Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-11-03
CHAPTER viii.

Saturday evening il was the custom
of the Bryants to entertain the rector
al dinner.
Now, in his absence. It was the as
sistant rector who dined In the paneled
Jacobeap dining room Of the Bryant
house swallowing much unctuous die
tation as TO church policy with his
dinner.
Not that Ward was mild, But he
had an easy way Of listening to the
advice of his various influential parish
toner's and then going ahead and doing
as he liked. In nonessentisls he al
ways yielded. To him the church was
so much bigger than its ritual.
That evening Mrs. Bryant had taken
up the question Of women in the choir.
Frankly. Mr.. Ward she said. ig.
noring her fish, II do not approve of
If. It's the feminist movement, I tell
YOU. Before long they'll want to be
on the vestrv"
Ward glanced M, half smiling. The
pear-shaped pearl. which usually hung
at his hostess withered throat, was
naturally. not there. From the pesri
TO the parish house, from the parish
house 10 Elinor-thus in two'leaps If
Wards mind he was far from the sub
ject IN hand.
AS president Of the Chancel soci-
ETY." said Mrs Bryant. "as honorary
president Of the Woman's guild. / pro-
test against women in the choir
Back to the choir with a jump came
Wards Grant mind.
~ wonder" Ward reflected. "wheth-
or g matter Of tradition and custom
win prevent women from singing In
the heavenly choir"
Mrs. Bryant stabbed st 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
IAN infdel an atheist The daughter
| is living alone up there at this min
ute. II isn't respectable. It's a bad
example to the girls in the village. The
house is full Of men all the time"
THAT must be o mistake
at is quite true. Servants talk. yoy
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 very serious statement
Mrs. Bryant His eyes were lik,
steel "Of course you are not basin.
it merely on what you hear from serv
ants?"
Mrs. Bryant flushed, a purplish spo
in the center of each sagging cheek.
Il do not gossip with the servants
she said, shortly. 'It is common talk
And there are other things. Machine
come and go from the house at quee
hours of the night. The girl spends
great deal Of money. Where does sht
get it? Where, for that matter, did oil
Hilary Kingston get it?"
Thus challenged, Ward had nothia,
10 say.
After dinner he left early, but he dis
not go home. He went up the HILL A
he strobe on. he remembered man,
things. The girl was without the sheet
anchor of any belief, sdrift and alone
and he had made no attempt to he'll
her unbelief. Although 1t was ate
. ten. the house was still lighted down
stairs. and he went without hesitation
into the garden.
Thus ii happened that he saw Elmo
in Huff's arms, saw him thrust her vic
lently from him. and rush away aeros
. the fiower-beds, leaving her Their
] alone.
Ward remained In the shadows. T
save his life he could not have spoke
to Elinor then. Under his consrraine
exterior he was In the thrail of th
tiercest jealousy. This little fai
haired girl. to whom his God was Il
God, had taken a powerful hold 0
him.
Elinor, who slept little that nigh
saw the light in his window until
J faded into the dawn.
= Elinor went 10 the early commune
the following day. The church W,
y dark. There were hardly two doze
people scattered over the building ST
: sat far back and was heavily veile
Il When The congregation knelt. 81
knelt. An old woman in the next pc