Show I 1 by CHARLES EDWARD HEWITT copyright by wr G chapman an impending stillness brood edIt was good friday morning and mary deyo the elder viciously manipulated ingredients for a batch of hot cross buns from the sheer habit of a cus torn handed down from her new eng land forefathers mary her niece was tremulously awaiting the words that would next come from her guard lans tight drawn lips there was a marked resemblance between the two women the one s angular thinness and hard showing features symbolize iz ing a main stem that has run to seed whose well pruned off shoot takes upon itself the cominess of south tul fragility I 1 low ye shan t marry a preacher there s bough nough said on t came the rasping sentence at last the flush of excitement that bad previously suffused the young girl s delicate cheeks now gave place to pallor which drew unto itself even the ironical glance of the maker t buns aunt mary she said slowly you would have married a preach tr long ago and now you are punishing john and me tor that other s sin land to goodness ejaculated the spinster as her neice stalked from the kitchen its a blessed thing I 1 sot my foot down now else I 1 d be n clean run from the house that john wil son s a high critter she con linued to herself see what he s alsted into that gal already marry a preacher indeed hypocrites the hull of em and there s dec kin sims and every psalm sigm sister in the house what do but his dane ng eyes sobered at the motion of her head they keer et I 1 go to perdition or jet turn into a hopper toad as some id aerts claims dead people becomes the irritated woman here slammed down a freshly baked pan of delica cies to emphasize her thoughts H r mind was afloat on a theme with which it had wrestled for many a dreary year and being over bold from long familiarity it drew to depths that have held to destruction many an un suspecting bark bah with such religion it it pears ter me mary deyo et god had ever been flesh and blood and was truly gone back to heaven he wouldn t have let you git jilted and people act that a way in his house something happened at this point the mighty heredity bestowed by line of god fearing forebears clutched for the spirit that was aloft on the balances and in the act of forming a sugar cross the wrinkled hand started a trembling as from an ague may the almighty forgive moaned the woman and swept the buns into the closet mary the younger passed a ble existence through the following hours the minister who had but recently come to the village was expected that evening to sue for her band and unless the proverbial worm should turn and take matters to it self his outlook was anything but bright the elder marys demeanor was more morose than combative dur the day her termagant tongue div ing utterance to no admonitions or rebukes which circumstance would have called from the girl great won derment at any other time spring had already breathed over the all lage lowlands and the air was primed with that fragrant aroma which tells surely to man that he was not meant to live alone but the chirping peepers in the distant swamp seemed a melancholy chorus to mary deyo as she awaited in the deepening fast twilight her lovers coming on the morrow he was to lead the easter arv ices at the old meeting house and bow joyously she had anticipated this as the fit occasion to publish her hap II 11 we can not marry I 1 will stop going to meeting she ancon ly resolved hello girl Is it good news you have to tell this wonderful eve of aas tera cheerily greeted john allson but his dancing eyes sobered at the motion of her head come stop a bit and talk it over be said gently and as the depth of the spinsters poeju dice was made clear to him the man hummed a few notes of a favorite hymn as was his wont in perplexing moments see nere girl he spoke after a bit the trouble lies in that your aunt has lost faith both in god and man those sancti conious hypocrites at the meting house are greatly to blame for it too now this is easter tide when all peo pie should rejoice together so I 1 ahall write on this slip of paper the most cherished knowl dege of my soul and will you give her it this night and say john wilson wants that you should partake of bis joy even though he may not share yours but john that will not bring oui marriage any nearer whispered the girl turning aside lest he should catch the quaver in her voice A strong arm drew her close YOL ask her again about me girlie in the morning there is a miracle in my joy and pressing the folded slip to her bosom mary deyo prayed for the showing of the miracle Is jesus christ in heaven over and over again did a sed icing voice inquire and mock and disclaim to a meagre stern faced little woman who strove vainly to elude it wrote ter me did hea she snapped as the note was timidly given her for two pins I 1 d pitch it into the hearth but late that night the crumpled slip was still held in trembling grasp twenty years the old family bible had lain unused in the spare closet well see it it backs up this note that trifle lm preacher muttered alary the elder at near on to midnight her ees showed cold and glinting as she opened the great book but soon the hardness melted before that which has ransomed the guilt of eternity could a man pray ter them that r alls him to a treed she marveled and the story sure reads likely ff he did haan hadn t I 1 aughter oughter pray ter beekin sims and the rest of era and bebby ter him that deserted mea oh you preacher you that prayed fer them that nailed ye ask th al mighty father to forgive a sinful woman the hours passed by unnoted by the elder mary and as gilded wave swelled upwards from the east she glanced from her chamber window and saw a girlish figure steal from the house and start ascending a bill which overlooked the village land to gracious it s mary a coln to git a look at where he s a she ejaculated and then the story that her eyes had but add to the book unfolded to her soul in the mightiness of its truth it nusa have be n seen a mornin when thai other mary went to see his grave she whispered and then she found THIS and the crumpled sl p ol 01 paper was smoothed in the lamp s fast fading light I 1 see it my poor old eyes see it cried the woman now on her knees and I 1 must set the gal a scein of it too down stairs shuffled the little worn an near falling in her feverish haste there that plagued door ain t shet she gasped never mind with the lords help this old hand mine ill stay to the plow and I 1 won t turn back it was a steep ascent and the pant ing pursuer called wildly to the other W ait fer me gal I 1 want to te 1 yet about the note but the object of her beseech ings thought enmity was in the motive and quickened the pace to a run A mighty wonder had mean while gathered in the east whose translucent halo glowed and deepened with the sublime travailing of the morn and lo 10 there was born to the quickening earth a ball of molten gold by whose spencor nights sor row sweat was changed to iridescent glory for some reason the glowing radiance dazzled the fleeing girl and her foot caught upon a stone let me help yer mary child pant e the other woman in a voice sur even herself in its gentleness I 1 only wanted to show ye what that there preacher of yourn wrote ter me I 1 ve be n a miserable all these years but now I 1 thank the AI mighty that he has one good son and that bebby ye have found one that takes after him some the younger mary read the crum pled note and then glanced at the shining east the words are true she murmured god also has said in yonder sky HE IS RISEN |