The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1905-07-01
s Rleft Stnrp.
THE SPELL OF THE GRAPE.

Ruth Huntington Session, IN y. Y Evening Post
CHAPTER /.
1t was considered an honor that the Rev.
Henry Smith should have left his parish in
Il thriving Western town to respond TO the
call of the Bickiord orthodox congre
CATION, which was supported by a some
what narrow percentage of village thrift.
He was an unpretentious y,uug man, but
good preacher, and it had been privately
decided that he must have means Mr..
and Ms Ashel Parks, pos,essors Of a
grand yellow house opposite the town hall,
had been entertaining the new minister and
his wife at tea on a Nav evening.
Il think now. remarked the hostess,
as they rose from the table we Ne made
You feel pretty well acquainted with the
folks, Mr. Smith 1t always pleasant T."
know what YOU We got TO expect in a new
place, aud | felt il my duty, though |
don believe ia gossip.
MrS Smith sighed impercepubly, The
fund of contemporary history which the
Parks seemed to have at their command
had been a triAe oppressive. But her hus-
band an impassiye listener hitherto, broke
in with question.
II want to ask. he said. about that
little house on the crnSs lane. 1t looks
like the dwelling Of some original person
age.
Mrs Parks cackled in high amusement.
"Wellr' she exclaimed, to think you We
noticed job Coreys arrangements No
body told you about Job? That used to
be Schcolhouse. aud he lives all alone
there cause he had an exper ence when
be was Young that turned him against
women Mercy a better tell you about
it right away
They followed her irom the Solemn at
mosphere OF her seldom used dining rtum
into the yellow evening hight The yoaug
gra>s the feathcry leaves ut a white birch
on the lasn, were touched With gold there
wa, row Of apple tres in bloSsom to
wards the south, With blue mountain ior
their back ground up The elm canopiel
sidewalk tall man vas walking wearily
with an ia fa-hiousI carpet bag IN his
hand
Mr. Parks touched MIR. Smith eagrr-
Is. There job unW. she whispered
Just coming home. lie alway- sets hi,
things fruns the store IN thar bag be says
folk are =, >pyin But, veil you u hear.
The narrator ~et her httle rocking chair
going. with her head pressed tightly against
it, back
Job was A. smart a Young iellow
could be. she bccaa. lie waS uis>s,
nate. though, ali the Corey. we're. Tie
was dead IN love with Har - Macpmber.
over on the hill mad She vas gay and
hiriy. aud called handsome by some iulks-
never could see Il myself job hung on
tlil be was desperate, and at last be io(d
her he wcaldn fool any loaerr be 4 have
her, or he 20 Of Well, | gu-~s ,he
Eas about ready 10 settle down anyway. -
.he took hinl, aud he Wa fairly foolish
both 81 en- we're. They wanted ta sct
asArFied night away, ~ liar es she ~ent uif
Ia Springfield io her uncle TO bay some
Of her thing. and after she j hcen gone 4
week Job thought be coalln get GA
wiIhout goin there 10 se; a luok II her
lie neysr sent her word be was coming
but Just 70, Of the tram and walked up To
the housc. and a. he come IN froBt II il,
who should be ~-c but a young man bring
in her hOae froni = buggy ride She
didn catch sighi o han all they 20, up
10 the gate, he standing there With hI,
arms folded, and she kind q cTiej out,
they say Job walked straight up 10 her.
aud ,ays. HaT ci, he says, 4 give yuu
up Why. job, she SAYS, this va a
anything--cume ia the house aud | I tell
you Bu, he griPped right aholi of her
wrisi aud give It a soFi Of shake. aud Says
be. You needn 10 speak 10 me, nor To
wriie 20 me, a. long ~ yuu lisr IA done
with women Then he dropped her hand
and walked "a never hooking behind him
aud TO Ihis day he's avoided women alto
gether
Nrs. smith leaned forward Ia watch
job SLOW moving figure turning into the
,be erpss lane.
Poor ieliow she said. Aud dtlu
he ever hear the explanation,
lie never would hear 1t. Mr. Parks
assured her Aud it was just A. liar ct
said, nothing at all IL SEEMED the other
man was cousin from New York State or
,.,.u,. - heres, that she 4 never seen till that
DAY aud for all know never sci eyes on
l2a,u tie was paSsin through Spring
a-Id, and come To call. and the uncle asked
liar ct 10 take him out in the buggy to see
the sights. 80 OF course she eoulin refuse
lie vas younger n her too, aud guess
in,m all accounts kind Of a gasky teller.
not the kind she 4 have taken to. any
way
Mr. Smith mouth twilched slightly
II IN somewhat unaccustomed to woman
haters, he confessed Mr.. Smith Is
always the one who gets on with difficult
people
.'Oh, he wouldn' let her do a thing for
him, interposed Mary Parks, the daugh-
ter, in her cheerful treble He was
awful sick last winter, and Mrs. Absalom
Potter sent some lovely broth over He
was half starving, but just as Mr. Potter
put the spoon to his mouth, be asked,
Who made this 2 Of eourse Mr. Pot
ter had TO out with it, and Job set his teeth
and says, i won't touch one drop cooked
By woman nor he didn t, neither, and
he most died.
How do you think he would take an
explanation if it were offered him now 2
asked Mr. Smith
I'm tell you how he take it, broke
in Mr.. Parks gruf tones. II tried it
once, and I'd no more II got the word
Harriet out than he had both fingers in
his ears, walking away. As for her, she
was too proud, guess; sue went of out
West to keep house for her brother, and
the old folks died, and now the brother :
dead, too. They say he 5 left her pretty
well fixed, SO she might be worth trying
for yet, finished the old man with
chuckle.
"Oh, mercy!-she d be too big to look
at him now, remarked his wife. 'Har' ct
always had great ideas Why, Mis-
Smith, you re not going to leave ns so
early?'
Il think they had a real good time,
she observed to Mary with weary triumph,