The Calumet Chieftain (Calumet, Okla.), Vol. 11, No. 10, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 3, 1918 Page: 2 of 10
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THE CALUMET CHIEFTAIN
PRUDENCE SAYS SO
By ETHEL HUESTON
The Story of a Houseful of Loveable Girls
Copyright Bolibs-Merrill Co.
CHAPTER XI—Continued.
—12—
"No, not If you let go hard enough.
I mean," she caught herself up quickly,
"I mean If you let clear go and turn
the Job over to God. But you're not to
think you can keep decent hy your-
self, for you can't—Ifs not born In you,
and something else is—Just let go, anil
Htay let go. After that It's God's Job,
•nd unless you stick In and try to man-
age yourself, he'll see you through."
"All right, HI do it."
Care! gasped. She opened her Hps
a few times, and swullowed hard. She
didn't krow what to do next. Wildly
she racked her broln for the next step
In this vital performance.
"I—think we ought to pray," she
Raid feebly.
"All right, we'll pray." lie rolled
curiously off the stick of wood, and
fell, as If by Instinct, Into the attitude
of prayer.
Carol gazed about her helplessly.
But true to her training, she knelt be-
side him. Then came silence.
"I—well, I'll pray," she said with
Ifrim determination. "Dear Father In
Heaven," she began weakly, and then
she forgot her timidity nnd her fear,
and realized only that this was a crisis
III the life of the drunken man.
"Oh, God, he'll do it. He'll let go,
and turn It over to you. Ho Isn't worth
anything, God, none of us are, but you
can handle him, for you've had worse
Jobs thun this, though it doesn't seem
possible. You'll help him, God, and
love him, and show him how, for he
hasn't the faintest Idea what to do
hext, and neither have I. But you
brought him Into our barn tonight, and
you'll see him through. Oh, God, for
Jesus' sake, help Ben Peters. Amen.
r "Ngw, what shall I do?" she won-
dered.
"What's your father for?" She
looked quickly at Ben Peters. lie had
not spoken, but something certainly
had asked, "What's your father for?"
"Tou stay here, Ben, and pray for
yourself, and I'll send father out. I'm
not Just sure what to say next, and
father'll finish you up. Tou pray for
all you're worth."
• She was gone In a flash, through the
kitchen, through the hall, up the stairs
two at a time, and her arm thrown
closely about her father's shoulder.
"Oh, father, I got stuck," she walled.
Tin so ashamed of myself. But you
con finish him off, can't you? I hon-
estly believe he's started."
lie took her firmly by the arms and
squared her around on his lap. "One,
two, three, ready, go. Now, what?"
"Ben Peters. lie was drunk In the
barn and I took him Into the woodshed
and gavo him some hot coffee—and
some religion, but not enough to hurt
hlm. I told him he had to get con-
certed, and he said he would. So I
told him about It, but you'd better tell
hlm again, for I'm afraid I made quite
a mess of It. And then we prayed, and
I was stuck for fair, father, for I
couli'n't think what to do next. But I
do bellevo It was God who suld, 'What's
your father for?" And so 1 left him
praying for himself, and—you'd better
flurry, of he may get cold feet and run
rtwii j. Be easy with litin, father, but
don't let him off. This is the first
chance we've ever had at Ben Peters,
and God'li never forgive us If we let
hlm slip through our fingers."
Carol was flumped off onto the floor
and her father was half-way down the
Stairs before she caught her breath.
Then she smiled. Then she blushed.
"That was one bad Job," she said to
herself sadly. "I'm a disgrace to tlio
Methodist church. Thank goodness
the trustees'll never hear of It. I'll
bribe Ben Peters to eternal silence If I
have to do It with kisses." Then her
face grew very soft. "Poor old man 1
Oh, the poor old man!" A quick rush
of tears blinded her eyes, and her
throat throbbed. "Oh, why do they—
what makes men like that? Can't they
see, can't they know, how awful they
ere, how—" She shuddered. "I can't
see for the life of me what makes God
treat us decently at all." Her face
brightened again. "It was a bad Job,
all right, but I feel kind of pleased
about It I hope father won't mention
It to the girls."
