The Carter Express. (Carter, Okla.), Vol. 8, No. 46, Ed. 1 Friday, February 1, 1918 Page: 3 of 8
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THE CASTER EXPRESS
PRUDE
• *\
of the PARSONAGE
By ETHEL HUESTON
(Bobba-Merrill, Copyright, Kit)
CHAPTER XII—Contlnutd.
—1^*
"You nre mistaken, father. Jerry Is
111 right, and always was, 1 am sure.
It Is nothing like that. 1 told him to
|o, and not to come again. That Is
•11.”
"But If he should come back now—”
"It would he Just the same. Don't
worry about It, father. It's all right."
"Prudence," he said, more tenderly,
"we have been the closest of friends
•nd companions, you nud 1, from the
eery beginning. Alwnys you have come
to me with your troubles and worries.
Have 1 ever failed you 7 Why, then,
do you go back on me now, when you
really need me?"
Prudence patted his shoulder affec-
tionately, but her eyes did not meet
his. "J do not really need you now,
father. It Is all settled, and 1 am quite
satisfied. Things are all right with me
Just as they are."
Then he took a serious step, without
her knowledge. He went to L)es
Moines, and had a visit with Jerry. He
found hint tjdnuer, Ids face sterner,
his eyes darker. When the office boy
announced "Mr. Starr," Jerry ran
quickly out <to greet him.
"Is she all right?" he cried eagerly,
•lmost before he was within hailing
distance.
Mr. Starr did not mince matters.
"Jerry," he said abruptly, "did you and
Prudence haw n quarrel? She de-
clines to tell me anythlug about It, and
after the conversations you and I have
bad, I think I have a right to know
what has happened.”
"Does she miss me? Does she seem
lorry that I am away? Does—" His
yoice was so boyish and so eager there
was no mistaking his attitude toward
Prudence.
"Look here, Jerry, I want to know.
Why are you staying away?"
“Won’t Prudence tell you?"
“No."
"Then I cannot. She made me prom-
ise not to tell you a word. But It Is
not my fault, Mr. Starr. I con tell you
that. It Is nothing I have done or said.
She sent me nway because she thinks
It was right for her to do so, and—you
know Prudence! It Is wrong, 1 know.
I knew It all the time. But I couldn’t
inake her see It. And she made me
promise not to tell."
In the end Mr. Starr went back to
the parsouago no wiser than he left,
save that he now knew that Jerry was
really not to blame, and that he held
blmself ready to return to her on a
moment's notice.
The Ladles of the Methodist church
;were puzzled and exusperated. They
went to the parsonage, determined to
"find out what’s what." But when they
eat with Prudence, and looked at the
frail, pathetic little figure, with the
mournful eyes—they could only sigh
with her and go their ways.
The twins continued to play In the
great maple, even when the leaves
were fallen. ,‘Tt’s a dandy place, I
tell you, Prudence,” cried Carol. "Jer-
ry didn’t have time to put up the rope
before Connie pulled him down, but
we’ve fixed It ourselves, and It Is sim-
ply grand. You can go up and swing
any time you like—unless your Joints
are too stiff 1 It's a very serious mat-
ter getting up there—for stiff joints,
of course, I mean. Lark and I get up
easy enough."
For a moment Prudence sat silent
with quivering lips. Then she burst
out with unusual passion, "Don’t you
ever dare climb that tree, again as
long as you live, twins I Mind what
I say!’’
Lark looked thoughtfully out of the
window, and Carol swallowed hard.
It was she who said gently, “Why, of
course, Prue—just ns you say.”
On the day before Christmas an In-
sured package was delivered at the
parsonuge for Prudence. A letter was
with It, and she read that first.
“My dearest little sweetheart: I
chose t.hls gift for you long before I
had the right to do It. I was keeping
It until the proper moment But the
moment came, and went again. Still
I waut y u to have the gift. Please
wear It, for my sake, for I shall be
happy knowing 11 Is where It ought to
be, even though I myself am banished.
I love you, Prudence. Whenever you
send for me, I am ready to come. En-
tirely and always yours, Jerry."
With trembling fingers she opened
the little package. It contained a ring,
with a brilliant diamond flashing my-
riad colors before her eyes. And Pru-
dence kissed It passionately, many
times.
Two hours later, she went quietly
downstairs to where the rest of the
family were decorating a Christmas
tree. 8he showed the ring to them
gravely.
"Jerry sent It to me," she said. “Do
you think It Is all right for me to wear
It, father?"
A thrill of hopeful expectancy ran
through the little group.
"Yes, Indeed," declared her father.
“How beautiful It Is I Is Jerry coming
to spend Christmas with us?"
"Why, no, father—he Is not coming
at all any more. I thought you under-
stood that."
