Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (April 5, 1928)
^ntMSIT ^UAIIL ! I A II3I0HB0URLY NOVEL by UltACK S. RICHMOND * Be this as it might—which /•as what Sally herself foresaw, and didn't now care, because her first glance at Jo had actu ally charmed her—the two pro ceeded on their way, talking pleasantly as two frie.ids might, to a ecrlf in degree, also drop temporarily and over re pressed manner of the servant, and speak, when she wasn’t spoken to. Stic possessed a par ticularly attractive voice, well modulated, and capable of fine shades of inflection. She was conscious of using this voice with good effects, and she Vue* well that it alone, with her pure speech* was sure to lie noticed by Mrs. Chase with more interest under the present conditions than when Josephine the housemaid was merely us ing the housemaid’s vocabu lary. This proved to be the case, and she knew flint she was being drawn out by a prac tised conversationalist, who was making discoveries with every word spoken. “She's going to like me in a new way today,’’ exulted Jo, and played her part with all the art of which she was postmistress. It was her first notable opportunity, and *he meant to make the most of it yet not too much, either, lest she overplay the entertain in'? came. For it was a game— « perfectly legitimate game, since her purposes were wholly honorable -and she •least to win. The sealous young usher who wauled to conduct Mrs, Schuy ler ( base to the front pew iu the center of the church where prominent guests were always placed, was much disappointed adieu she signified that she would sit with Miss Jenny. The pew o'f Jo’s “nice old man” was also well toward the front, but upon one side. Therefore those upon the side of the church had an advantageous chnii’e to observe the entry. The entire town knew by now that the school teacher of the past year was in Mrs. Chase’s domestic employ, therefore they had not. expected to see the two together, and much mining of necks and nudging of elbows followed their ap pearance. Strangely enough, the ap proval of this comradeship was not universal. The Gilder sleeves and the Broughtons and the Abbotts were distinctly up set, though their eyes told them that Josephine Jenny unques tionably looked the part of com panion to Sally Cherry ChaSe. But the Kndicotts and the Langs and the Holts were de lighted with this proof of the sense and sweetness of the de parted Miss Bid ora Cherry’s niece, and liked her from that moment as they hadn’t expect ed to like her. As Tom Jiang said afterward: “If Miss Jen ny needed it and had the spunk to earn her vacation money that way, why shouldn’t she? She’s not a hit the less of a la dy. mill 1 think H irnml siicrlit more of Mrs. Chase for taking that position.” The matter was discussed at almost as many dinner tallies as there were families in tin* little •church that Sunday. But with all that* there is small reason to he concerned. Dinner-table disi llusions may help to mould public opinion, but public opin ion cannot altogether mould lives, and in this instance it assuredly did not. Familiar visions of quite either scenes were filling Nal , ly's imagination and her thoughts as she sat in the un familiar pew, and looked to ward the bare pulpit with the row of village singers behind it. and saw the minister ascend to take his place, having come ri' wn the aisle from the back ■of the church, like his congre gation. For a measurable space of tirae she really saw nothing of this at alt, because she was IHtdcinf Old ace. From the Crocaa» Journal of Ownmn i. • MaVbe that's not the proper cap tion for whal it to be written lwn> Mom* J( us really w tut to dudgo old age. We all want to live Ung Bui we do seek ta avoid Its evidence*, the ibUgues. the wrinkle*. the arhes file «; >dual hut prugrrxMve change* in ajsMaraiiDf. and sura *lowuv: up' if. at IWKtfk in sprtnglneaa. In ars o! vigor, which long years t»n»> *c all I!** -ly iu a man's SO* some thin* happen* la a man f’ovubiv It !» *n tone** nr a hard fall on an t v pavement, or a touch of has trouble Chat causes it. But seeing something very different —the accustomed surroundings of every Sunday morning for 6 of the 10 years of her mar ried life. While the man be hind the walnut desit in this village church read the Scrip tures and offered prayer, and while the choir sang the sim ple anthem which was within the range of its limited capa bilities, Sally was. virtually, in her own seat in the great dig nified edifice which was Schuy ler’s pride. “The. most beautiful church interior in the city,” lie had often called it. “Every line of it, every effect of coloring and lighting, is ehurchly and beautiful. I see it in my dreams when I’m getting ready to speak in it. The thought of it helps me to put myself in the mood. Perhaps I’m too de pendent on environment, but T sometimes think I could never have spoken, like Saint Paul, in the market-place. Or even, like some of our modern preachers, in whatever audience-room or theater is put at their disposal. I’m too imaginative, perhaps— but I can see and feel God here. In more sordid places Me seems too far away.” Sally had sometimes disputed this point of view, even while she in a measure sympathized