Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1905-06-29
Hic Two Smiles
tOriginal.1

position, which was concealed under a
torbidding countenance. The corners
of his mouth were drawn down, and
when he smiled they refused to be
drawn up. The consequence was Il
mingling Of smile in the eye and q
crusty look about the mouth that was
by no means pleasing Harding pos
sessed very good mind. He was orig
inal and entertaining, but this, espe-
cially among young people, counted for
nothing. When he perpetrated a witt
cism accompanied by what in another
would have been a droll expression the
result was combination of smile and
acerbity that was very unpleasant.
One girl only seemed to be able to
chat with Harding without laughing
at him, Rebecca Payne. But Miss
Payne was the daughter of poor cler-
gyman and merely tolerated in society
well, because she had neither wealth
nor that faculty of assumed gracious
ness to the members of her set which
in society people Is often accompanied
by ungraciOusness to those without
their set She was, however, intellec
tual, and some of the more apprecia-
tive members took her up. But none of
the socially prominent young men paid
her any attention, and this was a back
set for her. When it was noticed that
the only attendant she could rely upon
was Harding her fate, socially conSid-
cred, was sealed.
Harding's occupancy Of the social po-
sition to which he was entitled was
confined to one winter. The next soci-
ETY. saw him no more. He disappeared
for five years. At the end of that pc
riod one of the aristocrat!c churches of
the place where he had been born and
reared needed minister. The pillars
had heard OF young man, a Mr.. Cum
mings, who was electrifying the elect in
another city and sent him an invitation
10 preach. The reverend gentleman aD-
peared one Sunday morning in the pull
pit, and the moment certain members
of the congregation looked at him they
whispered to one another, How like
Owen Harding and yet how unlike
him.
Mr.. Cummings after announcing his
text closed the Bible and without a
scrap of memoranda delivered the fin
est sermon that had ever been heard in
thar church. once when using q hui |
morOus illustration he smiled. That |
smile captiyatei every woman present. |
and there was not a girl unbespoken
who did not resolve that if Mr.. Cum
mings were called and accepted the
call she would set her cap for him, for
it was known that he was both unmar-
ried and rich.
When the congregation left the church
there was a hum of praises intermin-
gled with query and counter query
from those who had known Harding as
to whether he and Cummings could
possibly be one person. Then it was
learned that the clergyma ms name was
Harding Cummings. the latter name
having been taken to fulfill the provi-
Sions Of fortune This settled it that
Cummings was none other than Owen
Harding, who had been the laughing
stock of his acquaintanceS for a da-
bolic smile that had since become Sc
raphic y thousand tongues We're set
babblIng not at the young minister's
eloquence, but at the transformation of
his facial expression. As people once
asked concerning newly risen literary
star, Where d!l she get that style?'
50 it was asked concerning the Rev.
Harding Cummings, Where did he get
that Smile?'
Mr.. Cummings became the pastor Of
the church. and fifty young ladies in
and out of the congregation all social
ly prominent, made dead set for him.
1t must not be supposed that Mr. Cum
mings' eloquencc or his heavenly smile
would have alone led these young ladies
to covet him for husband. 1t was
the eloquence and the smile supported
by his great wealth The minister
showed no preference for any of them
which made the race all the more eX-
citing. Young women who five years
before had made no attempt 20 conceal
their laughter at his unfortunate ex-
preston when he made a drOll re- ,
mark did not now scruple to remind .
him Of their enjoyment of what they
called his sparkling wit The clergy ,
iNdn sIulleu pieasdHtly on ueHl, al {
though one Of his best friends remark :
ed that 1t was to be hoped he had his ,
old smile at home, where he might put .
it on after some Of these flattering re- G
q
Mr.. Harding Cummings had been
pastor of the church a year, and the
battle of the beauties for his posses
sion was at its hottest when the bri- r
Zade was panic stricken by the an \
that he had gone away to r
le married. His bride lived in far n
iistant land-her father having gone II
)ut as missionary-and therefore no p
invitations to the wedding would be is p