Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-04-30
And happy may we bel
Praise Father. Son and Holy Ghost


At the first shock man and wife lift.
ed their eyes toward each other. Then
something took the woman at the
throat, and she dropped her head in
at of sobbing. If Hendy had come to
her now, he would have been repulsed
no more. But he was sulky and re-
sentful and peevishly conscious that
the advance was due from her. More,
this carol sung at his very shoulder,
this sign of merriment in the world
about him, gave flavor to his self pity.
So the woman sobbed herself quiet
again, and the carol went verse after
verse to its end:
The next good Joy that Mary had,
1t was the joy Of seven,
To see her own Son, Jesus Christ,
Ascending into heaven.
Ascending into heaven, good Lord,
And happy may We bel
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost
To al eternity!
There was silence and then the shout
of the carolers as they went their way
by the street corner, "a merry Christ
mas" 1t was the final touch of irony.
For awhile neither spoke, but sat as
they were. Then Hendy said roughly:
"Tm going to sleep. That's cheap
enough anyhow" And he reached for
an old rug that made part of their bed.
His wife made no answer. 1t irritat-
ed him. "For heavens sake, Polly"
he said, "don't sit there sullsingp
That reused her, and she fell to re-
proaches bitterer than all, for she was
the angrier because he had let her cry
alone and had made no overtures to-
ward onciliation-overtures she had
been expecting as her right. Rejoinder
followed quick and cruel ON reply, and
Mt last, when he talked desperately of
sleeping outside, she answered with
gesture borrowed of her trade: go,
then! Go! If you can't give me food
and shelter, as other women's hus-
bands do, go and let me earn them for
myself! I can do without your
"And you shall, too," he retorted,
throwing down the rug and snatchlng
his hat. You shall too" And in sec
ond he had flung out into the night
and the snow.
They had done 1t all before, and 1t
was scarce more than another kind of
acting. But this time the quarrel was
a trife sharper than common, and he
could not 60 back and make it up with
any self respect for an hour at least.
Meantime 1t was cold night and n
snowy one, SO he turned up his collar
and strobe off straight ahead to be an
Ill used and homeless outcast for an
hour, or, Mt any rate, for three-quar-
tiers of an hour.
Another snowfall had begun, though
1t was sparse and light, making itself
felt now and again by moist spot
upon the face. The carolers had struck
up "Noer some little distance away,
and between their verses the chapel
party could be heard ut the farther
end of the town. Indeed 1t was scarce
the best possible night for Hendy's
petulant adventure The snow de-
clared itself in the weak spots of his
shoes ere he had gone 200 yards and
the wind was in his teeth, splitting his
face and coming little short of cutting
off his nose.
Thus he came to Cawthorns, where
lived Barring Spencer, esquire, that IL
lustrious invisible; and the high privet
hedge, like massive black wall, was
so good wind screen that Hendy
turned up side lane and followed it.
walking close, with bowed head and
shoulder brushing the twigs. The
hedge took Il wide curve and. following
this, he came plump against small
wooden gate, which swung inward at
the shock. At this he stopped and
looked about him. Without a doubt
this was the kitchen entrance. Here