The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1917-09-14
CHAPTER vlu-continued.

the heavenly choir"
Mrs. Bryant stabbed ut her fish. But
she had not finished. There were
many things about Saint Jude's that
did not please her. The burial of old
Hilary Kingston had been one. She
seized on that.
"A non-communicant," she snapped.
"An infidel, an atheist! The daughter
Is living alone up there at this min
ute. It isn't respectable. It's u bad
example to the girls in the village. The
house is full. of men all the time"
"That must be a mistake"
1T Is quite true. Servants talk, you
know. What can you expect? Raised
out of the church, with no belief, and,
of course, no moral Instruction.
Ward bent forward over the table.
THAT is a very serious statement,
Mrs. Bryant" His eyes were like
steel. "Of course you are not basing
1t merely on what you hear from serv-
ants?"
Mrs. Bryant flushed, a purplish spot
In the center of each sagging cheek.
II do not gossip with the servants"
she said, shortly. ut Is common talk.
And there are other things. Machines
come and 60 from the house at queer
hours OF the night. The girl spends a
great deal Of money. Where does she
get 1t? Where, for that matter, did old
Hilary Kingston get it,"
Thus challenged, Ward had nothing
to say.
After dinner he left early. but he did
not go home. He went up the hill. AS
he strobe on, he remembered many
things. The girl was without the sheet
anchor Of any belief, adrift and alone,
and he had made no attempt to help
her unbelief. Although 1t was after
ten, the house was still lighted down.
stairs, and he went without hesitation
into the garden.
Thus It happened that he saw Elinor
In Hufrs arms, saw him thrust her vio-
lently from him, and rush away across
the fower-beds, leaving her there
alone.
Ward remained in the shadows. To
save his life he could not have spoken
to Elinor then. Under his constrained
exterior he was In the thrallSof the
nercest jealousy. This little fair
haired girl, to whom his God wds no
God, had taken q powerful hold on
him.
Elinor, who slept little that night,
saw the light In his window until 1t
faded into the dawn.
Elinor went to the early communion
the following day. The church was
dark. There were hardly two dozen
people scattered over the building. She
sal far back and was heavily yelled.
When the congregation knelt, she
knelt. An old oma In the next pew
gave her the prayer book open at the
service. On her knees then went ELL
mol and listened to Wards fine voice
echoing through the empty building.
The morning was warm and the win
dows open. The odor Of burned wood
from the parish house crept in.
Thou shalt not STEAL" Ward read
from the Decalogue, and the people
said: j.
Lord have mercy upon us and In
cline our hearts to keep this law"
'sThQu shalt not steal"
In the palm Of her left glove Elinor
Ind the Bryant p~ear-shaped pearl.
Ward had not seen her. He went
through the service r~everently. with an
impressiveness Of voice and bearing
that showed how real 1t was to him.
And ip his voice. reading. exhorting,
commanding, there were tender notes
that caught Ellnor's breath In her
throat.
When the service was over, she rose
from her knees and dropped the Bry-
ant pearl Into the alms-box by the
dor. The congregation, small and
scattered, was still kneeling. The
doorway and the alps-5ox were in twi-
light.
Drawing down her veil, she went
quickly out into the sunshine.
At the eleven o'clock service Ward
announced the burning Of the parish
building.
ut = not my intention to make an
appeal," he said simply. 1.-THE parish
house was built to all Z great need;
that need still exists. n0ur church 10
to be an element In the daily lives Of
the PEOPLE Of this town. we must have
4 meeting place for them. For the
Wcrshlp Of our God. the church build
ing II ruiicient, but II religion is to you
~ thing It II to me. the broader reli-
0fon ol universal brotherhood. the
ChufeA building II not enough.
Thou shalt love thy neighbor ~
1lyself."
oeyenty-eight thousand dollars was
nten no II the collection at Saint
zAnAeis that morning. Over ffty thou
ASan1 was "a checks, the rest was In
e6In.
walter Hun, sitting alone In the
nock Cf the church, hud watched Ward
1ntentI through the service.
Uniihe Elinor. Hun had ensrafsed
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