And Ben Peters truly had a start, In-
credible as It seemed. Yes, as Carol
had warned him, ho forgot sometimes
and tried to steer for himself, and al-
ways crashed Into the rocks. Then
Carol, with angry eyes and scornful
voice, berated hlm for trying to get
hold of God'B Job, and cautioned hlm
anew about "sticking In when It was
not his affair any more." It took time,
a long time, and hard work, and many,
many prayers went up from Carol's
bedside, and from the llbrory at the
head of the stairs, but there came a
time when Ben Peters let go for good
and all, aud turned to Carol, standing
beside the bed with sorry frightened
eyes, and said quietly:
"It's all right, Carol. I've let go.
You're a mighty nice little girl. I've
let go for good this time. I'm Just slip-
ping along where he sends me—It's all
right," he finished drowsily. And fell
asleep.
CHAPTER XII.
if
The Connie Problem.
Mr. Starr was getting ready to go to
conference, laid the girls hovered about
hlm with anxious eyes. This was their
fifth conference since coming to Mount
Mark—the time limit for Methodist
ministers wus live years. Tile Starrs,
therefore, would be transferred, and
where? Small wonder that the girls fol-
lowed him around the house and spoke
In soft voices nnd l<*oked with tender
eyes at the old parsonage nnd the wide
lawn. They would be leaving next
week. Already the curtains were down,
and laundered, und packed. The trunks
were filled, the books were boxed. Yes,
they were leaving, but whither were
they bound?
"Get your ecclesiastical dander up,
father," Carol urged, "don't let them
give us a church fight, or a twenty-
thousand-dollar debt on a thousand-
dollar congregation."
"We don't care for a big salary or a
stylish congregation," Lark added, "but
we don't wont to go back to washpans
and kerosene lamps again."
The conference was held In Fnlrfleld,
and he Informed the girls casually that
ho would be home on the firrt train
after the assignments were made. lie
sold It casually, for he did not wish
them to know how perturbed he was
over the coming change. During the
conference he tried in many and devi-
ous ways to learn the will of the au-
thorities regarding his future, but he
found no clue. And at hotne the girls
were discussing the matter very little,
but thinking of nothing else. They
were determined to be pleased about
It
Just the same, on Wednesday eve-
ning, the girls sat silent, with Intense-
ly flushed fnces and painfully shining
eyes, wntchlng the clock, listening for
the footstep. They had deliberately
remained sway from tho station. They
thought they could face It better with-
in tho friendly walls of the parsonage.
Tt was all settled now, father knew
where they were going. Oh, why hadn't
ho wired? It must be terribly bad
then, he evidently wanted to break It
to them gently.
Maybe It was n circuit I There was
the whistle now 1 Only n few minutes
now. Suppose his salary were cut
down—good-by to silk stockings nnd
kid gloves—cheap, but kid, Just the
some I Suppose the parsonnge would
he old-fashioned! Suppose there wasn't
any pnrsonage at all, and they would
have to pay rentl Sup— Then the
door slammed.
Carol nnd Lark picked up their darn-
ing, nnd Connie bent earnestly over her
mngazlne. Aunt Grace covered a yawn
with her slender fingers and looked
out of the window.
•'JUfllo r
"Why, hello, papa 1 Back already?"
They dropped darning nnd mngazlne
nnd flew to welcome him home.
'Come nnd sit down 1" "My, It
seemed a long time 1" "We hod lots
of fun, father." "Was it o nice confer
enco?" "Mr. James : ect us two bush'
els of potatoes!" "We're going to hove
chicken tomorrow—tho Lndles' Alders
sent It with their farewell love."
"Wasn't it n dandy day?"
"Well, It's all settled."
"Yes, we supposed It would be. Was
tho conference good? We rend ac-
counts of It every dny, and acted stuck-
up when It said nice things about you."
