The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-08-07
Lisamon hastily, with parted lips. There

turbed, agitated. "I-I seemed to Away
have something on my mind to-to keel
such an idea out of it. When [ nigh
have thought of it-have married, | was toc
intent struggling to keep the bailiff out o
the house, and the wolf from the door.
Lisamon's remark seemed to have come
inappropriately. 1t broke in upon hii
story, it had Jared upon him, given hin
discomfort. Lisamon, looking through hel
spectacles, assumed that his narrative wa'
completed. That she had been interested
she was only to wishful to reveal.
aWell, maister," said she, II shall &C
back home, and think of you and what
you've said for many long day."
Amos Gee did not answer her. He had
not spoken for effect. He had felt the
need of listener; they were of her sex
tender and sympathetic by nature. He
could not have so unburdened himself to
any man.
g You want the bell ?" said the sections
wife.
aYes. Every mark of respect I am wish
| fdf for her to have 1t is all can do fol
her now. I've called at the carpenters s
and the women have gone to wash hel
body and lay it out for decent burial. Then
must walk over to the town; [ was with
her when she breathed her last sigh"
II am sorry, Amos. The masters gone
to Owisford with a load of kids bundles
of frewood.] 1t shall be rung tonight
There was the fretful impatience of a
child in the old mans face.
"You couldn't ring it, could you? p
dts thing never have done, Amos. "
"Give me the belfry key, will ring it.
When 1 was boy rang a bell. It'll
make no difference" said Amos, laying
down shilling significantly.
~ wasn't thinking of that, Amos; don't
think it. The key hangs behind the door.
There can be no great harm done. he
member-its eight for woman, and
there's her age"
"Poor old creature" murmured Lisa
mon. "Why didn't he marry, and have
sons and daughters now? He must feel
as if there was nobody to care for him"
1t was hard to say whether Amos Gee
had anyone to care for him. The respect
of the village was qualified. To certain
extent his life had been self-contained, dis
tancing. Toll, thrift to parsimoniousness,
had enabled him to be thankful that for
him there was no fear of the pauper's al
lowance, the pauper's shelter, or the pau
psr's grave, but his undertaking line in life
had gained him few friends. Yet Amos
Gee was without the irritating sense that
there were those eagerly waiting to hear
the soil rattle on his cofin-lid. He was
not aware of single tie of blood.
There is little to choose between the day
laborer and the man with small holding,
when the soil of his few acres is poor, cold,
and irresponsive. Every shilling of Amos
modest store had been wrung from the
land. He was not mean man naturally /;
he could be generous. There were the
missionaries, this society and that, and he
gave. But canvassers approached him
timidly, though sure of their shillings.
His thoughts, his phrases, all had the
quaint conceits and turn of the Puritan
age. There was something supremely
touching in the mans narrow and deliber-
ate faith Not even stern, forbidding
expression, contempt for the amenities of
life, guarded tongue, and apparent alb
sence of tender feeling was able to hide the
just man from the least perceptive.
The small bell tolled mournfully; so
near was it to the cottage it seemed to vi
brate in the room where the women sat-
The next morning the sections wife was
astir before dawn. Her husbands work
Law in the woods, and breakfast before can
delight was an institution. She glanced
through her window, but could not pierce
the darkness. No light was burning in
the farm cottage.
"I'm sorry thou feels bound to go to-
day, Lisamon. If thou couldst ha' stopped
till Sunday, the preacher will be sure 10
improve on the occasion Why, that's
Gees lad Now, what's the matter ?"
shouted the sections wife from her door.
"We can't find the maister p
"Cant find him. Laws-a-me, that's a
strange tale. What thinks thee's gotten
him ?"
sThe lass dursn't stop. She slept at
home last night. She's gone by [backl
again"
"Lisamon Lisamon, we must go up
yonder and see after the poor old man"
Her sisters fear that the old man was
scarcely responsible for his actions required
to the sections wife. Run thou on to the
carpenter and tell him to follow" cried
she to the lad.
The women sped across the fields, neith-
er looking to the right nor to the left
When they reached the farm cottage, they
shouted here, there, everywhere with shrill
despairing trebles, but obtaining no re-
sponse. The we'll was suggestive they
groped in it with a clothes-prop; they
looked behind doors; but Amos Gee was
nowhere to be found.
"Poor, demented old man, what can he
have done with himself2 Oh, here's the
carpenter |" exclaimed the sections wife,
aNow, you women, have you found
him ?" he asked.
sFound him, no" the sections wife an
swered him impatiently. "We've looked all
over, high and low, except in the house. y
aHe isn't in the house me and the lass
have been in every room but the one where
she ligs" (lies,) said the lad.
"And that will be where he is, said
Lisamon.
"Nay, it's locked and he'es ta'en away
the key" said the lad.
"The keys inside" said Lisamon.
"To go and do it where she lies y gasped
the sections wife trembling, hearing the
carpenter inserting his knife.
"You'll have to break in the door, car
penter" said Lisamon, sand we must help.
"Maybe he's back on it, murmured the
less courageous sister; ''if 1 hear him &C
bump, it will fright me into fit.
"Then go thou down" said Lisamon.
"Nay, if thou stops I will; I'll moi
srceam if I can help it.
The carpenter, a powerful man of mid
die age, had need of no assistance, the frai
batten door yielded to his pressure.
"The Lord be praised!" calculated the
sections wife,
Amos Gee was on his knees, his face OF
the bed, his arms extended across the
corpse He had come to "wrestle' il
PRAYER: worn out with grief and previous