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Show frafliSkXralilru fc lvLV W .? $v JW spA 1 : W c4H vJRCUS ! , ; ; j K jK BIT PiARSARET PAY0 ', j ' , J COPYRIGHT. 1568. BY DODD. MEAD AND COMPANY I (Continued from last week.) irpp1nuds Tier -as nrac'h A3 me. an' net stunts la Irnby tricks alongside of mine. It's enough to make you 8lclc of art." She Bbook her bead dolefully, then sat up tvHIi renewed Interest. 'You see. mine Is careful balancln v aitf nil that, -an' you got to know your liorsc an' your ground for that. Now, yon uct -wise to what I'm n-tcllln' you and don't you never go Into anything which depends on .anything else." "Thank you, Tolly, I won't" Doug- las somehow felt that he was very much. Indebted to her, , "I seen a -church show once," Polly ' -said suddenly. "You dldT' Douglas asked, with now interest. l, "Yes," she nnswecrd. closing her lips and venturing no further comment. -Did you llko it7' he qncstloncd nft- $ cr a pause. "Couldn't make nothln' out of It. I don't care much for roadlnV ' i "Oh, It Isn't all Tending," he correct- cd. 'WelI, tho guy I saw read all of , hls'n. no got the whole thing right t ' -out of a "book;" "Oh. that was only his text," laughed i Douglas. 'TcxtT' ,' -"Yes. And later he tried to Interpret -to his congrcgn" t . "Easy! Easy!" she Interrupted. "Come again with that, will you?" 3 "He told them tho meaning of what he read." "WYll. 1 don't know what he told 1 ''cm, but It didn't mean anything to me. , But maybe your show Is bcttcr'n hla -was," she added, trying to pacify him. Douglas was undecided whether to - .rtj1, feel amused or grateful for Polly's Si' '$ ever Increasing sympathy. Before he m " v could trust his twitching lips to an swer she had put another question to i ; him, J VM t . "Are you goln to do a stunt whllo I VfVj -'-" in hero? f ul preach every Sunday, If that's ,' ?;, what you mean. I preach this morn- It big." - "Is this Sunday?' she asked, slttlug ') ;tip with renewed energy and looking pf "about the room as though everything , ihad changed color. ' "Yes." "And you got n matinee?" she exclaimed ex-claimed incredulously. t ' "We have services," ho corrected. " gontly. e . "Wo rest up on Sundays," she said V In a tone of deep comuiliorutlou. "Oh, I hoc," he answered, feollus It i" lno tum-' to cuter upon nnotbor dlscus-f. dlscus-f. . ifilon as to the comparative advantages K-. of their two profwwdonn. ".r i "What are you goln' to spiel about v' (today?" 3 "About l.'uth and Naomi." h, -, j "Until nnd who?" j "Naomi," ho repeated. &' "Naomi," she oehoed, tilting her head ' V . (from side to side as r'.ie listened to p (Hits soft cadences of the word. "I nov-i; nov-i; - 'or heard that name before. It 'ml look nwful swell on a billboard, wouldn't i , lit?" Kr "It's a Bible name, honey," Mnndy '&, said, eager to get Into tho conversa-rLp. conversa-rLp. tlon. "Dar's a buful picture bout her. ;t?( I seed It." "I llko to look at pictures," Polly an- T SAvered tentatively. Mandy crossed the , room to fetch tho large Bible with Its J steel engravings. if uyfQ ot a gfrj nair)l,d ituth In our ft 'leap of death stuut. Some of tho I folks Is kinder down on 'or, but I v ' ain't." t She might have told Douglas more ' ' of her forlorn Uttlo friend, but Just ! then ilnudy came to the bed hugging n large, old fashioned Bible, and Doug- jlas helped to place the ponderous book 'bofore the invalid. f "See, honey, dnr dey Is," the old wo- iman said, pointing to the picture of ; 'Ruth nnd Naomi. ' "Them's crackerjneks, ain't they?" "''' Tollj- gasped, and hur eyes shone with wonder. "Which one's Ituth?" $ "DIs one," safd Maudy, pointing with ; her thumb. "Why, they're dressed Just like our, r ' chariot drivers. What does It say about .