| Show mi I 1 I 1 T t 11 1 1 i I 1 z P to U D off of the e PARSONAGE by ETI ETHEL IEL HUESTON bobbt Merrl ll Mo copyright 1016 if in this raw new ferial of ours or we bave the story of 1 mall it few town mm minister K family and ad to if emo sea with it P poverty verty with wath hardheaded and fat headed church officers ceris with tion pro of flesh and spirit W we a hoes have too a picture of it its lly joys it hower oll alms boam t alons 0 ita I 1 woo yes and I 1 4 lt if love ims affairs M miss hueston hallow the author the writes write with ith perfect helt ym pathy she he is a small town now ministers daughter and this tale 1 r dedicated to her mother adi who d devoted ted her life to rearing whole houseful of young methodist ad we feet feel an cure 0 yo you a will enoy Prud wc THE EDITOR CHAPTER I 1 1 introducing he hep none but the residents consider mount marl mark iw iowa blech of 0 a tow town I 1 L and the very most moc patriotic of mr them all 11 has no word at 0 pill giaise for far the md agli little red C B Q railway station mount mark to is anything but proud plead of the th little station at the same time it term na does owe the railroad and tile the state a debt of gratitude tor for its pres are ence there it Is the favorite social rend lime for far the community 1 the arrival of passenger train in mount mark ie an ecart something in the of nature natum of a C B Q at home and is algava attended by abarge a large and ad e en thulla gathering of our best people 11 all A 11 that is lacking wiss are the proverbial light fight refreshments 1 I so it bappe happened ird that one apley morn ve ing late in th the 1 1011 month h if 0 august there sm was the usual ti flutter of excitement and ad confusion a on n the P platform thorna and in the waiting r room ea in of the station the ha be bittues ba were there them io in force ous BOB among them v were ere four gayly dressed young men smoking Bino hing cigar cigarettes twe end and gazing gating with lacci luster a eves up upon the Ral animated mated scene alone whim evidently pored ored them the atily news aws reporter in a well creft crea ad tight light gray suit and tan shoes and with eyeglasses scientifically balanced on his aquiline role nose was wag making pointed commit inquiries toto into in ane e private plans of the travelers tra velera the young woman amt going to to spend speed the week led nd an was with wita beat about fifteen other young women who had come to see her OR off e mount at mark ts Is a very respectable to town ase be it weda understood told and ad girls do not go to the I 1 station without an n elc excuse I 1 A man in a black bull suit buit tend stood lone alone a on the platform his bis hands in 11 tais his pockets his eyes wandering from froin one tw to another of the strange faces about t him his ale plain a white ready made tie Is proclaimed his hia calling so its the new methodist minister volunteered lum mored tile the baggage waster master cross cress ag ing the platform 1 I know knew him he 11 a not is bad sort ort lehey 1 I hey say bay he hes got get five firs kids and re most idt of em can girls 11 ram responded the ad ams a express clip I 1 as man 1 I want to be on ba hand ad when he they get be here M W pill pick out but a girl lah bodied the t telegraph opera per tor 0 o r gabbing bobbing his hd had through the win I 1 dow you need to T they holy tell me every girl to in mount mark has in turned reed you down a ready but bat I 1 the he methodist rawl rawlston stor gas gazing way away do down the track where here a I 1 than un 0 11 R run father real ional curl of 1 announced on ced the coming of no 8 9 and Pro prudence adem he heard rd nothing ot 0 this 1171 71 conversation 11 he waa not at a handsome hand home man in tile nis inde hair was waa gray at the to temples its his face was earnest only sea aved d from severity by the little clue rare a of f lines linco at his bla eyes and mouth which pr proclaimed claimed that he laughed often a and mi with rellah tra train I 1 n going east cast IL 1 toe the stood back fro from the crew acrond it but when uie the train came pound leg ing 1 in a brightness leaped fat into his avea m A slender leader sir girl stood in the v festl ti bule waging wildly nt at him a small gloved hand when the train stopped 91 she leaped lightly ight ly from the steps 1 therl ather she sha cried exit excitedly edly and small email and ad at ight Us AS she he wm was she he el cd bowed her bar way swiftly through the gaping crew crowd it oh father I 1 and ABU sh ehe a