The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-08-05

sweet June dusk i, with the fragrance of
the Iocus,s ana syringas; he feels the
beauty of the calm evening sky; he re-
joices in the fields .with verdure clad y
With Thoughts like these he reaches
the little post-office and goes in.
Come for yer mail, Elder ?" asks
Joel Bean, the postmaster, looking up
from the paper which he is reading be-
hind the counter, for the post-office and
store are together.
The minister replies pleasantly in the
affirmative, and Joel hands him out q
paper. The Rev. Amos takes 1t and
turns to leave, but the postmaster says ::
Hold minute, Elder; you've got a
letter tonight, too" and as he gives it
to him he looks inquisitively at his face.
writing, graceful and refined.
Nothing remarkable in this, surely,
and yet it startles Amos Dale little as
he looks at the letter lying in bis hand.
He bids Joel Bean good-evening, and
goes on his way up the hill to the par
sonage, thinking as he goes how long it
is since he has had letter from a
woman.
His thoughts fly back to packet of
old letters, yellow of paper now, and
faded of ink, lying in a corner of q pri-
vate drawer in his desk; letters written
to him when he was student, more
than fifteen years ago, full of maidenly
reserve and yet of wOman's love. There
had come a day when the number of
these letters was complete, never to be
added to. That other letters could be
written and another love won, it had
never entered into the heart of the Rev.
Amos Dale to conceive.
Then there had been his mothers let
tiers, and his one sisters, but many
years ago the first had ceased, and it
was now two years since his sister had
left for that country from which no It'd
ings come back. Since then it had been
q rare occurrence for him to see his
name written in feminine handwriting.
He wondered greatly who could have
written to him now; he quickened his
step unconsciously, though his thoughts
had taken an unwontedly pensive strain.
He soon reached his own gate, and a
few of his long strides took him through
the old-fashioned, box-bordered garden
to the door of the parsonage between
the lilac bushes. He went into the sit
ting-room-a large, bare, orderly room,
A red and black table cover was on the
comfortable; firmly planted in the mid
die stood q broad-shouldered lamp with
a green paper shade. Beside the table,
darning stockings, sat Hannah Breeze,
a distant relative and houskeeper, who
had come directly home from prayer
meeting.
Hannah, who was not of the fairest
among women, having general effect
of dull gray-hair, eyes, complexion,
alpaca dress and all-looked up when
the minister entered, but did not speak.
it was not her way.
The Rev. Amos Dale, having hung
his hat on its proper nail, as every men,
Der of well-regulated household should,
proceeded to draw an armchair up to the
table, sat down, broke the seal of the
letter unostentatiously, and read.
1t was a short letter, and he soon
dropped it on his knee, looking around
with an expression of CONSERVATION.
Hannah" he exclaimed, s'here is an
agent-a woman at that-bearing down
upon us. What is to be done?"
"Head her off, if there's time" was
the concise reply.
' "Let's see," and the Rev. Amos, tax
ing up the letter again; ISL am coming
to Fairfield to canvass for the Complete
Analutical Connaentary'-ther resolu-
ton for you, Hannah!"
"Takes book agents for that"
"'I shall hope to make my home in
your family, if perfectly convenient to
Mrs. Dale '-Amos Dale read this with
an odd smile about his mouth.
"Umph!" was all Hannah vouch-
safed.
He read on in silence, but suddenly
sprang to his feet, looked up at the clock
on the wooden shelf, and said:
"No heading her off now. This let
ter has been detained on the way. See,
the date is three days ago. She is COM
ing on the $50 train this very evening,
and I have only just time to meet her."
81 don't sees you've any partikeler
call to meet her. Them book agents
isn't in the habit of being beaued around
much, guess. Say, Mr.. Dale" she
called, for he had his hat on and was out
of the room already, "you'n take her
to the tavern, won't you, or to Deacon
Bush'sP"
"Mrs. Bush is sick. We shall have
to keep her tonight, for all I see. Get
the east room ready, and you may as
well put the kettle over, Hannah, the
poor woman will be tired ''-and the
Rev. Amos closed the door and strobe
off toward the little station, half q mile
away, leaving Hannah to do his bid
ding faithfully, albeit with some grum.
bling.
"He'll take in every analytical tramp
that comes along with comminterry;
don't make no difference whether its
man or woman" she said to herself,
little confused as to the new adjective
which had impressed her as valuable if
vague.
Mr.. Dale walked rapidly along the
shadowy, grassy path, thinking as he
walked of the sort of woman whom he
was probably going to meet substan-
tial of form, harsh of feature, profuse
and emphatic of speech, q trifie dense of