Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-04-10

thinking tney were TO go nome, Dellke
to food.
Taa iany laughed again. Don't let
lem spoil my parasol. And / must
warn you now: Never, never tread on
LILY skirt! I'm yesy irritable about such
things!"
He had taken three or four uncertah |
backward steps from her. She sat be-
fore him, radiant with laughter, the
lt,veliest creature he had ever seen, |
bat between him and this charming |
vision there swept, through the Warm,
scented June air, veil of snow like a
driven fog, and half obscurcd in the
heart of it Il 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 a yellow dog"
"Ariel Tabor!'
His lips formed the words without
sound.
isn't it about time?" she said. care
strange ladies in the habit of descend
ing from trains to take you home?"
Once, upon white morning long ago.
the sensational progress of certain
youth up Main street had stirred Ca
man. 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 tbs 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 Corners,
who We're working llomeward 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 new
| Gl Z, uuu lell uiIlloSl all VI tllt
churches downtown, and Main street
the principal avenue of communication
between them and the residence sec
tion." So today the Intermittent pro-
cesson stretched along the new cement
sidewalks from little below the
square to upper Main street, where
naples lined the thoroughfare and the
mansions of the afiluent stood among
pleasant lawns. and strawberries.
1t was late, for this had been 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 We're finally
out where person could at least
scratch himself il he had to, vet op
pressed by the dccorous necessities Of
the day, marched along, furtively
planning behind imperturbably secrc
tive countenances various means for
the later dispersal of an odious monot
ony.
Usually the conversation of this long
string of the homeward bound wae
not too frivolous or worldly. Nay; IL
properly inclined to discussion of the
sermon.
1t was serious and seemly Sunda,
par>de, the propriety of whose beha
yior was today almost disintegratea
when the lady of the bridge walked W
the street in the shadow of a lacy lay
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 i,
not quite the truth TO say that all G..
cept the children came to a dead halt
but it is not very far from it. The nj
was thick with subdued exclamation
and whisperings.
Here is no mystery. Joe was pro-
ably the only person of respectabi"
derivation in Canaan who had NJ
| known for weeks that Ariel Tabor Wa
on her way home. And the news tlat
she had arrived the night before liaa
been widely disseminated on the way
to church, entering church, in chuic!i
(even SOY and coming out of church
An account of her house in the Ave
nue. Henri Martin and of her portrJit
in the Salon-a mysterious business u
many and not lacking in grandeur To-
that-had occupied two columns In
the Tocsn on day some months be
fore when Joe had found himself in
imically headlined on the first pa3e
reading further. Ariels name lad
been in the mouth of Canaan for q
long overwhelmingly for Joe, how
ever, not in the mouth OF that Canaa!
which held converse with him.
Joe had not known her. The won
en- recognized her infaHiBiy at fir;
glance, even those who had quite lJi'
gotten her. And the women told t'lei
: men; hence the -Sundaylke &c
mcan0r of the procession, for fey
towns hold ii more unseem;y 10 s;a:l
v anu stare III passersby. especially o.
a the Sabbath. But Ariel Taaor rctu.n
! cd-and walking witl,-with Joe Lou
den!
}, Ariel flushed :, little when she ner
ceived the extent of their cons picii us
ness, but ii was not the blush that 10
remembered had redeemed the ta!;te'
> skin of old, for her BROWNIES ha,
gone long ago. though it had not ief
her merely pink and white. This wa
f Il delicate rosiness rising from he
] cheeks TO her temples, as the earlies
dawn rises If there had been man,