Year: 1876

Deacon Ophiltree, doubling the
evidence of his senses, backed
out into the aisle. and took out his
spectacles, rubbed them, and placed
them on his nose. Then he tilted back
his head and looked at the pew num-
ber "52.' Plain as ever a "52" was
in the world. There could be no mis-
take about that. Then he advanced to
the head of the pew, and bent his
head down until his chin touched his
breast, snd gazed fiXedly at the
stranger over his spectacles. There
waG no mistake about that. The
stranger was there. Then the Deacon
stepped back one space, leaving the
entrance to the pew unobstructed, so
that the stranger could get out with
out any trouble. But the stranger
didn't appear to have any idea of
eVacuating his position. He grew a
little restless under the Deacon's in
censed glances, but he only fidgetted a
little in his seat, and stopped twirling
his thumbs to pick up hymn book.
which he opened at Hold the fort,
and read that stirring bit of religious
military composition with evident
comfort and editication. The Deacon
was amazed. Possibly" he thought,
1.-THE intruder does not see me-"
Then he took out his handkerchief, a
red silk standard, which looked like a
pocket edition of garrison flag, and,
burying his nose in this warlike ban
ner, blew t0Ot that echoed through
the room like a signal of defiance. The
stranger never moved, but he bent his
eyes upon the page before him and
read the line:


Hear the bugle blow,


with much mental JUNCTION.
The Deacon was more aStOnShed
than he would have been if the end of
the church had fallen out. He
crammed his handkerchief into the
crown of his hat with the defiant air
of man who meant business, and in
tated his lungs, and called for the
strangers attention with a Stentorian


"A-hemp'


The stranger fidgetted little, turned
very red in the face and looked up,
glanced around and saw the congrega-
ton tittering and taking it all in, and
he evidently made up his mind to
"hOld the fort" until Gen. Ruger' 5
troops elected him, if he had to stay
there all N@nter. So he settled him
self again. and without looking at the
Deacon, turned over to the hymn:
A charge to keep have
The minister rose to give out the
opening hymn, but the congregation
had no eyes or ears for anything but
the indignant Deacon and the immOv-
able stranger The Deacon was about
to introduce some new tactics, when
he felt a touch upon his arm, and a gen
tlemanly-looking church official said q:


81 will show you to seat, sir, if
you please. -


"Seat ?' said the Deacon, in such
wrathful undertOnes that he was near
| ly choked. "Seat? That pointing
to the blushing, but obstinate stran-
ger, "that corner is my seat. The
seat | have occupied and paid for,
for these nine years past.


"You are merely mistaken said
the placid official, land you are in
terrupting the service and distracting
the ministers. The seats in this
church have been free for the past five
years.


The Deacon looked around him as
though he expected the ground to slide
from beneath his feet and gleam OF
intelligence and dismay passed oVel
his face.


"This is" he gasped, and could
get no further.


"The Church of the Lost Sheep,
explained the official.


The titters of the congregation fol
lowed the mortified Deacon to the
door as he bent his steps toward his
own Church of the Ransomed, anC
when he got there he struck everybody
dumb with amazement by dropping
into the seat nearest the door and if a
COW or an ichtyosaurus had waltzed il
and taken its seat in the inside corner
of number fifty-two, Deacon Ophiltret


wouldnt have been in the least sur
prised, and wouldn't have raised ont
single murmur of ObjectiOn.-Burtjng


ton HGoUh- Eye.