Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-24

Dread Of what Cell might do sat
on her like q nightmare
Bessie in bare feet going out to feed
them.
Bessie. what arc you doing?' they
cried.
Its nothing" she said. "1'm used
Of it. you know. was eight years old
before I wore shoe or stocking
Meantime she was putting Cell of
and off. Time enough yet, boy" she
would say as often as he asked her.
she's thinking of me again, "
thought Cell. and he began on a long
| series of tictions to accoiint for his new
found prosperity. He was getting along
wonderfully in his profession. and was
better off now than he had been before
he lost his allowance. But still it was
by -and-by. Time enough yet, boy ~
One day Cell came with an almost
irresistible story. He had bcspoken
house in Athol street. 1t was just
what they wanted. Close to the Law
Library and nearly opposite the new
Courthouse. Two rooms on the ground
floor for his Offices, two on the first
floor for their living apartments, and
two on the top for the kitchen and for
the maid.
1t is the temptation that no woman
can rcsist-the desire to have a home
that shall be all her own--and for n
few weeks Bessie fell to It. Evening
after evening she and Alick sat side
BY side in the sitting room making cata-
logucs of all they would require to set
up a household. Cell took charge Of
the tables and chairs and sideboards.
ho 20 ha
kcts and linen. 1t was such a delight
to construct a home from memory And
then what laughs and thrills and shame
faced looks when. in spite of all their
thinking. they remembered some inti-
mate and essential thing which they had
hitherto forgotten.
"sakes alive, boy, you've forgotten
the bedstead."
Lord. so I have. We shall want
a bedstead. shan't we?''
But even this fierce gambling with her
fate broke down at last with Bessie.
The certainty had fallen on her. The
natural strength Of her constitution had
withstood all the attacks she had made
upon it. Whether she married Cell. or
did not marry him. there was nothing
before her except suffering and disgrace.
How could she keep his love against the
shame that was striding down on her:
Christmas had come. 1t was Christ.
mas Eve. The Manx people call il
Oie'l Very lthe Eve of Nary, and
during the last hour before midnight
they take possession Of their parish
churches, over the heads Of their clergy.
for the singing Of their ancient Manx
carvals (carols). The old Misses Brown
were to keep Oie'l Very at their Church
10. Intn hol olr
so, aud this time Bessie was to 50 with
them.
1t was clear, cold winters night,
with crisp snow underfoot. and over.
head world Of piercing stars.
As the two old maids In their long
black boas, and Bessie in Il fur lined
present. crossed the footbridge over
the harbor and walked under the blind
wall of the dark castle, the great clock
in the square tower was striking II.
But 1t was bright enough in the market
place, with the light from the church
windows on the white ground. and peo-
pie hurrying to church at a quick trot
and stamping the snow off their boots
at the door.
1t was brighter still inside. for the
altar and pulpit had been decorated
with ivy and holly, and, though the
church was lit by gas. most Of the
worshipers. according to ancient Gus
tom. had brought candles also.
The church was very full but the old
Misses Brown, with Bessie behind them,
walked up the aisle to the pew under tho
reading desk which they had always
rented. The congregation about then
was a strangely mixed one, and the
atmosphere was half solemn and half
hilarious.
The gallery was occupied by farm
lads and fisher lads chiefly, and they
were craning their necks to catch
glimpses of the girls in the pews below,
while the girls themselves (as often as
they could do so without being observed
by their clders) were glancing up with
cleaning eyes. In the body of the church
there were middle -aged folks with So
berer faces, and in the front seats sat
old people. with slower and duller eyes
and cheeks scored deep with wrinkles-
the mysterious hiero:lyphics of life's
troubled story. sickness and death, hus-
bands lost at half-tidc and children
gone before them.
An opening hymn had just been sung.
the last notes Of the organ were dying
down, the clergyman, in his surplice,
was sitting by the side Of the altar, and
the first of the carol singers had risen
in his pew, candle in hand, to sing his
carval.
He was rugged old man from the
mountains of Itushen. half landsman
and half seaman. and his carol (which
he sang in the Manx, while the tallow
guttcred down on his discolorcd fingers)
was n catalogue of all the bad women
mentioned in the Bible. from Eve, the
mother of mankind. who brought evil
into the world. TO that gracelcss
wcnch. Salomc.'
After that came similar carols, sung
by similar carol singers and received by
the boys in the gallery with gusts OF
laughter which the clerk tried in vain
to suppress.
But at last there came a carval sung
in chorus by twelve young girls with
sweet young voices and faces that were
chaste and pure and full OF joy--all