The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1918-02-14
CHAPTER XII.
SOWING Seeds.
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Sulbl1
"Ycs, she's better, father. l was
there a few minutes yesterday"
Yesterday? You were there Tues
day, weren't you?"
Carol looked uncomfortable. "Wcll,
yes, l was, just for n second"
"She tells me you've been running in
nearly every day since she took sick"
Carol bent sharply inquring eyes
upon her father. "What else did she
tell you?"
"She said you were an angel"
"Y-yes-she seems somehow to
think do 1t for Kindness"
"And don't you?"
"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 disgustlngly strcng
and we'll / am"
"Where did You get the money for
that basket of fruit?'
II borrowed it from Aunt Grace"
Carols face was crimson with mortifi.
cation. "But It'll be a sweet time be-
fore Mrs. IIarbert gets anything else
from me. She promised she wouldn't
tell"
"Dld any of the others know about
the fruit?"
"Why-not--rXactly"
'But she thinks It was from the
whole family, She thanked me for it,"
"I--I made her think that" Carol
explained. II want her to think we're
the incest parsonage bunch they've
ever had in Mount Mark. Besides, 1t
really was from the family. Aunt
Grace loaned me the money and III
have to borrow ii from you to pay her.
And Lark did my busting so | could
go on the errand, though she did not
know what it was. And I--cr-aCcl-
dcntally took one of Comics ribbons
TO tie ii with, Isn't that a family gtftf'
"Mr. Scott tells me you are the
prime mover In the Junior League
now" he continued.
well, goodness knows our Junior
League needs a 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, as why folks don't
keep their mouths shut. know that
sounds very inelegant hut 1t expresses
my Idea perfectly. Can't | have good
time In my own way without the whole
church peddlIng me from door to
door?'
The twinkle IN her fathers eyes
docncncd. "Whdt do you call It, Carol,
Sowing seeds of kindness'?"
II should say not" came the en-
nhatic retort. 81 call It sowing seeds
Of fun, It's circus to 90 around and
gloat over folks when they are sick
or sorry, Or"
Tut they tell me you don't gloat.
Mrs. Narling says you cried with
Jeanic half a day when her dog died"
"0h, that's my way Of gloating," said
Carol, nothing daunted, but plainly TO
get away without further interroga-
ton.
1t was n strange thing that Of all the
parsonage girls, Carol, light-hcartcd,
whimsical mischlcvous Carol, was the
one most dear to the hearts Of her IA
Tiers people. Not the gentle Pru-
dcnCe, 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
vauntcd vanity, Mount Mark insisted
she was good" Certainly she was
willing! "Get Carol Starr--she'll do
f." was the commoncst phrase in
Mount Marks vocabulary. Whatever
WIS wanted, whatever the sacrifice In
yolved. Carol stood ready TO Gil the
bill. Not for kludness--oh, dear no
Carol stanchly dlsclaimed any such
nlceness as that. She did It for fun.
pure and simple. She said she liked
to 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 1t was only when the indiscreet
alteration Of her friends brought the
budding plants to light, that she laugh
ingly declared ut was q circus to go
and gloat over folks
Once IN the early dusk Of summer
evening. she discovered old Ben Pc.
ters. half Intoxicated, slumbering
nolsily on a pile Of sacks in n corner
of the parsonage barn. Carol was
sorry, but not ut oil frightened. The
poor. kindly, weak, old man was as
familiar to her as any figure in Mount
Mark. He was always in more or
less helpless state Of lntoxIcatiOn, but