The Yale expositor., 1918-02-07
CHAPTER xl.
Sowing Seeds.

vs.
Carol?"
"Yes, she's better, father. I was
there few minutes yesterday"
yesterday? You were there Tues
day, weren't your"
Carol looked uncomfortable. "Well,
yes, 1 was, just for n second"
"She tells me you've been running In
nearly every day since she took sick"
Carol bent sharply inquiring eyes
upon her father. "What else did she
tell your"
"She said you were an angel"
"Y-yes-she seems somehow to
think / do 1t for kindness"
"And don't your"
"Why, no, father, of course I don't.
It's only two blocks out Of my way and
it's such fun to pop in on sick folks
and show them how disgustingly strong
and well am"
"Whert did you get the money for
that basket of fruit?"
ST borrowed IL from Aunt Grace"
Carols face was crimson with mortifi-
cation. "But it'll be sweet time be-
fore Mrs. Harbert gets anything else
from me. She promised she wouldn't
tell"
"Did any Of the others know about
the fruit?"
ALPHABETICALLY"
"But she thinks IL was from the
whole family. She thanked me for it."
T-I made her think that" Carol
explained 81 want her TO think we're
the incest parsonage bunch they've
ever had in Mount Mark. Besides, it
really was from the family. Aunt
Grace loaned me the money and I'll
have to borrow it from you to pay her.
And Lark did my busting so l could
go on the errand, though she did not
know what II was. And I-er-acci-
dentally took one of Comics ribbons
TO tie it with. Isn't that family gift?''
"Mr. Scott tells me you are the
prime mover in the Junior League
now" he continued.
"Well, goodness knows our Junior
League needs mover of some sort"
"And Mrs. Davies says you are a
whole mercy and help department all
by yourself"
"What I can't understand" said
Carol mournfully, "is why folks don't
keep their mouths shut. 1 know that
sounds very inelegant, but IL expresses
my idea perfectly. Can't have a good
time in my own way without the whole
church peddling me from door to
door"
The twinkle in her fathers eyes
deepened. "What do you call it, Carol,
sowing seeds of kindness'?"
II should say not" came the en-
phatic retort. 81 call ii sowing seeds
of fun. It's a circus to go around and
gloat over folks when they are sick
or sorry, Or"
"But they tell me you don't gloat.
Mrs. Marling says you cried with
Jeanne half day when her dog died"
"Oh, that's my way of gloating," said
Carol, nothing daunted but plainly TO
get away without further interroga-
ton.
IL was strange thing that of all the
parsonage girls, Carol, light-hearted,
whimsical, mischievous Carol, was the
one most dear to the hearts of her IA
theirs people. Not the gentle Pru-
dence, nor charming Fairy. not clever
Lark nor conscientious Connie, could
rival the naughty twin" in Mount
Marks affections. And in spite of her
odd curt speeches, and her openly
Wanted vanity, Mount Mark insisted
she was "good." Certainly she was
willingl "Get Carol Starr-she'll do
IT," was the commonest phrase in
Mount Marks vocabulary. Whatever
was wanted, whatever the sacrifice in
volved, Carol stood ready to fill the
bill. Not for kindness-oh, dear no
Carol stanchly disclaimed any such
pure and simple. She said she liked
10 show off. She insisted that she liked
to feel that she was the pivot on which
little old Mount Mark turned. But
this was only when she was found out.
As far as she could she kept her little
seeds of fun" carefully up her sleeve,
and IL was only when the indiscreet
alteration Of her friends brought the
budding plants to light. that she laugh
lngly declared cit was circus to go
and gloat over folks"
Once in the early dusk Of summer
evening she discovered old Ben Pc
ters. half intoxicated, slumbering
noisily on pile Of sacks I'm corner
of the parsonage barn. Carol was
sorry, but not at all frightened. The
poor. kindly, weak. old man was rs
familiar TO her as any figure in Mount