flung iier hor arms about him un on of evea hermam her r kissed her warmly 1 where lore 1 as y your ou I 1 lie he asses asked a hand baud held out to relieve 11 be her here dom and with a radiant am smile Is conly she he thrust upon him a box bar of candy and a go gaudy it covered magazine year suitcase he explained pa j oh she sped run father I 1 run I 1 left ift it on the train I 1 fa father b did run but Pea prudence dence sooner fleeter footed fo ded outdistanced him hani and ad clam in bared on board panting palling 11 mm hen she rejoined her father her f abe was waa flu bed oh father fat lier she he said quite quit sloppily isi that just like ilk me yes te very like he be agreed and he sallil and BO 60 thia ill is mount meant mark I 1 isn I 1 t it a fully funny name me father ft 11 hy do they call it mount mark I 1 don t I 1 now I 1 had linan t thought too to inquire e turn man here prudence this Is main streit L the elev part pact of the to town w it the busine part Is to the son south it its a pretty street int pm t it she cried such nice big maples mapha and such shad houses I 1 love a houses with porches perches do dont I 1 you has the par conage go a porch let ea a big 1 one I on the south BOOM bud and a tiny one lo in front we have hall the me house fid fi d up pretta won well prudence but of course van boull 11 have he to go I 1 01 er at ity it yourself and ad arrange it as you like I 1 must go 90 to I a trustees meeting at two 0 clock but we can get a good deal done before the then mrs adams Is corn coca ing to help you this af afternoon terno she 1 Is one a of if our ladies and very kind there th re dalt that la a the p parsonage am a nage I 1 pro prudence gazed gad 1 ID ie silence ciany say would not have considered it a beauhl fill ill dwelling but to prudence it we was a heavenly hven lv fortunately the wide grassy grasey shideh fawn I 1 greeted one first great grant spreading maples bordered the it street let and clustering rosc busbea tired lined th the a well wait trading leading up to the house the par conage to Pru dences gratified eyes looked homey bouney and big a and ad inviting the there wom were many say windows led and the well wall known lace cart a ila looked down upon pruden e arpp tripping be happily n pill up 11 the little board swier walk or so so I 1 it t seemed accrued to a b ler air two whole stories and a an tile attic besides not to mention the bathroom oh father the after you wrote to there was a bathroom constance thanked old god for fee jt it when she said her players and a furnace too and electric lights oh we have waited a long 39 3 9 time till for it and ad we re ber been very cry patient indeed but between you and me father I 1 am most mightily g glad we ve hit b it the luxury land at just I 1 re a sure once we w 2 U I 1 I 1 all aa feel fall much ell more em religious in a parsonage ge that has a bathroom ef etric ind and electric lights oh father I 1 lie he had thrown ape open th the do door had and prudence stood up upon the t rb a threshold it of Toc effier her ler now new home together she i and cpr father ather went from room to room upstairs room at a and donn moiling ga a jerown table b t to tho the laft eft a bed to the right age according to her ler ow own B good pleasure afterward atterb ard they had I a colv luncheon been tur let two I 1 in the ie oth dining 1 I IS room oh it to Is so elegant to have a ill dan ing van room in be breathed mod prudence 1 I pretended it was waa in rather the in fun and oil a great moving having of work to eat cut rod and coalt it and ad stud made bud and the lie in one ammu room but iut inwardly the idea always burrag outraged d me Is that tits the school wor er there tes ye theta where connie will it go there here I 1 is only 1 one I high school beef 1 in mount meant almli so BO the twins will hue to go to the he other side of too town a long walk bunim iut an good gold weather they can come boom iome tor for di dauner I 1 oh that is a a lovely cipp place over it there or athar ead exclaimed prudence Y R s looking as fr boiu the living room windows toward the th south ant 11 ram it it t beautiful Is les the avery family lives there the dam parents is are aley v ry old and feeble and ad the th m I 1 are all 1 elderly and ad all there are am fee four of the and ad ft the youngest is far forty ty six do acar at me a it I 1 Is two I 1 clock clark already and ad must go at once sirs mrs ad aduan will be ie he here 1 la a few in minutes kentes ila and you fiill w ill not at be lonely hooly I 1 but ohe