In Involuntary Sponsor.

Otago Witness, Issue 2202, 14 May 1896, Page 52

In Involuntary Sponsor.

A pushing young Englishman, jusb home from a foreign trip, relates an amusing experience that he had in Rome., He was anxious to visit the Vatican, and, understanding that cards of adaris-iion were to be had at St. Peter's, he" hurried thither. Seeing a small crowd around a priest who sat writing at bis desk, he jumped to the conclusion that this was his man, and at once elbowed his way through the crowd. In his hurry he pushed aside a woman with a biby in her wins, aud the baby began to cry at the jostling. A slight confusion resulted, under cover of whioh tho stringer gained Che de-ik. The prieit k oking up, from his writing, asked something in Italian, which the Eugli<-hoiau took to be an inquiry for his name, and he answered, " Davis." The priest, after writing the name, turned to the woman with the baby, and taking the child in his arms, held it wner a font which the Englishman until then had nob noticed. Dipping hi-, hands in the water, and placing th- m on the child's head, the priest began a ouiious j»rgm of Italian phrases, in which the astuui*hed Duvis caught the suuad_ of his own good English name, and saw with dismay, as he turned and fled, that he had given his name bo the priest as godfa'htr to the child.