The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1911-01-06

Timothy.
,cNow," said Timothy doggedly, i've
Joined the church; I've said ia try
10 be Christian; I've always done
the best / could by everybody, just
as my mother taught me, and now
comes the minister and says stop
smoking, so l stopped. Then / had to
give up playing dominos and checkers
down to the store and"-
II should think you'd be willing TO
give up those little things" said Susan
with some spirit.
$50 | was, but It hasn't stopped
there" retorted Timothy angrily.
"What do you meanT
"Mr. Niles came up TO see me last
night, and he"-here Timothy arose
and paced the floor excitedly-"he al
vised me not to marry|
mot to marry" repeated Susan IN
CONSERVATION,
"Not TO marry. He said It was bet
ter for a man TO wait until he was
thirty or forty years old, and
"You are twenty-five" interrupted
SuS0tl thlleIlnBlN.
"And / am twenty-five. He said
man didn't really know his mind until
he reached thirty-flye and then he
was competent to pick out wire
whose disposition would suit him'
Timothy choked wrathfully.
"What did you say. TlmothyY asked
Susan. with a dazed look In her eyes
~ haven't given him my answer yet
He's trying to get a lot Of us young
men together and get us TO promise
we will wait until we reach years OF
discretion before we marry. Then ne
saws there won't be so many unhappy
marriages. He's going to call it the
Band Of Thinkers
..I suppose" ventured Susan wisttul-
". "that your taste viii change after
ten or fifteen years and you'll marry
some one who's real sensible"
81 don't know anything about that
returned Timothy fretfully, "hnd l
don't care. What I'm doubtful about
Is tbIs. If l belong to the church ought
TO do lust as the minister says or
else leave? You ought to know, su-
san. What shall l do" He looked
appealingly at her.
81 don't know what to say! cried
Susan tearfully. 81 didn't know any
thing about the Band Of Thinkers OF
-no-nothing!
"You see how I'm fixed, Susie" said
Timothy despairlngly; there's things
l want to say to you and l can't De-
cause I've done what you wanted me
TO and Joined the church! l guess !
might as well be going along" he SAID
, moodily as he turned toward the door
Susan watched him walking down
the graveled path between the rows ol
lockwood with tear filed eyes. She was
, dazed at the sudden and unexpected
turn that affairs had taken in her sim
! ple life. and she wished very heartily
that she had not urged Timothy tC
ioin the church. 'I don't believe he's
got lust the right feeling after all,
. she murmured sadly as she closed the
, door.
, Several weeks passed, and Timothy
Simms came no more to the Peterses
home. Nor did Susan see him. Sh'
. heard that he was working very hard
for Timothy was station agent at Lin
, dale. but Susan did not see him again
He came no more to church, and Their
was a rumor that Timothy had beel
lured back to the checkerboard ant
the domino table by the jolly member
of the Stove club who gathered week
ly in the rear of the general store.
In the meantime Susan grew pal
and thin. 1t is true that Mr.. Niles
the pale young minister, came to Sc
her frequently, for he was deeply II
terested in this young soul and full
determined that 1t should lack no spl
itual nourishment that he could aC
minister.
Susan was pleased and comforted
first by the evident interest displaye
by the clergyman, but after a 1ttl
l his extreme delicacy of physique an
J his punctilious manner, with its lttl
undercurrent of conscious superiorit!
palled upon her, and she grew to drea
( his coming. He was a poor substltul
= for stalwart Timothy Simms, with n
D rough, unpublished ways and broa
/ kindliness of heart
: For some reason Mrs. Peters froWl
= ed upon the young minister when l
came to see Susan. Mrs. Peters ha
: long been a member of the Flr'
l. church and an ardent worker therell
but the advent of a new minister. an
: one so young, had rather displease
: the older parishioners, for they did NJ
=. like his brusk manner or assumptlo
: of calm superiority.
- One day, several weeks after th'
evening when Timothy had last caile
y upon Susan, Mrs. Peters walked l
d the long dusty road that led to the st
: tion. she wore her best gray dre
j. and her best gray straw bonnet, vii
a its bunch Of silver wheat noddir
g over her gray hair. She held her
paca skirts daintily away from Il
dust, and she gave them little shall
= as she emerged flushed and pantir
II upon the station platform.
y "Good morning, Timothy" she sa
pleasantly as the young man peered
# her from behind the wire screen.
" Good morning, Mrs. Peters," sa
=. Timothy, reddening beneath his tt
and shifting awkwardly from one TO
to the other.
l. ~ want a ticket for BensonviL
II I'm going to see my sister Eliza" sa
it Mrs. Peters as she opened her pock'
e book. "When does the next train go
II "In fifteen minutes-the 10:45,"