Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-11-26
THE BOOK OF DEBORAH
We Start Out To Meet Ted And Run
Into A Heavy Storm.

I 4
Into A Heavy Storm.
The Valley Parsonage where Del
was to meet Ted Moore was next tt
the famous Valley Inn in the pictur.
esque mountain section of our state
about thirty miles from our town
The road was billy and sandy and in
order to cover all emergencies Anr
and picked up Deborah at her home
an hour earlier than was necessary
Ann at the wheel, wore her smartest
motor toggery. Deb was in white as
bride ought to be even when she
elopes.
The day was sultry for the time of
year, but heavy clouds began to
darken the sun, as we pulled away
from Deb's door.
We rode without talking. Deb
couldn't talk, l fancied, because she
was taking the most important volun-
tary step of her life without her
parents permission.
That Mrs. Burns should have a
daughter who was obsessed by a pos
tive reverence for the truth struck
me as one of life's little sarcasms. For
Mrs. Burns herself never SHE'D at any
/ trick by which she could achieve her
purpose. She was one of those high
ly respectable persons who talk con-
tinually about the horrors of lying,
who continually call all mild prevari-
Gators to account She was one of
those who look for lying in others
because they think that thus they
prove themselves truthful.
Mrs. Burns painted splendid cam
outage her own hypocrisy and she
had so deceived her family that the
truth had become the breath of life ia
/ her daughters.
Because she was deceiving her par.
ents, Deborah set off to meet her
bridegroom in depressingly melan.
choly frame Of mind.
did not interrupt her train Of
thought, and was glad that Ann had
decided to respect it also, until
suddenly perceived Ann hadssome
thing on her mind She was behav.
/ ing as / had seen her score OF
times when she had been in mischief
According to Chrys, AIMS silence was
her or'v SYMPTOM of conscience
/ What she had on her conscience that
dav was mystery to me and | didn't
CO." what = was, it didn't matter il
II was not linked up to the big event
Of the afternoon.
Ann had not forgotten her bouquet
! Tor Deb. 1t was a bunch of lilies-of.
Ithe-Valley, enormously expensive in
! November. Ann had confded to me
but the only flower, because Deb low.
ed them. Such were the contradic.
tons in AIMS character.
Sometimes ! had thought Ann,
mental gears did not fit. For event,
proved that even while Ann bonobt
the lilies for Deb's wedding. she was
messing M that affair completely.
The suitrness Of the day changed
! IN an instant. 30 that we looked a
each other and spoke about it.
A copper-colored sky hung benin,
Some storm coming" was Ann
! quick comment lets button up In
, curtains and get out the big coats an,
rugs"
Some storm" it proved to be
Darkness like that of the chaos whjc
] preceded creation settled around n,
Rain like that Of the food poure
through the joining of our curtains.
Gosh, what if the ignition get
Groundedp screamed Ann above In
rattle of the hail on the roof of III
car. We had parked after skiddinf
sliding and slipping in the slush.
such tornadoes pass swiftly" sal
Deb, with a glance at the auto clocJ
"And we still have an hour"
Y ! didn't remind her that the mn
would last long time after til
storm had passed nor that no ca
could safely descend the muddy Va
ley Hill which separated her fro
Ted Moore.
"Ted will wait until doomsday."
, ventured.
"I'd like my wedding to move pt
} schedule" said Deb
The perverse infant, Ann. whistle
Waiting At The Church." while "
waited and shivered in the darknes
Storms usually exhiliarate me. M
spirits rise with the fall of the baron
, eter, but that tornado chilled my sol
as well as my body We sat in II
car long after the rain had ceased an
the sky had frightened.
l "We'd make track like a serpel
in that mud" remarked Ann, who
seemed to me, was doino an unne
essary amount Of fussing with h
car. Suddenly she stoned whistlir
waiting At The Church" and a
nourced:
CIT did. pirlsp
"What did what?"