The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-04-10
A SUNDAY RACE.
BY PETER STUDLEY.

BY PETER STUDLEY.
A cool gray and sweet neatness with
in, and u world of rampant glory with
out!
Cordelia Brown had been brought up
a ShakCress, and this was her Califor-
MAN home. Everybody was thunder
struck when Joel Brown proposed to
and was accepted by prim Sister Cor
della as sh2 was called by everyone.
Though Sister Cordelia had years and
years ago forsaken the community life,
still the early training was much in evil
dence, even to the quaint and spotless
kcrchief.
When the first froth of it had blown
off, everyone agreed that after all ii
was not an ill-match. Joel was steady.
Sister Cordelia was The quintessence of
steadiness. Joel Brown was nearer
fifty than forty, and assuredly Sister
Cordelia made no pretanse to youth.
Again, their farms adjOineG. There
fore it was all as it should lie, when
Cordelia transferred her bits over to
joel Browns. his residence being about
Nv lCt luC SIX, u lliS iItl u Ia ~
a drying place. Joel himself had ever
been neat as wax, but o. the whole
surroundings shone with j purity that
was immaculate. Joel had a touch Of
romance in him; he stroked his silyery
gray chin and said:
What do you want most that l can
buy you? Something out of the ordi-
nary, you understand"
Cordelia understood-it was to be
the wedding present, since before they
were married she had persistently re-
fused to accept any memento whatso-
ever. After much deliberation she re-
piled:
Mister Brown, l guess tha, a. ye
feel We must be ~eNtravagant for once in
your life, I'll take the finest sprinkler
and fountain hose We can find"
So Joel bought a length of hose and a
gilded nozzle that took her breath
away. She had secretly sighed many
years for half such a length, and as she
directed the stream on the COLLEEN
fruit until every orange shone like a
golden ball in its setting of deep green,
she murmured: My! but | hope such a
length of nozzle is not sinful"
However, Cordelia was Cordelia still,
and two things she would not counter
anCe, viz: the twirling whifling foun-
tain attachment TO the wonderful hose
and the other-JoeI's colt.
Joel magnanimOusly changed the
first to a steady triumphant matter-of-
fact spray, which played nightly on the
tiny lawn hat was a part of the trim
glory of the place; but the Goliath,
there was the rub. 1t was Joers weak
hess, his one weakncsS-he dotted on a
bit of good horsefiesh, and this colt
was d colt of pedigree. 1t had a famous
racing sire. Had it been branded on its
silken coat with the word Sin it could
not have been more an object of silent
condemnation to Cordelia. To her it
was the carnal representative of the
pomps and v~anities of this wicked
world. Joel was not unmindful Of it;
but the colt-was the colt!
Tractable and gentle as 4 kitten, led by
a little halter it would run by the side of
Joel, as he drove to market. 1t even
sought with soft whinny to WOO Cor
della as she passed the paddock in her
clean gray dress and white cap; but
Cordelia never turned her head. Joel
smiled softly to himself, yet respected
CorGeIia's notions all the same.
The colt grew apace. The neighbors,
men and women, also respected Corde-
las notions-insomuch that the very
few men friends of Joel would wait I'M
til she had passed on to meeting before
they strolled over to Joel's to 'hev a
look at that colt"
1t was whilst Cordelia was away that
the colt was first broke into harness."
Little breaking was required, for by
Joel's methods Enid" flor such was
the colts name) seemed to understand
it was 4 proud promotion and behaved
accordingly.
When the evening came on, after the
DAYS work was over, Cordelia, like a
picture of placid r%ectitude, sat Oh the
porch. the spray s%prinkling the grass;
and then would Joel harness the little
colt and drive away for an hour, return
ing TO devote himself to Ccrdelia and
his reading. By his suppressed jubi-
lance Cordelia knew the horse was act
ing magnificently and realizing all
Joel's dreams of a colt with such a I edi-
gree.
Lands sake, Mis- Brown" said Miss
Field, q n~eighbor with a lisp and a sniff,