Fort Wrangel news., 1898-09-14

Rev NrtHrrbY Smiles WIS rector ut St James aHd occupied a rpza=euihoW rred eafaee ust tlf from thr church. The catuge. wltb lts attendant sarleu. WIS dainty pretty spot which l"oked Us though Numlu's hand had planted uu1 cared for it
 But no woman had anything Co do wlth Che rertory Rev. Smiles only servant WIS dodderiug oll man; the rector prepared his own meals except when he was invited to tea hy some old lady who pitied his lonely. indigestion breeding existence.
 Not that Rrv. Nctherhy Smiles was a woman-atcr but Mir Smiles was very high church indeed. Unfortunate ly. St James ana the parish people We're extremely low.
 The rector fell that the clergy to be able To give their whole time and thought to their work, should live lives of cclihacy He had felt at times a strong drawing towards soue ecelesi- astical order in which such VOWS would be necessary. Then hc would wear some outward sign If his vows, and the young women of his parish would not fall in losc with him.
 The rector Wus young and good-look- Ing. he had been in his present pastor ate less chan year, and he had already had un experience.
 Rev. Nctarrby smiles. from study window. could look across his garden plot and see tn, brown earth warming in thc spring sunshine and the trees and bushes slowly bursting into life.
 He looked across his garden, l say. and across the garden. beyond the low hedge. was another garden which in summer was full of color. He had no- tlced the brllliant-hued beds the year before. but now the only bit of color was pale blue morning robe that hit- ted about the inelosure.
 To tell the truth. the rector had sel- dom noticed that morning gown or the little woman inside it before. But 1t pleased his fancy now to look across the hedge and watch his neighbor.
 He recalled that his old major domo had told him the cottage next the par sonage was occupied by Il widowed lady-a lonely creature who had taken up her abode there but shortly before Rev smiles was settled over St. James He remembered thc little figure In black in one of the side pews, pointed out to him by the clerk as Mrs. Seor- ritch." and probably had not given her q thought or glance afterward.
 However. he saw so much of the pale blue gown that first warm week in spring that he looked for the little widow ill her pew the next Sabbath. She had laid aside her weeds and WaS dressed in some clinging, tawn-col- pred material that made her look like a very demure little moth. And she had the sweetest face in the world-at least the sweetest face in Rev. Wetherby Smiles world.
 On Monday morning the clerical black appeared in the rectory garden about as soon as the pretty morning robe appeared over the hedge. The de mure little face dimpled and smiled un- der its garden hat 1t the rector's ap proach. and the widow nodded brightly.
 You are carly at your gardening this morning Mrs. Scorritch." he said.
 ''Yps. but it's so warm, she replied in defense. "I am expecting my cro- cuses to appear any day now
 I'm afraid we'll see some frost yet, Mrs. Scorritch." said the rector.
 Now, don't talk that way, I begr' cried the little woman claSping her hands, inclosed in long wristed and par gExs4 7Y<zSEY- -ElTII