The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-05-15
A Fragment From Two Lives.

One wild, clustering night not many
years ago stage coach made detour
through one of the mountainous regions
of Pennsylvania and stopped at the house
of a preacher. 1t was an old brown house
at the foot Of a sterile rock, seemingly as
! remote from civilization as the heart of an
!. Arabian desert. The Rev. Paul Hume
had already spent here so far as vitality
! went, the best of his life. He had of late
been glad to find the old rebcllious long
/. ings, the fierce ambition and latent hope
of the future, becoming more dim and
\ dnll, and began to believe, as the years
went by, he would be able to live out
those allotted to him honorably and in
l measure rcsignedly. lie had given up the
old foolish fondness for putting fire and
fervor in long Sunday discourscs. He was
quite content that some of his congrega-
i ton should sleep quiatly through the
sermon. and others ruminatcovcr whatever
I hooAly assro~ction or JOY thot uppor-
most in their minds. Probably his sole
spiritual companion, even in the degree
suited to her capacity, was his serving
woman Hagar-black, straight featured,
reticent, but given to bursts of religious
enthusiasm that in a measure relieved the
dull monotony OF the life they lived alone
together. 81 "
Hagar ought to have known her master
better than to believe he would refuse
succor to any helpless fellow creature, and
1t was foolish for her to shorten the chain
that barred the door that night in March
when the driver of the coach begged that
!, they would take temporary care Of sick
passenger. She had been getting worse
and worse, the driver said, for the last ten
! miles, and, "secin' there was no hotel nor
hospital nor nothin' handy" he had made
bold to bring her to the parsons house.
/ But Hagar shook the crimson turban on
her fine Egyptian heao, and declared that
] 1t was not the parsons business to risk his
life with pestilential fevers. l.I
Even as she spoke, however, the parson
/ had unloosened the chain, and gone out in
his scant gown and close cap to the coach,
and lifted the poor woman out Ill his strong
arms. 'Hagar followed him and his burden
up the stairs, and the light from her candle
fell upon tangled curls and braids, bits of
ribbon, and long strip of embroidered
! lace that hung from the head Of the sick
woman, gold chain about her neck, and
other personal gew-gaws that appealed to
! the contempt of Hagar.
The lady's trunks had been brought in
after her, and presently they had to be
pried open, for the lady's lips and eyes
were closed, and, she could not tell Hagar
where the key lay to these fine treasures
But Hagar went to work with will,
] and the preacher had saddled his gray cob
and started off on his five mile Journey
\ q cross tho mountain for doctor.
\ Hagar had put aside the ribbons and
bits of travelling adornment for long
white muslin robe, Which struck the
~ ol> -;
q and made him speed the pony on his
$way. # EN 50 l| G s#g
Il The doctor, had some broken bones to
set, and told :Mr.&H Huine, franklyAthat SO
4 far as fevers and disorders Of that kind
Swent, that black woman of MS was worth
Sa dozen ordinary practitioners, and that he
had long counted upon her in extrem,tics
gof that sort; and, trottings4 over to ssMr.,
6 Hume's the next morning, the doctor
|sSscalled out to tho parson to know if he was
#not right about the capability of Hagar.
gFhe sick lady's wrists and ankles were
s.EEbandaged with cooling herbs, and the
ESstrength Of some cooling decoction of
SSHagar'a reached tho, surgeons nostrils.
$sIhe pupils OF the eyes were dilated little,
Sa crimson flush burned in the cheeks of the
ssinfortunate traveller; but the doctor de-
sSclared that Hagar was doing we'll, and,
with good care, in a week or 80 the Jour
sSSney could be pursued.
81 AS yet the parson had bctn alone con-
Scerned for her safety; for many days It did
mot occur to him that the condition Of his
guest appealed to a, tribute Of his nature
6teave pity and reveroace.@ Hagar, however,
sestrongly disapproved of feminine charms
ssespecially when the, owner cndeaYored to
|5SSadd to them by frivolity of dress and
hemeanor. The poor lady, who felt that
1#she owed, perhaps, Eher very life to these
good peoples care. and skill, openedyhcr
heart to Hagar and told her all about her
long journey from the Pacific coast, where
|ehe had lost her, husband many years
aeince and had longed to come home to the
East. but dreaded, as we'll sho might, the
Afreary waste OF miles between. Hagar
With that absorbed interest that the minis
er gave to the story Of the sttaveler.,
S Mrs. Delplaine was too Ill to be left long