The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1918-10-18
CHAPTER WI.
A Sunday Walk.

~ ounody Wdtks
Really IL Prince had been vain
dog his ego would certainly have be-
come unduly developed because of this
Incident The Corners, as commu-
nifty, voted him an acquisition, whereas
heretofore he had been looked upon as
q good deal Of q nuisance.
After she recovered from her fright
Miss Minnie walked home with Caro-
lyn May and allowed Princes delight
ed little mistress to encourage the
"herO" to "shake hands with teacher"
snow, you see, he's acquainted with
you, Miss Minnie" said Carolyn May.
Hes an awful nice dog. You didn't
know just how nice he was before"
Almost everybody went to church
and all the children to Sunday school,
which was held first.
The Rev. Alton briggs, though seri-
ous-minded, was q loving man. He
was fond Of children and he and his
childless wife gave much Of their at
tention to the Sunday school. Mrs.
briggs taught Carolyn Mays class Of
little girls. Mrs. briggs did her very
best, too, to get the children to stay
to the preaching service, but Carolyn
May had to confess that the pastors
discourses were usually hard to under
; stand.
"And he Is always reading about the
.Begats.'" she complained gently to
Uncle Joe as they went home together
on this particular Sunday, "and l
can't keep interested when he does
that. I s'pose the Begats' were very
nice people, but I'm sure they weren't
related to us-they've all got such
funny names"
"Hum!" CALCULATED Uncle Joe,
smothering desire to laugh. "Flow
gently, sweet Alton, does select his
passages of Scripture mostly from the
valleys Of dry bones,' 1 allow. You've
got it about right there, Carolyn May"
"Uncle joe" said the little girl, TAX
Ing her courage in both hands, "will
you do something for me?" Then, as
he stared down at her from under his
bushy brows, she added: 81 don't mean
that you aren't always doing some
thing for me-letting me sleep here at
your house and eat with you and all
that. But something special"
''What is the something specialT"
asked Mr.. Stage cautiously.
Something 1 want you to do to-
day. You always go off to your store
after dinner and when you come home
It's too dark"
"Too dark for what?'
''For us to take u walk" said the
little girl very earnestly. "Oh, Uncle
Joe, you don't know how dreadful 1
miss taking Sunday walks with my
papa! OF course we took 'em in the
morning for he had to go to work
on the paper in the afternoon, but we
did just about go everywhere. If you
would go with me-" the little girl
added wistfully, 'just this afternoon,
seems to me 1 wouldn't feel $3.50
empty"
'Humph!" said Uncle Joe, clearing
his throat. "If it's going to do you
any particular good, Car'lyn May, I
suppose can take a walk with YOU"
1t was crisp day-one of those au-
tumn days when the tang of frost re-
mains in the air, in spite of all the
efforts of the sun to warm 1t.
Here and there they stopped to pick
up the glossy brown chestnuts that
had burst from their burrs. That Is,
Carolyn May and her uncle did. Prince,
after single attempt to nose one Of
the prickly burrs, left them strictly
alone.
"You might just as well try to eat
Aunty Roses strawberry needle cush-
lon, Princey." the little girl said
wisely. you'll have a sorer nose than
Amos Bartlett had when he tried to
flle It down with wood rasp."
HUMP calculated Mr.. Stage,
whatever possessed that Bartlett
child to do such fool trick?"
"Why, you know his nose is awfully
Big" said Carolyn May. "And his
mother Is always worried about 1t. She
must have worried Amos, too, for one
day last week he went over to Mr..
Parlow's shop, borrowed wood rasp
and tried to file his nose down to
proper size. And now he has to 60
with his nose all creased and shiny
till the new skin grows back on It."
"Bless me, what these kids will dol"
uuttered Mr.. Stage.
It was 1ust at that momont that the