The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-04-03
THE BEST OF 1T.

CEDAR, june Is.
DEAR PIIII-When are you coming
Cedar is in full feather. picnics set in
tomorrow; straw berries Just right; two
delightful widows: lots of girls; and the
whole house crying for you. Come
along by return mail. | meant to say
the picnic was day after tomorrow. /
shall be ut the late train tomorrow.
Yours. rs usual, HARRY"
Philip Norton laughed as he read this
letter. 1t was 50 like Harry Clarke
Hal tlcadlsng,' his father used to call
hin--thc brightest, handsomest, gayest
try doctor at Cedar, Il town in the west
ern part of New England. Having lost
all his property by rash speculation,
except his wife's farm at Cedar, which
her father left her, the elder Mr.. Clarke
went there to live. and one of the local
physicians being near death with old
age, Harry thought it a good place to be-
gin what he called his medicinal ca
reer," being young man who had no
reverence for the English language, but
made light of it, and used it in his own
way us another outlet for the overflow
ing fun of his nature.
Philip Norton had been his chum ut
college, and his friend ever since. He
the ministry. With the gifts of keen
intellect. ready language and good looks,
he found life easy enough, and his first
parish was in New York, where, in Il
tirst-class boarding-house, he did not
seem SO much modern apostle as very
lucky man. But good fortune could not
spoil his earnest and truthful character.
He preached as sharply to his flock of
sinners as if he had five hundred year
instead of five thousand, and did as much
hard work among the city outeasts as if he
headed a mission to the Digger Indians,
and lived in shanty instead of Madam
Ralston's elaborate establishment.
He had Just recovered from a severe
some of these excursions into the dark
places of the earth, when Harrys letter
came, and was glad enough to accept his
invitation. There were only three
children in the Clarke family besides
Harry-twin girls of twelve and Il
younger boy-and they all loved Rhilip
as well as if they were his brother and
sisters instead of his friends. There is
something in sudden journey of pleas
ure that is ipspiriting, and when Mr..
Norton left the train at Cedar he felt
stronger and better, in spite of the long
days ride, than for many weeks, and the
next morning declared himself quite
ready for the picnic, though Mrs. Clarke,
motherly soul, always devoted to her
"other boy" scolded him well for the
idea. But being persistent man, he
went his way, and by ten O'Clock had
joined gay party in the car they had
chartered for the day and attached at
Cedar station to the train going to Pat
ton, little. village above whose quite
street lowered Gray Mountain, their
place of destination. The day was a
"day in june" fair as ever poet cele-
brated. There were fifty pleasant people
pleasant for picnic, that is-and Philip
was put in charge of Mrs. Boyd.
Zone of the widows" Harry whisper
ed in his ear; very bright, agreeable
woman, with a pleasant face, dressed
neatly enough in brown holland and n
black hat-a costume adapted to the oc-
casion, but not becoming. She was evil
IDENTIFY not vain. A few seats before them
sat beautiful young woman, daintily
dressed, though evidently she considered
herself in mourning; but the shower of
soft, fair curls that dropped from the back
Of her head, the sparkling ornaments Of
cut Jet, the rings on her little white hands
of pearl and diamond and onyx, all
seemed out of keeping with the Grape on
nv ~ t,ht ibhbs dit "''p INV w
quettishly- -looped heaa-g gear was laid
aside, a triangle of Grape, with the con-
ventional widows ruche about it, pinned
on with diamond and onyx pins, looked
a real absurdity, and every woman in
the car laughed at Nan Boyd's attempt
to assert her widowhood; for this was
the other of the two widows. Yet if she
was little absurd, who caredp When
ones skin is tinted with the warm glow
of pink apple blossoms, with lips scarlet
as fresh Strawberries, great clear blue
eyes, delicate features, teeth of pearl, and
abundant ,gilded-hax hair falling every
where in long loose curls, what does it
matter, what one wears! Nan Boyd
would have been lovely in brown hol.
land and cheap black hat, though her
cousin and sister-in-law was not
Nobody had ever supposed the Rev.
erend Philip Norton was susceptible
He had never given tenderer glance ~
any lovely girl in his congregation than