when B M mrs T adams arrived at the me person parsonage 9 she he knocked kalled k repeatedly and ad in n vain finally she gathe iid her bar robes beat about br and ad went into flat balc bak yard she Bec leered 1 jato the woodshed cod had and oil so haw no 0 one she went into the a barn lot let a and ad found it empty 1 in ties been r she I 1 plunged into the barn and stopped abruptly in a mhd shadowy y corner w was as a slender leader figure kneeling beside an a overturned her face burled buried in 11 her hands evidently this we was prudence engaged I 1 in prayer and ud in the barn of all places in the world I 1 A 1 a a heril hem 1 stammered mrs adams ads iq inquiringly Biri gly I 1 AMOU amea this was pk sand aloud I 1 an and d hurriedly and prudence looped leaped to her feet her fair har citing about hep box fac in damp babyish tendril and he cpr I 1 face was fl bcd anil ad aret but alight with friendly interest she ran no forward eagerly thrusting forth faith a all slim and ad grimy linta I 1 lou ion are am mr MM adams area ame I 1 you youa I 1 am in Pe prudence deme starr it Is so kind ad of I 1 ou on to come the very smi first if da she he cried it makes me love you light at th the start t it Y ye yes I 1 am mrs MI ad adams mrs kill mas embarrassed she could not at be baniah sh from her mental vision that k kneeling ft by the ilkew inter rogata rogation was written nil 11 over her ample f face and ad prod prudence a promptly 7 rend read it and hastened to reply 1 I d do not generally il an eav mv prayers prayer banot Er IsId in the barn mrs adams ims I 1 assure you q I 1 in the bof all PI but lut well when I 1 found this grand old ld rela rambling blim barn bar I 1 we was so th thankful 1 I 1 couldn t resist praying bell about 1 it 1 1 but a bam I 1 ejaculated the per par peered member do ion 0 o call that a blessing yes tea indeed I 1 do 0 declared prudence then she bhe explained patie patiently oh ob it I 1 la on the children chIldre 4 account you linow know they have always longed IM or a big rea romantic mertIc barn to play I 1 in w chy by I 1 could t resist iiii saying g my carlyl drayers I 1 was A so BO happy I 1 coal coulden couldn dr I 1 hold in A As they walked slowly toward 1 the house mrs adams looked or at this parsonage it girl 1 in trank track curiosity and ad borne 1 I the dismay a BY which she strongly endeavored to conceal from the brighte brightened sed pru pro boet the ladies had bad said it would be so nice to have a grown girl in the Damo parsonage nagel 1 pd prudence we was nineteen matos fr from at all I 1 account a b but ot she looked like a at she I 1 fuld child bud and well 1 it 1 I 1 waa not net exactly grown up to give siva thanks for far a bera barn to say the very least itself 1 yet this girl had full fuei charge of four younger chit drea area bad and was 8 further burdened with the entire tire care am of A minister father allf well mrs adams adam sighed lg h a little ahl 0 y you are a tired said bald prudence yat path tf it its so an hot walking aint t it lct lets sit on the porch until you are arc nicely rested this je a fine e e chance h far r u us to get e e said acquainted said the t h e um good woman 0 m with h eagerness agora now new it if the truth roust at be told there them bad lad bec been some ill feeling 1 in the abe ladles aid society concerning the reception of Pru dEnel nce after th the session see ot con ammo when be P itea mr mi st starr n r btag of 8 a as s signed to mount mark th the ladles ladies of the church bad felt great grant I 1 interest t la the he roan man bud and his big family daml the y inquired u e d ly inq ll 11 OR on every hand and learned sev several ra in items the m mother other had ad been taken aken train from the family five years be lore ore after a long illness tied and prudence I 1 the he eldest daughter had taken charge of the homill household old there wom were ft five a hll hit dren so much w was as known knew and ad bring women woman they looked forward with eager kurlo sity to the coming of pru done dence the young mistress of if the ahr par a 9 m mr I 1 bad arrived at mount mark a week cook ahead of his family prudence and the other children had ecat ties the week visiting at the home of their aunt and prudence had come on a day I 1 in advance of the others to wind vied everything ery thing up as she had bad expressed it do you think that impulsive lovable 1 I P prudence lud will make a hit with the saintly fly bask but at goc apy member of the ladle ladief l adle aid soo society lety TU TO ite BE |
