The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1914-01-22


seminary. and q c~hautauqu@. TOR sv~-x
its own theology and education. from
he Church Of Hollanders to the Dun
kards. and every variety OF Protestant
ism; and each planted the seed OF dis
pute and thereafter, as the fat land
grew, belabored all classes for sup
port OF the ~spindling institutions.
The Holiness Brethren were new in
the land, but strong OF voice and earn
est Calvin university, which was an
oblong and flat rooted university three
miles south Of town, had long since
gone to seed, rarely heard from except
on rally days in the churches when
all its 16 faculty and GA undergraduates
filled the edifices, and the rally was a
tremendous success In hymn singing
III not at the contribution plate. But
the Holiness Brethren, who had come
from somewhere, no n knew exactly
where. and preached something, no one
knew exactly what, had the zeal OF the
newly inspired, and iabored in high
ways and byways for recruits. 1t had
q 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
T. Curran. and his was because they
had k up n Of the most beautiful
spots ON Sinsinawa. AS Mr.. Curran re-
marked, 1t was as if some n had first
wandered down the pebbly footed glen
y said: Brethren, here is O spot
which nature has set apart for the tired
soul n to commune in silence and find
peace with God-come, let us get a
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
q Holiness colony up on the hills, and
his lowland cottage was a favorite
place for the Brethren to gather for
prayer. These Sunday afternoons the
children sat barelegged and silent on
the kitchen chairs, their frayed denims
washed, and listened in that perplexed
and enigmatical respect that the young
give to religion. The first Sunday after
Aurelie's prize winning was a terrify-
Ing one. She never would attend the
meetings n the Brethren exhorted
John that he cast u the devil from
her put away this vanity Of beauty, this
Romish n heather perversion. As II
Aurelie, loving i~dolatrously her little
cructfix without bothering her head as
to 1t meant, could put by Gods
gift OF grace and prettiness.
The next Sunday she ran away
TO- the hills and met Uncle
Michigan there by arrangement,
for the old rebel. eking out the scarty
living by his Bookkeeping, was no more
at home with Lindstrom than the
Creole girl. When they returned the
Old man delayed at a ~neighboring
quarryman's house, but Aurelie went
on TO thei door. She found the boys
sitting, Sunday clean, on the wood box
behind the stove. n Mrs. Lindstrom,
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 Irvine
a was their Sunday occupation upon
the blum, was If
Albert, the eanvasser-peddler was by
the oilclothed table, his head resting on
his palm, the shiny celluloid cuff with
It's Immense moenstone button enclos-
ing the stringy sjnew Of his arm. The
Holiness exhortfng had tired him, but
he was calculating how much Of his
miserable earnings he could contributes
TO the family. Before. him was soma
prospectus Of q patent dishwasher with
which he was geing to tramp the towns
n country with his whining appeal
his fatuous smile. his eternal door bell
ringing and renewing Of his a to the
impatient wives. He had a faint shy
anection for Aurelie in his cringina
soul; her color, her life, her graceful
courage. were like some bloom of q
tropic garden to his aridness. He would
have loved, with a dogs love, anythina
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 heaviness OF
! Johns look, but she was strangely gay
| She came past the peddler, touching
his thin hand lightly. Mon anil" she
bent her head with quick grace, you
look tired-is it so? You should have
been with me-and Knute, too, and
Peter. hi ~leaves-they neve were so
pretty!"
She crossed to the silent boys, the
maple wreaths rustling IN her gown
Eth. Peter! It's all from the big sugar
tree where we killed the badger last
winter-and o froze your fingers
while we were chopping." She lifted
the skirt OF leaves with her laughing:
Brother. isn't 1t like q princess on
me?"
She held herself to be admired by
them. 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 God box rel
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 bust.
ness.
And what's that on the Lords day
Albert, man his deep voice queried
It's not an erSmple for my childreI
after prayers"