The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-04-30

1
more than made themselves amends
ultimately for any self denial they may
have suffered regarding it in the pres |
ence of their host and hostess. Thus
very soon the whole town knew the
story and Mrs. Gears holly sprig
spoon became celebrated.
Never did a dinner party leave the
givers of it with heavier spirits than
theirs left Mr.. and Mrs. Wampler |
Wampler would have been not little
disturbed simply at misadventure in
his carving and Mrs. Wampler at once
| in her cooking, but to these occasions
of discomfort the affair of the holly
| sprig spoon added, or at least seemed
to them to add, the possibility of put
ting in question their honesty, and the
sense of this moved them finally to
| find offense in the behavior of Mrs.
Gears. The more they thought it over
and the habit of people in Osceola
was to think over things a good deal
the more offense they found, so that
the feeling of both soon came to be as
expressed by Mrs. Wampler, "She
might as well have said l stole her
spoon in so many words.',
In point of fact no such thought had
at that time entered Mrs. Gears mind.
For ten days she had fretted continu.
ally, suffering in her appetite and in
her sleep, over the loss of the spoon
and the consequent break in the set.
When the spoon reappeared so strange
ly, the sight of It threw her into q kind
Of frenzy, and she felt that she must
| clap hands on 1t at once or it would
disappear again. And when she had
got it in her hands her feeling was las
If some cruel prank had been played
on her and she must look sharp or it
would be repeated. How the spoon
came to be where it was found, which
was the question Of first interest to the
rest of the company, did not occur to
her until later, and when it did occur
it at first started no doubt in her of
the honesty of the Wamplers. But the
crazy, dull sense of having somehow
been victimized continued to harry her,
and for that she began .imperceptibly
to hold the Wamplers answerable.
Under a fortnight's pricking by these
fantastic grievances the next time Mrs.
j Gears and Mr.. and Mrs. Wampler met
they barely knew each other, and the
next time after that they knew each
other not at all. Then it became i'm
possible to invite them into the same
, companies, and through the circle of
, their common acquaintance there be-
gan to steal, like a line of spilled oil
t across a floor, a separation out of SYM
patty. By the time the separation be-
, came fully defined Mrs. Gears UNI
! bragg at the Wamplers had come to
positive grounds. She did not scruple
p to think and to say freely, 1--WE have
I no direct proof, but it's very singular
t that the spoon should have been found
t in their possession, and they've never
; offered any explanation"
@ The Wamplers, too, had by this time
n taken an open stand. On all convenient
f occasions and on some not convenient
k they declared that they preferred not
d to have the friendship of people who
n thought them capable of stealing a
y spoon.
r Thus the difference grew into an
G open feud. Finally it was carried into
r the church. A document was laid be-
|. Mr.. and Mrs. Wampler to an explana-
# ton. Their conduct, the document set
e forth, in thus far refusing an eXplana-
II tion was neither brotherly nor Chris
tian. 1t savored, if not of guilt, at
$, least of self righteousness and pride,
Y and in either case they were amenable
to the session. There was prolonged
argument in the session, as well as
some plain speaking and strong feel
ing. At the vote the lay members
divided evenly, and it devolved on the
pastor, the Rev. Cornelius Holt, to de-
| eide. He was a man of rare humility
/ but of ready sense of justice and al
/ obstinacy in following it that NJ
4 amount of aggression could outwear
n He decided against the petition and il
u favor of the Wamplers. He had talked
with them, he said, frequently about
4 the affair of the spoon. They had in
n deed several times sought his counsel
s. He was convinced of their honesty
a and if they offered no explanation il
81 was simply because they had none tt
give. The appearance of the spoon IL
i their house was as inexplicable tt
8 them as to others. He would not say
d that they had always borne themselves
: as frankly and forgivingly as Chris
tians should, but there had been, h
III feared, mistakes made on both sides
" The difference that had grown up hat
been a great grief to him. AS a paste
and as a friend he had employed al
his persuasions to heal it. He believed
that in time it would be healed ant
that right feeling, the loving spirit
= would yet prevail, but if it wer
brought into the church it would onl.
ut intensity and deepen and the day o
,e. it's removal be put further off.
There was moisture in his eyes,
i'd half sob in his voice, as he concludes
ON with "Let us pray" and he offered