Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-11-01

til five packages lay in disorder around
him. He stared back at Ade!aide's
defiant eyes.
Without a word Adelaide gathered
up the packages of calico. placed them
in the drawer and closed II. Then she
arose and went about the nightly du-
tieS-locking doors and windows and
putting out the cat. At last she paused
before Luke with lighted candle in
her hand.
You can see don't need any more
gray Calico" she said quietly and
passed upstairs to bed.
The next day was Sunday. and Luke
Finch listened to a sermon whose text
was "Prayers-answered and unan.
swered." The sentence that went
straight home to Luke's Leart was the
one which declared that the humblest
OF US may become the medium through
which God answers prayers. After the
sermon Luke fingered and spoke to Mr..
Golf.
do you mean to say. ST." he asked
anXiously. that If a pc son desires
something sinful and foolIsh-some bit
of human vanity such as clothes-if
they pray for it long and hard do you
believe that God sends 1t to them
through some person who don't APP
prove Of the vanityf"
Mr.. Goff smiled. He knew Luke
Finch and his drab colored Christian
ity. He was sorry for drab Gowned
Adelaide and the drab painted house
and the drab sitting room. He had
noted the GOODNESS in Adelaide's usual
" hta
well at the situation.
Even though a person doesn't APP
prove of the vanity you have in mind.
Luke" said the minister. ''it is very
probable that the good God, who knows
our poor frail hearts and how childish
all Of us are at the bottom OF them.
may entirely approve OF the vanity you
have In mind and in some unexpected
way place 1t in the way OF that person
TO answer the prayer OF the weaker
one. Don't be afraid 10 answer any
good impulse that comes into your
heart-He meant for all OF US TO be
happy. and though He made the drnb
colored clouds. remember He also made
the rose tinted glory OF the sunset
skies" and the minister passed on.
That evening Luke thumbed the
pages of a thick catalogue and, Pictur
ed therein found the pair of high but
toned boots with small black silk tas-
sells at the top. which his wife had
yearned for from her babyhOod. The
next morning he went to town and
ordered q pair like those shown in the
catalogue.
The very same day Adelaide Finch
cut out the picture Of the taSseled
boots from the catalogue and mailed
1t with the price and an order for n
pair like the picture to the same store
In town. When she left the postOffice
there was a bitter little smile curving
her lips.
All that week Luke Finch and his
wife. Adelaide. avoided the topic OF
clothes. but when Saturday afternoon
came Luke went down to town with
an expression of anxious expectancy
on his face.
He had scarcely left the house be
fore Adelaide brought from the bed
room a package which she opened with
feverish haste-the expressman had
brought it that afternoon-and it con
tanned pair Of tasseled shoes. which
she had ordered early in the week.
With guilty haste she tried them on.
Il can never. never tell him" whis-
pered Adelaide to herself. and. smoth-
ering her short lived pleasure. she re-
moved the tasseled shoes and replaced
them with her square toed footwear.
Then. catching up the offending shoes,
she ran out OF the back door and
down through the orchard to Alder
brook. She decided not to toss them
I'm the brook and turned aside to fol-
low a stone wall that bordered the
road. Finally she flung them far from
her with force borne of desperate
determination. They struck some
thing soft that gave back n groan, and
Adelaide fed back to the house.
She had barely reached the kitchen
and was sitting breathlessly beside the
stove when the door opened and Luke
came In. his arms full Of bulky pack
ages and a streak Of blood running
from n cut on his hand.
Adelaide" he said sheepishly. toss
ing on the table a pair OF tasseled
shOes-such as she had longed for
1.-THE Lord logged me into answering
your prayers. guess. Inside this box
f. a pair OF tasseled shoes. and as I
was coming home In the dark this
other pair came out of nowhere and
cut my hand. so you got two pairs
now. And this here Is wall paper for
the sitting room. You guess what col
orr His eyes shone with anticIpa-
ton.
"Drab." ventured Adelaide timorous.
". the shoes clutched 10 her breast
pink efnculatcd Luke and as
their smiles met he was conscious Of
a warmth at his heart that had never
stirred there before.
They leaned over and kissed each
other.