The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1907-08-01
CHAPTER XIII.

THERE was a custom of Canaan,
time worn and seldom honored
in the breach, which put Ariel
that afternoon in easy possess
sion Of coign Of vantage command
ing the front gate. The heavy Sunday
dinner was finished in silence (on the
part of Judge Pike deafening) about
O'Clock, and soon after Mamie tossed
a number of cushions out upon the
stoop between the cast iron dogs, Sam
Warden having previously covered the
steps with rug and placed several
garden chairs near by on the grass.
These simple preparations concluded,
Eugent spraWled comfortably upon the
rug and Mamie seated herself near
him, while Ariel wandered with appar-
ent aimlessness about the lawn, fol-
lowed by the gaze Of Mr.. Bantry until
Miss Pike begged her little petulant-
~ to join them.
She came, looking about her dream
lily and touching to her lips now and
then, with an absent air, clover bios
som she had found in the longer grass
against the fence. She stopped to pat
the neck Of one of the cast iron deer
and, with grave eyes, proffered the
clover top first for inspection, then as
. food. There were those in the world
who, seeing her, might have wondered
that the deer did not play Galatea and
come to life
She had put on her hat after dinner,
and Mamie now inquired if she would
p, not prefer to remove it, Offering to car
~ it indoors for her, to Ariels room,
to insure its safety. 'You look so
sort of temporary, wearing it." she
urged; "as if you were only here for a
little while. It's the loveliest hat I
ever saw, and so fragile, too, but I'll
take care
II am wearing my hat" answered
Ariel, 'because at any moment I may
decide to go for long walk"
"Oh, I hope not" said Mamie.
'There are sure to be people. A few
still come, even though I'm an en-
! gagged girl. I expect that's just to con-
sole me, though" she added, smiling
over this worn quip of the betrothed
and shaking her head at Eugene, who
grew red and coughed. ''There'll be
plenty today, but they won't be here
to see me. It's you, Ariel, and they'll
be terribly disappointed if you weren't
here. I shouldn't wonder if the whole
town came. It's curious enough about
your
And now the young men of the town,
laboriously arranged as to apparel,
began to appear on the street in small
squads, making their Sunday rounds,
the youngest working in phalanxes Of
threes and tours, those somewhat old
er inclining to move in pairs, the
eldest, such as were now beginning to
be considered middle aged beaus or
(by the extremely youthful "old bach
elors," evidently considered it advan-'
tageous to travel alone. OF all these
there were few who did not before
evening fell turn in at the gate of the
P1ke mansion Consciously, shyly or.
confidently, according to the conditions
Of their souls, they made their way
between the cast iron deer to be pre-!
sented to the visitor.
Ariel sat at the top of the steps and.
looking 'amiab1y over their heads, talk:
ed with such as could get near her.
There were many who could not, and
Mamie, occupying the bench below,
was surrounded by the overflow. The
difficulty of reaching and maintaining
position near Miss Tabor was in:
creased BY the attitude and behavior
Of MI. Flitcroft, who that day cooled
the feeling of friendship which several
: Of his fellow townsmen had hitherto
entertained for him. He had been the
first to arrive, coming alone, though
that was not his custom, and he es-
tablished himself at Ariel's right, upon
the step just below her, so disposing