- 'cm?' "You can read It for yourself," Douglas Doug-las answered gently. There was something some-thing pathetic In the eagerness of tho ' . .Btnrved little mind. "Well, I ain't much on rcadln' out loud," she faltered, growing suddenly .conscious of her deficiencies. "Rend It for me, will you?" "Certainly." And he drew his chair nearer to tho bed. Ono strong hand 1 supported the other half of the Blblo nnd his head was very near to hers as lals deep,, full, voice pronounced the sol. I emu words- in wnrcit nam pienaea bo ' many years before. " Entreat mo uot to leavo thee,' " ho read, '"or to return from following after thee, for whither thou gocst 1 will go, nnd whoro thou lodgest I will lodge. Thy peoplo shall be my people and thy God my God.' " ' He stopped to ponder over tho poetry of the lines. "Kind of pretty, ain't It?" Polly said Boftly. She felt awkward and con-. Btralned nnd n little overawed. ! "There nre far more beautiful things than that," Douglas assured her enthusiastically en-thusiastically n3 the echo of mauy bucIi rang In his cars. "There are?" Ami her eyca .opened wide with wonder. "Yes, Indeed," ho replied, pitying more and more tho starvation of mind nnd longing to bring to It floods of light and enrichment. "I guess I'd like to hear you spiel," and she fell to studying him solemly. "You would?" he asked engorly. "Is there any more to that sTory?" she asked, Ignoring his question. "Yes. Indeed." "Would you rend mo a little more?" She was very humble now. "'Where thou dlest will I die. nnd there will I be burled. The Lord do so to me. and more also, if aught but death part me nnd thee.' " Their eyes met. There was u long pause. Suddenly the sharp, cweot notes of the church bell brought John Douglas to his feet with a start of surprise. "Have you get to go?" Polly .asked regretfully. "Yes, I must, but I'll rend the rest from the church.. Open the window. Mnndy!" And ho passed out of the door nnd quickly down the stairs. CHAPTER VI. hr-fJIIEN Joun Douglas' un$le of-I of-I try I fered to educate his nephew - V B fcr ,ll ministry the boy was " less enthusiastic than hla mother. He did not remonstrate, however, how-ever, for It had been the custom of gcuuratioiiR for at least one son of each Douglns family to preach the gospel of Calvlnlnn, nnd his father's career ns an architect and landscape gardener had not left him much capital. Douglas senior had been recognized ns an nrthrt by the few who understood under-stood his talents, but there h small demand for the builder of picturesque houses In the little huslncKH towns of the middle wot. t!'d at last he passed away, leavlug his ?;on only the burden of his flnamhil (allure and an ardent dc !: to sue. eed at the profe-mlnn lr which his father had fared so badly. The hopclptfP, defeated look on tho departed de-parted man's face had always haunted the boy, who wns artlat enough to feel his father's genius Intuitively nnd human enough to resent the lnjvstlco of his fate. Douglnn mother had Buffered so much becnuso of the Impractical efforts ef-forts of her husband that she discouraged discour-aged the early tendencies of tho son toward drawing and mnthemntlcs nnd tried to direct Ills thoughts toward creeds and Bible history. When ho went away for his colleglato course she was less In touch with him and he was ablo to steal time from his athletics ath-letics to devote to his art. lie spent his vacations in n neighboring city before be-fore a drawing board in tho office of a distinguished architect, hla fathcr'i friend. Douglas was not a brilliant divinity Btudent, and ho wns relieved at last when ho received his degree In thool-j ogy and found himself appointed to a j Binnll church In the middle west. j Ills step was vory bright the morning he first went up tho path that led to his new home! Ills nrtlstlc sense was ! charmed by the picturesque approach to tho church nnd parsonage. The view toward tho tree encircled splro wan unobstructed, for tho church had been built on the outskirts of the town to nllow for a growth that had not materialized. He threw up his head and gazed at the blue hills, with their background of soft, slow movlnn clouds. The smell of the fresh earth, the bursting of the buds, the forming of new life, set him thrilling with n Joy that was very near to pain. Ho stopped halfway up the path and considered tho advantages of a new front to the narrow eaved cottage, cot-tage, and when his foot touched tho first step of the vine covered porch ho wns far more concerned nbout a new portico than with any thought of his first sermon. Ills speculations were abrupUy cut Bhort by Mandy, who bustled out of tho door withji wide hhIIq of welcome on her "black faco and an unmistakable . ambition to take him Immediately under un-der her motherly wing. She was much concerned because the church people had not met the new pastor at the Bta- ) tlon and