Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-04-11

Easter, and-how's your bonnet? Well,
you shall have the best one in the shop
and the prettiest. Now run away, I
know you want to-"
She arose and giving John the tiniest
kiss on the ear-or somewhere in that
hborhood-vanished in her gentle
way.
II wish that milksnp had been born
in Beloochistan and never left home,"
John Micou remarked to himself, as he
contemplated the bald head of one of
the brass andirons.
The Micous had descended from
Hugnenot stock that had originally
settled in North Carolina, and Episco-
palianism had been their inherited re-
ligion. jules religion was second
nature to her. Indeed it was almost
'tirst-nature," If l may be allowed the
term. Joseph Thompson and Julie
Micou had been sweethearts from their
childhood and this association of the two
had grown to be settled and accepted
fact in the two families who were as
close as adjoining farms and two gen
erations of intimacy could make them,
and yet the Thompsons were Metho-
dists
There came an Easter season Just
about the time when Joe and Julie
were at the portals of manhood and
womanhood in which Julie, with other
maidens of the church, for two or three
days before Easter Sunday, was busily
and devoutly dressing, adorning and
decorating the walls, chancel and pull
pit of the old chapel in the village for
the approaching festival.
There were some young men in the
little church with the girls helping
them about the heavier part of their
pleasant and congenial tasks, and in
the chatter among the young folks
there arose some good-natured banter
ing concerning denominational faiths.
One of the other girls remarked that
there was really only one Christian
church, "the Holy Catholic" meaning,
of course, its Protestant side, and that
such denominations as Methodists, Re-
formers, Baptists and the like were
only societies"
The 'insane impulse" is something to
which nearly all intelligent persons are
more or less exposed, at some time in
some way. The inclination to spring
from high place to the depths below;
to throw ones self under rapidly pass
ing railway train; to say harsh thing
at the wrong time, are, perhaps, some
of the more violent phases of this "im-
pulse" and it was that kind of an in
sane impulse that led Joe Thompson on
that Saturday afternoon to say:
"More religion and less ceremony is
rnnl 10 haun II, al, J,,t
can't be expected in the Episcopal
church, of which the best thing ever
said Is that it doesn't bother with re-
ligion or politics."
Young MIR. Thompson may have been
urged to this under the delusion that
he was saying something very humor-
Gus, secondhand though he knew it to
be.
He had barely uttered the words
when he caught look from Julie that
made him feel just as if he had struck
her violent blow in the face with his
clenched fist. 1t was the same look of
the hunted fawn that has been men
toned before in this true tale He was
heartily ashamed of it, but did not go
to Julie with humble apologies and con-
tritely beg her pardon as he should
have done.
When the work in the church was
completed Julie accompanied school
time friend and chum to her home in
the village and remained until time for
services the following day, Easter Sun
day. Then she went home with the
others, in the family carriage, to
Chinquapin Hill.
Sometimes when things start the
wrong way 1t seems that the track is
fabricated to facilitate swiftness.
1t had been arranged that Joe Thomp-
son was to go to distant city, In due
time, to take place in business with
maternal uncle who was the head of a
great manufacturing establishment. A
contingency had arisen in the estab-
lishment that made it necessary for him
to start on the Monday morning, sue
ceeding Easter Sunday, In obedience
to sudden message.
On his way, In the early morning, to
the village where he was to take pas
sage, Joe called ut Chinquapin Hill to
say "good-by," and also let us hope, to.
apologize to Julie for his almost brutal
words of the Saturday before.
Julie was i'll and not knowing that he
was going so far away 80 suddenly did
not see him.
Love is exceedingly sensitive and is
eminently powerful in constructing
mountains from mole hills.
Joseph Thompson, us he pursued his
way, Illuminating upon the subject,
concluded, of course, that Julie was
angry with him, when, indeed, she had
never been angry in her life, though,
truth to tell. she was still suffering