The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-07-10
CHAPTER II.

was the reyerbcrant roar Of . spring
flood.
CHAPTER II.
It awoke nobody else under the par
sonagc roof-tree. Hester slept soundly
beside her. She never slept quietly.
In addition to the spinal disease which
warped the poor girls figure she SUI
fered from an affection Of the throat
that made her respiration in slumber
rattling snore, interrupted at regular
intervals by gurgle that sounded like
strangulation. So audibly distressing
was it that her father could not sleep
within two rooms Of her, and the
healthy occupants OF tho intervening
nursery complained that nothing was
done to break Hester of making such q
racket. If she wanted to stop il She
could"
Her young aunt and roommate knew
better. Hester had shared her bed for
almost nine years. Mrs. Wayt's or
phaned sister was hut fourteen when
she came to live in the parsonage. then
situate in Cincinnati. 1t had been
hard winter with the pastors wife.
While her mother lay dying in Ithaca, n.
y, her then only daughter. the first-born
OF her flock, q beautiful vivacious child
OF eight. met with the accident which
crippled and dwarfcd her for life. Tho
telegram announcing Mrs. Alling's ill
ness was answered by ono saying that
Hester was at the point OF death. She
had just passed the first doubtful stage
upon the return journey, lifeward. when
Hetty, in her new black frock, insisted
upon relieving the grief-worn watcher
over the wreck that could never be put
together again.
Lying in strange quarters in 2 strange
town at the dreariest hour of the
twenty-four, Hctty recalled that as the
date when the load of care, now an in
tegral part of herself. was first fastened
upon her. She had before this likencd
it to needle she had once. in childish
Wantonncss. run under the bark Of
young willow, and seen disappear grad
ually from view as the riven bark grew
over it, until, at the end of year, no
vestige of the steel remained, except
ridge which was never smoothcd away.
She was not exactly pcnniless. The
portion left her by her mother was
judiciously invested by her guardian,
and yielded her exactly four hundred
dollars year. 1t was transmitted
promptly. quarterly. until she was Of
age. by which time she was SO rooted
and grounded in prudence that she con-
tinued to draw the like amount at equal
periods.
1T is enough to dress her. Mrs.
Wayt had said to her husband, in seek
ing his sanction to her offer of u home to
one who stood alone in the world save
for her sister, and an uncle who hal
lived insJapan for twenty years. And
she is welcome to her boards she not,
Percy dear?'
welcome, dear love? Can you ask
the question with regard to your only
sister-poor, motherlcss lamb. While
we have a roof between us and the sky
and crust of bread between us and
starvation. she shall share both Let
me write the letter.
The epistle was almost tattered with
many readings when Hetty became an
inmate of her brother-in-law's home.
She had not kept it until now. That
was not strange, Fairhill being tho
latest in succession OF settlements
to which the brilliant gospcllcr had ac-
cepted calls, generally unanimous and
| almost invariably enthusiastic. There
were three children at IIetty's coming
her own and her mothers namesakc,
Hester, and Percy and Perry, the twin
boys. Four had been born since, but
| two had not outlivcd early infancy. Mr..
Wayt would not have been preacher Of
| the period had he not enriched some of
| his most effective discourses with illus
trations drawn from these personal be-
| rcayements.
His celebrated apostrophc to six
months-old daughter. bcginning-"Dear
| little Susie! She had numbered but q
brief half-year of mortal life. but she
was loving and beloved! seem to fee!
the soft strain of her arms about my
neck this moments too familiar TO
my readers through newspaper reports,
TO need repetition here. The sermon
embodying this gem of poetic and
rhetorical emotion Is known to have
won him calls to three churches.
1t was still dark when Hetty's car
caught the mufiied thud of feet upon
the garnet stairs. Wherever provi-
dencc and parish preferences cast the
lot of the Wayts, Homer's bedroom was
nearest the heavens that were hot by
summer and cold by winter.
Il dom set no store by Collins" he
told Hctty when she wished they
could lodge him better '''Sccms il
twas naturallcr fur to see the beams
purity nigh onto my nose when | fus'
wake in the mornin'. I'm kind o. lone
some fur 'em when l caant butt INC
head agln the top o nc room when I'm
mindtcr.'
~ another time he confidcd TO her
that it was reel sociabul-liko to hear
the rain onto the ruff, clus' to fellcrs'
ears O nights"
/ ITO BE CONTINUED.)