Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-01-30
CHAPTER XII
THE DAUGHTER or JEzEBEL

11N NJ IIlA
Holiness university was a square new
miles west OF Rome ON the Earlville
road. 1t was softened q bit by the
beautiful campus sloping to Sinsinawa
creek. but the plaster of it's bricks was
as raw as its curriculum, and the bricks
were as hard as its faith. 1t is a for
Iorn county OF Iowa that does not have
two universities. three academies. one
seminary. n a Chautauqua, for every
migration of the early corners brought
Its own theology and education, from
the Church of Hollanders to the Dun
kards. and every variety OF Protestant
Ism; n each planted the seed of dis
pute n thereafter, as the fat land
grew, belabored all classes for sup
port of the spindling institutions.
Inc Holiness Brethren We're new in
the land. but strong Of voice and earn
est. Calvin university, which was an
opiong inc flat rooted university three
miles south of town, had long since
gone to seed, rarely heard from except
on rally days in h churches when
All Its 16 faculty and Ga undergraduates
Illled the edifices, and the rally was a
tremendous success in hymn singing
~ not at the contribution plate. But
the Holiness Brethren, who had come
from somewhere. no one knew exactly
where. and preached something, no one
knew exactly what, had the zeal Of the
newly inspired. n labored in high
ways and byways for recruits. 1t had.
a community of quite 400 souls gathered
about it's college tract: and so students
who alternately farmed and studied
and eXhorted in the streets OF Rome
and Earlville. No one had q grievance
against the Holiness sect except Wiley
y. Curran. and his was because they
mad taken up one of the most beautiful
spots ON Sinsinawa. AS Mr.. Curran re-
marked 1T w9c q q ~ Soma o~o lo<1 f:,,x
down the pebbly footed glen
and said: Brethren, here is a spot
winch nature has set apart for the tired
SOU n to commune in silence and find
peace with God-come, let Us get q
CROWD and have somebody lecture"
John Lindstrom had become one of
the Jealous sect from the first; nothing
put poverty had kept him from Joining
the Hollness colony up on the hills, and
ms loWland cottage was Il fayorite
place for the Brethren to gather for
prayer. lhese Sunday afternoons the
the kitchen chairs, their frayed denims
washed, and listened in that perplexed
ana ~nigmatical respect tina the young
give to religion. The first Sunday after
Aurelle's prize winning was a terrify-
,ns one. she never would attend the
meetings and the Brethren exhorted
John that he cast out the devil from
ner put away this vanity of beauty, this
Romish n heather perversion. AS If
Aurelie, loving idolatrously her little
cruclfix without bothering her head as
20 what 1t meant, could put by Gods
The mex Sunday She ran away
to the hills and met Uncle
Michigan there by arrangement
Tor the old rebel, eking out the scanty
llvlng by his bootlegging, was no more
al nome with Lindstrom than the
N'fpnIQ Oir NHyA@-
Old man delayed at a n%eighboring
quarryman's house, but Aurelie went
on to their door. She found the bows
sitting, Sunday clean, on the wood box
behind the stove, and Mrs. Lirdstrom.
who cared little about the services ex-
cept TO give assent to the master, was
putting the baby to bed. She turned a
constrained face out OF the chamber to
see the French girls entry. Aurelie.
wreathed from head to foot in red and
gold maple leaves sewed on twine--
that was their Sunday occupation upon
the bluff, was 1t?
Albert. the canvasser-peddler. was by
the oilclothed table, his head resting on
MS palm. the shiny cellulo.d cuff with
ltS immense mOOnStone button enclos-
ing the stringy sinew Of his arm. The
tiollness %exhorting had tired him, but
ne was calculating how nue. of his
miserable earnings he could contribute
to the family. Before him was some
Prospectus OF a patent dishwasher with
which he was going to tramp the towns
and country with his whining appeal,
his fatuous smile. his eternal door bell
ringing and removing OF his hat to the
impatient wives. He had a faint shy
affection for Aurelie in his cringing
soul; her color. her life. her graceful
courage. We're like some bloom Of a
tropic garden to his aridness. He would
have loved, with a dogs love, anything
that did not rebuff him, turn him aWay.
snarl coldly, shut the door on him, SO
crushed was he with this in his DAYS
work.
Aurelie felt the ominous h%eaviness of
Johns look, but h was strangely gay.
She came past the peddler, touching
his hin hand lightly. mon anil" she
bent her head with quick grace, you
iook tired-'s It so? You should have
been with me-and Knute, too, and
Peter. Tho leaves-they never were SO
pretty!"
She crossed to the silent boys. the
maple wreaths rustling on her gown.
'Th. Peter! It's all from the big sugar
tree whore we killed the badger last
while We were chopping." She lifted
h skirt Of leaves with her laughing:
Brother. isn't It like q princess on
mo-"
She held herself to be admired by
tnem. Albert put down his documents,
his pale eyes shining. This girl! Cath
Ollie, French. rebel-God knew what
she stood a flame In the dreariness Of
their lives!
John came in, took off his rough coat
and hung 1t behind the wood box over
the boys heads. His gaunt face was
heavy in the light Of the little lamp;
he came to stand before Albert, look
ing down at the peddler's pitiful busi-
ness.
And what's that on the Lords day.
Albert, MANI" his deep voice queried.
ITS not an example for my children
= HkAA ~-n x,oea1 .