The Democratic advocate., 1909-04-23
The Ministers S
Answer.
BY SYLVIA MEREDITH.
BY SYLVIA MEREDITH.
Copyrighted, 1909, by Associated
Literary Press.


OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
The little minister-little in stature.
little in power. little in salary-sat be-
fore table in his study diligently and
Iaboriously searching amid the leaves
If various volumes of reference and
occasionally scribbling few SEN
fences on paper which later on should
serve as notes for his sermon on the
following Sunday.
The Rev. James Philander Dubois
smiled fondly and proudly and CRATE
fully while he thought. He was an
unmarried churchman who felt 1t in
cumbent upon himself to become one
of the two principal performers in a
ceremony in which already he had be-
come quite proficient as an agent of
fate where others were concerned.
So he leaned back and gazed at the
ceiling and thought of a beautiful,
brave young creature. He fingered
mentally on her radiant face, her
graceful form, and heard in his brain
He had never. thought thus of any
woman before. Until he first saw
Marguerite Van Diemen a year ago he
looked on all women with an academ-
ic eye as parishioners and studied them
only to decide what branch of church
work, if any, they were best fitted for
But the year that followed his first
of ho iaIo e
guerite, and the brown hair that shone
like sunny light drowned in amber
pools in a forest brook, had been q
year of awakening for him.
1t was not quite complete awaken
ing, however. He was very thorough
Iy awake-wide, staring, stark awake
to the knowledge that he was so deep
ly in love with her that to lose her
would mean a dreary, sorrowful life
for him. but he was not awake enough
to suppose that he had any qualities
or attributes to please SO wonderful
and clever and bright creature.
However, though the Rev. James
Philander Dubois was thus humble
and devoid of any proper self esteem,
and though he did not believe that
she could possibly want him, he was
in love- and love sneers at logic He
expected her answer to be "No," but
he was pining just the same to ask
the question.
So, like the courageous and deter
mined little minister that he was, he
had written to her asking for the IA
important to him. And she had re-
piled, appointing that very evening and
adding, "You should know that have
declined an invitation to the County
club dance in order to give you this
evening, though the dance is the last
one of the season and I was really
anxious to 60"
Perhaps it was this letter rather
than the Rev. Mr. Philander's convfc-
ton of the stereotyped nature of all
sermons that made it so difficult for
him to finish the construction of his
discourse.
Determined though he was, the ques-
ton he was to ask Miss Marguerite In
4 few hours was the kind that no man
ever asks without perturbation, and
there was the last paragraph OF her
letter 1t showed him that she was
losing an evening of great enjoyment,
for, though Marguerite Van Diemen
was a good parishioner, she loved
dancing with an ultra worldly love.
No doubt she expected to hear some
immensely important news from him.
Oh ~ ;v1irnonf on6
when she learned that he had kept
her from her pleasure simply to pro-
pose to her?
The clock struck the hour, and the
minister became aware with sharp
start that it was high time to keep
his appointment He arose and put on
his overcoat.
At that moment the doorbell rang.
1t is only because we are SO used to
the really dramatic things of life that
we do not know and feel the dramas
that each moment makes.
The ring of the doorbell was such
dramatic instant in the life Of the Rev.
James Philander Dubois.
Passing through an adjoining room.
he opened the UOOr duu Sd" US1oAC
him young woman, poorly dressed IN
faded gown of blue, her head topped
off with a hat of uncertain texture,
under which her hair hung forth in all
directions. Her face was terribly vast
ed and sallow, and it's piteous aspect
was only increased by touch OF the
incongruous in a suggestion OF red
high on the cheeks.
The reverend gentleman shrank
back. He wished that he could escape
what he foresaw would be long de-
lay, but sense of duty conquered the
human instinct at once.
The young woman spoke as soon as
he opened the door. "Won't you give
me something to eat?" she begged. i
haven't had anything since morning.
Poor souly' muttered the little min
lister. THE housekeeper is out for the
afternoon, but l shall do the best l
can for you. Will you come to the
kitchen while 1 investigate the pan
try"
AS the unkempt young woman tol-
lowed him into the kitchen the min