An awkward Hlence, and Carol came
brightly to the rescue. "It certainly Is
a beauty I I thought It was very kind
of Professor Duckle to send Lark and
me n five-pound box of chocolates, but
of course this is ever so much nicer.
Jerry's a bird, I say."
“A bird 1" mocked Fairy. "Such lan-
guage."
Lark came to her twin’s defense.
"Yes, a bird—that’s Just what he is."
Carol smiled. “We snw him use his
wings when Connie yanked him out of
the big maple, didn't we, Lnrk?" Then,
"Did you send him anything. Prue?”
Prudence hesitated, and answered
without the slightest necesslon'of col-
or, "Yes, Carol. I had my picture
taken when I was In Burlington, and
sent It to him."
“Your picture 1 Oh, Prudence 1
Where are they? Aren’t you going to
give us one?"
"No, Cnrol. I had only one made—
for Jerry. There aren’t any more."
“Well," sighed Lark resignedly. "It’s
a pretty Idea for my book, anyhow."
From that day on Prudence always
wore the sparkling ring—and the wom-
en of the Methodist church nearly had
mental paralysis marvel'ng over a
man who gave a diamond ring and
never came a-woolng! And a girl who
accepted and wore his offering, with
nothing to say for the man! And It
was the consensus of opinion In Mount
Mark that modern lovers were mostly
crazy, anyhow I
And springtime came again.
Now the twins were always original
in their amusements. They never fol-
lowed blindly after the dictates of cus
tom. And when other girls plnyed
"catch” with dainty rubber balls, the
twins took unto themselves a big and
heavy croquet ball—found in the Avery
woodshed. To be sure, It stung and
bruised their hands. What matter? At
any rate, they continued endangering
their lives and beauties by reckless
pitching of the ungainly plaything.
One . Friday evening after school
they were amusing themselves on the
parsonuge lawn with this huge ball.
When their father turned In, they ran
up to him with a sporting proposition
"Bet you a nickel, papa," cried
Carol, "that you can’t throw this ball
as far as the schoolhouse woodshed !—
By the way, will you lend me a nickel,
papa?"
He took the ball and weighed It light-
ly in Ills hand. "I’m an anti-betting
society,” he declared, laughing, “but I
very strongly believe It will carry to
the schoolhouse woodshed. If It does
not, I'll give you five cents’ worth of
candy tomorrow. And If It does, you
shall put an extra nickel In the collec-
tion next Sunday.”
Then he drew back his arm and care-
fully sighted across the lawn. "I’ll
send It right between the corner of the
house and that little cedar," he said,
and then, beDding low, It whizzed from
his hand.
Lark screamed, and Cnrol snnk faint-
ing to the ground. For an Instant Mr.
Starr hluiself stood swaying. Then he
rushed across the lawn. For Prudence
had opened the front door and stepped
quickly out on the walk by the corner
of the house. The heavy ball struck
her on the forehead and sho fell heav-
ily, without a moan.
"They ain't sanctimonious enough
by half," declared old Harvey Reel, the
bus driver, "but, by Jlngsl I tell you
they are dandles I"
But ns a matter of fact, every one
of the family, from Connie up, had a
characteristic parsonage heart When
they were worried, or frightened, or
grieved, they pruyed. Fnlry pussing
up the stairs with hot water for the
doctors, whispered to her father as he
turned In to his own room, "Keep on
praying, father. I can’t stop now, be-
cause they need me. But I’m praying
every minute between errnnds!" And
Mr. Starr, kneeling beside Ills bed, did
pray—and the stony despair In hlB
eyes died out, nnd he came from the
little room quiet, and confident, and
calm.
Connie, seeking a secluded corner
to "pray for Prudence," had passed the
door of the dungeon, and paused. A
fitting place! So she turned In at
once, and In the farthest nnd darkest
corner, she knelt on the hard floor and
prayed, und sobbed herself to sleep.
Lark remained loyally with Carol
until consciousness returned to her. As
goon as she was able to walk, the two
went silently to the barn, and climbed
Into the much-loved haymow. There
they lay flat on the hay, faces down-
ward, each with an arm across the
other’s shoulder, praying fervently.
After a time they rose and crept Into
the house where they waited patiently
until Fairy came down on one of her
numerous errands.
“Is she better?” they whispered. And
Fairy answered gently, “I think she Is
CHAPTER XIII.
Fate Takes Charge.
For hours Prudence lay unconscious,
with two doctors In close attendance.
Fairy, alert but calm, was at hand to
give them service.
It Is a significant thing that In bitter
anguish nnd grief, Christians find com-
fort and peace in prayer. Outsiders, as
well ns Christians, pray In times of
danger and mental stress, pray, and
pray, nnd pray again, and continue
still In the agony and passion of grief
and fear. And yet they pray. But
Christians pray, and find confidence
and serenity. Sorrow may remain, but
anguish Is stilled.
