Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1891-05-08

'he-corncrs of her mouth. Mr.. Carson
felt more Uncomfortable than suited
his priesdy composurc. What lad
Mrs. Birch been saving about him?
Could il be that he had been held up
before this charming maiden as par
gon' until She regarded him as lie had
expected five minutes before to regard
herr
"But, indeed, Mrs. Birch, you do
me TOO great honor lie said. al
trust that you have not given Miss
Birch a wrong impressions"
And then lie wanted to mnihilate
himself for having brought down the
Hood of eulogy which kind and out
spoken Mrs Birch proceeded to ponr
upon his devoted head. And Kather-
Inc sat dcmurely by and ;ricd to look
solemn and awed, as was proper in
the presence of ono whom her mother
so reycrcd, but most al surd little
smile would play about the corners of
her mouth, making the dimples come
and 50 in fascinating way. Mr..
Carson knew she was laughing at him,
and he did not like it, but hc liked to
watch the dimples.
Katherine had not expected TO find
Mr.. Carson paragon, She knew her
mothers fondness for clergymen of
any sort. and especially for her own
particular rector. She knew equally
well her mothers habit of seeing and
talking about the best in every one,
and she had come home prepared to
meet Il very ordinary young man.
katherine had habit, not inherited
from her mother, Of regarding most
youthful members of the stronger sex
as every ordinary young men indeed, 3"
This was not because they did not ad-
mire her, but probably because .hey
did. katherinc's ideals, You know,
were very high, and then she was in
experienced.
After that, the happy days few by
on swift wings; the beautiful golden
summertime was fast growing into
autumn, and the house next door to
the church had had more than its share
of good times. But it happened that
often Katherine would be missed from
the gayest of the parties, and would be
discovered ia the hammock, with Mr..
Ca5son C. chair by her side, engaged
discourse.
ooh, they're talking plans said
John. "Shc's going to teach poor
children in the slums of New York,
and he's going to be 'celebate, what
ever that is. heard them this morn
ing. He's going to lead life of stern
devotion to duty, he said; and Kittie
looked soulful, and said so was she.
Truly, if Kittie weren't SO jolly, she'd
be stick, and anyway. she isn't SO
nice as she used to be. She's prctter,
though, only Mr.. Carson never no
ticcs whether girls pretty or not
September came, and with it the
time for Johns return to school. The
day before his departure he was lazily
swinging in hammock on the porch,
when voice called to him:
"Joln, dear John, just one more fa-
vor before you go!"
John knew well enough what was
the favor she asked, and, after all,
this was the first time, and she was a
Jolly sister, anyway; SO he came, not
ungraciously, down upon the lawn to
Katherine, aud together they went
into the church.
Ten minutes after the door opened
softly and Mr.. Carson came in. lie
had brought new TIE Deun for
Katherine TO try; but Katherine was
absorbed in her music, and had not
heard the opening door and the enter
ing footsteps and did not look around.
The minister stood still. The church
was cool and dim after the sunshine
outside. The wavering patches of
purple and gold lay in long lines
across the floor. Katherine had not
told him her little conceit about the
purple and gold. She knew that il
was silly, and he only thought vaguely
that the colors were beautiful, and
that somehow they reminded him OF
Katherine; and then he looked at her.
In the shadow of the great organ she
sat, grave and still, with upturned
face.
"St. Cecilia" murmured the minis
ter, and he too stood very still for a
minute. Then he gave himself little
shake and came forward. How he
was tempted to let his fancy wander,
here in the old church! He knew his
duty, t'ie PatSr liz = had rid ont for
himself to walk in, and it was a path
of pronunciation; but how his de-
examinations had been weakening all
through Ihe bright summer time, and
how lie had permitted this paragon
('for this is a paragon" said the
minister to himself; "though not the
kind had expected to see'') TO set his
heart a-flutter
Il must not" he said. And he
walked calmly up the long aisle-up
TO her very side. But katherine
turned and looked OH him, and smiled
a grave greeting, her hands still upon
the keys and soft minor chord filling
the air.