EFFICACY Qf PRAYER. A Wrinkle for Fire Insurance Agents.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 226, 29 October 1887, Page 6

EFFICACY Qf PRAYER. A Wr inkle fo r Fi re In surance Ag en ts .

Judge England, of this city, !»•» not only ' well known ihero, but thtoughotittfche't'em- . fcory. ' Last year", "while acting- as < adjuster fon the Insurance Company of Dakota, also* of Sioux Falls, \\e \ient, to Pierre to settle assmall loss on household goods susba#tto&' by . a policy-holder in, this Company. After the Judge reached Pierre, 1 iht be fore he called on the man, he learned that he and his family were members of the Methodist Church and very upright r-soit of people, so the Judge looked forward Ha -an easy settlement, as he doubted not~thafc they would be willing to do what was -fair, and he knew that he was himself ready* toallow all that was really due. It might also be mentioned right here that the Judge hasnot, so far in life, connected himself ' with any church organisation. He called at the man's house, and alter* some preliminary conversation, said :—: — " Well, Mr Wilcox, we might as well make out a list of the things burned ov damaged. Just mention some of them, and I will note them down, and I think we canagree on this matter very readily." ""Well, thero was a silk dress for onething," replied the man. *' Yes — how much was it worth ?" "Seventy-five dollars." "Ah, urn, Mr Wilcox— expensive dress;" ' " It was," interposed Mr Wilcox, " it wasmy wedding dress, and cost 125d0L I wouldn't have taken 500dol for it." ' ' Er, yes, very likely. Anything else ?" " There was a sowing machine worth 60dollars n "Sixty dollars, oh? Now you see sewing machines have a more fixed value than, .silk dre&ses. I can , gob the best sewing - machines made for 35d01." "■Not one like ours. It cost 70d01., and was worth every cent of 60dol. — J coxildn't; fctamk of taking anything else," said Mr Wiieox. " l^iss it for now— give me something, else/ " Parlour organ injured — fully IOOdoI. woitSu" "I cam get a pretty good one new for that amount. " "Not like ours, mister," said one of the large- girls ; " it cost 250d01." ""Can't allow you so much, I'm afraid. What else?" "I lost a suit of 'clothes," said Mr WHeox, "-worth 70dol." " Sow, look hero, my friend, I don>'fc believe your clothes cost that much,'' returned «jhe Judge, beginning to get warmed . up. fct Iteli you they did ; they cost 80dol.,and I'm not going to let an insurance company • boat me- out of it, either. You just do this thing fair or gee out, and I'll sue your old company." *- That's- right, Henry," said his wife: " we're not going to let any travelling in sus&nce agent, beat us out of what belongs to u»." The children appeared to look at it in the .same wwary r and the Judge didn't see much eiicouragetttwit, when a plan suddenly struck him. "Brother Wilcox," he said solemnly, "we-nwst ask for help in this matter." " What L" baid Brother Wilcox, looking ai) hh«. " I say that we must make this business a matter o>f piayer. You and your excellent wife here belong to the Mo'thodisfc Church, I believe ?" " Yes>, Fir — do you?" " J have been a member of that church for thirty years. Let us pray and see if our way docs not become more clear in this matter." 80 they all knelt down and bhe Judge led in p/ayer. He could not remember having danesuch a thing since en a certain occasion when he tumbled down an old well while he was a boy, but he spec- *ily got the. hang of it. Ho struck it on the heathen, in foieigii lands, made a touching appeal for the kick and needy, romemL «red distant Mends* touched on the churc't-and church extension in the west, and wo .aid up with 1 ! an appeal for the little ba^d 'who hadi gathered together to adjust a certain insurance loss. The Judge g.tw very mv, pressivo- and asked for strength for himself f and bis good brother and devout/ sister and i also, their children, that theyjxnight adjust the loss evon as it should be adjusted ; bhafc they might all know the ti«e -price olfsilk dresses and sowing maclrnes and store clobne«. He ended in a paiisicularly touching manner, his voice treir feling, and when they atfose, tears stood in fehe eyes of the civlfce party. Wilcox grcaped- the Jidda's hamd", pressed it fervently,, and said : " Brother England, lei as begin again." c4i Yes, let us begin a.^ain, broths^" returned the Judge. "Now, the dress fink Maria*., was it fehe calico or the ginghasa ?" asked* Wilcox el his wife. « It — it— it was the calico, Henry." " One calico dross, toother England." "Worth about 40 rants, Brother WiU cox.?" - ", Not more than that, was it, T .£aria?" "Not more that *&irty, Heixry, I had 1 worn it all summer." " Dress, 30 cenuß. Go 03, Brother Wilcox." . "The sewing machine got the Isaf broken off. We itod it fixe^ for hallff a dollar." , " Sowing maclinc, 50 ce:*ts. (la on v Brother." " "The organ via 5 ? scorched on one end, What did the varnish cost, fcvttbie V "Fifty cents. p&" "Organ, fifty cents. Proceed, Broisher.'* " Suit of clothes. Well 1 , it's thais 1 have on. The coat .sleove got wet." "It didn't, damage ifr much, Bi'other Wilcox ?" " It did it. good, Brother England," said Mrs Wilcox j- " there w?*s mud on the- sleevo and the water washed ib off. Ifc iiiaproved the coal." " I thiixi that will be satisfacboi'y to the Company. Anything- else?" " N-o-o-o, I guess not, is there, Maria ?" " I can't think of anything more." " All right ; total 95 cents. I'll make you ou-t a draft for- that amount). Brother," and the Judge did so and went away with more- faith in tho efticacy of prayer than he evev had before.— From bho ** Chicago In vesiigator,"