Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-11-10
Evening Star S
Daily Story
TANGLED THREADS
BY eLARIssA MAokIE.

wrap it up--I shall want To match
1t over at Pryors.'
Della pulled out an end of the silk
thread, tested IL between her sharp
white teeth, looked at it with a bird
like motion of her trim little head
and took her departure.
AS she passed down the three
steps into the village street the spool
of knitting silk slipped from her fin
gers and rolled along the brick pave
ment, unwinding a long rose-colored
thread as it went.
Della fastened after it, but the
way led down hill and the spool
rolled away with the most exasper-
ating persistence. 1t was a warm
summer afternoon and the long
street was almost deserted.
Suddenly the gate in the brick
wall that surrounded the parsonage
opened and a man stepped out and
walked briskly down the hill. Della
recognized him as the new minister.
She was glad that he had not seen
her nor discovered her predicament,
for her rose-colored silk was u tan
gle of threads for many yards
ahead
Rev. Mr.. Flake was very absent
minded; he was walking with his eyes
fixed on the blue waters of the har-
Dor at the foot of the long street, con-
sequently he did not know the precise
moment when one of Delia's tangled
threads caught around one of the
buttons of his neat boots.
what shall ! do?" worried Della,
as the reverend gentleman proceeded
on his way, unconseiously dragging
tangle of rosy threads and the APP
parently exhaustless spool in his dig
nified wake. IF / could only catch
/ ftrIat
snap the thread and prevent an acci-
dent. Suppose he should get both
feet tangled in the threads
Before Della could reach that idiot
ically dancing spool, Mr.. Flake was
standing helplessly enmeshed. He
was peering r-sightedly down at
his feet when Della came timidly UP.
II am so sorry she said, breath
lessly.
Mr.. Flake could smile with his
brown eyes, and he did so at this
lips and presently he was laughing
heartily.
Il am afraid you'll have to help me
out, Miss Leslie he said at last. IF
you could take my penknife and cut
some of those threads it would enable
me to proceed on my way unfet-
tered. Thank you-Im afraid some
lady is mourning the loss of her en-
hroidery silks. Are you going my
way-may accompany you?"
Della was blushing deeply. ''Oh,
no. was going over to the west
side" she said hastily, and without
one regretful glance at the now
empty spool, she FASTENED away.
Mr.. Flake watched her with inter-
ested eyes until she had disappeared.
Then he stopped and pulled out sew
eral threads that still decorated his
boot buttons.
III / were a romantic man." he
unused smiling. Il would attach some
Significance to this happening
might suspect that Cupid himself
had set this trap to catch my I'M
wary feet ] am not sentimental
: ist-but I'm going TO keep the trap
anyway, aud he promptly swept the
tangle into one of the pockets of his
coat.
So Mr.. Flake went on his way,
quite unaware that from one of his
pockets peeped a skein of rose
colored silk.
Old Mrs Petty, upon whom he
called during the course of his walk,
spied the threads and pointed a play
full finger at them.
Mr.. Flake, I reckon you don't do
no fancy work." she remarked in
nocently.
Mr.. Flake blushed and shook his
head
'Why, no Mrs Petty; why do you
ask that?" lie inquired.
Seeing tIsat you carry embroidery
silks around with you" she went on,
II thought maybe you did | have
heard of gentlemen doing fancy
work, and them as has seen it say
hax al IA
course, yos not being a married man,
it did seenl funny TO see that silk.
Mr. Fla SO looked annoyed for an
instant; but he carefully crushed the
silks if.to his pocket and explained
that he had found it in the street.
II want to know" marve'e1 Mrs.
Petty. whose curiosity was insatia-
bic; Il wonder who has lost spool
of silk? / can find out from Melissa
Smith, who keeps the store. She
could tell by the color. | suppose
whoever lost it is looking for it this
very minute"
II hope not" said the minister,
rising to take his departure. "How-
ever, I think your advice is good,
Mrs. Petty; ] will leave it with Miss
Smith al the shop; she can return it
to the owner. / am very glad to hear
that your rheumatism is better"
Thereupon Mr.. Flake forgot all
about the silk threads.
IT CHANGED to rain the following
Sunday, and the reverend gentleman
wore under his macintosh his sec
ond best black coat.
Before he began his sermon that
morning he drew forth handker-
chief and with the handkerchief
came a rosy tangle of silk threads
He looked helplessly down upon
them and his embarrassed face
seemed to reflect the rosy glow.
Somebody Uttered and looked
around at Della Leslie. 1t was Me-
LISA Smiths little clerk.
DeIia's face was scarlet and her
long curling black lashes swept her
cheek as she stared at the tips of her
little shoes.
When Della lifted her eyes the
minister had carefully wrapped the
silks in his handkerchief and re-
turned them to his pocket. All his
embarrassment had fled. and he was
cool and collected. He delivered his
text with fine unconsciousness that
it subtly applied to his adventure of
the day before.
Again the little clerk giggled and
glanced at Della. But Della did not
see or hear. The sermon sounded
like the distant murmur of drums;
the deep, rich tones of the minister
were blurred to her ears. All she
could hear was Eva Hawks silly
giggle. She remembered that it was
IN front of the Hawks little cottage
that she had l1nelt to cut the threads
from Mr.. Flakes feet. And she was
sure that Eva Hawk knew that the
spool of silk was Delia's. They knew
everything at Melissa Smiths shop!
Della Leslie was the first one to
leave the church when the service