Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1917-11-14

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the floor, sat up straight with jerk.
But she was wise enough not to speak.
Now the full moon came masquerade
ing among the branches of the shade
trees 1t came IN the likeness of an
enormous football. rlOriously orange
Gorgeously it rose higher cleared the
trees and resumed It's Wonted imper
sonation of silver disk Here was
another mockery What was the use
| Of a moon now:
There came from little distance
down the street the sound of Il young
male voice, singing It was not mu-
steal voice, yet sufficiently loud, and
1t knew only a portion Of the words
and air 1t sought to render; but, upon
completing the portion it did know. 1t
instantly began again and sang that
portion over and over with brightest
patience. Thus:
my countree, tbs Of thee,
Sweet land of liber-tee,
My countree, tbs of thee,
Sweet land of liber-tee
My countree, It's of thee,
Sweet land Of liber-tee.
Ny countree, it's of Thea
Sweet land Of iber-tee.
My cOurtree. It's
Jane spoke unconsriously. ITS Fred.
die" she said.
William l2aped to his feet This was
something he could not bear. He made
q bloodthirsty dash toward the gate
which the si! Ger was passing.
you get out o here William roared.
The song stopped. Freddie Banks
fed like rag on the wind.
Now here is strange matter.
The antique prophets prophesied sue
cessfully; they practiced with some
ease that art since lost, but partly re-
discovered by NJ. Maeterlinck, who
proves to US that the future already
exists, simultaneously with the pres
ent Well if his proofs be true. then
at this very moment when William
thought menacingly of Freddie Banks,
the bright air Of happy June evening
an evening ordinarily reckoned ten
years, nine months and twenty -One
days in advance of this present sor-
rowful evening-the bright air of that
happy June evening, so far in the fu-
ture, was actually already trembling to
. wedding march played upon church
organ. and this self same Freddie,
with a white flower in his buttonhole
and in every detail accoutred as wed
ding usher, was an usher for this very
William who now (as we ordinarily
count time) threatened his person.
But for more miracles:
As William turned again to resume
his meditations upon the steps his in
credulous eyes fell upon performance
amazingly beyond fantasy and with
out parallel as means to make scorn
Of him. Not ten feet from the porch,
and in the white moonlight that made
brilliant the path to the gate, Miss
Mary Randolph Kirsted was walking
She was walking with insulting POM
posity In her most pronounced semi
circular manner.
"You get out O here" she said in
voice as deep and hoarse as she could
make 1t. You get out O here"'
Her intention was as plain as the
moon. She was presenting in her own
person a sketch Of William, by this
means expressing her opinion Of him
and avenging Jane.
"You get out o here!' she croaked.
The shocking audacity took Williams
breath. He gasped.
"Why, you--you"- he cried. "You-
you sooty faced little girl!'
In this fashion he directly addressed
Miss Mary Randolph Kirsted for the
first time in his kfe.
And that was the strangest thing OF
this strange evening, strangest be-
cause, as with life itself, there was
nothing remarkable upon the surface
Of it. But If Nj. Maeterlinck has the
right Of the matter and if the bright
air Of that June evening almost eleven
wears in the so called future. was in
deed already trembling to "Lohengrin,"
then William stood with Johnnie Wat
son against a great bank of flowers at
the door of church aisle. that aisle
was roped with white satin ribbons.
and William and Johnnie were wait
ing for something important to hap
pen. And then, to the strains Of Here
Comes the Bride" it did-a stately,
solemn, roseate, gentle young thing
with bright eyes seeking through q
veil for Williams eyes.
Yes, If great NJ. Maeterlinck is right,
It seems that William ought to have
caught at least some eerie echo Of that
wedding march, however faint-some
bars or strains adrift before their time
upon the moonlight Of this September
night in his eighteenth year.
For there, beyond the possibility Of
any fate to intervene or of any later
vague, gmentary memory Of even
Miss Pratt to tUr2ts, there in that
moonlight was his future before him.
he started forward furiously. You
-you-you little
But he paused, not wasting his breath
upon the empty air.
His bride to be was gone.
THE END.