A Long Prayer

Wc flj,l the folio win?, says tlio Kof; '1!eiVill (Va- Wrïnièl in a Kotucky paper without credit, and fto not know whei-e it or%teated; Al -py etclicr is givon as authorh , f)r tiie Iact8 stated. wn nmemo i„'..„ . tounclatioi] lor the anecdote, which will bo ï-eaci wlth interest bv evorvLiodv who remombei-s Mr. Sou thall. " - trov. Lotclicr the othordfiv favo an ofiei'sroe ?," íh0 Vilillia Ponvontion hen Mr. Janney, the président of air conventiou was absent, Mr. Valentine bou thall, of AlbemaHe, was al. vraya put in the chair. He was indigestively thin and irritable. Jaiiney had been ii.disposed for a week. an.l lae vnariottesvi-irodyspeptie presidcd. puring i.lus timo there was no opening tliosession with prayer. Several dwotes oomplaiaed of the omission. Southall said sjim-ply that it jvbs not Jnsduty to Innit au preacbers: that wis thé business of the sënreajit-atarms Tliis ollicer was Nat TJiömp. sou, of Ilanovcr, a character. Nat defended himself by alleging that Mr Uanney always at tended to gettimr tlw parsons, but if Mr. Southall thóught tiiat the sergeant onght to liave a preaoher on liand, lie wou ld trv to -et one. rhateveiiing Nat strolled'-down JMam si reet in smivli nfn „,„;., j " "' w"- "■■ " jil Lililí lííll" sing, niiokl aequamtaiieeof Nat. ïlie proaeher was off dat y, and was 'sevvinx tabes by somo secuiar pursuit iaKichmoncl. He was of the hard-shell persuasiüii. Nat found hhn, and told bun oí the need of 'a maa like Jüm' to i lu„Pra-vei" thv the convomiou next Oay. lJle minieter was tickled at the roquest, but hinted tliat his Snnday snit was rathcr nisty. Xat concluded to laan luni the proper g-.inneiHs. ïho hard-sheli was at Nat's room tho next nioniuig, and was dulv arrayed in -"i oionuai ciouios. jsat rëmarked, on the route, that the -cönvéntion h-id bee without aiiy woi-slm, fora week and it was expeetod that the lost deyotions should be made up that moniïng. The hard-gheil brother, eyen in nis shortest iuvocalions, liever coald lyacliaiiH.ii under a half hout-; and thia (!ic mclinátloiTorthe wlndyand, as he loyed to cali himself, 'Wrestlhíg Jacob. Mr. Soutliair.s gavel tappad to order exactly iü 11. As soon aa the parson liad strtick (he rno-nínr mt. and v.-as begiunino; (0 weid his sen toncos with fervor, Nat quietly slipped froin the hall, locked tlic door and went down lor a lunch. He epertt an liour (it the restaunuit, and slowly returning- to the capítol, and iïntlin '-■ tho hard-shell in fullswiu, hé wentcWn to liocLctt'sanddined witll Dick Haskius, sauiitered back about 2 o'clock aud Still had a quartcr of an fjonr to Kim himself on the capítol steps beforo tho sweïïing tonos of the parson b:;"-;iu to taper to the lower key ot' the con. Clusion. ,at unbolted tlio doors as the prayer entled. lt had lastcd three liours and a quarter. ïhc couveiition was far f rom a devotionul frame of inind when the 1-egukir business bo-an. Mr. Southall never insisted upon tliat sergeaiit-at-arnis fürüishing iniuiston any moro.1'