"We nre to—"
"Ju-Just a minute, father," Inter-
rupted Connie anxiously. "We don't
care a snap where it Is. honestly we
don't. We're Just crazy about It,
wherever It Is. We've got It all settled.
You needn't be afraid to tell us."
'Afrnld to tell us!" mocked the
twins Indignantly. "What kind of slave-
drivers do you think we are?"
"Fnther knows we're all right. Go
on, daddy, who's to be our next flock?"
"We haven't any, we "
The girls' faces paled. "Haven't any?
You mean—"
'I mean we're to stay In Mount
Mark."
"Stay In— What?"
"Mount Mnrk. They—"
"They extended the limit," cried
Connie, springing up.
"No," ho denied, laughing. "They
made me a presiding elder, and
we're—"
'A presiding elder I Father I Honest-
ly? They—"
"They ought to have made yon •
bishop," cried Carol loyally. "I've been
| expecting It all my life. That's where
the next Jump'll land you."
"I pity the next parsonage bunch,"
said Connie sympathetically.
"Why? There's nothing the matter
with our church I"
"Oh, no, that Isn't what I mean. But
the next minister's family can't pos-
Blbly come up to us, and so—"
The others broke her sentence with
their laughter.
"Talk about mc and my complex-
Ion I" gasped Carol, wiping her eyes.
"I'm nothing to Connie and her fam-
ily pride. Where will we live now, fa-
ther?"
"We'll rent a house—any house we
like."
•Rent! Mercy, father, doesn't the
conference furnish the elders with
houses? We can never afford to pay
rent I Never 1"
"Oh, we have a salory of twenty-five
hundred a year now," he said, with ap-
parent complacence, but careful to
watch closely for the effect of this
statement. It gratified him, too, much
as he hod expected. The girls stood
stock-still and gazed at hlm, und then,
with a violent struggle for self-com-
posure Carol asked:
"Did you get any of It In advance?
I need some new slippers."
So the packing was finished, a suit-
able house was found—modern, with
reasonable rent—on Mnple avenue
where the oaks were most magnificent,
and tho parsonnge family became Just
ordinary "folks," a parsonage house-
hold no longer.
Mr. Starr's new position necessitated
long and frequent absences from home,
and that was a drawback to the family
comradeship. But '.he girls' pride In
his advancement was so colossal, and
their determination to live up to tho
dignity of the eldership wns so deep-
seated, that affairs ran on quite se-
renely In the new home.
One dny this beautiful serenity wns
broken In upon In a most unpleasnnt
way. Carol looked up from "De Senec-
tute" nnd flung out her arms in an all-
"I—I Think We Ought to Pray," She
Said Feebly.
relieving yawn. Then she looked at her
aunt, asleep on the couch. She looked
at Lark, who was aimlessly drawing
fenthers on the skeletons of birds In
her biology text. She looked at Con-
nie, sitting upright In her choir, a small
book close to her face, alert, absorbed,
oblivious to the world. Connie was
wide awake, and Carol resented it.
"What nro you reading, Con?" She
asked reproachfully.
Connie looked up, startled, and col-
ored a little. "Oh—poetry," she stam-
mered.
Carol was surprised. "Poetry." she
echoed. "Poetry? What kind of
poetry?"
Connie answered evasively "It Is
by an old Oriental writer. I don't sup-
pose you've ever read It Khayyam Is
his name."
"Some name," snld Carol suspicious-
ly. "Whnt's the poem?" Her eyes had
narrowed and darkened. By this time
Carol had firmly convinced herself that
she was bringing Connie up—t belief
which afforded lively amusement to
self-conducting Connie.
"Why, It's The anbal.vat' It's—'"
"The ilutmlyat 1' " Carol frown«l.
I.nrk looked up from the skeleton*
With sudden Interest "'The Bubal
yat?" By Khayyam? Isn't that the old
fellow who didn't believe In God. and
heaven, und such things—you know
what I mean—the man who didn't be-
lieve anything, and wrote about ltT
Let me see It Tvt never read It my-
Seed Counter Serviceable.
