St. Paul daily globe., 1894-08-19
THOMAS ANO PHYLLIS.
Springfield (Mass.) Republican.


Springfield tMass.) Republican. mf
The Inhabitants of a small vllIage-t
need not call 1t by name, for there are,
many such-were thrown into state of
lively interest by the arrival of jim
Farrer's Partner. Jim, as postmaster,
storekeeper and bachelor, was the OBJ
Ject of much speculation, and his part
ner naturally shared the honor. Thomas
Stores. the partner, was soon found to
be a kind-hearted young fellow, ready
10 help in a hard job, and to certain
point easily imposed on, which is at
tractive to people that wish to Impose.
A shadow, however, rested upon him.
1t was discovered that lie did not 70
to church, or to prayer meetings. or
even to the Christmas tree Of the
Sunday school. II was we'll known that
he never gambled or drank or swore.
but he might have done all, and stood
higher with the piously inclined than by
remaining so silently obdurate in the
matter Of church-going. In fact, such
easily understood faults would rather
have given him an agreeable flavor as a
difficult convert whom it was special
credit to wiH-whereas no one knew
what to do with virtue outside the pale.
Thomas was not sufficiently analytic
to perceive all the fine shades of this
public misgiving, but he knew he was
not like the other young men in the VII
lage and felt that he was lonely.
One afternoon tthe interesting and
uncertain hour for the arrival of the
mail, which was brought by rider
across the country from x. he noticed
that 1t was larger than usual. as it was
the day for the weekly newspapers. All
postal arrangements here being of the
most open and social character, he nat
urally offered to help, and his offer was
as naturally accepted. 1t was quite as
natural, too, for Mamie Clark, Jim's
sweetheart, and another girl, to stroll
up and look through the dusty window
panes, pretending to catch glimpses of
the addresses. ON the letters.
or course jim began to chat with
them. and Thomas joined in the COM
mon fnanities of such talk-inanities
which nevertheless serve the purpose
of bringing young men and women to-
gether, and SO. perhaps. have more
influence on life than many oracular'
sayings.
"Expectip' letter from yo' beau?"
Thomas asked Mamie, with the inten-
ton of showing friendship by teasing
Jim, who was known to be jealous of
certain drummer who sometimes drove
over from Z in pursuit of village GUS
tom.
Mamie shook her head and pointed
to her companion with giggle. "a
''She'S the one that gets lettersLI
don't get any," with significant glance
at Jim.- 9r
"Don'tneed any?" asked Thomas. as
Jim blushed blissfully. "Yo' beau
hasn't written either?' he .ventured to
say to the stranger, as he showed the
last letter into the pigeon hole. 40
II haven't got one," she answered in;
rather abrupt tone, as if mentioning
fact instead of giving an opening for
compliment.
"Well, if you haven't got one. per-
haps you've got two or three" said JIM,
good-naturedly. -
She shook her head in matter-of-fact
sort of way, as if brushing the whole
subject away as OF no consequence. The
same air of independence repeated it
self even in the knot of ribbon at her.
throat and the birds wing stuck ups
right in her brown hat.
Thomas was attracted by her face. 1t
was pretty, although the features were
irregular, and there was girls shy
ness blended with its frank fearlesSness
that pleased him.
"Who is she? / never saw her be-
FORE" he questioned as they went
away, the new girl walking with a light,
elastic step. and uncon5ciously swing
ing her arms a little. "She looks as
if She could run aud jump like boy"
Its Phyllis James. the daughter of
that Yankee, from Maine that's lately
moved here. He's carpenter, and an
extra good one, they say. but he's got
lot of turrin' notions in his head"
"Furrin," the rustic for foreign, was
an epithet of deepest distaste, freely
applied to any unfamiliar ideas or Gus
toms. Like the old Greeks, they es-
teemed man of any other mental lam
guage than theirs dumb"
Thomas met Phyllis frequently after
ward, and they exchanged awkward
but friendly greetings. He soon found
out one thing-she and her father did
not go to church, and 1T set him won-
dering 1t had been somber and pain
full experience that had caused his
habit. When mere lad he was "con-.
verted' at a revival. In the reac.
ton from the emotional phase came
a craving for excitement, and his old
uncle, a CalviniSJ of the severest tvpe.
who had brought him up from his child
hood with all the affection he allowed
himself to bestow on any earthly
creature, discovered him one Sabbath
playing cards with some rather wild
lads, older than himself 1t was the
first time (and the last} that he ever
touched card, but the old man saw in
him being doomed 10 endless perdi-
ton. He had stroke OF paralysis soon
afterward, and died with the same
awful view, and to Thomas the thought
OF again uniting himself with the Lords
people, perhaps second time to fall
away, was like the burn of consuming
fire.
But 1t had never occurred to him that
he might not be wholly isolated in so
standing apart. A set of people who
never went to church. and yet were not
savages or heatheD, was to his mind an
anomaly, and not a welcome one. Ii it
had been the father-well, there might
be another terrible case of blackslid-
ing like his own, but why should the
daughter stay at home? 81
For he had already learned that
Phyllis did as she chose, and the cynical 4
carpenter was indulgentiy mild in his
own house. 1t was contrary to all hissi
observation for a girl not to 90 toaI
churchill not religious there remaiped3t
all the mild eXcitementof new bonnets, II
Village gossip. the escort OF favored 4
beau, protracted meetings that differedpl
n II Ja = X