Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-10-30
The Force
Of Example.
BY VIOLA RosHBoRo,.

Copyright, 1901, by Tho Century C

IN his desires, as Is the way with final
and he would conclude that
Nothing better than wedding him was
likely to come to her. That ha'argued
It out with his passion shows the rea-
temper of the man. And who
would have liked him better for arriy-
Ing at any other conclusion? Certainly
no woman.
Twilight found him sitting alone on
the fence, smoking and meditating
means for bringing Lucinda to the al
tar
"If 1t was once DONE" he said to
himself as he brought his long legs to
the ground, knocked the ashes out Of
his pipe and returned 1t to his pocket,
"she'd be better content nor she is now,
but she is that skittish and she sees
me that quick that don't
know what sort of devices to fall
upon"
In the house the candles were now
lighted. Sleek ringleted young women
came. forth in groups; family poten-
tates disappeared; the store clothed
bridegroom was followed n moment by
the arriving parson, and then he, too.
became Invisible. The air was tense
with expectation. Low. eager talk
about tucks and embroidery, fine
swiss" and "clocked stockings was
drawing the women's heads together.
Finally this died out. The parson was
spirited away to the fateful upper re-
gions. Still no bride and bridegroom.
The delay was extraordinary. Opin-
ions that 1t was outrageous were brew
ing, for supper, you see, was still to
come. An odd uneaslness was in the
dir. In fact, to make long story
short. Milly Arson had chosen this
hour to declare that she would not be
married to Thomas Simmons-not shell
Tears, revilings, corporal shaklngs,
threats of immediate death from her
father. given with truly awful sin
cerity of mien, all awaited nothing.
Milly was weak creature and had
capacities for stubbornness to be found
IN no other. She had long dreamed OF
following in Lucinda's footsteps. The
,notorlety which had been thrust upon
Lucinda by the gossip starved commu-
nifty shone before her as prize to be
achieved, and, moreover, there was a
half covert and most reprehensible
relish in the mems talk about that
young damsel's frowardness that acted
as a bellows upon the flame of folly in
Milly's bosom. AT last she had seized
her opportunity. She was Gaping all
that had ever been heard of reluctant
maidens. When the storm broke over
her, she was frightened. Things did
not seem exactly us she had forecast.
"Tummas," for instance. was unbecom-
ingly inexpensive and inactive amid
all these violent energies; but, partly
because she was frightened, she chung
immoyably to the one thing that In all
the confusion she seemed able to grasu
the course of conduct marked out in
happier moments. Her poor little
aborted powers Of reasoning had OF
course left her ut the first onslaught
and now to give way seemed to hel
darkened consciousness to be abandon
ing her only plank amid the whirline
waters.
Imagine Lucinda,s feelings. A vel
of bitterness were they within her ms
she sat irving To look unconscious O,
any speciaI relation to the catastrophe
while the comnany ebbed and surpef
obont her In snnnressed Inf de,,c,on,
excitement Rut even now from al
sides she felt ewes Turning upon her
To be forever bracketed with this foo
was s,ckeninp And nennefipp no
other emotions was undenjnbly n sens
Of infringement = MilIv Arson Of al
people to initiate her.
At Inst such guests as could leay
that night tore themselves away. on
trio were not among them. Till morn
ing they must spend the weary. broken
dream haunted hours in the midst q
the shattered household. They ken
mart md smoke little I,ucipdo writIi
ed to see how Mainly her aunt mn
Ethan recognized the special sham
for their little Marty In this hippe
shame and how Mainly thew show.
their recognition. She denied to he,
self first its existence and then its ius
tice and denounced Aunt Emmy an
Ethan for "pair of ninnies. poi
roun' with their heads hnnpin hon
sometbin thew had notbin in this mo,
| tai world to do with" Yes. It wa
true. For once other consideration
outweighed Aunt Emmy's appetite 70
sensation, and she was humbled.
Lucinda. got up at dawn. She wa
pale, and her mouth was shut with
firmness quite absurd on such BIZ
curved little face. Before the sun ros
she succeeded In getting hold of Ethar
She dragged him out of doors and int
the dewy grass for private converse
The sleepiness left his eyes when sh
faced him and said fiercely, 81 want t
go to Strathboro and git married jus
as soon as you can saddle up"
The poor mans head whirled. A hur
dred things seeming to demand consit
Grafton and time sprang to his mint
and withal his arms ached to catch thi
small amazon Off the ground and to hi
breast. But he was a wise one, wa
Ethan. He held himself quite still, a
| h. tnf,A i,