When testing seeds. It Is necessary
to count them and then space them
evenly on moist sheets of blotting pa-
per, A device bus been developed
which does the work accurately and
quickly. It Is used In conjunction with
a vacuum pump operated by exerting
pressure on a foot pedal, nnd consists
of metal contrivance having a square,
flat surface with 100 small perfora'
lions. When this Is brought In con^
tact with u quantity of grain and u
partial vacuum created, the suctlou
drawa a kernel over each of the jrt-
Bees. By then placing the Instrument
on a blotter and releasing the pres-
sure, the seeds are deposited la regu-
lar order nn «iiMt
self, but I've heard about It." Caro\
turned the pages with critical disap-
proving eyes.
"I don't believe It, you know," Con-
nie snld coolly. "I'm only rending it.
llow can I know whether It's trash or
not, unless I rend It? I—"
"Ministers' daughters are supposed
to keep their fingers clear of the burn-
| lng ends of matches," said Carol neat-
| ly. "We can't handle them without
j getting scorched, or blackened, at least
Prudence pays so."
"Prudence," sold Connie gravely, "Is
n denr sweet thing, but she's awfully
old-fashioned, Carol; you know that."
Carol and Lark were speechless.
They would as soon have dreamed of
questioning the catechism as Pru-
dence's perfection.
"She's narrow. She's a darling, of
course, but she Isn't up-to-date. I want
to know what folks are talking about.
I don't bellevo this poem. I'm a Chris-
tian. But I want to know what other
folks think about me and what I be-
lieve. That's all. Prudence Is fine,
but I know a good deal more about
some things than Prudence will know
when she's a thousand years old."
The twins still sat silent.
"Of course, some folks wouldn't ap-
prove of parsonage girls reading things
like this. But I approve of It. I want
to know why I disagree with this
poetry, and I can't until I know where
we disagree. It's beautiful, Carol,
really. It's kind of sad. It makes me
want to cry. It's—"
"I've a big notion to tell popn on
you," snld Carol soberly nnd sadly.
Connie rose at once.
"I'm going to tell papa myself."
Carol moved uneasily In her chair.
"Oh, let It go this time. I—I Just men-
tioned it to relieve my feelings. I
won't tell yet. I'll talk It over wltn
you ngaln. I'll have to think It over
first."
"I think I'd rather tell him," Insisted
Connie.
Carol looked worried, but she knew
Connie would do as she said. So she
got up nervously .and went with her.
She would have to see it through now,
of course. Connie walked silently up
the stnirs, with Cnrol following meek-
ly behind, nnd rnpped at her father's
door. Then she entered, and Carol, in
a hushed sort of way, closed the door
behind thein.
"I'm reading this, fother. Any objec-
tions?" Connie foced him calmly, and
handed him the little book.
He examined It gravely, his brows
contrnctlng, a sudden wrinkling at the
corners of his lips that might have
meant laughter, or disapproval, or any-
thing.
"I thought n parsonnge girl should
not read It," Carol said bravely. "I've
never rend It myself, but I've heard
about It, and parsonage girls ought to
read pnrsonage things. Prudence says
so. But—"
"But I want to know what other
folks think nbout what I believe," said
Connie. "So I'm rending It."
"What do you think of It?" he asked
quietly, and he looked very strangely
nt his bnby dnughter. It was a crisis,
and he must be very careful.
"I think It Is beautiful," Connie said
softly, nnd her Hps drooped n little,
nnd a wistful pathos crept Into her
voice. "It seems so sad. I keep wish-
ing I could cry about It Part of It I
don't understand very well."
He held out a hand to Connie, nnd
she put her own in it confidently. Cnrol, J
too, came and stood close behind hlm.
