The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-20
BY FRANCES A. SCHNEIDER


remarked on the very first SUNDAY he
preached in Alynton that Rev. William
Nane took an unusual interest in Ur-
sula Meigs, and, mark my words, y
this astute person concluded, oracu-
larry, he means matrimony"
Ursula's father, Mr.. Sam Meigs,
owned the high stock farm just out
side of -Alynton. he was silent
kindly man, who interested himself ex-
clusively in his daughter and his farm
and let the affairs of the village severe
ly alone. AS for the church, he seldom
troubled it, though he desired his
daughter TO go, because her dead
mother had wished it
From the first he took a kindly in
terest in the young clergyman, who
was man after his own heart, he
said, and knew a well-bred horse or a
good COW when lie saw either: "or a
pretty girl when he sees her" supple
mented Miss Flint, with knowing
sniff, when this comment on the new
clergyman's astuteness was repeated to
her.
And Ursula was a pretty girl; no
one could gainsay that. Perhaps it
was her two-years' training at Miss
Smiths fashionable boarding school at
Boynton that had given her the air
Of case and good breeding that would
have made her attractive anywhere
but were particularly noticeable as
forming a strong contrast to her sur
roundings and contemporaries in Allyn
ton MISS Smith would have said so
doubtless. She was an independent
self-reliant young creature, this Ursula,
and chafed against restraint of any
form, absolutely refusing to belong to
any of the church societies in which
St Luke's abOunded. She preferred to
perform her little charities alone and
n0aided nv the TTsaf11l Gifts To-. TKTo,.
thy Ones society, and as for the sew
ing circle, she had withdrawn from it
when she found its members intent
upon red flannel shirts for Indian ba-
bieS, When the Hodge children in the
hollow did not have enough clothing
to keep them warm. And so it came
about that many of the members of ST
Luke's pronounced her headstrong and
fighty But in spite of all this, the
pastor of st. Luke's continued to fail
deeped and deeper in love with this
most unsuitable person.
And that chit of a girl of 49," said
Miss Flint, lis playing with him, I'm
sure, just as if he were an ordinary
man instead of q Clergyman; though.
to be sure, he hasn't all the ways of a
minister Of the gospel. or he wouldn't
have Knocked down Tom Bailey when
he tried to steal his watch on the
flats, in direct opposition to Scripture
teaching"
Now, Ursula may have been coquet-
ting with the minister. after the man
ner of her kind, but deep in her heart
was growing regard for him, against
which she struggled manfully-or
maidenfully-lest it should one day
lead her, against what she considered
her better judgment, into the thrall of
those societies for which she cher
iSned SO profound an objection.
November was unusually cold and
raw that year, and st. Luke's church, |
owing to a defective fiue, which baffied
the skill of the village tinsmith to re-
pair, was so damp and chilly that
many Of the congregation attributed
their rheumatism for years after to
those November Sunday mornings in
church. On the Sunday before Thanks
giving, it was colder than ever, and |
the young clergyman'S teeth chartered !
as he announced that, owing to an IN |
fortunate delay in repairing the de- |
fective aue, it had been decided to hold |
the Thanksgiving service at the little |
old chapel in the village where the |
congregation Of st. Lukes had been |
wont to meet in years gone by and |
which was now used as a Sunday
school room. He hoped all would be
present and involuntarily-as he had
done a dozen times that morning
glanced down at the AIeigs pew. 1t
was empty.
If any one had asked Ursula why she
stayed at home from church that morn
rig, she would doubtless have replied
that 1t was on account of the cold;
and because she thought her father
needed her company. But in reality,
her detection from duty was caused by
a foolish speech of Miss F'lint's who
had asked when she might expect an
invitation" and whether the ''parson-
age was to be newly papered and fur
nj e11 aH w fr i,10Io
tial observer would have sounded
harmless and impersonal enough, but
which aroused in Ursula indignation
and contempt; so much so that she
vowed secretly that there Should be no
more idle gossip about herself and
Mr.. Eane, and that she would take the
first steps toward this end by remain
ing at home from church With this
momentous esolution still quite fresh
in her mind. it is no wonder that Ur-
sula felt misgivings as to the propri-
ETY. of attending Thanksgiving service,
especially as Mr.. Meigs had cordially
invited the young clergyman to dinner
on that day, and she would be obliged
to walk home with him. What a noun
tain the gossips would make out OF
this poor little molehilli On the other
hand. it seemed very wicked indeed,
to let a mere personal feeling stand in
the way of a religious duty
Finally, she decided that it was no.
body's business, and that it would be a
good opportunity to show the minister
and everybody else that she was per-
fectly Indifferent to him.
Inconsistent little Ursulai And vet
those far older and more experienced
have sometimes been actuated by the ;
same feelings that prompted her when
she donned her long cloth ulster, pinned
her big black hat on her bright hair
and sailed forth to church that wintry
Thanksgiving morning.
November roses doomed in her
cheeks as she walked into the church.
yard from the quiet road which she ! s
quite early, but old Betty White. was ;
there before her, seated in one of the
fee seats near the door. While Ursula | '
knelt in her own pew, the half blind |
old sexton, Ezra Cobb, came out of the
vestry room, carrying something in his {
hand; he passed down the aisle and /
out Of the church, shutting the door
behind him and making a great rat {
Ting with the lock asi he went. After Y
this there was a long space of absolute !
quiet
How strange that nobody came! Ur- /
sula looked at her watch; it was II
o'clock ard service usually began at
10. She sat quiet few minutes longer. y
and then looked uneasily at the old Ig
woman in the free seats. She was y
very still, and her blurred, patient eyes
stared fXedly before her. Presently q
Ursula rose with q little SILVER and t
went down the aisle. =
Betty" she said, what do you think
can be the matter with Mr.. Nane and il
all the people?" h
Z COULDN'T say, miss. It's time they 4
were here. amt it?' Y
Yes. Perhaps it was decided not to il
have service today on account Of the b