The Carlisle independent., 1906-10-18

embroidered spreads and cushion GOV CTS and draperies unknown to the Holy Land and started out over. the old familiar friendly route.
 Her employers parting advice to make her conscience elastic wherever her pledge and business might clash had only made her the more deter mined to live up to it faithfully. He had warned her that she would find silence more golden than truth-but frenzy for truth telling had seized upon Shalmai. She was prodigal with it and reckless as to results.
 No. ladee," she would say at every house. with an accent that echoed of Esdraelon. T am oriental, but my embroideries are from Chicago"
 They are made by Syrians living there?" would persist the intending purchaser
 "No-o-we get more monies by sell ing them." confessed Shalmai cour- ageously. T lie to you once, but no lie now-I Chreestian."
 But the un-American Americans failed to appreciate the superiority of domestic stuffs or the beauties of na- 1 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 1 hearing the truth was too recent an innovation yet to encourage as a fad. | The disillusioned customer would put away her purse with a defrauded air, and the embryo reformer would fold up her goods and go on from village to village along her suburban route.
 The coins in her ancient money-bag became fewer and smaller in denom- ination with the canvassing of each new and old town; the rich-toned con- 1 plexion faded to the color of antique i ivory, and the rounded form lost its l plump symmetry with the anxiety and i the scanter fare
 Three weeks of tribulations suffi- cient to discourage one to the religion i born, then Shalmai was reduced to her last rootlet "of all evil"
 1 Her employer wondered, then grew wrothy, and finally anxious, as her re- l ports came from the various towns 1 she was making such small sales that one machine could overstoek her mar i ket, while she was not realizing enough in profits to provide her with the essentials of life. Vexed and per plexed 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 talk ing" or whether it was her over-eth- ical education that was losing sales for them now, when Kernish came l into the office to hear somewhat of 1 her. and to him the manufacturer of Illinois oriental embroideries relieved his mind with regard to his fears for Shalmai and also his opinion of the folly of that pledge.
 With the eagerness of lover long ing for pretext to again look on his adored, Kernish volunteered to go out as a rescue expedition to the too thor oughly Christianized convert | Whatever Emory Kernish's original l intentions may have been, they seemed to undergo a subtle change on realizing the ravages that her weeks of hardship had wrought on 1 Shalmai
 He came upon her as she was drag ! ging herself and her pack through the slush of country road Her gay gar ments were wind and weather frayed; i she was soiled, exhausted, disheveled 1 t-she appeared no longer a dethroned princess of the house of Judah. With the furnishing of her fine feathers 1 Shalmai lost caste with her suitor- and the expression that came over his face was neither saintly nor pleasant | to look upon.
 But Shalmai saw only her lover of the mission coming to meet her, and l 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 common dation of her Christian lover It came.
 Tt was foolish promise to make, and more foolish compact to keep. 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 arms, beloved, and I will care for you ! forever and forever"
 Her tears sprinkled him afresh, like April showers with the sunbeams shining through, as he kissed the 1 pomegranate glow back into her cheek and consoled her with forecasts of l future where he and she were soon to journey back to the shores of the zithern sea and there live just for each other.