Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-10-23
The Force
Of Example.
BY VIOLA RosHBoRo'.
Copyright, 1901, by Tho Century Co.

NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
fH1Y1T was in the old time, and It |
l1l was the old story. A man |
6TMsS5 and q maid sat under tree,
gSsSsO n little stream Mt their feet |
and the lush summer all around. The
land was wild and beautiful. The cul-
tlvated fields to be seen by n bird
above their heads were only little,
irregular Islands grouped through the
sen of forest Near the pair-that Is
not half mile away--stood the lar
gest and best farmhouse within many
miles. 1t had n frame addition built
In front of the older log structure, a
big, rough, grassy yard, and at one side
q garden equally divided between flow
ers and vegetables.
Two stout danes sat on the back gal
lery, one knitting, one with folded
hands.
II tell you, Betty" said the idle one,
II don't give my approval to the way
you're a-lettin Lucindy carry on. That
gal is the talk of the county"
"Now, Sist' Emmy" replied the
other in an aggrieved, long suffering
tone, chats turrible way to talk.
It's unjust The talk Of the county,"
she repeated, flaring into little I'M
usual vigor Of utterance, Sounds us If
the poor child had done somethin dis
respectable, and goodness knows
don't know sence when there's law
In the land that a gyirls got to marry
afore she's ready"
"The trouble with that GAL" said
Sist' Emmy, "'pears to be that she
won't git married when she is ready"
1t was the belief of her relatives that
Mrs. Emmeline Simms persisted in say
ing gal" for the express purpose of
notifying and Irritating them and
that she particularly loved to SO desig-
nate Lucinda. Lucinda being the source
of certain innovations in the family
English.
"There she sits out there" said Mrs.
Simms. pointing to the pair visible as
small blots under the distant feathery
walnut tree, "a-lettin that poor fool
spark her and us like as not a-lettin
him pint the day ag'in, and then she'll
go kick over the traces once more ut
the last minute. And, talk about bein
the talk of the county, do you reckon,
Betsey Ann, that anything is a-goln to
be more talked about on the footstool
than gal breakin off her weddin after
they've begun to bake the cake7 Do
your"
"Now, Slst' Emmy" began Lucinda's
mother, exactly rs before, you know
there was mighty little cake baked.
You'd Jest come and hadn't fairly got
into the fruit cake, and Lucindy never
let it get that far afore, and she won't
ag'in, 'cept she's goin through with it.
You forgit the feelin's of cyril. They
don't alluz know their own minds.
Ethan Simms is only your nephew by
marriage. and Lucindy's your own
blood niece, and my feelin's is hurt,
Slst' Emmy
"Betty Ann, don't begin like that.
You know I'm us fond of Lucindy as II
she was my own child, but you never
did have no government, and do say
that to have all this courtin startin up
ag'in with that eejet-I think the mans
has,.t4al,~.l- --i---.1- ----->------'--i------eh
to have the weddin broke off after the
invites was OUT Mrs. Simms stop
ped nm instant, then escaped the laby-
rinth Of her own sentences by cutting
through directly to the main matter.
1.-THE gal ought to be made to drop
him or take him."
"Seems as If it's more Ethan's bust
ness than y-than anybody else's. and
he pears mighty anxious not to be
dropped, whether he's taken or not"
"Humph! Ethan's plumb eejet-
far be any denyin of that from me
but Lucindy is full US eager about
keepin him danglin as he Is and you
don't lift your finger about it. I don't
know why the Lord sends families t.
women with no government, but he
most certainly do"
OF course her own caprices were also
being discussed by Lucinda and hel
lover under the walnut tree. Truth t.
tell. these caprices had always furnish
,, ed them with conversational material
u commodity which otherwise they Of
ten must have lacked.
For four years they had been court
in," and three times wedding day hat
been set. The last time, only three
months before, the usual retreat by
the unstable Lucinda had been delayed
as we have already learned, until pub
licity and general condemnation were
Its well merlted portion.
Lucinda now stood under the walnut
tree a lamentably attractive and ap
pealing figure of culprit. She was
only a slip Of u thing, though 10 years
We're quoted warningly to her. There
were few unmarried girls in the settle
ment SO old.
Little, tricksy brown curls had slip
ped from the bands and knots she tried
SO hard to keep smooth. Her brown
eyes were swimming in tears, which
were falling one by one over brown
checks as round as child's. She
knotted her hands in her apron, though
it was her best one and Just ironed, as
she said:
II do care about you, Ethan; yor
know do. want to marry you some
time; you know do. But-but dom,
seem ready to settle down right off
l. ~ AOOho Dull "a Lilly
all fixed one way then for the rest Of
your life. like being CYRIL" On this
last word this frivolous young person
caught her breath and began to sob.
"You wouldn't think that away II
you cared for me-" said the seated
Ethan gloomily, prudently keeping his
honest, dust colored head turned from
the melting sight beside him.
Il would too-oo. A cyril amt LIKE 4
man"
Nom; you're right they amt Il
says In ell the books that women 4
withouten no heart and mans destroy.
er. That's the 'pinion OF the wise
; men,"
1t was sunset before the two could
abandon the delights Of quarrellng and
} return to the house. There the stir Of
getting company supper made pie.