Show i 1 f v 1 i THE IY E ORDINANCE t Or 01 A Story of Fort Dodge t. t Or o C Maria l Briggs stiffened d and h held ld the newspaper newspaper r. r d clipping gingerly Y at arms arm's length IB bright right spots burned burnell in her cheeks and blazing fires kindled in her grey eyes at the im impertinence n pertinence the maliciousness of it No To one need deny and Fort Dodge ki t might labor under the misconception misconception tion as it liked but she knew Every Every Every Ev Ev- ery word of this was meant for hei hel and Andrew was the in in- in For hadn't that man beer tormenting her to marry him for forten forten forten ten odd years vears As further poof was not Maria l Briggs spinster Maria laria forgot in her heart that there had been times when she had denied it Was she not between the ages of twenty-five twenty and forty forty- t five five Was she not well to do do The Tie of one who would not say that fifty a month was plenty Maria laria praised the Giver when she took her coffee when she drew her tea and conducted conducted conducted con con- ducted herself in the presence of those who turned their silks with witha a manner appreciable of their dif dif- ference Pay a fine from not below below below be be- low ten to not to exceed one hundred hundred hundred hun hun- dred because she happened to be bea a spinster from choice Maria knew it was Andrew Z doings Miss l Briggs tore the clipping clipping clipping clip clip- ping into bits with violent jerks jerk r and looked up after the last to see Bobby Jenkins grinning at her through a hole in the hedge ledge Aint you a goin it Miss Briggs though just aint you A blizzard of coldness extinguished extinguished extin extin- i the fire in Miss l Brio Brio-a Briggs Briggs' bb eyes Looked like you pretty ma maat mad madat at someone someone suggested Bobby with r t i r the grin in no wise diminished Guess Gess u it ss O S him as sent it He 0 c. c designated the fallen bits with a giggle e. e G Guess ss you'd give him hail Columbia if you caught him him him- Oh say Miss l Briggs Briggs- I But Miss l Briggs was vanishing toward the house with dead if very pink ears only they were not so so deaf but she could hear Bobbys Bobby's shrill voice in its parting shaft Oh say Miss l Briggs I hearn tell telly y you you u was goin to git it married this A wicked sparkle came into her eyes She smiled grimly and tossed her head Andrew Peck Peck- was her inward comment Id meant it to be this in but but if if there was as many as there are days in inthe inthe inthe the year Id I'd never marry you now Most l people under tinder the circumstances circumstances circumstances cir cir- would have hastened to himself and w waving ving the preserved clipping defiantly in his face would have charged You did it Dont Don't deny that you vou cut this out slipped it under my door as well as put the law up tip to it for forthe forthe forthe the very purpose of making me memarry memarry memarry marry you Dont Don't deny it for I know it before declaring If there was as many Most 1 people I repeat would have thus themselves but not Maria l Maria l did nothing like anybody else It was this odd trait of her character that made Andrew fall in love with her in inthe inthe inthe the first place when he was twentythree twentythree twentythree ty-three ty and she twenty But Buthe Buthe he lie never knew the height of her originality until he proposed at her feet and she had accepted after which the natural conclusion was that they would be married Maria however had cherished dreams from her on the subject of love poetic and passionate She loved but she must love more more to to the topmost pitch nothing less would satisfy her Andrew had been caught up tip in the grandeur the height of the aspiration As a amater amater amater mater o of fact it was the picture she made with one arm outstretched outstretched outstretched out out- stretched her dark face with moonlight which sent his pulses beating and won approval and not the sentiment For a time even the sentiment was well enough but waiting became tedious After three years he declared d in desperation desperation desperation desper desper- at her wait I couldn't care more for you than I do A look of Hurt disapproval val met him in answer and Andrew ended by humbly begging for pardon and the privilege of waiting again In reality Andrew began to despair even of h himself In his youth he had h-d been of a somewhat gawky appearance appearance appearance ap ap- and moderate nature accepting accepting ac ac- r facts as they came without much stir or ado And as a man grows headed bald-headed and the heat of youth is gone it is not likely sentiment sentiment senti senti- ment will begin to go any the brisker instead it is liable to settle settle settle set set- tle down to something of a trot jog-trot pace So when the best was said Andrew thou though h good and kind and devoted found that he never bid fair to reach that distant distant distant dis dis- tant goal of high hig-h pitched passion set by Maria What troubled him more than his own short comings though was the fact that Maria herself who had levied the tax steadily drifted backward on the sea of love love till the time came when she grew absolutely complacent accepted Andrews Andrew's arm and escort indifferently yawned