Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-02-02
WILL o. THE MILL
BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.
THE PARSONS MARJoRY.

an one winter, very carefully tended by their
adopted son, and very quietly mourned when
they were gone. People who had heard of
his rowing fancies supposed he would hasten
to sell tho property, and go down the river 10
push his fortunes. But there was never any
sign Of such an intention on the part of Will
On the contrary, he had the inn set on bet
ter footing, and hired a couple Of servants TO
assist him in carrying it on; and there he set
tied down, kind, laxative, inscrutable
young man, six feet three in his stockings,
with an iron constitution and friendly
voice. lie soon began to take rank in the
district as a bit of an oddity 1t was not
much to be wondered at from the first, for he
was always full of notions, and kept calling
the plainest common sense in question: but
what most raised the report upon him was
the odd circumstance Of his courtship with
the parsons Marjory.
The parsons Marjory was lass OF about
10 when VIII would be about so, well enough
looking and much better educated than any
other girl in that part OF the country, as be-
came her parentage. She held her head very
high and had already refused several offers
Of marriage with E grand air, which had got
her hard names among the neighbors. For
all that she was good girl and one that
would have made any man well contented.
Will had never seen much Of her, for al
though the church and parsonage were only
two miles from his own door he was never
known to go there but on Sundays It
CHANGED, however, that the parsonage fell
into disrepair and had to he dismantled, and
the parson and his daughter took lodgings
for month or SO, on very much reduced
fpr9yoc af IVillfc INV, N ,af Wit hn
inn and the mill and the old miller's savings,
our friend was man of substance, and be-
sides that, he had name for good temper
and shrewdness, which make a capital por
ton in marriage, and so it was currently gos-
siped among their i'll wishers that the parson
and his daughter had not chosen their tenn
porary lodgings with their eyes shut. VIII
was about tho last man in the world to be
cajoled or frightened into marriage. You
had only to look into his eyes, limpid and
still like pools of water, and yet with sort
of clear light that seemed to come from with
in, and you would understand ct once that
here was one who knew his own mind and
would stand to it immovably. Marjory her.
self was no weakling by her looks, with
strong, steady eyes and resolute and quiet
bearing 1t might be question whether shs
was not Wills match in steadfastness, after
all, or which of them would rule the roast in
marriage. But Marjory had never given it
a thought, and accompanied her father with
the most mistaken innocence and unconcern.
The season was still so early that Wills
customers were few and far between; but the
lilacs were already Towering, and the weather
was so mild that the party took dinner under
the trellis, with the noise of the river in
their ears and the woods ringing about them
with the songs of birds. Will soon began to
take particular pleasure in these dinners.
The parson was rather a dull companion,
with habit of doing at table; but nothing
rude or cruel ever fell from his lips. And as
for the parsons daughter, she suited her sur
roundings with the best grace imaginable;
and whatever she said seemed so pat and
pretty that VIII conceived great idea of her
talents. He could see her face, as she leaned
forward. against a background of rising pine
woods; her eyes shone peaceably; tie light
lay around her hair like kerchief: some
thing that was hardly a smile rippled her
pale cheeks, and VIII could not contain him
self from gazing on her in an agreeable dis
may. She looked, ever in her quietest mo
ments, so complete in herself, and SO quick
with life down to her finger tips and the very
skirts of her dress, that the remainder of
created things became 10 moro than a blot
by comparisons; and if viii glanced away
from her to her surroundings, the trees
looked inanimate and senseless, the clouds
hung in heaven like dead things, and even
the mountain tops were disenohantcd. T.
whole valley could not compare in looks wit.i
this one girl.
Will was always observant in the society of
his fellow creatures, but his observation be-
came almost painfully ea~er in the case of
Marjory. He listened to all she utt rcd an.
read her eyes at the same time for the IN
spoken commentary. Many kind, simple and
sincere speeches found an echo in his heart.
He became conscious of q soul beautifully
poised upon itself, nothing doubling, nothing;
desiring, clothed in peace 1t was not posi-.
BILE to separate her thoughts from her appear
ance. Tho turn of her wrist, the Sill sound
of her voice, the light in her eyes, the line
of her body fell in tune with her grave ant
gentle words like the accompaniment that
sustains and harmonizes the voice of tie
singer. Her influence was one thing, not to
DO divided or discussed, only to be felt with
gratitude and joy. To Win her presence re-
called something of his childhood, and the
thought of her took it's place in his mind be-
side that of dawn, of running water and of
the earliest violets and Llacs 1t is the
property of things seen for the first time, or
for the first time after long, like the flowers
in spring, to reawaken in us the sharp edge
Of sense and that impression OF mystic
strangeness which otherwise passes out of Life
with the coming of years; but the sight of
loved face is what renews a mans character
from the fountain upwards.
Ono day after dinner VIII took stroll
among the frs; a grave beatitude possessed
him from top to toe, and he kept smiling to
himself and the lanscape as he went. The
river ran between the stepping stones with
pretty winplc; bird sang loudly in the
wood; the hiIltops looked UNNECESSARILY
high, and Us he glanced at them from time to
time, seemed to contemplate his movements
with benefcent but awful curiosity. His
way took him to the eminence which over
looked the plain; and there he sat down upon
q stone, and fell into deep and pleasant
thought. The plain lay abroad with its
cities and silver river; everything was
asleep, except a great eddy of birds which
kept rising and falling and going round and
round in the blue air. He repeated Marjory's
name aloud, and tho sound Of il gratifcd his
ear. lie shut his eyes, and her image sprang
10 before him, quietly luminous and attend
ed with good thoughts. The river might run
forever; the birds Fly higher and higher till
they touched the stars lie saw it was empty
hustle after all; for here, without stirring q
foot, waiting patiently in his own narrow
valley, he also had attained the better sun
light
The next day VIII made sort of declara-
ton across the dinner table, while the parson
was filing his pipe.
"Miss Marjory," he said, II never knew
any one Liked SO well as you. / am mostly
a cold, unkindly sort of man, not from want
of heart, but out of stranGeness in my way
of thinking; and people seem far away from
me. fTis as if there were circle round me,
which kept every one out but you. can
hear the others talking and laughing, but
You come quite close. Maybe this is disa-
Greaable to you!" he asked
Marjory made no answer.
t'SHeak up, girl" said the parson
"Nay, now,n returned VIII, II wouldn't
press her, parson. feel tongue tied myself,
who am not used to it, and she's woman,
and little more than child, when all is said.
But for my part, as far as / can understand
what Y,aoola mean by IT, I fancy i must be