The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-08-13
A CONSPIRACY,
Father Discovers Why He Was Asked
to Go to the Nav Services.

part of May" said Mr.. Parokeyal, "the
wife asked me if wouldn't like to &C
to the May services at church thai
evening-wth her, of course caught
her exchanging glance across the
table with our eldest boy, tike OF
ten, when she made that suggestion tC
lue. Therefore, said | to myself righ1
away, 1t was q put up job.
But there l was-no way to get
out Of ii. l thought bit aggrievedly
Of the comfortable, lOlling smokes I'd
miss if went, and l experienced just
teeny touch of. resentment over the
rather smooth and serene way l was
being chiseled out of 'em. But there
was no way out.
why, certainly, mother, I'll 60
glad to- said l as hearty as | could
make it, and then again l caught that
significant exchange of glances be-
tween the boy and his mother, just as
If they'd achieved some kind Of a vic
tory or other.
"Well, the boy executed his usual dis
appearance soon after dinner, and then,
allowing me to burn up just one cigar,
my wife began to hustle and hustle me
around, and presently we were Oh our
way to the May services. l had to
grin bit sheepishly as we drew nigh
the portal.
'''Fine work for you, little lady said
l to the boys mother DO you know
how many years it's been since | at
tended May evening services"
"'Please don't tell me- said she. 4
don't want to hear it. And don't ever
say anything like that before the chill
dren. You know how they notice these
chance remarks And with that we
were inside the cool, fragrant church
and on our way to the pew.
''Well, well, what long stretch of
years that fragrance took me back
across-that mingled fragrance of roses
and drifting incense. Noticed it the
minute l set foot within the church
first, the smell of the roses that were
heaped up on the main altar and on
the side altar and then, as we got in
side, that other aroma of the incense.
declare that those two fused fra
grances-and they go mighty we'll to-
gether if you've ever noticed-iust
clean picked me up and set me back
on the road good thirty years, and
good bit of that road right hard going
at that.
1.-THE wife and | sat down In the pew.
and | was listening to some of the old
familiar May evening music, full of
dim "reminiscences, when the mother
gave me, a slight nudge.
II turned and looked at her, and her
eyes were shining mighty bright, sure
enough. And she was nodding in the
direction of the altar l thought that
she meant that she wanted me to stop
looking around at the decorations and
things and to pay attention to what
was going on at the altar, and SO
followed her gaze.
well, then l understood the mean
Ing of that put up job between the
boy and his mother
"For there was the boy on the altar
In surplice and cassOck, at the right
uduu Ol tIIc priest Ut tlidt. l uIlueF-
stood, all right.
when ] turned to her again her
eyes were still shining away like as
K they 'd-but, when it comes to that,
couldn't see her very well myself.
for 1t all came a-romping back to me
N an instant that she looked just
exactly, for all the world, like my own
little mother had looked, away back
7onder over the craggy path Of the
ears, when she'd seen me diked out IL
,assock and surplice for the first time
for all the world and to the life
Same shining. starry eyes. same
trembling around the corner of the
mouth, same speaking pride of the
joy of the mother-wo-
nan when she sees one Of her OWL |
aking part for the first time iii Il rit.
It any kind of shrine.
THAT'S why she'd got me out Of IN,
to attend the May evcnin
ervices. The conspiracy between he;
nd the boy stood revealed. But !
idn't feel aggrieved about those sacri
ice smokes any longer. New yori
'un.