Milford chronicle., 1908-04-10
A cONsPIRAcY.
Father Discovers Why He Was Asked
to Go to the MAY Services.

10 20 10 the May Services.
zone evening at dinner in the latter
part Of May" said Mr. ParOkeyal, 1.-THE
wife asked me If wouldn't like to go
TO the May services at church that
evening-with her, of course. caught
her exchanging glance across the
table with our eldest boy. a tike of
ten, when she made that suggestion to
me. Therefore, said l to myself right
away, it was a put up job.
But there l was-no way TO get
out Of it. l thought a bit aggrievedly
of the comfortable, lolling smokes I'd
miss if went, and l experienced just
a teeny touch of resentment over the
rather smooth and serene way 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 I could
make it, aud then again l caught that
significant exchange of glances be-
tween the boy and his mother, just as
II they'd achieved some kind of a vic
tory or other.
We'll 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 on our
way to the May services. I had to
grin a 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 l at.
tended May evening servicesT
"'Please don't tell me, said she. I
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 a long stretch Of
years that fragrance took me back
across-that mingled fragrance Of roses
and drifting incense Noticed 1t the
minute / 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.
1 declare that those two fused fra
they go mighty well to
gether IL you've ever noticed-just
clean picked me up and set me back
on the road a good thirty years, and a
good bit Of that road right hard going
at that.
1.-THE wife and I sat down in the pew, !
and I was listening to some of the old |
familiar May evening music. full Of
dim "reminiscences, when the mother |
gave me slight nudge.
81 turned and looked at her. and her |
eyes were shining mighty bright, sure |
enough. And she was nodding in the /
direction Of the altar. 1 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 I
her gaze.
"Well, then l understood the mean
ing of that put up job betwee= the
boy and his mother
For there was the boy on the altar
n surplice and cassock, at the right
ldLu Vi AuN pAANoe a. AAAtANs 4 AAANA~
stood. all right.
when 1 turned TO ner again ner
yes were still shining away like as
( they'd-but. when it comes to that.
couldn't see her very we'll myself,
or it all came a-romping back to me
n an instant that she looked just
xactly for all the world, like my own
title mother had looked, away back
-onder over the craggy path Of the
ears. when she'd seen me diked out in
assock and surplice for the first time
for all the world and to the life!
same shining, starry eyes, same
rembling around the corner Of the
mouth, same speaking pride Of the
joy Of the mother-wo-
nan when she sees one Of her own
aking part for the first time in rite
t any kind of shrine!
THAT'S why she'd got me out Of my
rmchair to attend the May evening
ervices. The conspiracy between her I
nd the boy stood revealed. But l
idn't feel aggrieved about those sacri-
ce smokes any longer."-New York
un.