Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-09-08
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taught to be on Sunday there was no
question as to her elasticity and health
and spirits the rest of the week. She
skinned away over the prairie fast and
free, glorying in the upland breeze, the
rare and exhilarating atmosphere, the
radiant sunshine and her own exuberant
strength and vitality. elbow that girl
could dance II She only would dancer
said Mr.. Tommy Hollis, whose highest
idea OF garrison life was german every
week and a hop every night.
Up at Winthrop all the officers were
married, and, this being her first expe-
rlence in army life Nathalie was very
shy and constrained. She thought both
men and women frivolous in the ex-
IRENE, utterly lacking in that serious,
meditative quality which at her home
was accepted as evidence of religious
nature and reasonable hope of ulti-
mate salvation. Elder Pease, she was
sure, would have comprehensively
stamped them all, except perhaps Mrs.
Barry and possibly the major, as car
nal. But she was physically in sort
OF state OF transition then, being still
angular and sallow for the first few
weeks and only slowly evolving into the
lllylike beauty that manifested itself at
Russell. She had had no one to inter
rupt her prairie tramps at Winthrop.
But here at Russell a new world
burst upon her astonished vision Here
she found herself followed, sought,
waylaid by three or four very presenta-
BILE and pleasant young men in most be-
coming uniforms-''reg imentals, she
called them, as she had learned to in
her far New England homeland all
the Puritanism in the world was not
proof against the woman latent in her.
Do what she could to shame it, beat it
down, abjure it as "carnal and world
~, " this homage was sweet to her fresh
glrlish heart 1t made her deliciously
happy in spite Of herself. She tried to
overcome it by dressing in still more
somber shades and styles at first, but
her kind friend and protector protested.
Mrs. Barry told her emphatically that
no girl should be allowed to make her.
self hideous when nature manifestly in
tended her to look radiantly pretty. The
Quakerlike hood and cloak were conse-
quently discarded, not without prick
ings Of conscience on Nathalie's part,
and yet, with easier resignation than she
had deemed possible, she allowed her.
self to be attired in the hat and jacket
and gloves Mrs. Barry had ordered from
Chicago, and then, as Hunter said she
was simply as stunning as anything he
had ever seen at West Point.
Then, too, she had at first been griev-
ously embarrassed by the attentions Of
the bachelor officers. No gentleman had
ever asked her to walk or drive or ride,
much less to dance, before, although it
had often occurred that Elder Pease or
Deacon Drummond would happen along
about the time she dismissed her scholars
and started on her long, lonely walk in
the wintry cleaning, and whichever
one it was he would accompany her
much Of the way and talk in most edi-
flying fashion Of the world, the flesh
and the devil. Twice it came to pass
that these two pillars of the church ap-
peared upon the scene as they had not
come-together. They seemed to have
house from widely different directions,
each serenely unconscious of the 9TH
er's movements. These two worthy
men, it is remembered, were most vehe-
mently opposed to Nathalie's acceptance
of the Barrys' offer. She ought never to
be allowed to live among the goddess
men and women who dwelt in army
barracks. They were children of wrath
whose presence was contamination. Blu
there was hard headed old uncle q
scoffer, said Elder Pease, who loved
Nathalie both for herself and for her
mothers sake-an uncle who had a
painfully big and dependent brood of
his own, who babe her go by all means,
though he nearly broke down at part
ing. Yet when she was gone he turned
upon elder and deacon both with tri-
umph in his eyes.
At first, too, Nathalie shrank from
accepting these invitations to walk and
as for going driving Mrs. Barry had al
most to order her. She was painfully
shy and embarrassed for few days, and
then that began to wear off and keen
enjoyment replaced the shyness. Even
when she started out alone she speedily
became aware Of Maynard securing the
prairie on his spirited horse, leaping the
broad acequia again and again and final
ly riding up in surprise to see her and
dismounting to walk by her side, while
Ranger, with mincing gait came tow
ing along behind.
But for this keen, raw, darksome aft
ernoon the engagement had been made
beforehand. "The boys were finding
each other very much in the way. To
get walk or chat with Miss Baird now
one had to see her several days ahead
and make an appointment. There had
been no very bad weather since the Bar
rvs came, and she rarely missed her
weekday exercise of three mile tramp
each afternoon, and the man who walked
with her need not hope to saunter,
much less to ''spoon.' Miss Baird was
t'out for business" as Dana said, and
it was quick march, 100 to the minute,
and good, swinging stride from start
to finish.
Then Mrs. Barry was becoming in
%oroc+od in Maynard,s dapotiopS Whan