Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-06-11

calico cushion, staring at LOul4. The
idea, considered in the abstract, pleased
him. his small, dark face redd@ed ex-
citedly and his mouth drew bck in a
smile over the prominent tooth.
81 IL Biar Gillett don't sispicion
but what you're worrying sont about
him and that girl to Baldwi1s," he
said.
He was thinking that perhaps lilly
Dillingham; flattered herself thathe was
worrying about her.
IT'D be a pretty good II d him if
you sh'd-if you was to''--he rubbed
up his hair and cleared his throat.
'S'posing 1 run over to the Ce4er and
get a license, and you and mel was to
get married next Sunday night after
meeting, same as him? l guesshe'd be
considerable surprised" 1t wis lilly
Dillingham's figure, however. which he
pictured wildly to himself. Louise
stared at him.
81 s'pose it'd be rather sudda," the
young man pursued; he was emyolden-
ed by her evident amazement ard ave.
and he spoke patronizingly. But "a
Jest as lief dol it as not" He wasmoved
to admiration of his own magnAnimitN
I'D jest as lief do it as not, he ri
peated.
His listener heard him dumbly. Het
mind was confused; but it was. not will
speculations concerning her own Rart IN
the b%urlesque. Her chief sensation as
regarded herself was a quiet conviction
that nothing would make much differ
ence to her. She looked across at thib
sudden sutton in unresisting silence.
"I'll speak to your folks" said Ly-
man. He went into the kitchen, and
Louise heard his voice for a brief space.
Stephen Pinney and his wife and The
hired girl did not appear to be saying
any thing.
"Wall, I'll go over to the Cener to-
morrow" said Lyman, coming back
into the sitting-room and shutting the
kitchen door after him. "Andyn come
around for you Sunday highland take
you to meeting. Is'pose every body'll
think it's pretty sudden; but I'm willing
if so you be? Is'pose you be? Your
pa and ma h'aint no objections"
There did not seem t. be any thing
more to say on the subject, and Lyman
took up his hat. He ~wasfeeling highly
complacent; he had thought no further
than of lilly Dillinghan's astonished
chagrin.
There was an unusual attendance at
meeting" Sunday evening There had
never been a church in thu small COM
munity. The two Sunday services and
the Friday evening prayer-neeting were
held in the school-house. ..o-night the
rough, wooden seats, scr:tched and
notched and carved with initials, were
full; for every body had heari that Biar
Gillett and the girl at Baldvin's were
going to be married at the dose of the
service. Lyman Baker and louise Pin
ney sat together on a front bench. The
young man was flushed and flgety; the
girl sat motionless. She keptler hands
clasped together under the red md black
shawl, and she looked shrinlingly to-
wards the door; Biar Gillett and Mandy
Sawyer had not yet arrived. The table
on the small platform at the e1d of the
room held a lamp, and there was a
candle on the shelf, which contained the
water-pail with its long tin dipper. A
map Of the United States hung on one
of the dingy walls, which was scrawled
over with chalk and lead pencil, and
stuck here and there was q paper wad.
The blackboard above the platform con-
tanned a humorous sketch, whose figures
had graduated circles for heads and
bodies, and straight lines for legs.
The minister, a mild old man with
dim eyes and a feeble voice, held the
lamp Yer his Bible while he read his
text. He had preached for half a cen
tury, butfeted about from post to post
and taking his bufetings meekly. Now
ne had found q comparative calm in
the little, sparsely attended, morgan
lied church; he had settled into a pleas
ant peacefulness, and fallen back into
the v%ernacular of his youth.
""For he clave to the Lord'-I hain't
no idea," he said, setting down his
lamp and taking off his spectacles
slowly, 'that Hezekiah got none O.
them teachings from his father; it amt
likely that Ahaz done nothing towards
Leading him into the way O. the Lord.
Ahaz had been II O. the worst O. the
kings O. Judah. He'd ben idolertrous:
he'd broke up the Temple and set up
affairs in every corner of the land and
PPSo lUoAo. AucIc jill u no SOrI
O probability that Hezckiah got none O.
them teachings from him."
The door had opened and Bar Gillett
had walked in, alone. Hisface took on
a darker tinge as he met the eyes OF
the congregation upon him in a frank
stare. He sat down in the nearest seat.
lingering the rim of his hat. Louise
Pinney gave a gasp. Her face grew
white and she pressed her hands tightly
together under her shawl to stop her
trembling. He alone; she was not with
him; she had not come. That
was all she was conscious of.
She sat staring across at him:
she saw nothing else and the words
OF the preacher were a vague murmur
in her ears. The discourse wandered
on to its end. The last hymn was
given out and sung through. Lyman
Baker prevented the. benediction by
striding up the room, mounting the
platform and slapping a folded paper
down on the table. He was red and ex-
cited and he was keeping an eye on
lilly Dillingham;.
IF you'll jest do me the favor to en-
anime that paper" he said, with an Off
hand Air. which hn had ooo,,;ro1 ~ H..