with it. She appreciated it to nav, However, more titan she ever find before. This little vil lage church, while outwardly attractive in its fine old-time austerity of line and spotless whiteness—it had been very re cently painted as it happened— was peculiarly barren of beauty within, fndeed. most of its ap pointments were distinctly ug ly, even to the bare windows of ordinary glass, through which the sunlight streamed mercilessly, revealing every in feriority of detail. “Schuyler could never preach here,” she thought, and felt an almost, homesick hungering for the perfect appointments of the plaee she knew so well; for the sound of the great, organ played by a master’s hand; for the sight of her husband’s slender figure in his gown en tering through the narrow arched doorway from his study. His was a figure always watched for by many other eyes than hers, the effect of that, entry was somehow so quiely dramatic. Vet how eould one accuse Schuyler of being dramatic, she argued—as she had argued many times before with herself, almost guiltily—when no move of his, no look, no tone of voice, was ever other than perfectly suited to the occasion? Was it that very perfection which sometimes seemed unreal? She wondered. Anyhow, carefully studied his pulpit work was— must he, from his point of view, to he effective. She found her self longing to see him, that entry of his, his face; to hear his voice with its melodious yet often intensely forceful inflec tions. After all, there was no >body like Schuyler Chase—no body; he was truly wonderful in his way. And in the midst c i i * t * i « « « m i m* sue siiaueniy became aware, as she bad not yet been, of this so different personality before her in the small country pulpit. It was a sturdy figure which •stood before the village con gregation, one whose outlines in the well-fitting, non clerical r clothes conveyed a distinct suggestion of tight muscles be neath. The face was that of a man in the middle thirties, with good features which though spare had a look of vigorous health: with a peculiarly di rect glance of deep set blue eyes below crisp sandy hair cut short that it might not curl; with a voice whose pleasant in cisiveness had an unmistake able Scottish accent. He said "pairfeet" as none hut a Scots man says it. At the moment thii whatever-it- may-be leaves a man conscious that he b "not as good aa he was” physir*II Weeks or months pass, and then t u shock comes. He realises that !■' never again going to be as at' ug and active and sure of him* h as he was before that sum?thlri hap pened to him Then he is beginning to »k old a«.e squarelv in the fare He la en tering P* first phase. In ‘its heart ana mtnd he n as young ?*. tie we* •n hl-. IP1!. But his boor It under• going changes he rantin' inuiblv avoid. Hu ambitions, his dsns, hu hnp«*r, all are as settee s« *»er. and he knows that tn hia »» uness or • nratswbin he la a better nan l|)gn whin Sally Chase became real ly aware of him he had one hand plunged deep in his trou sers pocket. What a manner ism, and how amused if not shocked Sehuylcr would have been by it! Hut, the man was saying something which challenged her attention. It seemed that he had but recently come to this small parish as a suppty for the summer, lhat he didn’t know the people yet, and that he was feeling for a common ground on which to meet them. In spite of the unconventional ity of his manner, and a certain occasional harshness in his voice, she almost at once be came attracted to him. Per haps his voice seemed now and then harsh to her because it was so different from Schuy ler’$ beautiful resonances. At any rate, he seemed to be able to hold everybody’s close at tention. The little crowded home was listening in absolute stillness. “You know,’’ he was saying, when Sally began to give him hearing, “a preacher is under a terrible* handicap. What is the first thing you want in him? 1 think you'll say sin cerity, Yes, of course, you’ll say that, because it he isn’t sincere first of all, you don’t want him at all. There’s enough hypocrisy in the world, and you want your preacher to he free of it—free as anybody can be. But, see here. See what you expect of him. He’s got to know a *lot more about misi mu ♦ liitiiv.. 4 li n >> \’mii nml . -.VMII J .* vet to cover it up so you won’t think lie’s proud of 'himself. Then, no matter how he's feel ing, whether he happens to have a toothache or a heart ache, he's got to cover those up, too, and be interested in your toothache or your heart ache. Don’t you suppose it’s sometimes a bit dcefieult to be sincere about that? He's only human—and his tooth aches! Then—he has to go to a funeral and act as if lie More so»ry— and to act that he has to be sorry. And he lias to go to a wedding and act as if he were glad—and be glad, too. To put it in a nutshell, he has to play at pairfeetion when he isn't pairfeet. Has to be a model for the community when he knows he isn't one. Has to keep from offending anybody—if he can. “Now I suppose I’m shock ing you. I may be fooling my self in thinking that my first wish is to be honest with you, but I do think that’s what I want. A minister lias to make up his mind that lie'll be bis own kind *f minister, and that he can’t any other kind. He wants to live and work among people as one of them—and it’s the only way he can work. If you’ll let me live my life here these few months as one of you, no less and no more, just as my friend John Craigie has, and if you’ll give me a fair hearing when I’m in the pulpit, and fight me outside of it if you think I’ve said the wrong thing we’ll get along together. I don’t see any other way that we can.” Well! Sally didn’t know whether she liked this sort of thing or not, it was so extra ordinarily different from any th:?