Bisbee daily review., 1916-01-28
CHAPTER xI.
Gail Solves the vedder cour. Problem


 Gail Solves the vedder Court Problem.
 Rev. Smith Boyd. rector of the richest church in the world. dropped his last collar button on the floor, and looked distinctly annoyed. The collar button rolled under his mahogany highboy, and concealed itself carefully behind one of the legs. Rev. Smith Boyd, there being none to see, laid aside his high dignity and got down on his knees. though not for any clerical purpose, whereat the little col lar button shone so brightly that the rector's bulging eye caught the glint of it. His hand swung round, at the end of long arm, and captured it be- fore it could hide any further, then the young rector withdrew his throb- ping head and started to raise up, and bumped the back of his head with a crack on the bottom of an open draw CT, near enough to the top to give him a good long sweep for momentum. This mishap being just one degree be- yond the point to which Rev. Smith Boyd had been consecrated, he ejacu- lated as follows:-
 Nc, it is not respectful, nor proper, nor charitable, to set down what Rev. Smith Boyd, in that stress, calculated; bur beautiful, gray-haired lady. beau tiful with the sweetness of content and the happiness of gratified pride and the kindliness of humor, who had paused at Rev. Smith Boyd's open door to inquire how soon he would be down to dinner, hastily covered her mouth with her hand, and moved away from the door, with moist blue eyes, around which twinkled a dozen tiny wrinkles born of much smiling.
 When the dignified young rector came down to dinner, fully clothed and apparently in his right mind. his moth- CT, who was the beautiful gray-haired lady with the twinkling blue eyes. looked across the table and smiled in- diligently at his disguise; for he was not a grown-up, tall, broad-shouldered man of thirty-two at all. In reality he was shock-headed, slightly freckled urchin of nine or ten, by the name of "Smitty" on the town commons, and Tod" at home.
 Aren't you becoming trifle irrita- ble of late, Tod?" she inquired with solicitude, wilefully expressing a smile which flashed up in her as she remembered that ejaculation. It was shocking in a minister, of course. but she mad ever contended that ministers were, and should be, made of clay; and clay is friable.
 Yes, mother, I believe I am," con- fessed Rev. Smith Boyd. considering the matter with serious impartiality.
 Mrs. Boyd surveyed her son with a practiced eye.
 T think your appetite's dropping of a little," she commented, and then she was shrewdly silent, though the wrinkles of humor came back to her eyes by and by. q don't think you take enough social diversion" she finally advised him. You should go out more. You should ride, walk, but always in the company of young and agreeable people. Because you are a rector is no reason for you to spend your spare time in gloomy solitude. as you have been doing for the past week."
 Rev Smith Boyd would have liked to state that he had been very busy, but he had conscience. which was nuisance to him. He had spent most of his spare time up in his study, with his chin in his hand.
 You are quite right, mother" he somberly confessed, and swallowed two spoonfuls of his soup. It was ex- cellent soup, but, after taking bite of a wafer, he laid his spoon on the edge of the plate.
 q think I'll drive you out of the house, Tod" Mrs. Boyd decided, in the same tones she had used to employ when she had sent him to bed. q think I'll send you over to Sargent's tonight, to sing with Gail"
 The rector of the richest church in the world flushed a trifle, and looked at the barley in the bottom of his soup. His mother regarded him quiet ly, and the wrinkles went out of her eyes. She had been bound to get at the bottom of his irritability, and now she had arrived at it.
 q would prefer not to go," he told her stiffly. and the eyes which he lifted to her were coldly green. 'I do not approve of Miss Sargent"
 For just one second the rector's mother felt an impulse to shake Tod Boyd. Gail Sargent was young lady of whom any young man might ap- prove-and what was the matter with Tod? She was beginning to be humili- ated by the fact that, at thirty-two, he had not lost his head and made fool of himself, to the point of tight shoes and poetry. over girl.
 "Why?" and the voice of Mrs. Boyd was not cold as she had meant 1t to be. She had suddenly felt some tug of sympathy for Tod.
 Well. for one thing, she has a most disagreeable lack of reverence" he