The Hazlehurst signal. (Hazlehurst, Miss.) 1883-1885, 1883-12-20

church. The stranger worked on 10
silence until his task was completed;
then, tossing aside the sprays Of ever
green and holly, he stepped into pew
and sat down. Something lying on the
floor ut his feet caught his eye. He
picked II up and looked ut II curiously:
II was large key, and he turned and
twisted II In his fingers, idly wonder
ing what It was for. Suddenly tho
thought flashed upon him that II was
the key with which he had seen the
sexton lock thc'closet door. Evidently
II had fallen from the sections pocket.
~ wonder what II was he locked up so
carefully" he said. his eyes wander
ing to the closet In the wall. Z" might
rs well take nothing wrong in
that, 1 fancy" Going up to the closet,
he put the kew In the lock. turned II
and pulled open tho door. A dazzling
array Of silver. carelessly piled upon,
the shelf, was revealed. 1.-The church
communion plate" he muttcred. 81
wonder why Il was left here. 1t must
be solid ware taking n cup In his
hand and looking ut 1t intently. A
slight noise caught his err. Shutting
the door hastily he put the key In his
pocket and gave quick glance around.
All was quiet and lonely rs before.
{" It's only the rector moving about In
his study" and he gave nervous lit.
tie laugh ut his own fears, then glanced
up ut the great clock. 1t pointed to
1880. 1.-The sexton ought to be com.
ing back soon,' he thought. Yielding
to u sudden impulse he hurried again to
the closet and opened tho door. How
easy IL would be to tie the plate up and
! then escape through window? Going
to one of the back easements he looked
out. Only u Jump Of two or three feet
into little paved courtyard below.
Then narrow alley that ran back be.
tween two great black buildings lead.
ing to deserted street beyond. Both
yard and path smooth-swept from snow
no danger of being traced after once
getting out. Going back TO the closet
he looked long and earnestly at tho
massive plate. 1t would get me out
of this cursed country and help me TO Il
new start in some better place.. he
thought. God knows that, bad rs
I've been, I've never come 10 this as
yet; but then. how would any one be-
licvc mellow would he? No use OF
my trying to get out Of the shadow in
my life; might us well make the best
of II and enjoy what can. Hank! ]
heard that noise again"
Shutting the door, he turned the key
in the lock and no'selcsSly creeping
along the passage he paused before the
door Of the study. IL stood a'ar. and he
looked in. Knccling before chair was
the figure Of IN old man, holding in his
hand n crumplcd yellow letter and n
lock pf dark-brown hair. on which the
tear-drops were yet glistcning. The
Man In the Shadow brca'hc,l quick and
hard. Suddenly the letter foil TO the
floor unnoticcd by its holder. The Man
in the Shadow picked it up and looked
ut ii. 40 Rev. Arthur Drayton," he
read. and then staggering back into the
hall he sank down ON u chair and eager
" tore the sheet open. just ten years
and the handwriting his own! His
thoughts went back TO another Christ
mas Eve. He tried to recall IL. but
there was only confused recollection
of u boyish scrape and his meeting with
his father in the old church. Stern,
hanl words on his fathers side, and
first submission and then defiance on
his part-and then the separation.
Here was the letter he had sent him,
written that night in the heat Of his an
ger and woundc pride that fatal let
i L., al, la nI hn, al .,I,
rs he thought, forever from his fathers
house. But what could all this mcan'
HIS father living in the city. lie had
not been mistaken then, after all. in his
recognition of the old man un,lcr the
lamp-post. But why--what did IL mean.
what he had seen within? Could there
be- such love rs this after that bitter
parting, that hooking, insulting letter,
these long years Of arrangement and
neglect waiting for him, nm out
cast, a wandercr and Che shivcred rs he
glanced behind HIM almost THE?
Out from the half-opcncl door came
the low tones Of prayer. and bowing his
head he listened intently, with the tear
drops falling all unnoticed on the Old
letter. A name-it was his own-,aught
his car, and rs he hcar, IL from his
fathers lips he arose AMI stepped to the
door Of the study. He stopped, with
his hand on the knob, rs he saw the
ropes that swung the great bell he in to
tighten. pulled by some unseen hand,
then opening the door he stepped into
the room n the first sweet chimes rang
out upon the still midnight air.
"Thc most curious thins
ever came across, Molly" said ScN-
ton Davidson, rs he rccountcd the
events of the night to his vile the nc,t
morning. "Just to think that the
young man that ] took in and
saved from freezing to death ut our
own church door should turn out to be
the rcctor's own son, when nobody
knew that the rector had a son at all!
couldn't help thinking. though, when
was talking with him last night. that
he looked and acted like u gentleman
otherwise 1 wouldn't have offered To
take him home with me. hut the
strangcst thing is about the key of the
closet that held the communion service.
You see IL had been used the other day
and couldn't put IL TACK IN the sa1c
because the lock was out Of order. So
just clapped II into that closet of mine.
where keep most everything, until l
could take 1t down TO the bank. When
had to come home last night was
just about going of and leaving that
strange young man there in the church
with that closet unlocked. went lack
and locked il and put the key In my
pocket. Well. would you believe IL.
when got back To the church found
the key in the lock and the -rector's son
gone! l couldn't bear ut first Ia open
the door-I was so took down. Some
how l managed to get up strength
enough to look in and there was the
plate all right! | was so thankful that
| forgot all about the young fellow and
ran Tn the roDes 10 LET the bells tell how