Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-04-08
A SUNDAY RACE.
by PETER STUDLEY.


A cool gray and sweet neatness with
in, and 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 she was called by everyone.
Though Sister Cordelia had years and
years ago forsaken the community life,
still the early training was much in owl
dence, even to the quaint and spotlsss
kerchief.
When the first froth of it had blown
Off, everyone agreed that after all it
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 pretense to youth.
Again, their farms adjOined. There
fore it was all as it should be, when
Cordelia transferred her bits over to
Joel Browns, his residence being about
twice the size, turning her house into
a drying place. Joel himself had ever
been neat as wax, but now the whole
surroundings shone with q purity that
was immaculate. Joel had touch of
romance in him; he stroked his silvery
gray chin and said:
What do you want most that I 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 elaboration she re-
piled:
mister Brown, 1 guess that as ye
feel We must be extravaganza for once in
your life, I'll take the finest sprinkler
snd fountain hose We can find"
So Joel bought length of hose and a
gilded nozzle that took her breath
away. She had secretly sighed many
years for half such length, and as she
directed the stream on the golden
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 counten-
ance, viz: the twirling whifling foun-
tain attachment to the wonderful hose
and the other-Joe's colt.
Joel magnanimously changed the
first to steady triumphant matter-of-
fact spray, which played nightly on the
tiny lawn that was part OF the trim
glory of the place; but the colt-ah,
there was the rub! 1t was Joel's weak
ness, his one weakness-he dotted on a
bit of good horsefesh, and this colt
was colt of pedigree. 1t had famous
racing sire. Had it been branded on it's
silllen 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 Vanities of this wicked
world. Joel was not unmindful of it;
but the colt-was the colt!
Tractable and gentle as kitten, led bv
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
Cordelia'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 un-
til she had passed on to meeting before
they strolled over to Joers to "hev a
look at that colt"
1t was whilst Cordelia was away that
the colt was first broke into harness. u
Little breaking was required, for by
Joe's methods Enid" (for such was
the colts nancy seemed to understand
1t was proud promotion and behaved
accordingly.
When the evening came on, after tn,
days work was over, Cordelia, like ;
picture of placid rectitude, sat on tn
porch, the spray sprinkling the grass
and then would Joel harness the littl
colt and drive away for an hour, return
ing to devote himself to Ccrdelia an,
his reading. BY his suppressed JUDI
lance Cordelia knew the horse was act
ing magniflcently and realizing al
JoePs dreams of colt with such pedi
gree.
Lands sake, Mis- Brown" said Mis-
Field. neighbor with lisp and snid