Farm life -- Indiana -- Fiction; Indiana -- Fiction; Sex role -- Fiction
The remainder of the week she passed in the same uplifted mental state.
She carried the baby in her arms and walked all over the farm, going
often to the cemetery with fresh flowers. Sunday morning, when the
work was all done, the baby dressed her prettiest, Kate slipped into
one of her fresh white dresses and gathering a big bunch of flowers
started again to whisper above the graves of her mother and Polly the
story of her gladness, and to freshen the flowers, so that the people
coming from church would see that her family were remembered. When she
had finished she arose, took up the baby, and started to return across
the cemetery, going behind the church, taking the path she had
travelled the day she followed the minister's admonition to "take the
wings of morning." She thought of that. She stood very still,
thinking deeply.
"I took them," she said. "I've tried flight after flight; and I've
fallen, and risen, and fallen, and got up and tried again, but never
until now have I felt that I could really 'fly to the uttermost parts
of the earth.' There is a rising power in me that should benefit more
than myself. I guess I'll just join in."
She walked into the church as the last word of the song the
congregation were singing was finished, and the minister was opening
his lips to say: "Let us pray." Straight down the aisle came Kate,
her bare, gold head crowned with a flash of light at each window she
passed. She paused at the altar, directly facing the minister.
"Baby and I would like the privilege of praising the Lord with you,"
she said simply, "and we would like to do our share in keeping up this
church and congregation to His honour and glory. There's some water.
Can't you baptize us now?"
The minister turned to the pitcher, which always stood on his desk,
filled his palm, and asked: "What is the baby's name?"
"Katherine Eleanor Peters," said Kate.
"Katherine Eleanor, I baptize thee," said the minister, and he laid his
hand on the soft curls of the baby. She scattered the flowers she was
holding over the altar as she reached to spat her hands in the water on
her head and laughed aloud.
"What is your name?" asked the minister.
"Katherine Eleanor Holt," said Kate.
Again the minister repeated the formula, and then he raised both hands
and said: "Let us pray."
CHAPTER XXVI
THE WINGED VICTORY
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account