Year: 1876




man of the West Side read i'm the 1ri'
bune an account Of the ingenious device
of Father Mclaughlin, who cured the
young female members of his flock at
NOrristOwn, Pa, of flirting in the street
at night with strangers. AS some. of his
ilk are given to coughing when they
meet young man at dusk and to wear
ing their handkerchiels outside their
pockets, the worthy clergyman resolved
to put into practice the same ingenious
device. Accordingly, Friday night, as
soon as it grew dark, he arrayed himself
in faultless fashionable costume, procured
for the occasion, put q geranium in his
button hole and cigar in his mouth
and sailed forth.


He knew the shady street where he
girls most do congregate, and his inten-
ton was to engage the boldest of their
number in Irritation, induce her to
take walk with him, and then, having
led her under lamp-pOst, to unmask
and petrify her with shame, surprise and
awe. Unhappily for the well.meaning
clergyman, he had offended cantanker-
Gus and suspicious old deacon of his con-
greeation, and this deacon has been
laying low for him" for some time past.
Friday night he happened to be passing
by the parsonage just as the preacher
came out, and at once recognized him in
his fashionable disguise. "HelloW said
he to himself, that's the parson rugged
out fit to kill. Henry Ward wonder
what's afoOt. I'll watch him, dun me
if DON'T" and he stole noiselessly after
tI,a aII mir hn nj
side of the road. He had not proceeded
many steps ere he encountered two
brothers. These he induced to 60. with
him, telling them that lie was about to
unmask n wolf in minister's clothing,
and that he desired that at the mouth of
two or three witnesses it might be estab-
lished. They followed stealthily, and soon
saw fashionably attired man in front
Of them pass abreast of group of three
or four young women. " Hem hem "
foated in the evening air in delicate
treble cough, answered by a deep bass
"Hem |" from the fashiOnably attired
man. Then one of the young women
giggled and pulled out her handkerchief
in an apparently purposeless but by no
means purposeless manner, and the
young man did the same thing. Then
at any rate the end of it was that the
young man selected one of the young
women and walked off with her. y
Let us now return to our hero, the we'll
meaning clergyman. Having secured
his prey, he was moving toward the
nearest lamp-post to petrify her with a
disclosure of his identity, when, to his
surprise, hand was laid OH his shoul-
der, and the voice of Deacon Spigh was
heard:


"Brother Whichoker, is this the con-
duct of protesting follower %


The unhappy man could offer no ex-
planatiOn, or at least none that did not
aggravate his case, while the female
partner of his guilt, with shrek, fled
into the darkness, dropping her handker-
chief, which Deacon SPigh picked up. =


&C.," said he sternly to the preacher
"take off those filthy rags of unrighteous-
ness and reflect upon your moral lep'
rosy."


The preacher departed, even wishing
| that he were dead, and was wondering
what method of committing suicide was
most expeditions and the least painful,
when there was q ring at the bell and
Deacon Spigh entered. Judge of the
good pastors surprise when the Deacon,
instead of upbraiding him or demanding
that he should step down and out, said,
humbly:


Brother Whichoker, we are COM
manded to forgive an erring brother sew
enty times seven times. Twill not seek
to inquire into your motives. If you are
innocent you have nothing to fear; if
guilty, your own conscience will upbraid
you. As to the unhappy occurrences OF
this night, let us maintain policy of 81
lence, grace, mercy and peace"
The astonished clergyman wept upon
his neck, and would, If necessary, have
mortgaged his house for five thousand
dollars; but the good Deacon said, owe
are all mortal" and took his leave. The
good pastor does not yet know the cause
of all this. The Tribune does. When
Deacon Spigh got home he happened to
look at the handkerchief and was graft
fled beyond measure to discover that the
name in the corner was that of his only
daughter, who has been professor since
she was thirteen and has class in the
Sunday-school.