Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-02-10
Gales and Sketthes.
THE MAN FROM NOD.

ing back on the base OF supplies near the
old we'll curb, found himself close upon
the man in the hammock, under Miss
Denny's apple tree.
"See here" said the man, as the urchin
came to strategic halt. II wonder if
your mother would sell you to me, and
would she haggle over the price? How
does that strike you ?"
THAT depends. Wot would you do
with me?"
Really, don't know. You admit that
you are fat, and might want to ship you
to the Cannibal islands as speculation.
Or might want to make a choir boy of
you. if that little hoarseness could be
taken out of your voice, and your hair
persuaded to stay anywhere. There are
lots of ways of using boys in the place
came from"
Say" said the boy, with new show
of interest, ''do you know wot my mother
says ?"
Il must confess that | do not. The
versatile female tongue
''She says that she guesses you don't
live nowhere. She says that you may be
pirate and you may be preacher for all
any one knows. She says that you do
nOthn' but eat and sleep. and that fore
you came here they must have kept you
awake all night with nothin' to eat. Say,
mister" and the wheeling tone of the
mother was unconsciously adopted by the
boy. "where did you come from, any
way %
The man in the hammock dropped back
with a smile, and shading his eyes from a
tspray of sunshine that fell down among
the apple blossoms, said lazily: 81 have
been told that your interesting mother is
sort of missionary OF personal intelligence
for this neighborhood. | like to encour-
age home industries and just to help her
along you may tell her that Miss Denny's
lazy boarder, who certainly does eat and
sleep a great deal, is just out of the Land
of Nod"
The boy was true to his mothers exam
pie. Comprehending the one phrase tn at
could be of service to her. he shot home
ward like an arrow. that it might be safe
ly delivered before being jostled out of
his needless little head. And before the
cows were well asleep in their beds of
dew besprinkled grass that night the peo
pie of Farmdale, from the red school
house on the hill to the tannery in the hol-
low, were in full possession of the first
admission as to himself yet made by the
mysterious stranger who had fed the fires
of their curiosity through four long weeks
of the budding spring.
The moon that looked into the eyes OF
the peaceful kline that night, found time
also to touch the white shawl that hung
about little Miss Denny as she sat on the
steps of the old farm house, around which
the village had grown. The hammock
hung empty near by, while back under
the honeysuckle vines, sat the man from
, Nod, not asleep and not eating, but as in
, dolent in attitude and speech as when
negotiating for the purchase of sixty odd
pounds of shock -headed boy.
, The woman was pulling a spray of
green to pieces with vehemence that
showed her protest against the thought to
which his lips were giving form.
, believe rue, Miss Denny. that you are
giving yourself courage and faith you
don't possess-that one woman in ten
thousand cannot possess. You see that
when Rebekah of Mesopotamia followed
the chosen servant of Abraham into
strange land it was no great venture on
her part, He had told her of the home to
which she was to 90, and of the man she
was to wed. 1t was family affair. you
see, and her father was a relative of the
father-in- law which was to be. Now, do
you really mean to say to me that even
though you love man with all the love
that such women as you can give. you
would take him on perfect trust-wOuld
give him your future on chance, and,
placing your hands in his, walk fearlessly
with him out into the dark?'
81 would And why not e''
at is against nature-against woman
nature
but if loved him? If | loved him as
a woman should love before she weds,
could trust him with all that it was best |
should not know, and go with him into
bonds of exile
81 believe that. ! know it. But mar
tyrdom, my child, is nothing beside a
right of knowledge that goes unsatisfied
You would meet a lion unmoved, but let
this mysterious undescribed lover refuse
to tell you of himself. his profession, mis-
mother, his past and his income, and you
would lay bar before him beyond which
he could not advance You would say to
him, You will not trust me, and dare
not trust you The marriage license
would never be put to use"
''You do not understand me, SIR" she
said simply. 81 could not give the love
until had given the trust-such trust as
the child gives to the father in the dark
| could then close my eyes and be led
Perhaps this sounds foolish to you. but
you have asked me question. and have
given you az answer"
If Farmdale knew little of this man.
there was less of Miss Denny that it did
not know. Its knowledge of him could
be briefly summed up: That he had rid
den into it one night on the down stage
COACH and asked at the postoffice to be
shown quiet place where board could be
had for week or so; that the next morn
ing found him at the cozy table of Miss
Denny, beside the clerk of the village
store, flanked right and left by the man
ager of the tannery and the school
master, and opposite the mistress of the
house, who sat intrenched behind the
daintiest of her household gods that he
had slept, lounged and eaten with the air
of one who, at thirty weight, had thrown
off some great mental or business strain
that had already grown streaks of gray in
his hair; that he spent money as freely
as need be in the narrow WAYS and
close economies OF this small Ohio town;
that his chief delight and one known vice