as she put off the marriage till next Thanks Thanks- f j givin declared she rather liked living alone in fact Poor Andrew Andrew Andrew An An- drew usually had to swallow his yearly sugar plum with what grace he could but of late there had been evidences of a fire of impatience and anger smoldering beneath his submission which Maria had perceived perceived perceived per per- but tolerated until tolerated until the day of the newspaper clipping As Andrew Andrew Andrew An An- drew admitted to her having grown a litle too independent and flippant of his affection so now Maria found this impertinence in him too strong strong to be excused While Fort Dodge chattered over tea cups on corners over fences of the proposed proposed proposed pro pro- posed new marriage law in an excitement excitement excitement ex ex- of expectancy and merriment merriment merri merri- ment Maria kept aloof but with her rage rag no less white hot For once her complacency w was s dis dis- Everybody everything in her opinion had gone stark mad If business or pleasure took her down the street her ears burned with real or fancied remarks groups were a agrin rin at her passing acquaintances became too pleasantly pleasant pleasant- t 1 ly y familiar I If f she was mistaken Ir crediting the new measure to herself alone at any rate she had her zoo good share of it Well I reckon Miss Briggs will p-et p married this year grinned Bennet as he passed her with her head up in the air at an unusual unusual un un- usual angle The Bennets had been married the first year the Briggs engagement had been announced Well you dont don't know Maria Briggs Briegs as well as I do responded respond d Mrs Bennet with witha a sage nod Shell pay the fine you just wait and see But Mrs Bennet was alone in her judgment Fort Dodge all thought that this Thanksgiving the nuptials of An- An n 1 drew and Maria Briggs and if it would be performed performed and must be confessed were greatly great great- k ly elated over it having f followed the ins and outs of Marias Maria's s caprices caprices caprices cap cap- rices for ten years more or less There were those in Fort Dodge I whose mouths had been watering 1 for a piece of the wedding cake 11 t these ten years there were those who pressed out company dresses for the ceremony annually at Thanksgiving the Rev had been coveting his fee Miss Garney Carney getting new fashions for bridal finery and little Mi Miss s Janet eyeing her bridesmaid dress with anxious eyes for moths and yellow There was noticeable the new firmness s and decision in Andrew step since the marriage ordinance had first been talked of of-a of a propitious propitious propitious prop prop- sign sign so so that reveren reverend baker dressmaker figuratively began began began be be- gan to whet their knives But if any of them even Andrew Peck- Peck himself could have seen into Miss Briggs mind there would have been disappointment indeed I Little Miss Janet alone reserved the right and with tearful eyes once more more laid away her frail blue mull For into little Miss Janet's faithful tears fears Maria Briggs gave the one vent to her pent up storm- storm ings I I I won wont won't t marry t that I lat P ec k s 's lff 1 she fumed fumed her eyes flashing And An I Id I'd d like to see anybody make me I would She stared so defiantly defiant v L at her that little Miss Janet shrank with fear And what's more I t won wont won't t pay any fine But you'll have to protested her friend timidly Its a law you I know t Law fiddlesticks snorted Miss V r B Briggs I Its t sac a cheat I leat a swindle a piece of impudence impudence that's that's what it is no is-no no more nor less But Mr Andrew cut his own nose off to spite his face that's what hes he's done Look here Miss Janet I was thinking earnest to tomake tomake tomake make it this considering considering considering consid consid- ering as Andrew was sighing so and if it weren't for the impudence yes yes the impudence impudence of of I-of of his daring daring daring dar dar- ing to slip that clipping under my door and laughing no doubt up his sleeve to think of it and how hed he'd got me under this thumb thumb- Miss Briggs could not go on her indignation indignation indignation indig indig- nation choked her Are you sure it was him Little Little Little Lit Lit- tle Miss Janet was very miserable under tinder the confidence imposed in t 3 the he her Maria looked at her in such a away away way as to make Miss Janet feel still more uncomfortable Know it Of course I know it Who else w would uld be putting it there Id I'd like to know The argument was unanswerable Little Miss Janet subsided and Miss Briggs went her way to wreak her vengeance Miss Janet was of ofa a sympathetic nature and it was always to her the her the slight modest little friend of her girlhood that girlhood that Maria had taken her troubles but this time there was more sorrow than sympathy left in her heart after after after af af- ter the conversation It was be- be inning p-inning to evince itself that Maria had lived too long alone Miss Janet had never s seen en her so fierce and angry and so unlike the bright clever girl whom she had always secretly adored No wonder then that she feared for Andrew Peck Peck- But Andrew as has been sU suggested ested e-ested walked in clouds He jingled