The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-02-09
NICHOLAS HARBOUR'S WORK.
"WhosO Loveth Not His Brother Whom
He Hath Seem

He Hath Seem
So far as / can learn, only one event
ever took place at Kerr's Ford. 1t happened
years ago, but it is the gossip of the village to
this day; you hear dark illusions to it at tea
parties or the church sewing-circle, as to a le-
gend belonging to the far, outlying regions
of antiquity; at the drug-shops or about the
stove at the postotfice, however, it is openly
talked Of when the magnates of the village
are assembled, and with illy-concealed pride.
New York and Washington may have their
murders and gigantic frauds but Kerr's Ford,
also, has had her mystery, her sensation, which
With headlines, filed a column of the county
newspaper. The whole story hinges on the
appearance of a stranger Col. Caldwell, with
the Judge and Phipps, the undertaken, claim
to have first seen this man; he was coming up
the street as they were sitting in front of
Bryce's store smoking their cigars after din
ner, one October afternoon. Fl.
81 noticed the man, the Colonel is wont
to say. "The Judge, he just had asked me
about my pigs. CALDWELL he says, how's
pork with yOu!' and | says: Pretty fair, con
siderin' the scarcity of chestnut mast Chest
nuts failed entire that year)-when noticed
this man coming direct to u.s. crossin' by
Hobbies grist-mill.' Here's tramp saws
Not that tramps or strangers was any novelty
in Kerr's Ford. I'd seen three go through
the town that very week, comm up from
Coalport. It's regular sink of iniquity-
and seen at glance that this man was diff
ferent from anything that even Coalport
could produce in the way of rascaity. 'Twan't
his clothes, though they might have been his
sleepin' apparel in the gutter; an 'twan't his
lean, shakin' hands. Lots of men in our town
is no better off till they've driven nail in
their collins in the mornin; and 'twan't that
his cheek was yellow and sunk like corpse's,
neyther. Twas his eye, sir As soon as |
seen that fellows eye, | says to Phipps
Here's man would cut your throat for
quarter of a dollar l can see through human
nature better'n most men, if do say it."
The man, just as the Colonel pronounced
this verdict on him. stopped by the curbstone
"There seems to be some kind of public eX-
citement in your town." he said, with a hint
of amusement in his tone; "what is it?"
"A church fair, said Bryce, always civil to
possible patron of the barrel of whisky kept
on tap at the back of the store.
"Church fair!" staring at the little, very
new, very Gothic stone house at the foot Of
the hill. "Religious community here,
reckon. Pays a humping salary! Good fat
ground for young preacher to settle down
in-heh?n
eyes," said Bryce. "Pretty fair salary,
though our clergyman don't need it. He has
good income of his own
"Oh! A good income!" the man repeated
with the same peculiar smile. A rich man
preaching the Gospel for big salary. Yes"
The Judge turned sternly on him. Some
thing in his voice and manner made the men
forget his squalid clothes and treat him as an
equal. "He breaches the Gospel, sir because
he was called of the Lord to do it. Money
would be no temptation to him. He belongs,
l believe, to one of the wealthiest families in
Western New York-the Harbours.''
Harbour" with sudden stride which
brought his eager, lean face close to Bryce's--
"Nicholas HARBOUR"
''Yes, his name is Nicholas. Here he
comes, by the way. You'd better come in and
take something" said Bryce, uneasily. The
clergyman was the embodiment, in his eyes,
of gentility as well as godliness, and he had no
mind to be seen by him in company with his
new companion.
Clergyman, Ell? Good incomeH" muttered
the fellow, watching the slight, black-coated
figure as it came alertly up the shaded street.
mo, I'll not go in; want nothing to drink.
fve drank too much already"
The men laughed as he SUNK quickly away,
going down an alley. 81 offered q guess, y
the Colonel used to say, when telling the cir.
cumstance, "as to how much liquor he had
put out of sight in the year, and | told 'em
that he'd cut any mans throat for 'levenpence,
But if I'd foreseen that he'd upturned Kerr's
Ford as he did-took out the underpinnings
fromBthe foundations, as one might say-me
and Phipps, being Burgesses, would have made
short work with him that very day."
The young clergyman came up the street
with a quick, buoyant step. The wind was
bracing; the sky arched higher to-day over
this hill and river than he had ever seen it be-
fore; the distance was vivid, sunny blue
The village lay on rising ground, and stretches
of autumn woods and rich, peaceful farms
sloped down from it on every side His church
was new, and finished according to his owl
taste, even to the crimson cushions. (Tht
Judge had wanted dark blue,) His congrega
tion believed that every word in his sermons
glowed with holy fire; even the carnal-mindeC
of the village men, like Bryce and Phipps
treated him with profound respect. Mr.. Har
bour did not precisely describe his position IL
Kerr's Ford as "good, fat ground on which Il
CAMP; but he certainly did think Of 1t will
eomplacency. 1t seemed to him as a direc
recognition of his yirtuous life by Providence
though, being genuine young fellow at bot
tom, he did not put this idea into words.
His father had been noted banker in New
York then defaulter, then a convict. II,
had died in prison. His elder son John haC
inherited the faint Of blood. At twenty h,
was old and exhausted in dissipation anC
vice. Nicholas had turned his back upon boil
father and brother and, with the money lief
him by a good Christian mother, had fttet
himself for the ministry, and taken this charg
on the hills of Pennsylvania. Nobody II
Kerr's Ford knew the history of his family
Why should theyl He had washed his hand
clean of the accursed stain. Now and then h
had received begging letters from his brothe
John, and always sent him money. But tn
gulf was like that between Dives and Lazarus
and Mr. Harbour had little doubt as to whic
brother was secure for all eternity,