with dire consequences to
at least one Of the allies. q am quot
ing Mary almost literally.) 1t seemed
that Mr.. Presbrey misconstructed a
certain listlessness OF the part of the
great man of Corinth; he took it that
Mr.. Blagden was losing his force as a
dominant. leader. that he no longer
held the reins in a rigid grip, so to
speak. The worthy pastor o o heart.
He assumed an independence that,
through cultivation. grew rapidly into
arrogance. He openly defield Horace
at a time when 1t seemed most unlike
~ that that gentleman would rise from
the ashes of his hopes to take issue
with him.
The controversy had a trivial be-
ginning. Mr.. Presbrey "took sides
In a choir squabble. The soprano and
the tenor, 1t appears, quarreled
over the proper way to interpret a
e in one of the Easter anthems.
The fact that it was a contralto and
bass duet doesn't seem to AVE mat
tered, although you'd think 1t would.
The bass and the contralto were not
nnnop11tn6 NNIo~y 1vo~D i-~@.>l No.
tunately for the congregation, they
sung 1T in their own sweet way and no
one was aware of the fact that the
anthem was ruthlessly spoiled until it
became known that the soprano and
tenor were not on speaking terms with
a other.
Then the pews began to take notice
of the dissension in the loft. Inside of
a fortnight, the entire congregation
was involved. Mr.. Presbrey came out
flat-footed for the tenor. who. on
week days. gave vocal lessons in re-
spectacle support Of a teacher in the
Sunday school-his wife, by the way
and did not smoke nor drink. More
over, he advised his pupils to abstain
from smoking and drinking. Neither
habits was good for the voice, he ex-
planned. The soprano, on the other
hand. was a good looking young wom-
an. who went to Boston twice q week
to take lessons, and who spent all
h earned on hats and things to be-
deck herself with, so that the men in
the pews would think she could sing,
though their wives told them she
singing. secular songs Of a rather
buoyant character at public en-
tertainments in the opera house,
and she a spent an entire season in
the chorus of the English Opera COM
pany in Boston, ostensibly for the
fr0inSroop IL rryn~ ~0S1 l-,A ~--@-Is-- Il
certain ladies in the congregation, in
the hope that she might some day he
requested to appear in tights. The
soprano was conscious Of a very good
figure.
Well; to get back to Mary's letter:
MI. Blagden suddenly threw off his
!ethargy. The soprano. it so happened,
had been elevated to the choir on his
recommendation, and as he paid the
weekly salaries Of the quartet out of
ms own purse, no n had the right to
object to his selection, although nearly
every woman in the church knew of
someone better qualified than Miss
Smith. And. so, in the midst of petty
strife. Horace, like the big man that
he was. snapped his fingers smartly
and the whole congregation scusried
back to the fold in a most amiabls way.
The surprised MIR. Prebrey was left
alone. a sflorn. stark figure to face the
result Of his convictions.
He resolved to stand his ground. The
soprano u go. Likewise the fiddler
who came in occasionally to play obi
gatos to her solos. The First Congre-
gational church vas not a dance house.
To the intense amazement of every
one. he bluntly announced in open
meeting that q new soprano would be
ngaged for the ensuing quarter.
Horace could hardly believe his ears.
Miss Smith is hired by the year, Mr..
Presbrey," he said stiffly, arising from
his seat in Congregational meeting.
I trust you will pardon the liberty I
take in reminding you, Mr.. Blagden,
cation" remarked the minister. mildly.
Horace responded with his wintry
smile. by the same token, she should
be dismissed by the person who hired
her."
"a change is absolutely necessary,
SIR"
Horace was thoughtful for a moment.
II understand they need a soprano in
the Second church. II you insist on her
leaving this church, I shall be very glad
to recommend her for the position
there"
The threat In these words was too
thinly yelled to escape the attention of
the members who filled the chapel. No
matter how gravely they had divided
against each other in the choir squab-
BILE. they became a unit OF apprehension
In view Of the catastrophe that sud-
denly doomed up before them.
II Mss Smith went to the Second
church. there also would go the mighty
Blagdens. And then, what would be-
come of the mortgage on the church?
Someone sprang to his feet and sug-
gested that the matter be deferred for a
fortnight OF 80. Mr.. Presbrey had the
temerity to say the Second church