Mount Mark considered this a unique
parsonage family. Their liveliness,
their gayety, thalr love of fun, seemed
a little lnapropos In the setting of a
Methodist parsonage.
And Springtime Came Again.
a little better." Then the twins, in no
way deceived, went back to the hay-
mow again.
Fairy prepared a hasty supper, and
arranged It on the kitchen table. She
drank a cup of hot coffee, and went In
search of her father. "Go and eat,
dadsie,” she urged. But he shook his
head.
“1 am not hungry, but send the girls
to the table at once."
On their next trip Into the house,
Fairy stopped the twins. “Get Connie
and eat your supper. It’s just a cold
lunch, and Is already on the kitchen
table. You must help yourselves—I
can’t come now.”
The twins did not speak, and Fairy
went hurriedly up the stairs once more.
“I do not think I can eat.” said Carol.
“We’d better take away about half
of this food, and hide it Then she will
think we have already eaten."
This novel plan was acted upon with
promptitude and the twins went back
to the haymow. When tt grew dark
they slipped Into the kitchen nnd hud-
dled together on the woodbox beside
the stove. And down to them present-
ly came Fnlry, smiling, her eyes tear-
brightened.
•She Is better I" cried Carol, spring-
ing to her feet.
‘Yes," said Fairy, dropping on her
knees nnd burying her face In Lark’s
lap, as she still sat on the woodbox.
"She’s better. She Is better." Lark
patted the heaving shoulders In a
motherly way, and when Fairy lifted
her face again It was all serene,
though her lashes were wet
"She Is conscious," said Fairy, still
on her knees, but with her head
thrown back, and smiling. "She re-
gained consciousness a little while
ago. There is really nothing serious
the matter. It was a hard knock, but
It missed the temple. When she be-
came conscious, she looked up ut fa*
thcr und smiled. Father looked per-
fectly nwful, twins, so pale, and his
lips were trembling. And Prudence
said, 'Now, father, on your word of
honor, did you kuock me down with
that ball on purpose?' She spoke very
low and weak, but—Just like Pru-
dence! Father couldn’t say a word;
he just nodded, and gulped. She has
> little fever, Hnd the doctors say we
may need to work with her part of
the night. Father said to ask If you
would go to bed now, so you can get
up early in the morning and help us.
I am to stay with Prudence tonight,
but you may have to take turns In the
morning. And you'll have to get break-
fast, too. So father thinks you would
better go to bed. WIP you do that,
twlnnles?"
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
TRIFLES THAT MEAN MUCH
Overlooked, They Cause Unhappiness
Among Married Folk—Woman*!
Two Commandments.
Married folk make desperate efforts
to be Interested lu each other's affairs,
nnd sometimes they succeed, for they
manage to stand each other's dullness.
They assert their egotism In turns. He
tells the same stories several times.
He takes her for n country walk and
forgets to give her tea, and she never
remembers that be bates her dearest
friend Mabel? Where the rift grows
more profound Is when trifles such ns
these are overlooked, and particularly
where a man has work that be loves,
or to which he Is used, which Is much
the same thing. In early days the
woman’s attitude to a man’s work
varies a good deal, but she generally
suspects it a little. She may tolerate
It because she loves him, nnd all that
Is his is noble. Later, If this work Is
very profitable, or If It Is work which
leads to honor, she may tnke a pride
In It, but even then she will generally
grudge It the time and the energy tt
costs. She loves him, not his work.
She will seldom confess this, even to
herself, but she will generally lay down
two commandments:
1. Thou shnlt love me.
2. Thou shalt succeed so that 1 may
love thee.—W. L. George, In the Atlan-
tic.
And With Winter Here.
The toller at the next desk but one
has been a source of continuous annoy-
ance to this department ever since food
prices started soaring last month. I-Ie
Insisted daily that there was no high
cost of living, und proved It by quoting
the prices be paid for meat and pro-
duce at Ms grocer’s. For Instance* be
asserted frequently that for ten cents
he could get “all tile steak he nnd his
wife could eat." We retorted angrily
that many men starved their wives, but
most of them had the decency not to
brag about It. For It Is no pleasure to
a man with a $30 grocery bill to hear
the ecstasies of one with a $10 food
bill. But he gibed on blithely, wotting
not of the future. And now" retribu-
tion has come, and here Is where we
laugh:
His grocer has been declared bank-
rupt, and the obnoxious toller at the
next desk but one faces the problem of
dealing with a middleman with some
business sense.—Kansas City Star.
Eggs Not a Necessity.
Why eggs? Breakfast on the conti-
nent of Europe has gone Its way In
peace for many years with nothing
more than coffee and rolls. Even in
heavy-eating England a rasher of ba-
con and a bit of tea is quite all right,
without eggs, for breakfast. Samuel
Pepys seems to have got along with-
out any breakfast, could do half a
day's work without a bite. In fact,
breakfast, as a regular meal, Is a re-
cent institution. It’s the two or three
soft-boiled that are here objected to as
particularly tautologlc. One’s enough,
and the second Is mere absent-minded-
ness. There are a lot of little things
that go to make up the high cost—
Philadelphia Ledger.
