The times., 1901-05-26


Deacon arker was a thin. under-sized
man. with small. appealing blue eyes. set
in thin, understood face--a timid de-
precating man. but. in his wife's opinion.
as prone to mischief as the child he re-
sembied.
| He stood now on the threshold. his look
| of giee modified by his very evident sense
| of wrong-doing. My, it's cold" he seid.
siding mp to the fire, one eye on his bet
ter three-fourths." as the village wits
were wont to put it. My hands nigh
| froze driving. What do you think, Betsy
! they've got one of those new horseiess
turnouts in town. I'd like one first rate"
''Old JimH do you. Deacon. I'd like to
see myself riding in any such Tom-fool
rig"
Would you. Betsy y?''-wiIlfully misun-
derstanding her IF that aln't fortunate.
! What'n you say when you find yourself
| riding in that same automobily2"
That I ought to be ashamed of myself.
at my age. But see here, Deacon, you've
/ been up to something. You might s well
out with it first as last"
The Deacon drew up his armchair in
which he looked smaller than ever: then.
/ taking a yellow ticket from his pocket,
handed It to his wife.
Deacon Parker, are you up to this
again?''
"why-why not, Betsy?" the Deacon
| spoke nervOusly.
! MIRA" Mrs. Parker said to her daugh-
ter. fetch me the green box from my
| cupboard"
The Deacon actually shivered as his
| daughter rose to obey. Her alacTity ex-
! ceeded even that demanded by flial duty
| he thought. Il guess I'll go see to the
| chores" he said weakly
Stay where you are, his wife answer
| ed. is this business worked the sames
all the rest?"
The Deacon frightened "Yes. every
time you buy 50 cents worth at any of
| those stores named there. you get num-
bered ticket The person that gets the
right number gets that new style rig 1
told you Of. And'-the Deacon's courage
was rising-"there amt no reason why we
shouldn't get the right number. I'd feel
| proud to go round in that automobiIy."
Mrs Parker smiled grimIy. I'D feel
like a born fool, but there amt much
cause to worry. You won't get it, and il
you did I'd never let you stir rod in it,
I've read about the way they carry on;
it's my belief the devil himself had the in
venting Of them. And I'll tell you what
Deacon, when you go out of this life. and
your blessed mother comes down to meet
you on the other side, you're not a-goins
flying up to her arms all in a thousand
and one pieces" Mrs. Parker~was much
excited; she had always felt a half-ma-
| ternal responsibility concerning her hus-
| band. Maria's temperance calmed her
She lifted the lid of the green box. dis
| closing packet after packet of little tick
cts. ranged in orderly piles inside. She
held one up. do you remember these,
| Deacon?"
The Deacon looked at the bits Of blue
pasteboard, faded now from their original
color, as had the eyes of the little man
himself They was for mlodeon, Bet
sy. 1 saved EN- fore we was married. 1
did want that mIOdeou for your best
room.
Mrs. Parker's manner softened. She laid
the packet gently down Linda Powell
got that meIodeon," shhe said, thoughtful
| ly. They used to say Linda wanted you,
too, Tyson"
! The Deacon's nervousness lessened. The
atmosphere seemed clearing
/ But Mrs. Parker was woman of deter
| mination; having long had this step in
| view. she was not to be turned aside by
| a bit of sentiment She held up a second
! packet You mind these. Deacon?'
| For a baby carriage" he answered,
! chuckling Saved en- when you was ex-
| peeting ria. Your sister Nanny'd got
one ready for her first"
His wife was laughing, too, by now,
| her broad shoulders fairly shaking with
merriment Nanny won that carriage,
| too. and then'-Mrs- Parker was almost
| gasping-'her first was twinst'
| A red packet came next, ana, as usuat,
when questioned, the Deacon recognized
| it. For patent churn. My! l did want
I NfaNgs
And this?'' Betsy asked, and again:
| And this? And this?'
| As she held up a certain pile OF red
| tickets. the Deacon turned from IT TO iook
| Wistfully out of the window Down below
| the orchard was a bit of enclosed grouhu
the family burying-place that as YET
| contained but one grave, and tnat hI-
! Il did want that toolchest mighty bad.
| for him he said, half under his breath:
| And after all It wouldn't We mattered;
| used to worry bout how I'd ever tell MN
| II | failed He used TO count every ticket
| | brought home, and after all, dldn
| have to tell him. l never dlo 90 oo"A
! the day the number was given out
| There was a tiny spot OF water on tIle
uppermost red ticket as Mrs. Parker lald
| them back in the box. She, too, had turn
| ed TO look out at that snow-coVered piol-
| Rising. she lifted the green box ana Went
! 10 put il away When she came back, She
| went to stand a moment behind the Dea-
/ cons chair, laying one hand So1tIy on the
thin grey hetlF IlldI ley III DOS iSAA AA4oS ~
9Oh Deacon. Deacont" she said in
voice wherein both laughter and tears
seemed striving for the mastery. How
many times We l reasoned with you boqt
buying things we didn't need and couldn't
afford, for the sake of chances that never
amounted to anything2 Think of the
money we might We laid by-more than
enough to buy melodions, and patent
churns, and goodness knows what an
II reckon you are right, Betsy the
Deacon answered submissively-
Betsy laughed, or sobbed-which was IL?
and laid her other hand tenderiy upon
the grey hair. still you'll go on doing il
to the end of time-or your time. But
remember, if you should win that new
tangled heathenish rig, not one rod do
you ride in it." Then she went out to the
kitchen. where Maria was getting supper.
We'll have wheat cakes and maple sy-
rup. NJ ria. " she said. Your pa s fond of
wheat cakes. And get one of the pies you
baked this morning; and III fry some
ham and eggS-yOur pas fond of ham and
Land. what geese women arer' she ex-
claimed. little later when Maria was out
of the kitchen Il did think for once I'd
make the Deacon see the error of his
neither; and here m l getting him up the
supper he likes best, and feeling as CRATE
full to him s if he'd got me all those fine
things he's wasted money trying for.
During the succeeding weeks the col
lecting of those yellow tickets went
merrily on. There had been no such
chance in some time, and the Deacon was
like starving man in sight of food
Many were the excuses he made to go to
town. Steadily the little store Of ready
money In the old chest grew less and less.
Mrs Parker pleaded. scolded. threat
ened: but though the Deacon admitted
at sight of her distress. shrank before her
diSDiea sure he continued to spend money. I