"Yes," he snld, "It Is beautiful. Con- j
nle, and It Is very terrible. We can't j
understand Ijt fully because we can't
feel what he felt. He looked thought-1
fully at the girls. "He was a marvel-,
ous man, that Khayyam—years ahead
of his people, and his time. He was
big enough to see the Idiocy of the
heathen Ideas of God, he was beyond
them, he spurned them. But he wns
not quite big enough to reach out,
alone, and get hold of our kind of a
God. It Is n wonderful poem. It
shows the weakness, the helplessness
of n gifted man who has nothing to
cling to. I think It will do you good j
to rend It, Connie. Read It again and
ngaln. and thonk God, my child, that
though you nro only a girl, you have
the very thing this man, this genius
was craving. We admire his talent,
but we pity his weakness. You will
feel sorry for him. You read It, too,
Cnrol. You'll like It. We can't under-
stand it, os I say, because we are so
sure of our God, that we can't feel
what he felt, having nothing. Of
course It mnkes you want to cry, Con-
nie. It Is the saddest poem In th«
world."
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
A CHILD DOESN'T
LAUGH AND PLAY
IF CONSTIPATEC
LOOK, MOTHER! IS TONGUE
COATED, BREATH FEVERISH
AND STOMACH SOUR?
'CALIFORNIA SYRUP OF FIGS*
CAN'T HARM TENDER STOM-
ACH, LIVER, BOWELS.
A laxative today saves a sick child,
tomorrow. Children simply will not
take the time from play to empty their
bowels, which become clogged up with
waste, liver gets sluggish, stomach
sour.
Look at the tongue, mother! If
coated, or your child is listless, cross,
feverish, breath bod, restless, doesn't
eot heartily, full of cold or has sore
throat or any other children's ail-
ment, give a teaspoonful of "Cali-
fornia Syrup of Figs," then
worry, because It is perfectly har:
less, and In a few hours a,ll this
stlpation poison, sour bile nnd
mentlng waste will gently move o
the bowels, and you have a well,
ful child again. A thorough "Insld"
cleansing" Is oftlmes all that is neces-
sary. It should be the first treatment
given in any sickness.
Beware of counterfeit fig syrups.
Ask your druggist for a bottle of "Cal-
ifornia Syrup of Figs," which has
full directions for babies, children of
all ages and for grown-ups plainly-
printed on the bottle. Look carefully
and see that it is made by the "Cali-
fornia Fig Syrup Company."—Adv,
Speed.
"A woman can make money go twice-
as far as a man can."
"Yes, nnd four times as fast."
Adruco Liquid
Screw Worm Killer
kills the worm
and heals the wound.—Adv.
By his own conduct every man in the-
world fixes his own value.
Bo very careful how you let remarks
fall—they may hurt a friend.
1 1 ^
Calf
Enemies
WHITE SCOURS
BLACKLEG
Your Veterinarian can stamp
them out with Cutter's Anti-Calf
Scour Serum and Cutter'* Germ
Free Blackleg Filtrate and Aggressin,
or Cutter's Blackleg Pills.
A^-.k him about them. If he
hasn't our literature, write to us for
information on these products.
The Cutter Laboratory
Berkeley, Cal., or Chicago, 111.
, "The Laboratory That Known How"
V ✓
Renews Furniture
and Floors
J3D
for FliHiJ TllIAL sire can or send direct to nt
Scwall Paint & Glass Co., Manufacturers
KANSAS CITY
Clear Your Skin
WithCuticura
All druggists: Soap 25,
Ointment 25 & 50, Tal-
cum 25. Sample each
free of "Cuticur*.
Dept. Is, Boaton."
are made miserable by
nrf) kidney and bladder trou-
A ^ bio Thousands recom-
RT \ M T? mend Dr. Kilmer's
1Lv Swamp-Hoot, the great
vidnoy medicine. At druggists in large
ind medium size bottles. You may re-
eive a sample size by 1'arcel l oft, also
mmphlet telling about it. Address Dr
•Clime* & Co., F.inehnmton. N V., and.
ncloee ten cents also mention this paner^
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Penn, S. A. The Calumet Chieftain (Calumet, Okla.), Vol. 11, No. 10, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 3, 1918, newspaper, October 3, 1918; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc168177/m1/2/: accessed March 28, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.