brought him to tho house. Upon learning that Douglas had pur- ' poscly avoided tholr escort, preferring . to como to his new homo the first time alone, she made up her mind thnt she was going to llko him. ' Mnndy had long boon a fixture in the parsonage. She nnd her worse half. '. Hasty Jones, had come to know and discuss tho weaknesses of tho many I clergymen who had como nnd gone, tho deacons nnd the congregation, both l Individually and collectively. She con- ildcd to Hasty that she didn't "blame ', do now parson for not wnntln' to mix up wld dat nr crowd." In tho study that night, when she nnd Hasty helped Douglas to unpack his mnny boxes of books, they were as eager as children about the drawings! ' nnd pictures which ho showed them. Ills mind had gone beyond tho parsonage parson-age front now. and he described to them tiio advantage of adding an extra ex-tra ton feet to the church spire. Mnndy felt herself almost an artist when sho and Hasty undo the pastor good night, for she wns still quivering from the contagion of Douglas' entliu- slaBin. Here, at last, was a master ', who could do something besides find fault wltli her. ; "I Jes' wan' to be on do groun' do ' firs' time dat Mars Douglas and dnt ! ore Deacon Strong clinches," sho Bald ' to Hasty as thoy locked tho doors and ! turned out the hall light. "Did you ' done rco his Jaw?" she whispered. "He look huighln' enough now, but . Jes you wait till he done set dat 'ere Jaw o' hls'n. and dar ain't nobody ' what's goln" ter unsot It." "Maybe dnr ain't goln' ter bo no rllr.cblu'." nn!d Hasty, hoping for Man-fly's Man-fly's assurance to the contrary. "What?" shrieked Mandy. "Wld dat 'ero sncakln' Widow WIHoughby nl-ready nl-ready a-tellln do deacons how tor start de new pnreon n-goln' proper?" "Now, why ymnc always n-plckln' on to dat 'ero widow?" asked Hasty, already al-ready enjoying tho explosion which ha knew his defense of the widow wan sure to excite. "I don' like no woman whnt's alius braggln' 'bout her clean floors," answered an-swered Mnndy shortly. She turned out the last light and tiptoed upstairs, trying not to disturb the pastor. John Douglas was busy already with pencil and paper, making notes of tho plans for the church and parsonage, which he would perfect later on. Alas, for DoukI.ir' day dreamn! It was not many weeks before ho understood with n heavy heart that the deacons were far too dull and uninspired to share his faith In beauty as an aid to man's spiritual uplift. "Wo think we've done pretty well by this church," said beacon Strong, who was the business head, the political boss and the mornl mentor of the Email town's affairs. "Just you worry i along with the preachln', young man, nnd wo'Il attend to tho buyln' and i lmlldln' operations." Douglns' mind wns too active to con- i tent Itself wholly with tho writing of j pennons nnd tho routlno of formal pas- i toral calls. Ho was n keen liumanl- j tarlan, so HttJo by lltlo he came to i be Interested In the heart stories and disappointments of many of tho vll- i lage unfortunates, some of whom wero j outside his congregation. Tho men- i tally pick, the despondent, who needed j words of hope and courago more than i dry talks on theology, found In him j an ever ready friend nnd adviser, and ( these came to love and depend on j him. But ho Avan never popular with i tin creed bound element ,of the church. Mnndy had hor wish about being on i the spot the llnst time that the parson's Jnw squared Itself at Deacon Strong. The deacon had called at tho parson- J age to demand that Douglas put a stop j to the boys playing baseball In the ml- i Joining lot on Sunday. Douglas had been unhble to seo tho deacon's point ( of view no declared that baseball j was a healthy and harmless form of ' exercise, that the air was meant to be i breathed and that the 'hoys who en- j Joyed the gnmo on Sunday wore prln- ; eipally those who were kept indoors by work on other dns. The close of J the Intervlow wns u.: ithfnetory both i to Douglns and the do . u. "Dey kinder ma mr cold nn' prl kly all up tin' ' .i de back," J M 'tdy said lutr v. i i n!ie described i t! r talk to nty .' 'ere dtticou i dt i' inrw nurtlu ' u' H:tln' roun' ' dc parson." She t ! her bond with a u'iin vt nuMri , . 'know tho i wa Uckg Mm fx i dt htonwlf with a tTO hy Piintlnuidj |