The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-06-30

band was still playing patriotic airs. Sey-
eral swans were swimming gracefully in a
small, scooped out pond And in one corner
Of the grounds were cages Of bears and Of
strange birds. While everywhere in. their
peculiar uniforms were the obsequious fol-
lowers OF Zion
The Elickingcrs secured seats facing the
band, and Pas eye already had festive
CLINT that spoke Of intense enjoyment But
the music made the twins rcstive, and they
pulled Opal towards the animal house,
though she refused 10 60 there with them
She felt very superior and aloof and bored
and was as miserable as she had ever been
before in all her short, monotonous young
life.
Bears over there limited Jasper, fixing
his dark eyes on Opal appealingly. M
Please, let's go, Auntic Opal" teased
Janice in her most wheedling tone.
But for once Opal refused to crafty
them, and stood listening unhappily to the
nusica at some distance from her family.
Mine eyes have seen the glory Of the
coming Of the Lord, : began the band. And
Opal, who had often sung the song at school,
could not bear to hear the people laughing
and chattering about her. She elooked up at
the tree tops deeply green, against the blue
sky, andit seemed as il this were bit Of the
world Of beauty that she loaged for. When
she glanced back at her mothers careworn
face it was lighted with ain eager apprecia-
tion Of the music, pathetic in its intensity;
and her fathers face was strangely softened.
And suddenly wasn longer ashamed
Of her father and mother; but she felt hum
BILE and unworthy Of them Their faithful,
Woodworking lives were all at once vital
with the severe beauty Of tasks well done
and Of the burden Of living never shirked.
Opal, with her snattering Of culture, had
fanciod herself ilnmeasurably more sensitive
and refined than they. But she now saw
herself as selfish in belittling her own folks
constantly, and in weakly clingihg to the
memory Of Seton Woods She felt that her
mother was right she had no pride.
While the music was still rousing her un-
happy young soul from its lethargy, Janice
pulled on Opal's dress, and whispered:
Settle Woods is comm !" sure that this was
welcome news.
With painful, nuttered embarrassment,
Opal glanced down at the twins, and uncon-
sciously clasped their small, brown hands
closer till they looked up at her wonderingly,
but with perfect love and trust. Then she
lifted her head proudly, and faced Seton
Woods with new light in her eyes, def
ance Of him and his neglect that burned
with her awakened loyalty to her own fam
lily. And as il this chance meeting were too
momentous for words, neither Of them
spoke, though the crowd seemed to fade
away and leave them alone.
But-the flower Of love, with its ineffablc
bloom, had changed to bitter fruit to their
undisciplined young hearts. And Seton
Woods, his eyes holding a challenge that
Opal did not understand, lifted his hat with
the very-serious dignity of the very young,
whose heartaches stir such unexpected
depths in their partially exposed young
souls, and left the park.
Opal, withdrawing herself from him in
spirit, turned to the twins with unselish
affection, no longer ashamed OF their stufy