Middletown transcript., 1905-07-15
THE pENITENCE OF MRS. HARRINGTON
By ELMORE ELLIOTT PE4KE

acres oil trees ana It's teH-lool hoh iO
had been the pride of Kingston for hall
century. For five years, though-evel
since the last of the Kingston Maynards
had been laid away in the hillside Gene
terry, under an imposing shaft OF Scotch
granite-the shutters OF the great oio
house had been closed and the massive
gate locked. Therefore, when the village
learned that the property had been
bought by wealthy Cincinnatian, and
would soon be opened again, the interest
was great Tradesmen looked for some
highly desirable patronage the girls were
in f1utter over the possible sons Ill the
new family, and the young men over
possible daughters the ladies hoped,
though faintly-because the family was
rumored to be exceedingly aristocratlc-
for an addition to their social circle; and
the three Observation-Disclosures, Presby'
terrain and Baptist speculated with more
than spiritual zeal on the UNCONVENTIONAL
preference of the newcomers.
1t was with sense of distinct disap-
pointment, naturally, that the village
found the much-heralded family to con-
sist of only young widow and her ten
year-old daughter This fact, however,
did not deter the Rev. Enoch Trench,
the ambitious young shepherd OF the
Methodist flock and one afternoon,
about two weeks after Mrs. Pennington S
arrival, he opened the iron gate OF the
Maynard place and stroled down the
winding, leaf-strewn walk to the stately
old mansion nesting among the trees.
He was the first kingstonian to brave
the dreaded aristocracy of the new family;
and even he, with slightly uneasy
smile, characterized the proceeding in
his own mind as merry"
The two big st. Bernard dogs came
bounding out at him, with rather threat
ening fronts but, tightening his grip on
his stick, he walked dignifiedly on with
out pause, mounted the limestone steps,
and with a slightly quickened heart
pushed the electric button. A maid, the
like of which, in her lace cap and apron,
had never been seen in Kingston before,
silently admitted him then, still with
out a word, she led the way to room
with walnut wainscoting and a high
paneled ceiling in the same wood-a
large, somber, impressive room.
Trench handed the maid his card with
a short bow-a formality which he would
not have attempted in any Of his parish
toner's houses where they CHANGED to
keep a servant and, as she noiselessly
disappeared, be laid his hat and stick on
a table and sank into an easy-chair. He
felt grateful for the lucky prompting, at
the last minute, to slip card into his
pocket before leaving his study-for he
did not ordinarily carry cards-and he
smiled, half-pityingly, half sarcastically,
at the manner in which old-fashioned
Doctor Prendegast, the Presbyterian
minister, would probably have blundered
into this house, going to a side door,
shaking hands with the maid, and other
wise betraying his ignorance Of refined
social usages. College days, with their
peeps into polite society, were something
to be thankful for, Trench reflected COM
placently.
He had hardly time to more than cast
his eyes over the fine old furniture and
pictures before slender young woman,
invested with some clinging, light-blue
stuff and wearing mass of loosely coiled
yellow hair, crossed the room with a
little, sinuous motion, and held out a
shapely little hand.
doctor Trench, | am so glad TO see
you y she exclaimed, III tone Of cor
diality not to be doubted You are the
very first person in Kingston to call on
ME, and | am grateful
The title Of doctor, thus applied to him
for the first time save by brassy book
agents and wheeding mendicants, fell
on Trench's ears with honeyed sweetness.
and tickled him to the toes. But keep
ing his head, he was careful to touch
only Mrs. Farmingtons fingers in the
high handshake which she seemed to
invita- handshake which had not vet
become popular in Kingston, but which
Trench had encountered outside of the
village on several occasions. lie had
once, indeed, caustically referred in
sermon to this handshake as a mark of
the 'snobbishness Of the self-elected four
hundred !" and had contrasted it with
the hearty, old-fashioned Methodist grip.
But no thought Of this sermon occurred
to him now. If it had, he would prob
ably have dismissed it with the reflection
that in Rome one must be Roman.
During the twenty minutes conyersa-
ton which followed, Trench became
keenly alive to the fact that Mrs. Far
mington was not only the most bewitch-
ingly beautiful woman whom he had
ever met, but also the most intellectual.
In their brief mention of literature. she
alluded familiarly to half dozen lannon's
books which he knew only by their titles.
although he was very careful not TO be-
tray his ignorance. He did not introduce
the subject of religion or ask about her
denominational utilization, as he would
have done with humber person. In
this instance he thought it would smack
OF SHOP" or would sound like a trades.
man bidding for patronage. But she
volunteered the information that her
parents were Methodists.
"a Methodist born and Methodist
bred, Methodist you will die, Won
know p she added, prettily. II don't
belong to any church, am ashamed to
confess, Doctor Trench but shall always
have tender spot in my heart, on account
OF my father and mother, for the Metho-
dists.''
You should belong TO some church"
said he, smiling-a piece of venturesone.
ness which half surprised himself. But
somehow 1t was wonderfully easy to get
OH a familiar basis with M. H.