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that some one must come and speak to the Griffin.
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The Minor Canon had not heard of the strange event.
which was known to the whole town except himself and the
three old women, and when he was informed of it, and was
told that the Griffin had asked to see him, he was greatly
amazed and frightened.
"Me!" he exclaimed. "He has never heard of me! What
should he want with me?"
"Oh, you must go instantly!" cried the two men. "He is
very angry now because he has been kept waiting so long,
and nobody knows what may happen if you don't hurry to
him."
The poor Minor Canon would rather have had his hand cut
off than go out to meet an angry griffin; but he felt that it was
his duty to go, for it would be a woeful thing if injury should
come to the people of die town because he was not brave
enough to obey me summons of the Griffin; so, pale and
frightened, he started off.
"Well," said the Griffin, as soon as the young man came
near, "I am glad to see mat there is someone who has the
courage to come to me."
The Minor Canon did not feel very courageous, but he
bowed his head.
THE GRIFFIN AND THE MINOR CANON 117
"Is this the town." said the Griffin, "where there is a
church with a likeness of myself over one of the doors?"
The Minor Canon looked at the frightful creature before
him, and saw that it was, without doubt, exactly like the
stone image on the church. "Yes," he said, "you are right."
"Well, then," said the Grifin, "will you take me to it? I
wish very much to see it."
The Minor Canon instantly thought that if the Griffin en-
tered the town without the people knowing what he came for,
some of them would probably be frightened to death, and so
he sought to gain time to prepare their minds.
"It is growing dark now," he said, very much afraid, as he
spoke, that his words might enrage the Griffin, "and objects
on the front of the church cannot be seen clearly. It will be
better to wait until morning, if you wish to get a good view of
the stone image of yourself."
"That will suit me very well," said the Griffin. "I see you
are a man of good sense. I am tired, and I wil! take a nap
here on this soft grass, white I cool my tail in the little stream
that runs near me. The end of my tail gets red-hot when I am
angry or excited, and it is quite warm now. So you may go;
but be sure and come early tomorrow morning, and show me
the way to the church."
The Minor Canon was glad enough to take his leave, and
hurried into the town. In front of the church he found a great
many people assembled to hear his report of his interview
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with the Griffin. When they found that he had not come to
spread ruin and devastation, but simply to see his stony
likeness on the church, they showed neither relief nor gratifi-
cation, but began to upbraid the Minor Canon for consenting
to conduct the creature into the town.
"What could I do?" cried the young man. "If I should not
bring him he would come himself, and perhaps end by setting
fire to the town with his red-hot tail."
Still the people were not satisfied, and a great many plans
were proposed to prevent the Griffin from coming into the
town. Some elderly persons urged that the young men should
go out and kill him. But the young men scoffed at such a
ridiculous idea. Then some one said it would be a good thing
118 Frank R. Stockton
to destroy the stone image, so that the Griffin would have no
excuse for entering the town. This proposal was received with
such favor that many of the people ran for hammers, chisels,
and crowbars with which to tear down and break up the stone
griffin. But the Minor Canon resisted this plan with ail the
strength of his mind and body. He assured the people that this
action would be impossible to conceal from him that his
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