The Chautauqua Girls At Home

er. The heavy clouds had made the day shut down early, and the rain was so persistent that it was useless to plan walks or rides, o

e rejoiced over the prospect of a long and uninterrupted talk. The more indifferent Flossy grew to these long talks the more eager was Col. Baker to e

ne for a three days' visit to a neighboring city, and Flossy

Col. Baker was announced. Then to Flossy: "Now we can have

r after, deep in a game of cards, Col. Baker accepting the situation with as good a grace as he could assume, notwithstanding the fact that playing cards, simply for amusement,

ance on business. One would think nothing but busines

myself," Col. Bak

e, special friends

o be ranked among the exceptions.

s, sir. Shall I

as one not well pleased; and he added, in

move, unceremoniously swept the whole pack of

e item connected with the financial portion of the church, which Dr.

of his indifference to the whole subject of personal religion, was yet a power i

tion at her success with the class the previous Sabbath, he had no more to say, and Mr. Shipley soon had t

t. "I never come in contact with him that I don't notice a sort of executi

he was at present supposed to be a failure. There was a

Col. Baker. "What on earth did you mean by making a muddle of our game in that way?

aker l

m the woebegone lecture she would have been sure to receive on the sinfulness of

rst to make answer, in

ter, when she is in her father's house, is answerabl

d mystified Flossy. "Of what interest could it have been to Dr. D

exchanged amused glances, and t

tioning gaze: "Why, Miss Flossy, of course you know that the clergy think cards are synonyms for t

not proper; but what is the harm in a game of cards? What can Dr. Dennis see, fo

arcastic about it; it hid so much one felt sure Col. Baker might say if he deemed it prudent or worth while. It had often silenced Flossy into a conscious little laugh. To-night she was in

that he would be able to tell. It is probably a narrow, strait-laced way that the cloth have of looking at this question, in

th" than she had of Col. Baker's; she thought his life had a very much higher r

is of no particular consequence what Dr. Dennis thinks or does no

. Dennis as her pastor; she had determined to look to him for help and gui

ed at home in this quiet way! If he did, why did he? And, another puzzling point, how did Col. Baker

th good-humored sarcasm, and her father spoke impatiently. Flossy's interest in the game was gone; ins

t all what arguments clergymen have

its power over Flossy, and its owner saw it

r passing a rainy evening. But it never struck me as strange, because the fact is, they frown equally on all pastimes and entertainments of any sort; that is, a certain class do-

e fanatics; she even remembered that she had seen two of the most celebrated in that direction playing with a party of young men and boys on the croquet ground

well; I don't know of any people who have nicer

essayed to

t, as a rule, clergymen set their faces like a flint against all amusements of every sort? I do not mean that there are not exc

most, if not for all, of the excesses of the day; they are the natural rebound

exquisitely modulated voice as it rolled them forth. How had the present Flossy been quickened as to her sense of th

excesses of which you speak, occur, as a rule, in those whose lives have been very

ways enjoyed a sharp thing wherever heard, and withou

y. "Sis, upon my word, that two weeks in the woods has

u will not get to be a girl of one idea-tied to the professional conscience. What is proper for you could hardly be expect

to her father, "if we call clergymen our spiritual guides, and look up to them to set examples for us to follow, what i

desire to have my daughter do so. I consider myself capable of gu

n to his evening's entertainment. Whatever might be said of the others, he was certainly very fond o

half laugh, half sneer; "and of all the people to indulge in

t was becoming especially trying to Flossy. "It seems that I unwittingly burst a bombshell when I overturned those cards. I hadn't an idea of it.

before occurred to her. She began to think there were a good many things in her life that had not been given very much thou

nd nothing could be more unlike the Flo

my little sister is just exactly the stuff out of which they made martyrs in those unenlightened days when anybody thought there was enough truth in anything t

nly and unceremoniously excused herself, and t

is where all these new ideas started. I wish there was a law against fanaticism. Those young women of strong mind and disagreeable m

whistled

s well as you think you do. Let me tell you, my man, there is something about her, or in her, that is capable of development, and that is being developed (or I am mistaken)

opment then! I liked her

t not half so interesting to watch. I have real good tim