Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1909-06-08
CHAPTER XII.

little comments which once amused the
pastor had now become an interruption
to thoughts in which she had no part.
He would sit for hours with his head
IN his hands. taking no notice of what
passed before him. She tried to think
of new dishes to tempt his appetite and
shook her head sadly as she bore the
untasted food back to the kitchen
She sometimes found a portfolio of
drawings lying open upon his study tn
BILE. She remembered the zeal with
which he had planned to remodel the
church and parsonage when he first
came to them, how his enthusiasm had
gradually died for lack of encourage
ment and how he had at last put his
books In cupboard. where they grew
dusty from long neglect. She mar
veled at their temperance now. but
something In his set, faraway look
made her afraid to lnqHre. Thus she
went on from day to day, growing
more impatient with Hasty and more
silent with the pastor
Mandy needed humor and compan-
ionship to oil the wheels of her hum
drum life. There was no more laugh
ter in the house, and she began to
.droop.
Polly had been away from the parson-
age month when the complacency of
the village was again upset by the ar
rival of the Great American Circus"
There We're many callers at the par
ssonage that day. for speculation was
now at fever heat about the pastor.
'Will he try to see her?" HAS he for
gotten herr" and What did he ever
find In herr" were n few of the many
questions that the women were asking
each other. Now that the cause, of
their envy was removed they would
gladly have reinstated the pastor as
their Idol. for. like all truly feminine
souls. they could not bear to see man
unhappy without wishing to comfort
him, nor happy unless they were the
direct cause Of his state. How dare
any man be happy without me?" has
been the cry of each woman since Eve
was created to mnta with Adam.
Douglas had held himself more and
more. aloof from the day Of Polly's dis
appearance. He expressed no opinion
about the deacons or their recent dis
approval of him. He avoided meeting
them oftener than duty required, and
Strong felt so uncomfortable and
tongue tied in his presence that he, too,
was glad to make their talks as few
as possible
Nothing was said about the pastors
plans for the future or about his con.
tinued connection with the church, and
the inquisitive .sisterhood was on the
point of exploding from an overac
emulation of unanswered questions.
He delivered his sermons conscien
tiously, called upon his poor, listened
to the sorrows, real and fancied, of his
| parishioners and shut himself up with
his books or walked alone on the hill
behind the church.
He had been absent all day when
Mandy looked out on the circus lot
for the doZenth time and saw that the
afternoon performance was closing. II
had driven her to desperation to learr
that Miss Polly was not in the parade
that morning and to know that the
pastor had made no effort to find out
about her. For weeks both she ant
Hasty had hoped that the return Of
the circus might bring Polly back tt
| them. but now 1t was nearly night
and there had been no word from her
Why didn't she come running in to SEE
| fhnr,, ho1 (oIk ~.
would? Why had the pastor stayed
away on the hills all day?
| Unanswered questions were always
an abomination to Mandy, so finally
she drew a quarter from the knottel
| bingham rag that held her small wac
Of savings and told Hasty to "go 'lonl
| to de show an find out bout Miss
Polly"
She was anxiously waiting for hin
when Deacon Strong knocked at thu
door for the second time that after
| noon.
us Mr.. Douglas back yetY' he asked
mo, sab. he amt" said Mandy very
shortly. She felt that Strong and Ell
version had been "a-tryin' to spy on d,
parson all day." and she resented theil
visits more than she usually did.
what time are you expectin' him?'
II don't nebber spec Massa Doug
las till sees him."
Strong grunted uncivilly and wen
/ down the steps. She saw from tn,
window that he met Elverson in from
| of the church.
"Dey sure am a-meanin' trouble
she mumbled.
The band had stopped playing; TIN
last of the audience had straggle'
!. down the street. She opened the doc
and stood on the porch; the hous
seemed to suffocate her. What wa
keeping Hasty?
He came at last, but Mandy coul.
tell from his gait that he brought un
welcome knews.
saint she darT'
"She's a-trabbelin' wild 'em. Mandy
hut she didn't done ride"
"See heah. Hasty Jones, is dat err
chile sick?"
4 II dom rightly know" said Hasty
"a great big man, what wored clothe
like gemmen, coined out wild WIFI
In his hand an says as how he
'bliged to 'nounce anudder gal in Mis-
Polly's place. An den he says as hoy
de udder gal was jes' as good, an del
everybody look disappointed like, an
den out comes de udder gal on II hos
an do tricks. an amt heard no NOR
bout Miss Polly"
"She's sick, OATS what says" Man
dY declared eycitedlY .'an' somebody,