The Sauk Centre herald., 1907-05-23

scented June air, veil of snow like
driven fog, and half obscured in the
heart of it young girl stood knee deep
in a drift piled against an old picket
gate, her black waterproof and shabby
skirt Tapping in the blizzard like torn
sails, one of her hands outstretched to-
ward him, her startled eyes fixed on
his.
"And, oh, how like you," said the
lady; 'how like you and nobody else in
the world, Joe, to have yellow dog"
'Ariel Tabor
His lips formed the words without
sound.
"Isn't it about time?" she said. .Are
strange ladies in the habit of descend
ing from trains to take you homer"
Once, upon white morning long ago,
the sensational progress Of a certain
youth up Main street had stirred Ca
naan. But that day was as nothing to
this. Mr.. Bantry had left temporary
paralysis in his wake, but in the case
Of the two young people who passed
slowly along the street today it was
petrifaction, which seemingly threat
ened in several instances (most nota-
bly, that of Mr. Arp to become perma-
nent.
The lower portion Of the street, lined
with three and four story buildings of
brick and stone, rather grim and hot
facades under the midday sun, afford
ed little shade to the church comers,
who were working homeward in pro-
cessional little groups and clumps,
none walking fast, though none with
the appearance of great leisure, since
neither rate Of progress would have
been esteemed BETTING the day. The
growth of Canaan, steady, though nev-
er startling, had left almost all Of the
churches downtown, and Main street
the principal avenue Of communication
between them and the residence Sec
ton" So today the intermittent pro-
cession stretched along the new cement
sidewalks from a little below the
square to upper Main street, where
naples lined the thoroughfare and the
mansions of the affluent stood among
pleasant lawns and strawberries.
1t was late, for this had been a COM
munion Sunday, and those far in ad-
vance, who had already reached the
pretty and shady part Of the street,
were members Of the churches where
services had been shortest, though few
in the long parade looked as If they
had been attending anything very
short, and many heads of families were
crisp in their replies to the theological
inquiries of their offspring. The men
impaired largely a gloom to the itin-
Grant cOncourSe, most Of them wearing
hot, long black coats and having wilt
ed their collars, the ladies relieving
this gloom somewhat by the lighter
tints Of their garments, the spick and
span little girls relieving it greatly by
their white dresses and their faces, the
latter bright with the hope of Sunday
ice cream, while the boys, experiencing
some solace in that they were finally
out where a person could at least
scratch himself if he had to, yet op-
pressed by the decorous necessities of
the day, marched along, furtively
planning behind imperturbably secre-
tive countenances various means for
the later dispersal Of an odious monot-
ony.
Usually the conversation of this long
string of the homeward bound was
not too frivolous or worldly. Nay; it
properly inclined to discussion of the
sermon.
1t was a serious and seemly Sunday
parade, the propriety Of whose beha-
vior was today almost disintegrated
when the lady Of the bridge walked up
the street in the shadow of a lacy law
ender parasol carried by Joseph Lou
den. The congregation Of the church
across the square-that to which Joe's
stepaunt had been late-was just de-
bouching, almost in mass, upon Main
street when these two went by. 1t is
not quite the truth to say that all eX-
cept the children came to dead halt,
but it is not very far from it. The air
was thick with subdued eXclamations
and whisperings.
Here is no mystery. Joe was prob
ably the only person Of respectable
derivation in Canaan who had not
known for weeks that Ariel Tabor was
on her way home. And the news that
she had arrived the night before had
been widely disseminated on the way
to church, entering church, in church
(even SOD and coming out Of church
An account of her house in the Ave
nue. Henri Martin and Of her portrait
in the Salon-a mysterious business to
many and not lacking in grandeur for
that-had occupied two columns in
the Tocsin on day some months be-
fore when Joe had found himself in
imically headlined on the first page
and had dropped the paper without
reading further. Ariels name had
been in the mouth of Canaan for
long time unfortunately for Joe, how
ever, not in the mouth Of that Canaan
which held converse with him.
Joe had not known her. The wom-
en- recognized her infallibly at first
glance, even those who had quite for
gotten her. And the women told their
men; hence the un-Sunday-like de-
meanor of the procession, for few
towns hold it more unseemly to stand
and stare at passefsby, especially on
the Sabbath. But Ariel Tabor return
ed-and walking with-with Joe Lou