THE CURATE AND THE BRICK LAYER.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 665, 12 January 1881, Page 2

THE CURATE AND THE BRICK LAYER.

.;/■,, ,".•■' :.» i- i.;- ■'..••••'_• . : There is a lesson'for a certain, classvof.. grumbler's in -the following incident. All •. clergymen doing pastoral and missionary ■ work have more or leas if just -eM duty to perform,'".'*' • —- r - —► .•.. ourate walking.along 4 • street in the dinner hour passed a ; lot of bricklayers smoking their .pipe's, and he heard one of the men 'say" <-. ■ .. .. "I'd like' lb'tie a panbn'.an&h'ave howt to do but walk along.in a black coat and carry a walkingstiokin my -hand;, and kefc.- *'"" a lot of brass," . ... ; .. There was an approving laugh ail round)' CX. whereupon, the curate turned'round quiet-' iy ro.und, and the 'following conversatiofi' ensued:'• ■ •. • ~'.• '.."''.;,• •'..,:; "So you would like.to. be .a, parson \ ? ow .M°Ho jou get a week?" ' • > " Twenty-sevenshillings." -—-•-. t " Well, lam not a rioh njan, but I wi|l give you. twenty-seven shillings if you* will eoine with me for a week and see what my work is like." ■'■''. The bricklayer did not ■ the : proposal, but his mates told him.it wasa fair, offer.and he was bound to accept .it;' So hjjT reluctantly followed the parson dow.nanalley. " : _ ■'• ■'■'..'.'■'■*,-*. " Where are you going J", he asked, : ' ; - '■<■ ■ "To see a sick parishioner,",wa'aitke'' . reply.; , ; ... ■. r ' . ; " What ia.the matter with him 1"' ! ' '•' ■;" Small por" ■• ••_ ■'•'■'- 3 •'* At that'the man drew back. Hii wifc ■ and bairns; Had never had the small pbxf and hewas afraid of taking it, to them.' / "My wife.and bairni'Tiavenev^lai

Thij man hositaled. ■ «,."i? but y , ou P rom 'sed to accompany mo Wherever I went," urged the curate/ °- ypU " 6Xt '" asked : "To see a poor, 'family huddled up in •one «oom, with tl lo father dead of scarlet Win it, and themselves nil down with i :•.)*•».'™, afte . l, '"at to see another parish. with typhus; and to-morrow i •there'will be a longer round." Thereupon the bricklayer begged to be •Jetoff,. Twenty-seven shillingswould be -poor pay for that kind of work, and he •promised lie never B peak against the par-1 - «ona again.