The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1898-02-25

moment, Billy! Yes, our friend TIL,
deacon approaches.
| Bill Y handed over sack that VIZ.
lalt-full Of the cornshucks. As til,
farmer, whose hired men these tw.
were, opened the door of the crib ant
called them in to dinner, Lingo Dan
was huslling the one ear OF corn thai
had engaged his attention that day.
When his daughter No lie was setting
the table for supper that evening. San
Travis. familiar TO the fellow -members
of his church as Deacon Travis. came
in from the kitchen chuchliny to him
self. Been a Figuring things out" be
said, land dinyed if the two OH ems
done 4 speck morn one mans work o.
shucking that there corn. One man' 5
wOrk-and we feeds the two on EN-
But the fact is, sorteI reckon listen
ing to that tall cuss is as good as read
ing magazines. Ever know seech a
gift O the CAB, Mollie!"
'No But he never learnt it on 8
farm"
'That's right, too, Moll: bot | amt
agoin to make no mans past lead me
to the sin of curiosity, Moll-leastwise
not in Texas"
Molly smiled; but, as the Others
came in, and while she moved about
serving the dishes, her face took on
lines of pain. Presently her father
noticed that she was making the merest
prctence Of eating.
Amt you well, Moll?" he asked.
Zone O. my headaches, dad, was the
girls reply.
Too bad. An tomorrow Sunday.
The first Sunday o the month. an e
not there to pass the plate" Deacon
Travis passed his cup up for more tea
and sighed deeply.
There was Il coughing noise from
Lingo Dan.
If YOU really find Yourself unable
to go-wouid it be asking too mnch:-
might the buggy he allowed to take
my friend and myself to holy Worship:
1t is-not of.cn-' he paused and
smiled wiStfully at the deacon. "that
we have the chance.
Deacon Travis looked pleased. Sure
thing, You can t,ave the team. Never
thought You was given to church. going;
mlghter asked you betore. Sure you
know the way"
"Perfcctly. 1t is very kind of YOU.
When they were alone with each
other once more, Deacon Travis re-
marked that it waS, perhaps, 4 sort OF
special Providence that had given her
4 headache, SO that two thirsty souls
might have an opportunity to drink OF
the spiritual waters of til" Word.
Which philosophic point Of view, how
ever, was not completely cheering TO
Miss Molle herself
The little frame church where the
farmers o. that region are wont to con
grcgatc every Sunday stands on q
slight lift ofthe prairie. where a narrow
cross road leaves the north-road for the
mountains Nowhere else in the world
woul these hills be termed mountains:
but here, contrasting wildly enough
with the monotonouS level OF the prai-
rie they seem, somehow. to merit the
title easy enough. Cedar-clad, these
mountains make the horizon. at one
point Of the compass at least, green,
and fresh, and picturesque In the hot
days that are the rule in Texas. The
shade of these ceClars becomes 4 veri-
table oasis fr travellers whose way
takes them in that direction And it
may be possible that many of the good
farmfo!k, being driven churchward that
bright torrid Sunday. morning. would
have preferred, in their heart Of fhcartS.
the cool of the cedar mountains to the
hot church benches. Still, il such
thoughts came to them while the white
dust skurred with and behind their
horses feet, they put them away again
as speedily As possible, They felt that
they had every right to be proud of
having church at all. There were
communities, in the same county. and
not such 4 vast distance away either.
that We're as goddess as they were un-
prosperous. TO feel that their own
congregation was made up of well-to-do
folk, and to drive through fields that
showed such hountiful harvcsts. was to
be glad, also, that they had had the
gr""'. years ago, to call to them u
clergyman from the east. to build Il
| church, and support it Well.
Good fortune, or good Judgment had
ordained tl.ll IT,. Rav. Martin Dawson
| should prove himself exactly the best
pastor in the world for that commune
ty, He was an uldish man, not too
much Of Il doctrinairc. pleasant com
panion personally, and popular not only
! with the members Of his congregation
! bnt with the eastern folk he had left
when coming to Texas. His populari-
ty, and the pleasant manner of his life,
reacted happily upon his congregation
i'll another direction; after his old col
lcgc chnm. the Rev. James Langan
had paid him 4 visit some years ago,