Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-07-25
CHAPTER L

CHAPTER L
INTRODUCES JUDITH
People used 10 say it was almost a duty
for Colonel Henri Merriweather Page Il
marry second time. A motherless boy
might do well enough, but when it came Il
girl growing up altogether among darkeys
and men, 1t was absolutely blood-curdling
The poor child was really dressed in a man
ner that was almost indecent, ana it had
even been said here the informant gen
orally put an impressive hand in a one-but-
! toned lisle-thread glove upon the arm OF the
person TO be enlightened) that she actually
/ used bad lauguage-in fact, swore, as she
heard her father do.
| twas perfectly true that she rarely put
In an appearance at church, and when she
did participate in the hebdominal devotions
Of Brownsville parish, she was won't to
clatter up the central aisle in a short and
gatherless habit, which was extremely
shocking TO the taste of the congregation.
She wore boots, moreover, and it was
rumored spur on occasions. Her greatest
offense, probably, was her mode Of dress
ing her hair, or rather of leaving it to dress
itself. She had small, shapely head clasped
closely from brow TO throat by heavy red
brown curls.
Colonel Pages pew was the most con-
spicuous in the pretty sandstone church;
and the naps Of his daughters handsome
neck, exposed in all its chignonless effront-
cry OF Sabbath, was a never-endipg
source OF displeasure to the outraged
Brownsvillians.
Had not st. Paul expressed himself
clearly, not 10 say strongly, on this very
sublecti Was not woman's piety almost
as surely TO be measured by the length Of
her hair as the age of horse told by the
length Of his nippersl Could young lady
fly in the face not only Of tradition, but Of
the Scripture, in this fashion, and yet be
all that is required of young ladies by
country parishl Not so. The rector wife
went alone in her state carry-all TO remon-
strate with Miss Page upon this very sub
ject.
She waited for some forty minutes, and
when at last her hostess entered, 1t was not
in a neat magenta-coloredp aduasoy, neither
black or salt and pepper barege, trimmed
with braid and pearl buttons, as was then
deemed the thing, but-shade Of that godly
woman, Mrs. Colonel Henry Merri-
weather Page-in blue flannel waist, an
old homespun skirt pinned up about her boy
ishly straight lips, and muddy boots that
icib dppdTeLl IN pTtsslons on the Ieu NelNet
carpet Of the drawing-room.
When Mrs. Nelson, after much dextrous
maneuvering, had finally led the converse
ton, by what she considered master
stroke, up TO the moot question, Miss Page
had replied merely by running a slight
brown hand through the offensive locks and
saying:
"Why do l wear il this wayl OH like
1t, and dad likes 1t, and Dick" then, with
sudden oblique glance Of her bright red
brown eyes: g shall always wear it so,
even when am married.
"You seem to have no doubt on that
score,r the rector's wife had replied, in
voice which was dryer than the smile
that accompanied it. Mrs. Nelson had
what might be termed wen-irrigated
mouth Pray, is 1t TO be sooni"
Miss Page had laughed at this, flinging
one blue-fanneled arm over the chair in
which she sat sideways, and Mrs. Nelson
had shuddered both at the laugh and gest-
lre, which she found unpleasantly in keep
ing with their owners cropped locks.
Dear me, mol Goodness, mol | should
think not!' the delinquent had replied,