The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1874-11-12
THOMAS YARN.

fprc:-
Deep in my heart to be kept evermore:
-iidine.
THOMAS YARN.
He was failure, an innocent colOrles
failure, holding his place in the encrgeti,
town of Mossbrouk rather because he WAS too
smorphous to be kicked out than from an,
power OF his own to keep in. Thomas YarI
had never made a living, but had hung,
harnaclr. on somebody else's living all hi.
lazy, Vet these terms seem too strong for sc
uchuloUs a creature. He was 4 sort Of con
Meeting link between the earth worm ant
man. suggesting both eXtremties Yet the
creature was kindly. and had his own little
corner Of wit and humor; once in about ter
years he said a good thing. He had never
harmed anything, not even 4 fly; in fact, hi
and the flies were rather intimate, and mac
acquired right of possessorship from Ions
occupancy of dirty, curtanless tavern win
dow, which was the height from which
Thomas Yarn surveyed life as it went on in
Mo>>hronk. He was in some remote wa,
supposed to be gentleman, perhaps because
he never did anything, perhaps for a bette,
reason. At any rate, he was tolerated il
some of the front parlors when on centen
malls and on such infrequently occurring oc.
ca>ion> ne put on Il clean shirt and made a
cali. He was sunk low in the slums of lazi-
ness and merits. Who knows what had dc.
lrivvd Thomas Yarn of his birthright of sue
cess. Who knows what hcart-achcs had par
alyzed his energies: Who knows any of the
great secrets of nature why one brain
works and another will not: and why one
man sits still while another man runs?
Coy, Hammond was u rich and promising
citizen, who had been terribly stricken, in
the midst of his prosperity by the death OF
hi, "a a NOnNV hlf faX riaA
who had left one young daughter.
1t was proud old name, and Gov. Ham.
mCnd did not like to have it die out. But
Fate was stronger than he. He left his fine
property TO this little girl, something in the
same disappointed frame of mind as Dombey,
and he added singular codcle 1t was to
charge his executors to pay a small annuity
70 Thomas Yarn, and to give him the charge
Of his library, which was large and in great
disorder, and which needed attention and
repair.
This library had come from "two LAWYERS,
one gentleman and one clergyman ancestor "
~ COY. Hammond was fond of explaining his
various forheals, and had been generally
tumhled by the Governor, no great reader,
into an unoccupied room, which was not un.
suited to il, being a wing of the house in
which Emily, the child heiress, lived with her
Aunt Margaret and the old servants The
little unconscious owner of all this rambling
~
girl. with an early propensity for tales Of
fancy, and legitimatelv for novel-reading
She spent her Saturday afternoons, and some
part Of the next day, in her library, sitting
on the top step of a ladder, reading THE
Cottage Of Glenbumie," a Simple Story
or -" Thaddeus Of Warsaw" There, wrapped
in the delicious mantle Of romance, would
she sit for hours, while Thomas Yarn would
look up from his paste-pots as a dreamy mole
might contemplate butterfly. He and she
We're great friends: not having arrived at the
critical age, she did not notice his soiled
habits as Aunt Margaret did, but willingly
put her soft, white hand in his, and was led
10 Mary's grave, listening with much gravity
to the account of that famous wedding, and
looking with sweetly. sorrowful eyes ut the
long tress of beautiful hair.
1t was u part of Saturday afternoon to
Emily: Il part Of "Thaddeus Of Warsaw" a
part Of that golden prime which Emily was
and let her press wild flowers in some of the
old Theological works, Emily thought he was
L model librarian.
Emily found the library rather overstocked
with the sermons and grave folios Of her cler-
.yman ancestor; rather too sparsely fur
Nlshed with the "Thaddeus Of Warsaw"
school of literature. She had gone through
Scott, and gentle Miss Austen, and Miss Edge
worth, and dull old Mrs. Sherwood whose
story of Rich in the Kitchen and Poor in the
farIor" is chiefly valuable for its recipe for
making gooseberry tarts. She had wept
over illat rcdecming work Of Little Henry
and His Bearer she had shuddered over
Then she began to sigh for fresh fields and
pastures new. Cooper she tried and could
not, and as for the theological works, what
were they good for but to press flowers in:
" wish there were some novels" said
Emily one day, from the top of the step-lad-
der
- Novels ant good for young people," said
Thomas Yarn.
" But like thcm-I like book that is very
beautiful in the beginning, and very sad IN
the middle, and very magnificent at the end!'
said Emily, who did not want for words.
. Well, | guess you'd better not read so
many OF EN-. That isn't ut all like life," said
poor Thomas, remembering the tavern win
dow; besides, your Aunt Margaret says you
walk in your sleep and have bad dreams, and
| guess you'd better go OFT and get some more
wild flowers
So Emily would dance off to the woods,
and Thomas look up some more novels for
her. and, finding good, old-fashioncd story,
would leave 1t accidentally on the top of the
stcp-ladder, sufficiently. rewarded if he saw
her flush OF pleasure as she discovered it.
There were no poisonous plants in this Forest
of Ardcnnes-all was the good, wholesome
pasturage Of which Charles Lamb speaks;
and the young maiden who was thus set free
was as protected as the lady in "Comus,' or
that other delicious creature Of whom great
English Shakespeare says:
"A thousand livericd angels lackey her.
Thomas Yarn, in spite Of his inability to
make living, was SO good q creature that
his virtue shone through his bedraggled ex.
terror as the sun himself shone through that
tavern window through which he saw the dis
tant world.
NiCS Narra-at raot. n.-,,,or .,;n.%n. %ho<
she was, permitted him the guardianship of
her niece without fear-nay, she even admit
ted him to that icy, frigid zone of virtue
which surrounded herself. He sat on the
edge of his chair in her presence when he
told her the scraps Of news she SO dearly loved
to hear.
Oh. on one of these occasions what piece
of news she told him!
you may shut up the library, Mr.. Yarn.
! am going to take Emily OFT to school. The
trustees will allow you your accustomed sti-
pend" Miss Margaret loved to use a new
and grandiloquent phrase as well as another),
land your work can be resumed In the
Good-evening!'
And che swept out without look besides,
who had ever fattered him or softened the
asperites OF Fate to this creature?
Poor Thomas From him that hath moth
ing shall be taken even that he hath!
He took out the piece Of folded China paper
and looked long ut the tress of black hair.
He wondered, knowing how low down he
was, that he could be SO exquisitely misera-
BILE. There is a great talent in human nature
for pain and suffering and dull grief. That
side of our nature seems to be singularly
gifted We have no such unlimited powers
in the way Of joy and gladness. After the
doubtful if any one can feel rapturously happy
for very long time-ssy three minutes. But
the power Of suffering constantly grows with
our growth and strengthens with our strength.
No one ever complained that he had not tai
ent enough for this sort of thing. Even
Thomas Yarn, who had seemed to have talent
for nothing else, felt himself the comprehep.
sion of an intellectual Colossus for su1faEinx