The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-11-21
MOD" BANGS.
An Evil Intent Thwarted, and a
Noble Deed Inspired.

noble Deed Inspired.
: Anywhere else she would have been
called Maud, but Smoketon people were too
jbusy making money to pay proper atten-
tion to dipthongs, so to them she was
simply Mod,
D Smoketon was not so large place as one
might imagine from the mere number of its
factories. 1t crawled along in a blacky
nnwholesome manner, upon the banks of
one of the lOveliest rivers in the world. to
IN very unfair length, but was in parts
scarcely more than half mile wide, being
Shut in on the east by beautiful rolling
green hills, over which it had made a
Egrimy and Intellectual effort to climb,
EAmong these hills flowed swift, clear
Emountain streams, doubling and winding
many times on their way to the great
river, to which, when the snow melted in
spring upon the hilltops, they often
drought larger tribute than was quite
convenient.
! 1t was indeed a beautiful country.
Shamp Preston said in his languid way,
fwhen he visited the place, that the part of
Somoketon which the Lord made was q per-
l1ect success, adding that he had never
visited town where the people so bowed
down to money and possessed so little of it
themselves, for there were no millionaires
in Smoketon.
Mods surname was Bangs, the vowel of
which was as unduly prolonged by the
iSmoketonians as her dipthong was uniustly
shortened. There was nothing yisibIy
,heroic about Mod. She was the eldest
daughter of a Smoketon operative, teach
llng IN Room No. 6, Ward eleven, of the
SmoketOn Public Schools. She was small
and slender, awkward in person and move
ments, with protrudng forehead, life
Hess-loOking sandy hair, and small. dull.
Nnexpressiye eyes. She was also az en-
ahlslast IN b y profession, and had dim
hongings after ~culture" and cravings for
''sweetness and light" Above all she
cherished romance and worshiped hero.
stephen Dare was not at all bad fellow,
especially in his own opinion. He was a
handsome young giant, with a frank,
merTy face, usually Obscured by a cloud of
SCOT; for Stephen, though only twenty five,
was "bOss" at Browns mill, the largest
mail mill in SmOketOn. He was well off,
to0-wealthY for place whose richest men
only counted by tens of thousands: so it is
mot wonderful, perhaps, that he was much
petted and spoiled by the SmOketOn lasses,
leven though his schooling" had scarcely
passed beyond an elementary knowledge
of "the three Rs"
: Stephen and Mod had toddled about in
each others company when both of them
during the boys brief experience of school
life, and had confided their joys and sor-
rows each to the other though Mod was
rather the better listener. The Eleventh
ward schOOl-house was on Stephens direct
way home from work, and as Mod always
remained there until six O'Clock to study,
Stephen had got into the habit of calling
for her, and thence one September after
noon they were walking home together
when they first saw Myra Tracy.
Stephens hands were in his pockets, his
shoulders well squared under the shabby
old coat, and his full breadth of chest dis
played in its garniture of Unchecked
shirt; he was whistling under his breath,
and his chin, dark with SCOT and a three
days growth of beard, was carried proudly
in the air. Mods eyes were red from a fit
of weeping into which she had been be-
'trayed at the close of one of those days
which come to every teacher, when the
very spirit of evil seems to get into every
thing and everybody. She wore a faded
pink Bingham and carried dilapidated
lunch basket in her gloveless hand. In
this guise they turned a corner and came
suddenly upon lady in deep mourning
who was gazing around her in perpleXity.
She was tall, slender and eXQustely
graceful, with a wild-rOse complexion and
large, pathetic gray eyes, from which, as
they approached, she sent a long glance
straight into Stephens heart.
LAtuSt me- Sut Sdlu, Ill low, IluSlCdl
tones, "but | wonder if you can direct me
to Mr.. Tracy'sY
al. s. Tracy, of Browns Mill?" asked
Mod, as Stephen, without even the presence
of mind to remove his hat, could only ram
his hands further into his pockets and stare
in silence.
The faintest possible smile wavered
around Myra Tracy's beautiful mouth as
she bowed in silence
80, then, l.. S. Tracy lives on the next
street to this. Your nearest way will be
to cross the railroad and go up the hill
through that alley by the carpenters shop;
it will bring you out right opposite his
bouse"
'Thank you so much," and with another
smile and bow Miss Tracy moved grace
fully away, somewhat amused at the
novelties which had come into her life in
the shape Of alleys by carpenters shops
and handsome young wOrkmen stricken
dumb by her charms.
SPY jinks amt she daisyW exclaimed
Stephen, recovering his breath and his
SmOketon vernacular when the vision was
gone.
"You never took off your hat, Steve"
said Mod, glancing with a strange new
pain in her heart at the mans flushed face
and sparkling eyes.
SO, confound the hat l forgot it. !
ray, Mod, she must be Tracy's 1iecc. You
know his brother died in Philadelphia last
month, and | heard his daughter was to
come here TO teach her uncle's children.
This must be the very girl"
"Guess ! ought to call, if she is teacher"
said Mod, a little bitterly. Stephen replied
promptly:
DON'T see why you shouldn't. She is
nwfuily swell; but / bet you've got as
much money, every time. Look here,
Mod don't hell anybody, but l wouldn't
mind marrying that grip.