Never Out of Date.
We ore Inclined to smile at the
quaiat costumes that our grandparents
wore, and at their rather stilted, for-
mal manners. We dispense with a
great many things which were consid-
ered Important a hundred years ago.
But patient, plodding perseverance,
sticking to a thing till you finish It Is
held in as high esteem In the twentieth
century as it was In the eigteenth. In-,
dustry and patience are never out of
date.
For Amateurs.
A motion pteture camera that uses
glass plates Instead of films and also
can be used to project pictures has
been invented In Europe for amateurs.
A Square Funnel.
The Inventor of a new square funnel
contends It operates more rapidly than
_ round one, which causes a rotary mo-
tion In liquids and delays their flow.
Atlanta, Gn., has raised $12,000 to
equip Boy Scouts.
Back Given Out?
Housework 1* too hard for a woman
who ii half tick, nervous und always
tired. Hut it keeps piling up, and gives
weak kidney* no tim« to recover. If
your back fa lama and achy and your
kidney* irregular; if you nave "blue
apelle,” alck headaches, nervouanesa,
dirtiness and rheumatio pains, use
Doan’s Kidney Pills. They have dons
wooden for thousands of worn out
women.
An Oklahoma Cam
Mrs. Ed Boat, ll*fNnMMi(altlkr^
8. Fourth St.. l'onca ^™- ,Jwr
City, Olcla., auya: "I
was suffering se-
verely with kldnsy
trouble a few years
ago. My hands bs-
cams swollen and
When I touched them
It left a dent In the
flesh for some time.
I couldn't button my
shoes, my ankles
were so swollen. I
had terrible palna
through the email
of my back Doan's
Kidney Pills soon
relieved me and af- ti
ter I had used three boxes I felt like
a different person."
Gst Doan's st Any Store, Me s Boa
doan’s ■y.iiv
FOSTER-MILBURN CO, BUFFALO. N.Y.
Soldiers Soothe
Skin Troubles
with Cuticura
,i Soap 25c. Ointment 25c 150c
As a man grows older he swaps his
Ideals for Ideas.
GREEN’S AUGUST FLOWER
has been a household remedy nil over
the civilized world for more than half
a century for constipation, Intestinal
troubles, torpid llvtr and the generally
depressed feeling that accompanies
such disorders. It Is a most valuable
remedy for Indigestion or nervous dys-
pepsia and liver trouble, bringing on
headache, coming up of food, palpita-
tion of heart and many other symp-
toms. A few doses of August Flower
will Immediately relieve you. It Is a
gentle laxative. Ask your druggist.
Sold in all civilized countries.—Adv.
And Uncle Sam should see that we
get pure food for thought.
RECIPE FOR GRAY MIR.
To half pint of water add 1 oz. Bay
'Rum, a small box of Barbo Compound,
and % oz. of glycerine. Any druggist can
put this up or you can mix it at home at
very little cost. Full directions for mak-
ing and use come in each box of Barbo
Compound. It will gradually darken
streaked, faded gray hair, and make it soft
and glossy. It will not color the scalp, is not
sticky or greasy, and does not rub off. Adv.
Should the air navy be classed with
the mosquito fleet?
Important to Mothers
Examine carefully every bottle of
CASTORIA, that famous old remedy
for Infants and children, and see that It
Bears the
Signature of(
In Use for Over 30 Years.
Children Cry for Fletcher’s Castoria
Might doesn’t always make right,
but It puts up a hard fight
THI8 18 THE AGE OF fOUTH. (
You will look ten years younger if you
darken your ogly, grizzly, gray hairs by
using "La Creole" Hair Dressing.—Adv.
Bagdad has a motion picture theater.
SROVH. Cures a Gold In On* Dar. Wo.
Cheap notoriety Is dear at any price.
Do YOU want
Gothes that Dazzle ?
It’s SO easy!
A single trial package of
Red Cross Ball Blue
will convince you that never be.
fore have you known true happt
ness at the end of the day.
White?—why it gives your
clothes a whiteness that even the
fleeciest clouds cannot rivaL
Don’t Wait, Don’t Doubt-
Cot It—Use It—and KNOW
5 Cents. At GOOD Grocery Stores
BRONCHIAL TROUBLES
Soothe the Irritation and you relieve the
dlitresa. Do both quickly and effectively
—by promptly uiinf a dependable remedy-
PISO’S
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Cain, George W. The Carter Express. (Carter, Okla.), Vol. 8, No. 46, Ed. 1 Friday, February 1, 1918, newspaper, February 1, 1918; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc956159/m1/3/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.