The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-01-14

evil world.
"Oh, Mr.. Hinson!' The toll-gate
girl stood at the fence, a blue apron
over her head, her sleeves rolled up.
Brother Boone turned in an atti-
tude OF rigorous attention. Certainly
red, hair, though held by many as a
mean infliction OF nature, is not alto
gether ugly when the sun smiles
through it. And Mrs. Meeks' niece,
though one OF Adams evil brood, had
a kind OF gentleness in her eyes-alook
so warm and compelling that Brother
Boone caught himself short in won
dering if perhaps Mother Ann Lee
might not have appeared thus when
she drew mems hearts to the truth.
That meant the abjuration OF any
thing like kindly feeling for blue eyes
ringed darkly.
''What do you want?" demanded
Brother Boone, coldly, feeling that an
attack is often the best mode of de-
tense.
The girl looked scared. Oh-why-I
was going to ask you if you'd always
lived here, seeing you pass every day.
l kind of wondered if you'd ever lived
in town. I'm from Cincinnati myself.
Have you ever been there? We lived
on the side of Mount Adams. It was
really gay there. You could hear the
band play in the Highland House up
on top" She rushed on: Crowds
90 there on summer nights. They
drink beer and ginger ale, and sit
around listening to the music But
maybe you've been?"
"Nay," confuted Brother Boone, in
a terrible voice. s"To a junketing-
place where wine-bibbers congregate!
Nay"
"Nice people go there" faltered
Nora; mot Shakers, of course, but
you know"
II know little of the world,' Broth
err Boone condescended to explain, II
have been to several Kentucky towns,
and nowhere else" .>.. =
over there, where it's SO quiet?" VEN
tured the girl.
"Lonesomen' frowned he, dropping
the scythe, "among so many holy peo-
ple-the worlds elect! I esteem it q
blessed privilege to be one OF them. I
should be indeed wretched to live in
the outer darkness
"Should you?" said Nora. "Now
would rather work my fingers to the
bone in the world than be one OF them,
Shaker woman, and wear capes and
scuttle bonnets-" ~.. &. -.
She stopped short. Mrs. Meeks was
calling her.
cav, Nora, look at you a-dawdling
there while the dish-water cools off,
and me with as lame back as'I ever
had in me- life. Pm too easy with you.
Nothing. mellers an apple SO quick as
freezing it,
"Good-bye, Mr.. Hinson," said the
girl ''good-bye."
"Brother Hinson," he corrected her,
"Good-bye."
"She is frail little thing" he sa:
to himself, slashing the weeds down.
81 reckon Jane Meeks makes her work
too hard. They are all idle, these
worlds women, this Nora, no doubt,
as idle as the rest if she dared be-"
One day when he went by he saw her
hanging clothes in the yard. Mrs.
Meeks raised the pole orhim, her cold
nod at variance with the tone inwhich
she bantered adark- browed M an hang
ing over her porch rail-
''The evil Of the human heart is past
computing" declared Brother Boone.
II shouldn't wonder if Jane Meeks
thinks of marrying again. If she takes
up with that Joe Hutton she will re-
greet it; a trifllng scamp"
1t CHANGED, on a certain evening in
September, that hemet the red haired
girl face to face, as he took short
cut through a cornfeld west OF Shak-
ertown. 1t was we'll on for sunset. A
llnguid yellow melted about the earth,
golden. like a ring in which q great to-
paz blazed. Cowbells tinkled faint
and far in the distant roadway. Two
bare-legged Shaker boys were walking
a stone fence hard by, shouting as
| they pitched about for balance.
Mrs. Meeks' niece looked whittier than
ever, and her threadbare gown hung
loose. Her hair was disordered and
made q misty bronze glow behind her
head.
care you sick?" demanded Brother
Boone, bluntly, stopping the way.
"No,", she said. And then ne saw
that she had been crying, that her
eyes WefeWet even now, as ne looked
into their blue depth. .-.Ea -. :
Brother Boone had never seen any
wonlan cry save old Sister Ellen Gray
bill upon getting word OF her sons
| death. The old woman had sat for
days with swollen eyelids, refusing
comfort, refusing even to listen when
Elder Thomas pointed out to her the
evil OF sorrowing when earthly ties
| waxed slack and broke
Brother Boone had been furtively
aware OF pitying Ellen Graybill, hut
it hadbeen with no such wild lifting
OF the heart as shook him now.
what is the NATTER" he asked,
| with the urgent sharpness of strong
feeling. u.
What is the matter?"
A'Do you care?" She seemed sur
prised. "And yet I knew you were
| kind-hearted, for all that way you
| hare, Brother Hinson. It's only that
| | don't know what-I-' She crept a
little nearer, q hunted expression in
her eye. ''There's man named Hut
ton has been coming to our house a
good deal, and my aunt liked it; and
! | used to fix her hair every 1a,v And