^ she had ever beard from the pulpit. The man talked, with that band in his pocket, as if lie were making a busi tlAUD man n , 1 >1 *• <1,1 nw JAmAn strafing an article for sale, or putting over—wasn't that the phrase they used?—a new idea for popularizing education of the masses. It was so informal that it was undignified. And yet—they were listening. They would be likely to listen to anything this man had to say. His hand had come out of his pocket. His shoulders straight ened. he was speaking in a dif ferent tone, lower, a little less informal. “Because. I believe, with all there is of me. that we're here such a little while, ami there's so much to do, that we can’t afford to fuss much about bow we do it. I expect there's a lot for me to do in this village, during this summer, and T want he was In his 40> 8om« men at this time resent reierenres u> their ages. They say a man is as young as he feels But the evidence of his years ta against him We knew a man who all through his 70s was In better physkal condition than many men 30 yeara younger. His stoci ach. hear:, kidneys, lungs and en tire dlges’ne tract we e wuhout trace of duwas* All Ida ptw^al organr were ar md He was att-ve an hit teat There was no impair ment of htt ni nd But yet he allowed hit age Instead of seser* >ng b.t to. i he was proud of It. knowing ft *r»tilied to dean blood good bswn and fct nose M Lee Age » an fc.er.or us a m to do it. There’s a carpenter » shop somewhere in this village, and I espect to go there often, because a carpenter's shop is one of the places that makes me fc-l able to do my own sort of work better. I think of that Carpente’s Son who learned to use the hammer and the saw, the plane and the straightedge —and I need all those in ray work, as lie did in II is. The hammer—and the saw—and the plane—and the straight edge! Think how we all need them in our work! Let's learn to use them together, and then —‘From whom the whole body, fitly joined together....’” A minute or two later Sally found herself standing, shar ing the hymn-book with Jo, singing a hymn which was one of Schuyler's favorites. Some thing within her was deeply stirred by the familiar words: “We thank Thee, Lord, Thy paths of service lead To blazoned heights and down the slopes of need: They reach Thy throne, en compass land and sea, And he who journeys in them walks with Thee.” The voice of Josephine, her maid, beside her thrilled her, it was so lovely a contralto. Though it was kept subduel, Sally recognized its quality, and understood what it would be if it were allowed to emerge from a suitable repression. Was this a mere housemaid who held the other corner of her book? Even the well-shaped thumb, with its softly rosy pol ish or the nail, betrayed the fastidious habits of its owner. As Sally’s eyes met Jose phine's, as the two came out into the aisle, Sally smiled at her ns at a friend, because she couldn't help it. She shook hands with the preacher at the door, as every body did. His manner was as straightforward as his sermon had been. His smile was de lightful. The impression he had given in the pulpit of vigor and force of character was deepened by this direct con-i tract with him. People crowd ed to meet him. Sally's hand was shaken by many other people. Mrs. Tom Lang whispered in her ear: “Miss Jenney’s the nicest girl, as well as the prettiest. And we think she’s the smart est teacher we’ve ever had in town.” “ I'm sure of it,” agreed Sal ly Chase, without turning a hair at the information thus conveyed. “I’m very glad to have her with me.” (From Josephine Jenney’s .gJote-Book) The Rapid Rise of the Aspir ing! To church thjy} morning with Mrs. Chase. Unexpected happening—yet expected ulti mately, if not quite so soon. Uniform shuffled off, demurest country church garb sleekly donned. Enjoyed not quite coneealable satisfaction in mis tress's eye when it viewed fleetingly but comprehendingly maid's appearance not in white muslin with blue sash and flowered hat, but in clothes chaste and well cut, like her own—if costing somewhat less. ^Conversation on way very nice. Recognized mistress’ /kVi n Mtkllti ikff/k kit ♦ n . Lk rv 4- li >k >• self to supposed rather limited mental furnishing of compan ion, rapidly giving way to pleased appreciation of possi ble ability to talk in terms of those who have lived outside of Cherry Square. Maid proceed ed cautiously, refraining from quoting Shakespeare or Strind berg, DeQuincev or Dostoyev ski. Longed to play a high card or two, but forced self to be content with little ones. What snobs we are, to be eager to acquaint others with our erudition! ITO BK CONTINUKD) EmphMii on Dm*. Prom Answers. The doctor was rather annoyed «v being dragged from hta bed, hut he agreed to examine the female pa tient who had come to h:ra direct from a dancing party. "You have caught a aevere chill,’* he said tersely. "On .straight home, dress, and get Into bed .