The Jennings daily record., 1902-08-18
The Blue Carpet.
BY FANNY BURLING.

(Copyright 1902. by Daily Story Pub. COD
The last amen foated out from the
vestry over the kneeling people
bowed forward like field OF wheat
before the wind. Upon the high altar
the acolyte was smothering out the
| tall candles and to the rumble OF the
organ the congregation-that is. all
but the Ladies' Aid-pulsed decorous-
| ly down the crowded aisles to the
day-lighted doorway.
| But the Ladies' Aid poured itself
| into the vestry, as a green and gold
! snake pours itself into its hole, and.
no longer awed by the sacredness OF
the sanctuary. demanded in chorus
| of arpeggios and every tone OF the
scale, Where is the caTpet?"
"The carpet?" echoed the abstract
ed rector, his spirit still uplifted from
his strenuous exhortation to his peo-
pie to be good, to live the higher life,
The carpet"
"Yes. yes. the carpet! Our car
pet. 1t was here last night" sang
the chorus inharmoniously.
Their rectors thoughts slowly set
tied to earth. The new blue carpet!
The workmen finished putting 1t
down at six O'Clock yesterday! Who
moved all those heavy pews. and took
it up again before morning! Who
took I'D the carpet?" rolled forth the
chorus antiphonal and feminine.
The beautiful blue carpet which
had been sewed for and sung for, and
cooked for in Ladies' Aid meetings
and musicales and rummage sales and
oil hpanfjfN1
blue carpet, which had been finally
selected and paid for, amid much ar
gument, and at last had been laid
upon the church floor with the care
full supervision of the entire Ladies'
Aid in conclave assembled only the
! day before; their beautiful blue car
net had been spirited away in the
! night.
That sunshiny Sabbath morning
I they had entered the house of wor-
I ship, not one missing, to tread, not
upon a soft. blue brilliance. but upon
I a noisy bare floor. The Ladies Aid OF
e the Church of the Redeemer rubbed
t it's eyes and surreptitiously pinched
$ itself, while the solemn service flowed
on.
Thou shalt not steal" declared DR..
Harrington, and softly the choir re-
sponded. Have mercy upon us and
!. incline our hearts to keep this law.
who could have stolen their beauti
full blue carpet chanted the Ladies
Aid mentally, "and grant that this
; day we fall into no SIM" murmured
: The people, but that all our doings
being ordered by thy governance-'
where was their carpet? Verify the
! prayers of the Ladies' Aid flew up
! ward and their thoughts remained
l below.
5 The president, Mrs. Frances Almer
= on Warren, resourceful and unafrald
e asked the same question aloud in the
D yestry, where the clear mountain sun
e shine flooded the room with joyous
. ness. Seeing no adequate solution II
S the group of tiuttering ribbons anc
e smart misunderstanding not fashion
5 ed like unto SolomOns even in hi:
glory. she demanded the clergy, th'
e deacons. and the janitor. Thus it il
n that Woman. however independent
# calls upon man in times of real stres
a and danger
9 The clergy placed himself at he
, disposal. likewise the deacons.
J. Under rigid cross-examination tn
Senior Deacon did remember tha
G coming home late the night befor
2, he had seen a light in the sacred ed
a tce. The Junior 4Jeacon, who ha
gone out to spy out the land, returne
d with the discovery OF tracks OF d,