The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-15

Igs9gj n lie prickiy twig she held
,,siiII' ,here seems to be nothing else.
Easter falls lust too late for the PUN
hinn,ns--ttn rain last night washV
then, All ragged. And the pear ana
mach trees arc Just fairly btidded--ahd
hot cyel, a jonuuil blooming IN the gar
den.' A..
1T beats me clean ana clear, AIRS.
nfur1och returned Internationally, WHY
III uood lord should send us this late
rold Henson Two heard ever since l
vas knechlgh to grasshopper; Eurly
ftna,cr, early Spring. stu can't say
10 m mind about the blooms you've
named over. amt dcceltfu 70 man.
why should I try ter be ter my God!
And know lie knows fruits amt the
same as flowers, however you may tax
about 1t. Don't YOU agree He oushter
have always the very best we cu',
give?"
"Surely," Mrs Gray said making q
faint Sigh with lambeth smile.
trhc set of Mrs. AIurduch's mouth was
portcnto,ls-iby 1t she knew Some daring
thought lowered In that lndy's mind.
But for a little while it was left UNI
spoken. Mrs. Murdoch rambling on:
alnt for denyin' the chapel looked pref
ty all right. lined and punched UP Win
iogwood blooms, the way YOU woulu
have It last ycur--but / told Mist Mi'r.
doch then, and think SO yet, IT. PVT
folks 80 much in mind OF the bush ar
Dor at a Methodist big meetln' my con
science wouldn't never let me help yo
do It again. And Mist Murdoch sad
I was right--for putin religion oil aside,
only think of the nailholcs you made
tackln' I'D them big boughs. Everybody
knows sweat-bees mir shore to ma so'''e
OF them holes and creep In through en-
3 to destroy al tlils. we've had such .
turrbc time ter upbu'ld."
no. l hope not. can't think the
nails did real harm. They were small
so small I can't see mark Mrs Gray
answered, her transparent face flushing
as she scanned the church walls.
They were log walls, Of fine straight
yellow poplar timbers hewn 10 n smooth
face carefully laid up. and the CRACKS
z between pointed neatly with mortar al
most matching the wood color. They
supported hcwn poplar rafters OF almost
Gothic pitch which came out between
ceiling pancls of narrow matched poplar
boards. No profanlng brush had touch-
Cd the wood. Every year It got softer
q richer, melower, In tone. Yet 1t WAS
Mrs. Nlurdochs plan TO get the edflce
weather boarded without, painted with
in. She liked to have things finished,
she said-speclally churches. IT was
. 1luIHD ISuI ullt Gi'S lous, "
leave Gods house naked as you wouldn't
leave your own.
The. chapel had begun existence as n
mission, Indirectly, Mrs. Gray was Its
reason for being. Virginia bred and de-
voutly Episcopal. she had married one
OF the Tennessee soldiers who marched
and fought four years with Lee. and
had come with him. -<1ilng and un-
afraid. back to the hill farm on which
he was born. Life there had been hard
harder, narrower, thai she had dreamed
Z existence could be. But She had faced
hardship bravey as bccnme.h rh6tougn-
bred clnging and holding fast TO but
one part Of The old life. That was her
church, notwithstanding the nearest Epis-
copal parish lay fully twenty miles
away. Its church was In the county
town. so II had been doubly hard to go
there at Easter In pteously faded gar
mcnts and the most ramshackle OF equip
ages, yet she had gone Turtlier. she had
S taken her children for baptism. and when
one after another they died 1t had been
her chlefest comfort that they were laid
to rest with the ritual Of her faith.
st. Georges had received hcr with
omen arms and tried delicately to help
her. 1t had planned to make min
lister OF the one son left her. her eldest,
but just ms he came to seventeen, his