Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 55: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

even in such a salubrious village. grove marches down to the shore of a fresh water pond well studded with water lites, and supplied with two or three leaky boats, without which no church picnic would be ~ complete. While the outing is ostensibly a church affair, none are debarred. The infidel and the village drunkard are welcome, and they of alien faiths may share the pound cake, the multitudinous pies, the sandwiches and jellies of the pious; but they must be con- tent to slake their thirsts upon home made spruce beer, hot coffee, or the lemonade served: from a washtub by the two prettiest King’s Daughters. Even in so small and uneventful a place as Wedlock, some one must carry on the trifling business of life; the depot master must remain at his post, or obtain a sub- stitute; somebody must stay at the post — office; ‘there are always one or two invalids But sav- , ing these, it may be said that all Wedlock is present and accounted for. _ As early as nine o'clock buckboards and _ earryalls and Concord buggies and flivvers began to string along the sandy road that coi ning up from = ae an ard of lilies = age Aetlty Se winds in and out for the three miles to the picnic grove. There were a good many pedestrians. With much good cheer and laughter and greetings tossed back and forth, the cavalcade, loaded down with its. ' passengers and covered baskets and and bottles wrapped in damp cloths, made its slow way out of town. By eleven, all who were coming were present. Games had begun; two small children had already fallen into the pond and spoiled their Sun-— day best, and one had been stung by a yel- low jacket; an old gentleman had sat down upon a gooseberry tart; three parishioners had been poisoned by ivy. No detail was lacking. The affair held no special allure for the -Slapper, who compared it with the vast chowder parties of his own home town, pro- ceeding by chartered steamer, with two jazz bands, deck space for dancing, free beer on ‘draft below, and five hundred swell lookers ready to try anything once. But in a quiet ‘way he enjoyed himself. Letty Dean, and she was looking her best; = = ee ee best. had Something 0 on -aDY “e he He was with what apart. ‘They. didnot. give. counte- self freely to his cronies, aad in terms that "WEDLOCK! a = = a had ever known. The eraly was. a best — ever; ior, at these community affairs, : = = keen sense of rivalry caused the good wom-— — en to outdo themselves in the preparation Se of gorgeous pastry, soul satisfying salads, fried chickens, baked hams, conserves and ~ jams. Even the birch beer had a bit of a wallop to it, as well as a tang of the wild woods, _No effort is made to impart any religious i . / VN Ae) AVDA a ANU AGS Toy J ‘ flavor to the church picnic. When every- body sits down to eat, the minister asks a blessing, and it is an unusually long and carefully prepared invocation; but that is- —— all. There is nothing else, neither eae BS nor collection. A good time | is had by one and all. = Toward sundown a chill = wept di in = = from the sea. Those afflicted with rheuma-— ==. = : tism began to think of starting home. of 2 the vast stores of goodies, there remained — = not so much as one basketful of fra = All the games that were known had been played, all the gossip retold. The annual church picnic of Wedlock was about to end. Tt was at this moment that. the Slapper, Ky Ny A ALS UPSD i barat yy i ip vi Vr he 4, ESP a | } rit, Ue AY DAA _ yey cleaned, found Micah Shelby posted square- ly across his way. = During the long day Mah had sulked = \ ings were not so Soedntn ‘in Wedlock —. one could afford to miss any of them; but — it was customary for them to remain some-— A ih hy 4 Hi ee ity ia i) r} nance to the childish pastimes in which — young and old engaged; their heads were — = We Mt Ne a i wu, ( unbowed during the pastor’s blessing; they condescended to eat, and eat heartily, but — they sat at one side, by themselves, ¢riti ical of everything and every one. Sa In seasons past their leader had a eo time to time deserted them to lavish his == attentions upon some village maiden; last — == = year it had been Letty Dean who Beet a= his rustic gallantry. But this year he was == a pariah; and all day his morose eyes had ee followed the “city dude” ere _wrig-— eee gled his slimy way into their Eder and = = Comichoo