The Opelousas courier., 1899-08-26
Greed and

: SendlnS the DlOOu cOufSlnB tnfOuS
. his veins quiteli like o!J.11N and loo.
: at the crocus bed nMr to.
Y "They are such lovely onessA SD
said, earnestly. II don't believek 10,
noticed them at i'll last spring"h
!, pronounced maledictiqAs upon him
self for having beegFso blind as t,
miss so much beauty the previous sea
| sony, but they will be even bette,
this year-if we d9p'thave that horrie
frost you have been prophesying."
She looked at him roguishly, and i
suddenly crossed the young rector's
mind that several yellowish-greer
points of crocus blade, breaking the
damp soil, made a far prettier picture
than the finest rose bush in full bloom
which he had ever seen. It was .
strange fact and one he had never dis.
covered before.
But when he had returned to his
own lonely domain and entered his
study, he stopped and thought seri,
ously for a minute. Then he cast his
t~iat-crowned ministerial hat upon the
floor with great emphasis and ex.
claimed:
"Its my creed, I tell you, that q
man in orders should not marry"
Now, there was no one visible to
argue the question, and yet there
seemed to be argument in his own
mind, for the Rev. Wetherby Smiles
smote his palm with his clenchel fist
angrily and kicked the f~at-crowned
hat to the other end of the room.
For two days the rector of st. James
rigidly stiled his interest in crocuses;
his interest in creeds, however, was
not entirely satisfying. On Sunday,
after vespers, he overlook on his way
home o little figure in a fawn-colored
gown.
"You must see my ]crocuses, Nh.
Smiles" she said. 1.-The buds will be
open before Sunday"
The rector glanced gloomily at the
darkening sky and thought that prob
ably there would be o frost that night.
But he could not long think of frost
and other unpleasant possibilities
under the neutrality-suspicious. of his
charming little neighbor. He hesi-
tated at her gate, and again
triumphed over creed. The
were fourishing finely; the creeds
took a back seat-indeed, o very I'M
obtrusive seat-in the rector's mem
Dry.
His interest in the crocus continued
that evening TO so late an hour that
his old servitor really thought he was
not coming to supper and cleared away
the repast.
"Never mind" said the rector, kind
ly, II am not hungry, "and when the
old mai had doddered off to bed he
sat down before the open window of
his chamber and stared out into the
still night.
He sat there for an hour. A light
burned behind the curtain of II of
his neighbours windows. That was
her light he knew. Finally it dis
appeared, but he sat on, his arms
folded upon the sill, his eyes glaring
fxedly into the darkness. Creed was
making o strong fight for life.
It grew rapidly colder, and suddenly
the Rev. Wetherby Smiles awoke to
the discomforts of the outer man. He
shivered and drew away from the win
dow. There was no breeze and no
clouds, but an increasing chill made
him close the easement.
Then he slipped on q smoking jacket
and went to the door. There was O
light haze upon the river and a SHIN
mer of frost in the air.
"A bad night for the farmers and
fruit growers" he thought. Then
his mind reverted to those crocuses.
's'They will be black by morning." he
said. "'Too bad! and the little woman
thinks SO much of them"
He hesitated a moment and then
went in again, reappearing shortly
with an old macintosh.
"Just the thing to spread over the
bed to defend them from the FROST"
he muttered and with long strides
crossed the rectory garden and leaped
the hedge.
Feeling . good deal like a night
prowler who had no business in the
place, he crept through his little neigh
garden and approached the Gro.
Gus bed the porch. He started
at the slightest sound and glanced
about fearfully. Suppose anybody
should see him-one of his parishion-
his major-domo! He forgot
The night was dark; it seemed to his
imagination that anybody pass
ing along the road could see him
rector of st. James'-prowling
about beneath a lady's window!
Suddenly, just as he spread the Gov
ering over the crocus bed and was
hastily to fee, he heard a
sound on the porch. He started, and
his eyes became fixed upon the vision
before him. A figure, all in white.
md motionless, stood upon the lower
step.
The Rev. Wetherby Smiles was
startled, but he was not superstitious.
For SOM seconds, however, he stared
It the %apparition before he recognized
t. Then he stepped quickly forward
md began to make excuses in o low
Toice.
"Mrs. scorritch = Lydia-I beg
pardon, but I thought"
He got no further in his falterine
emarks. With q shuddering little
ry the figure tottered and would have
allen to the ground had he not sprung
onward and caught her in his arms.
Good gracious" muttered the Rev.
1r. Smiles, the perspiration starting
n his brow. "What a situation.
anybody should see me now.