Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-10-10
lie WORD WAS LAD
CHANGE
LADIES
THE
And There Were Four Genuine Saliva
tons.
dorothy McGarrson in the Boston
Globe

tons.
dorothy McGarrison in the Boston
Globe.1
Twnkling humor, radiant goodwill to
men, handsomely made manifest in stall
wart flesh and blood-that was Rev.
Robert Francis. incumbent of St Mary's
Inland.
st. Mary's congregation was aristo-
cratic, the aristocracy touched with
crusty conservatism especially in mat
tiers social and pous Naturally, a rec
tor whose love to God embraced also the
most part of Gods creatures, quite re
gardless of church pales. was somewhat
of a Christening
st. Marys people did not take up the
cross joyously Indeed they would
have sent the cross away hot-foot-but
there was the bishopl st. Mary's held
him in awed reverence. and he had said
to all from the vestry to the pensioners:
Francis is what you need. lie will vi
talize the parish as no other man can"
Therefore the malcontents kept silence
| throughout the first year. When they
gathered courage for speech-behold
there was a faction so well content tho
Erumblers could not make head against
it. Further attendance had trebled.
church collections quadrupled. and
church interests generally fourished as
| never before.
| To all except the stratest high folk
| that more than offset the young rector's
| laches-his bail playing. his love of good
| horses his fraternity with the people
| called Methodists also Baptists, the
whole Presbyterian brood; Campbelltes
and Unitarians.
Since they could not possibly Gust him.
| the high people resolved the next best
thing TO marry him-and to one of them
| selves.
Jane Adair was everything the rector
| was not-slight, pale, silent. narrowly
| ascetic and very rich. Ever since she
was 10 the church folk had prophesied
| she would make an ideal missionaries
wife. Because most of her allowance
was spent on the heather, her father the
| chief vestryman. made a point of keep
| ing her supplied with fine frocks and the
! frils needed to go with them
She was his only child but so far suit
ors had been few. Whether It was some
| thing in herself the parental eve
severe that repealed, nobody knew. The
fact, however, remaned-only the most
| Grass and hardened fortune hunters had
so far northumberland adventured i'll.
Jane had thawed perceptibly since Mr..
| Francis came. There were times when
she was human and girish and pretty.
Generally it was at the church suppers
or in the settlement work among the
poor folk that she was thus transformed.
The very. wise nodded to one another
over it. How could they help it?-the
| transformation was always coincident
with the presence of the new rector and
| his friendly shadow, Herman Dale. Dale
was a lawyer. and one of Franciss col
| lege chums. who had come with him. and
! lived at the rectory until such time as it
should have a mistress provided.
He was short and dark and silent dis
tinguished. however for two things-un-
| hinching devotion to his friend and n fine
| tenor voice. 1t was the voice which
drew him into the churchly occasions
his singing was always a drawing card.
Jane. who loved music, yet had not a
! note in her voice. nearly always stood
well back, listening with her soul in her
| eyes.
AS she listened her color mounted, her
| breast heaved If by chance Dale
caught sight of her he sang with new
| power.
But he hardly ever spoke with her.
! Somehow the church people managed to
keep Francis close at her elbow. Fur
Their. he felt he had no right-was not
Elise Armor waiting for him back there
/ in the old town? Not only waiting, but
rather than forsake him for richer
man. He could not be treacherous to
Elise-even If there were no question of
Robert Franciss future.
One May morning of the second year.
after n specially hard battle with him
self over night, Dale got a letter that
| turned him white and cut short his
breakfasting with dry lips he said. not
looking at his host at has come at
last Bob-Elise writes me she is desper-
ate-she must do something-and asks
me what? of course there's but one
possible answer"
you mean-come and marry you"
Francis said. Il agree-it is the only
thing. Wire her at once to come. I'll
ask some of the ladies to receive her
far cba lie col a1xr
wife"
your read the service for us?" Dale
said, mlserably, still without looking DIT
Francis If he had looked he would
have seen a face whittier, more set, than
/ his own. But there was the old even
voice, with a rich laughing undertone
when Francis said:-
mo, my SOM" I should bungle hor-
rbly. Remember, Ellie is the one crit
| ic that ever put me out of countenance.
Besides, it would look selfish. I'll get
| Brother Axley, the Methodist presiding
/ elder"
'I had rather have you" Dale persist
ed. Francis turned away, a sudden
/ spasm contracting his face.
MAN, you're unreasonable-think how
much else I'll have to do! Bless Elise!
/ Do you think I'm going to let her be
married sans flowers and lights and we'd
! ding cake? Be off with your part of 1t!
I'm going straight to St Jane. No
/ doubt she will turn out to be patron
saint to all of us"
| The last words came from over his
shoulder as he rushed out of the room.
Dale dropped his head in his arms, but
/ In a minute was on his way to the tele-
graph office.
| At 6 o'clock that evening Brother AK
! ley looked wonderingly about the rect
DRY parlor. He had it very nearly TO
Z himself-there was only Jane Adair and
/ the flowers besides White flowers ILL
les. roses, syringa, boomed everywhere.
/ The air was sweet with their scent.
But not a flower was more purely pal
| lid than the slim girl who had set them
| in place. Misty white draperies chung
about her, her eyes We're brooding her
( whole face tense. From without came
faint voices and the hushed noise of
steps.
The parish had come nobly to the rec
tors help. Six of the notable matrons