the coins in his pocket and chuckled to himself upon all occasions He thanked his stars twenty times a day that he had been born in Fort Dodge Dodge Dodge-a a thing r. r c r that had never happened before It J was too good this good this marriage ordinance ordinance ordinance nance What did he care that his friends cast broad jokes The thing w was that that Maria Briggs would at last be his There may have been some wicked satisfaction in his chuckles but he quite forgave Maria the ten years of mistreatment mistreat mistreat- t ment and on the strength of her smiles and affability of late actually actually actually ac ac- gave eave orders for his wedding suit The news of it leaked out The town buzzed with congratulations cong ratula and wished great happiness As a matter of fact was already the happiest man in Fort Dodge e. Maria came cameto cameto cameto to hear of these things too and her manner became more gracious g than ever She dismissed the six seamstresses seamstresses seamstresses seam seam- stresses however who offered f their services with with witha a a dignified but gentle assertion that she had everything everything everything every every- thing necessary for her needs Even little Miss Janet was hoodwinked and believed and rejoiced that Maria had found her heart at lasIt last las It was a glorious afternoon when Andrew swung into Miss Briggs Briggs' garden Before he rang the bell he smoothed his his' hair and settled his coat on his shoulders for everything must be done with great propriety it was a custom these ten years years the the day the last Sunday of October Maria would usher him in to sing for a while at atthe atthe the old piano then there would b be betea betea tea then both would step on the porch if the air were not too chilly chilly chilly chil- chil ly and after few moments of a preparatory preparatory preparatory pre pre- silence would put his question This evening x Y deviated from the cus- cus Off torn tom tom-a a thing which had a right to too tobe be put down against him in Maria's Marias Marias Maria's Marias Maria's Ma Ma- rias ria's mind Andrews Andrew's excuse was the hilarious flush in his face and the affability of Maria How was he to know that it was honeyed So without waiting waiting- the accustomed interval he launched forth He may have gone at it in a wrong way but he viewed it in the light that ten years ought to allow a man manat at the end of it to say things in anyway any way he wanted to p. p chuckled chuckled chuckled-an an undiplomatic undiplomatic matic thing to do Folks Fols are saying saying say say- j ing we are are to to be married this year fi Maria he said as a playful open open- ing Maria raised her shoulders s slightly Yes she queried There was something in her tone toneT T which ich ought to have warned Peck Peck- But felt for the I first time in years the flushed enthusiasm enthusiasm en en- of youth Yes sounds very much like yes to the unobservant unobservant unobservant servant ear But he continued with the same smile on his face Its lucky weve we've been thinking of it all along anyway Maria You see theres there's Pete Rogers who is becoming becoming becom becom- ing a nervous wreck trying to find someone to to marry him him for for Pete was always stingy enough hed he'd dk dit before he paid any ny fine I dont blame him though Catch me ine paying paying paying pay pay- ing a fine Indeed This time as Maria Mariarose Mariarose Mariarose rose to her feet the smile on Andrews Andrew's Andrews Andrew's Andrews Andrew's An An- drews drew's face melted to a sickly re resemblance resemblance resemblance re- re semblance of its former self Well Andrew Im I'm thinking thinking- that's just what you'll haw have to do and you might just as well get used to paying it all the years of your life for as long as I live and if you were the only man on the face of the globe glob Id I'd never marry you fine or no fin fine stood frozen speech speech- less Maria satisfied her delayed revenge by merely watching him What would have happened next will never be known for in the dead silence up tip piped a shrill voice from over the hedge And maybe maybe maybe may may- may may- be if he lie was the only man Miss Biggs I Biggs-I I say maybe with plenty of women folks to pick from hed he'd never bin after you Miss Briggs Bobby ended with a fiendish giggle giggle giggle gig gig- gle and scampered off behind the hedge Andrew turned and left without a word For a minute Miss Briggs Brig stood watching his retreating re- re retreating re- re retreating treating figure with some of the satisfaction taken from her re re- re But she was only momentarily momentarily momentarily momen momen- at a loss With no more need for deception Miss Briggs Brig carried everything with a high hand Fort Dodge was undeceived Miss Briggs and Andrew were not to be this Thanksgiving Thanksgiving- Maria made the fact as triumphantly triumphant triumphant- ly evident as she could that she might the more revel in discomfiture She even thought better of her previous decision deliberately deliberately deliberately de de- walking to the office of the tax collector only one month after after after af af- ter the law had been passed she proudly paid down the amount asked for the year Youre early Miss Briggs smiled the clerk Oh yes |