“ i man. An old man la fortunate, and he may go on lor years enjoying life and be a pleasure to all about hint—If he will keep "sweet." There la much room for happiness tn old age If only one has prepared him self for It and takes Ins share if It , rvery day. Such a man wtU not permit himself to be hart assert by competitions will not It ftrlge in the pm'ong dial tiled by hatred* and • ngrtt He will b« emigrate In eating thinking and exertion And he will not trv to dodge the condt nen to whlcn hta years have brought him. mmtmm •—■ A hyena laughs _.^a it 1 shun* grv or annowd. idly Drawn Scrawls Reveal State of Mind Weird and ugly faces absent-mind edly scribbled on paper Indicate a troubled state of mind, points out Louise Rice, a teacher of graphology, In an article in Liberty Magazine. “Mental conditions which are going wrong," writes Miss Rice, “nearly al ways result in the making of weird and ugly ‘faces,’ death’s-heads, yawn ing mouths with prodigious teeth, and other unpleasant formations which sliow that the hand fears that which Is going on In the dark recesses of the mind. “The hand knows much about a n.nn's mental and physical states, which he does not," the writer ex plains. “Confueiou in scribbllngs, when they have usually been well de fined and when there is no mental troubles felt, shows nervous condi tions which are apt to break out, sometimes long after the Information has been conveyed by this symbol ism.” France Eyes Reindeer as Beasts of Burden Reindeer may become used exten sively In place of oxen and borses In the mountain districts of France, If the experiments, just agreed upon, of ralsfug them In the Haute Savoie dis trict proves a success. The French ministry of agriculture has granted a subsidy to a society to help it with Its reindeer farm. It may come as a surprise to many to know that reindeer are actually In use already in one town in France, so that the Lapps will not be the only ones In Europe to hear reindeer bells In villages. If one takes the train from Annecy, where tha lake Is in tensely blue, to Chamonix, at the foot of Mont Blanc, he will pass through the village of Megeve. Should it be In the season of snow and should he care to descend, he would be likely to see reindeer drawing sledges.—Ex change. Fish Two Hundred Years Old A carp, said to be about two hun dred years old, has been caught by three boys In the Long Water at Hampton court. It weighed nearly 16 pounds1, and was caught with a cheap rod and line with bread as bait. A similar fish was caught many years ago by a boy with “a penny cane and a ha'penny hook 1” The fish made a valiant fight for freedom, but despite their excitement the three lads man aged to land It. They refused an offer of £5 for tt^ y,< •y*w^,yV'’ Where It Is .>.■ Optomlst—You know It Is strange we don’t hear the peal of the wed ding bells any more. Cynic—No, you get the repeal In the divorce courts. The man or woman who Is not curious Is a curiosity. ***"*■ - : - A truthful man never makes much of a success as a fisherman. FARMER’S WIFE GETS STRENGTH By Taking Lydia E. Pinkham’# Vegetable Compound « present good health. I have taken flvw bottles of It and I am now able to dal all my housework and sewing, feed! my chickens, milk the cow and tend the pigs, and feel fine.’’—Mas. J. 0, Bradley, Box 249, tfchoolfleld, Ylr* glnla. _ One may wish to live 1UU years, that Is, If he can feel 20 years young er than that. Miserable With Backache? Too Often This Warns of Sluggish Kidney Action. U1 VERY day find you lame and achy— 4-* suffering nagging backache, head ache and dizzy spells > Are the kidney excretions too frequent, scanty or burn ing in passage ? Theae are often signs of sluggish kidneys and shouldn’t be ntv glected. Use Doan ’> Pill*. Domn'r, a stimulant diuretic, increase the secretion of tba kidneys and thus aid in the elimination of waate impurities. Are endorsed by users everywhere. A»b yomr neighborl 50,000 Users Endorse Doan's* Mrs. Otto Dinnetz, Third St., Brittoa, S. D., says: "I suffered a great deal from iw- ( proper kidney function. My back was paia. >' ful, my head ached and I had spells of dis zineia. Xfie action of my kidneys was ir-' regTiUr and I blamed them for the trouble., Doan's Pills were just what I needed. 1st a short time after using them the achea and pains left and my kidneys acted regu IDOAN’S pwcsT A STIMULANT DIURETIC tH KIDNEYS Raster-Milburu Cc. Mtg. Cheat. Suffala. NY. i - miJ A camera has been specially do»t signed for making slow motion pic-! tures of automobile engines by g. Washington scientist . . ■ '***%S\ * t .- * >~ m The Cream ^ of the Tobacco Crop fc i . A ' i I i i * » I * WILLIE HOPPE Champion Billiard Player \ writes: ,fThe slightest cough or throat irritation might he fatal during a close match. On this account I prefer Luckies as a steady diet. They hate never irritated my throat or caused the slightest cough, I am going to stick with Luckies.” , “It’s toasted" • * No Throat'Irritation-No Cou|j|j ' •