The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-09-11
ruth TEMPLE, SPINSTER." !"

Ruth Temple slowly turned the
pages of the red-backed, large-typed
book ostentatiously labeled in gro
tesoue gilt letters The Report and
General History Of the Lebanon Meth
odist Episcopal Church, and the rust
ling of each leaf as it fluttered through
her thin fingers was a harmonious ac.
compartment to plaintive little sigh
that seemed to issue from the inner
most recesses of Miss Ruth's being
anc cmbled away in piteous undula-
tions On the unsympathetic atmos-
phere of her little sittiug-room.
The last ten pages of the book CON
tanned complete plans and speclhca-
tons of the church, from the founda,
ton to the weather-vane, and a full
fedged directory OF all It's members,
sosetner with their addresses and any
explanatory remarks anent their
spiritual or material welfare, past,
present or to come, that the commit
tee might see st to append thereto,
for it was one of the tenets Of the
Lebabon Methodist Church that there
should be no hopes and aspirations IN
the hearts Of its flock too sacred to
become the common property of the
committee on the report and general
history.
When she had turned the pages till
she came to the directory she laid the
book on the table before her and let
the index finger of her right hand run
slowly down the membership list till
she came to the rs, There it was in
the rediculously large, black type af-
fec.atiously employed by the commit
tse-sRuth Temple, Spinster." The
delicate, blue-veined hand rested there
and the index finger beat quiet tat
too on the old-fashiened name with
its one qualifying word, and as she
looked the full red lips curved them
selvesinto an expressive smile peculiar
to her lips alone.
Ruth Temple had lived in Lebanon
only year. She was Methodist by
birth and by education and by gen
eral inclination, but in spite of that
for six months after her removal to
the place she had declined to unite
with any church. At the expiration
of that time, however, the pillars of
the Methodist Episcopal congrega-
ton, whose services she had attended
with great regularity, got after Aer
with all the persuasive power of their
combined forces and her will was
bent down before the overwhelming
tide of their eloquence without one
feeble spurt of opposition:
Three months before the issuing Of
the latest report and general history
she got her letter from the Kansas
City church under whose guidance she
had passed through youth and the
early years of maturity and gave her
self up unreservedly to the tender
mereies of the committee, with the
result that hers was the most conspl-
cuous name in the whole membership
directory, for among its 200 odd wor-
Slippers she was the only one who was
entitled to be called spinster.
On that Monday afternoon when
the blue-veined index finger quietly
kept time to the evolutions of her
brain, there was a strange, new shao-
ow of perplexity in Miss Ruth's smile
indicative OF the disturbing train OF
meditation that had found foothold
in her mind. The unusual fermenta-
ton of her thoughts dated from the
morning sermon of the day before.
The Rev. Israel Weston, pastor OF the
Methodist Episcopal Church, was
man the greater portion of whose life
had been spent in the study Of the
word and the cultivation of an effec-
tive style of delivering its messages
and practical demonstration OF It's
theories so far as human nature would
permit. Ruth Temple had always
been impressed with his earnestness
and perhaps it was his few well-chose
words of encouragement more than
ANYTHING else that had brought her
within the fold. Until that particular
Sunday he had neves. preached ser
mon whose theme could not safely be
set down as a guide-post in her spirit
ual life to which she could turn with
confidence.
But that day he had struck hitherto
unsounded keys, and the notes Jared
on her painfully. II shall speak to-
day from Genesis ii, is, 1T is not
good that man should be alone. |
will make him helpmeet for him.
The Rev. Israel Weston had pre-.
faced the announcement Of the text
with a conscientious cough and a com
prehensive sweep of his long, white
hands, and then had launched into a
discourse, every caustic sentence OF
which seemed to be a missile aimed
directly at Ruth Temple, and which
burned its way into her heart and
brain. Monday afternoon the scars
still throbbed and ached, AMI she
bowed her head over the report and
general history, and let the tears trio.
kle out through her heavy lashes and
blot the page whereon the history OF
Ruth Temple, spinster, was briefly
given to all who might choose to read.
'sIt was shame for him to talk so, .
she said at length, raising Eher head
and looking at the name again. He
meant me, anybody could see that;
The sermon from beginning to end
was monument to injustice. don't
believe it, that text was meant tor wo-
men as much as for men, and that the
woman who fails to marry misses the
great part she was expected to play IN
life and falls short of the requirements
of the elect. Every woman can't
marry, and he ought to know that.
He had better take his own prescrlp-
ton and hunt wife for himself. 1t
was cruel. He had no right to make
me the target for his burning philip.
pics, which doubtless are expressive OF
whatever disappointment and ill-feel-
ing there may be ranking in his own
heart on the subject. I thoroughly
detest him and the whole congrega-
ton, and I'll withdraw from the
church tomorrow.
But her vexation wore itself away
in tears and by morning her forglvlng'