The silver messenger., 1906-12-18

DuL Tue un-Am6EtCdh A1uCIiCdA5
failed to appreciate the superiority OF
domestic stuffs or the beauties of ma
tive talent; and with each rash admis-
sion the warm smile of welcome would
gradually relax until Shalmai saw only
look of cold disdain-the novelty of
hearing the truth was too recent an
innovation yet to encourage as fad.
The disillusioned customer would put
away her purse with defrau led air,
and the embryo reformer would fold
up her goods and go on from village
to village along her suburban route.
Three weeks of tribulations sufd-
cient to discourage one to the religion
born, then Shalmai was reduced to her
last rootlet 'of all evil"
Her employer wondered, then grew
wrothy, and finally anxious, as her re-
ports came from the various towns
she was making such small sales that
one machine could overstock her mar
ket, while she was not realizing
en@ugh in profits to provide her with
the essentials of life. Vexed and per
picked at this sudden turn of affairs,
he was conjecturing whether it was
| Shalmai's lack Of learning that had
sold his goods SO readily before TAX
/ ing" or whether it was her over-eth-
ical education that was losing sales
for them now, when Kernish came
into the office to hear somewhat of
her, and to him the manufacturer of
Illinois oriental embroideries relieved
his mind with regard to his fears for
| haIr oil p &c int IF hn
folly of that pledge.
With the eagerness of a lover long
ing for pretext to again look on his
adored, Kernish volunteered to go out
as a rescue expedition to the too thor
ough1y Christianized convert.
Whatever Emory Kernish's original
intentions may have been, they
seemed to undergo subtle change
on realizing the ravages that her
weeks of hardship had wrought on
Shalmai.
He came upon her as she was drag
ging herself and her pack through the
slush of a country road. Her gay gar
ments were wind and weather frayed;
she was soiled, exhausted, disheveled
she appeared no longer a dethroned
princess of the house of Judah. With
the furnishing of her fine feathers
Shalmai lost caste with her suitor-
and the expression that came over his
face was neither sanity nor pleasant
to look upon.
But Shalmai saw only her lover of
the mission coming to meet her, and
she fell into his arms with the limp
ness of a rag doll and wept her glad
relief.
why, Shalmaii" he exclaimed.
'T have kept the pledge. but behold
to what it has brought me-" and she
hushed her sobs to hear the commen
dation of her Christian lover. 1t came
TT was a foolish promise to make
and a more foolish compact to keep
d But it is over now. You must leave
the reforming OF the world to those
!. better able to cope with it. Your
; place is here, safe sheltered in my
p arms, beloved, and will care for you
! forever and forever"
II Her tears sprinkled him afresh
e like April showers with the sunbeam'
g. shining through, as he kissed the
n pomegranate glow back into her cheel
and consoled her with forecasts of |
al future where he and she were soon tt
= Journey back to the shores of th'
70 zithern sea and there live just TO
re each other.
Of 1--WE will have one grand weddinl
m at the mission" mused Shaimai. witt
Of blissful naivette.
i'd Kernish flushed guiltily, then fa
e. tered: 'It won't be necessary
ce marriage Just now might be fatal t
a; NV prospects" Shalmai's stunne
u silence encouraged him and. drawin
IN her closer, he went on more glibly
ed Ceremonies are merely form. Sha
ed mai. Marriage is simply a bushes
of contract and no more requires th
or services of a preacher than an o
is binary partnership requires the il
in tervention of an attorney. A cover
ant between two loving hearts shoul
lai be more sacred than the ordaine
he phrases of the ritual l hereby pror
20 ise to love and cherish you with
1e, greater constancy than many who r
re ouire a legal oath to hold them. an
he stopped to kiss the ripe re
he mouth. but Shalmai sprang awa
m from him in sudden realizing horro
$50 rs this what you Chreestians ca
al following in His Steps?" she erie
IN out in sharp pain.
- mot exactly in His steps, bat
the footprints of others less perfe
- Solomon David's, and-be reaso
able-wait, Shalmai!" But Shalm
~ ~ had caught up her pack and fed Iii
'iN frightened fawn across the field
leaving Kernish much disturbed as
~. the report of him she might car
~ back to the mission. and its possib
- 80 effect upon his consular expectation
ua When safely lost from Kernish
md the shadows of the early twiligf
hn+ Shalmai sank down on bunch
gad brushwood to think over things al
,ith to weep out the last calling drop
her disillusionment.
ery Then she took little caiend
az from her pocket and calculated cal