A Mystified Preacher

Some of the pioneer ministers who served the early Baptist church in this vicinity were quite illiterate, says the Cincinnati Enquirer, though possessecl of much eleverness and sterling common sense. The following aneodote of one of them, whose name is reserved, was related by one of the early settlers who was cognizant of the aftair when it occurred. The minister was in the habit of opening the scripture at random and taking for his text the first verse which caught hls eye. Being called upon to conduct the funeral services of a ohild at the home of a prosperous settler, a fine old bible complete in every particular, was placed be f ore him. When the time for the ermon arrived he, as usual, opened it at random and pounclng on a verse in a chapter of Second Maceabees preached an interesting and instruative sermón. After the funeral he went home with an influential brother and sister to spend the night. During the evening the sister requested him to give the text f rom whioh he had preachéM, which ha readily did, naming verso, chapter and ook of Maccabees. While general conversation went on ;he sister took her bible and searchng through and through it, finally exclaim ed: Why, brother , there is no klaceabees in the bible!" "Why gurely there is," he replied. "I am positivo thajis the book f rom which I took nvjfWxTT" Taking the voluma he looked it through and through, as the sister had done, seeming more and more perplexed at each turn, since his gearoh proved no more suci.-essful than that of his hostess. The matter so preyed upon hif mind that early the next morning he taddled his norse and went back, aylng he was golng to see that bible. A bout noon he arrived onc more at tha home of hit friends, where he had spent the night, and to the inqulring glance of the good sister he made é.- swer, with a sly twinklo of th eye: "Now, sister, we won'tsay nythinf more about this. That blamed blol had something ia it called m 'Pocraphy and I never caw that in a bible before." But it was too good for the tister'i husband to keep.