Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-11-15
athans worse fhan 1hornex. ),

sthats worse than 1horney"
81 don't know what should have done il
Thorney hadn't been the boy he u.s. OBJ
served Phoebe, with maternal dignity. Cur
ley smiled at her.
" Stick to the analysis Of the sentence and
omit rules and explanations" commando ed
the master. Miss Phoebe, what turned
this brother TO bad courses, and what bear
ing has his conduct had on your past lis
tory!"
81 don't remember when he ever turned
to any thing else, and once his conduct
bore so heavily on our history thatI thought
/ would end my part of il. 1t was when
first grew sure that he meant to make us
worse than he was
Gurley's great stump chair faced abou
with jerk toward the rocker But Phoebe
met the older mans eyes, continuing:
II could not get out Of the trouble that
way, though, and leave Thoney. I've
lived right ahead. p"
"Have you no recollection Of your par
entsr
..Only a glimmor, like fancying you see a
star between clouds"
I'm order that we may thoroughly under
stand your position Miss Phoebe, give us q
skeleton outline Of what you do recollect.n
"Irecollect first, Thames whipping me
aud Thornoy doubling lis fsts at him. We
were in great many places which seem
dim to me. When ! was seven or eight
years old we lived in Pittsburgh at an or
phan asylum. Thane was gono for several
years | knew afterwards he was serving
out a sentence. 4 lady in Alleghany City
took liking to me and had me
among her children 10 help nurse. She get
place for Thorney, too right across the
street, because ! was unwilling to be quite
away from him. But folks were never so
kind to him; ana tho rude talk he heard
stayed in his mind Nog car net cultivate
Thornley," Phoebe admitted, dropping her
sincere glance 10 The legei 81 Garieys eye
brows.
Il lived "a tbat fs'nlly rntil was in my
teens They wasc fpli9od people and
taught me 3 meet like q daughter don't
let myself hink aae:c laa4 aloud, made
such :. poor retgrn e.. AZ their care. Thane
came b2c,s. | was ctL dying regularly and
the lady saiG I could in tiae be governess.
But he followed me when / was With the
children on the Gtrcct. lie could take
ThoIney and make a thief Of him. | was
young and foolish That vas four years
ago. / thought VIC could run of from him,
and tried it. Before I really went the chill
dren and the children's mother used to look
at me so. And the servants whispered be-
hind my back guess she was discouraged
when she got q hint OF ThaEc, for she said
before that Thorney was bad enough. ! re.
membered that when ! took Thorncy away
without telling her. Tor you sec | didn't
know then it was useless to run; and was
not convinced Until we tried it so many
times. We didn't run very far at first We
went into the country 81 Dutch farmer
whom the asylum matron knew. They
made us work hard, but let US go to school
in the winter, and the next summer ]
taught school near By. Tnorney kept on
working for the farmer and we saved every
cent except what VIC bought clothing with,
and it was well we did, for Thano hunted
us out. bought him OF that time and had
enough money left 70 bring Thorncy and
me to this state. thought if we went to
another State he must lose tract; Of us. We
went to the Dutch farmers relatives, and l
taught school there and Thorney worked.
We staid q year before Thanc found us.
Every time he foand us he took our
money!
"And no ono protected your said Gurley.
"No one could
"Couldn'tn roared The master. ''Wait
till the scoUndrel comes around here"
"You shouldn't have allowed him to
blackmail you" said Gurlcy. ANY friend
understanding your relative positions would
have driven him OF
'tBut never wanted to talk about our
relative positions. The sight Of him made
me shuddering sick You don't know how
horrible it first seemed to me that | should
feel 50 toward my own brother. SO it went
on until he was sent to prison for long
time think he has been pardoncd out +;
k's time would not expire for years. Do
you know was very glad they sentenced
him Thorney andI drew some easy breaths.
spent some money to 90 to a normal school,
and Mr.. Barker was tho lecturer on mathe-
matics So got acquainted with him"
The master nodded
"Your ignorance Of common geometrical
rules was so Marked said he land your
general intelligence 50 fair that | felt i'm
PEELED to take you in hand"
"You know you said she looked like the
sister that died when you were a boy"
muscd Mrs Barker
The master drank his root-becr and made
only distant response to this allusion.
Man is queer bundle of associations. /
love this old cabin and ] love this old dis
tried. I've had one or two very good offors
from colleges, Mr.. Gur!ey,' he owned with
frowning and shame-faccd PRIDE" but
school term after school term secs me at
the same old desk l suppose I'll die in my
rut. 1t seems good enough to me for man
to grow fast in the spot where he was born.
know it amt progressive. l know it mar
rows me. Ny opinions might not be 50 pat
if | circulated more. But the wrench of
tearing up would be moro than | could
stand This is not sentiment" denied the
master, sternly; "but simple physical
fact which | can not get around. Who's
that, now?"
Phoebe cornered toward Mrs Barker.
''You haven't any cerenonious passage
way said Gurley, smiling "You can open
your door and kick intIrders right off the
threshold like they can at Tom Holmes.
I've always cnviod that arrangement"
"Now, Miss Phoebe" said the master,
visiSly warming to the occasion, as second
and very loud knock bumped the door,
don't let me see you DO that. II hurts me as
a man,
81 know it is Thane, whispered Phoebe.
"What if it is Thane! What if it's a
thousand Thanesl l will now,n declared
the master, striding to the door and notion
ing his wife back, . CRAFTY myself with a
good grip on the collar of his coat and the
active use Of my right FOOT
but it may be one Of the ncighbors,"
objected Mrs. Barker.
1--WE shall soe," responded Mr.. Ogre,
jerking the door toward him and concentrate
ing his frowning sight upon the dark
Phoebe looked an instant, and hid her
face against Mrs. Barker.
"Phebe White is hcro,' said voice out
side.
"Don't mind-don't mindln whispered
the masters wife, feeling strong shudder
shake the girl
"wen, sirl" said Mr. Barker, gathering
himself
81 want to see her. She cheated me. She
gave me an envelope full Of blank paper
awhile ago."
81 did, said Phoebe. facing toward him.
" / meant to have told that, too"
"Who are you, sir, and what should she
give youl" demanded the master, making
himself sure.
I'm her dear brother responded Thane,
with insolent popularity, "and she was to
give me money that she knows she owes
me-"
"Siri" snorted the master, grabbing into
the dusk, "I'll ive-you-something else
that has been-owing to you good
whilein
''Oh, Mr.. Barkerin screamed his wife, for
in excessive zeal her husband disappeared
over the steps and was heard to strike the
ground.
Before Gurley could helphim he had risen
IN. and he calmly brushed off his coat with