The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-02-21
OVER THU BORDER.
Bv WALTER BESANT.
CHAPTER II.


THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF MATHEW HUMBLE
Ralph walked homeward with head
erect, eyes flashing and clinched fists He
was thinking what he should do how he
should begin his mutiny; what would be
the issue of the fight Whatever the
result, there would be joy in bringing, if
only for once. hand fist. or stick into con
tact with the face or figure of his cousin
1t was he was it. who informed against
him to his Worship 1t was no other than
his cousin who had compassed this most
disagreeable of mornings And now.
doubtless. he waited. with a great cane,
his arrival at home. in order to administer
another of those corrections" of which
he was SO fond Hitherto, Ralph had sub
mitted quietly, but he had been grow
ing; he was within month of II: was it
to be endured that he should be beaten
and logged like child of 10, because his
cousin hated him?
When he left the fields and turned into
the lane leading down into the river, he
began to look about among the trees and
underwood as if searching for something
Presently he espied long plant alder
branch in it's second year of growth which
seemed promising He cut it to length
OF about three feet. trimmed off leaves
and twigs, balanced it critically with q
'sntative flourish or.twc in thx-air
AS thick as my thumb" he said. land
as heavy as his cane Blow for blow,
Cousin Mathew This will curl round his
shoulders and leave it's mark upon his
legs "
Norwich Mill stands upon the River
Coquet. about two miles from Warkworth
You can easily get to it by following the
banks of the river. which is perhaps the
best way. though sometimes you must off
shoes and stockings and wade across knee
deep to the other side
The mill consists Of square house upon
the edge of the river. with great wheel
on one side. and almost all of the water of
the river is here diverted so as to form
sufficient power for the mill wheel At
the back of the mill. which is also a sub
stantial dwelling house. is great careless
garden. with pigsties and linnies for cat
tie. and vegetables and fruit trees. and at
the side are two or three cottages. where
live the people employed at the mill All
the fields which lie sloping up from the
river side belong. as we'll. to tho owner of
the mill The owner at this present
moment was no other than the scapegrace
Ralph and his cousin Mathew Humble,
was his guardian, who had nothing at
all in the world of his own but q
little farm of thirty acres The thought
of this great inheritance. compared
with bis own meager holding filled the
good guardians heart with bitterness,
and his arm, when it came to correction,
with a superhuman strength He would
be guardian for four years more. then he
would have to give strict account of his
guardianship and the burden of this OBJ
legation. though he had only held the post
for two years. filed him with such wrath
and anxiety that he was fain when he did
think upon it, which was often. to pull
the cork out of certain stone lar and
allay his anxieties with a dram of strong
waters He was very anxious. because
already the accounts were confused. the
stone jar was always handy therefore. he
had become swollen about the neck and
coarse of nose. which was full and prom
inent feature. and habby. as we'll as fiery
about the cheeks In these times of much
drinking many men become pendulous Of
cheek and ruddy of nose at 40 or so. but
few at 26 Mathew was not at this time
much more than 26. say ten years older
than Ralph.
The kitchen. dining room and sitting
- r..1-
room, with one long window At the
sides of the room and bet ween the great
joists were hanging sides of bacon and
hams besides pewter pots and pewter
dishes. brightly polished wooden platters.
china cups brass vessels whips brides,
loaded blunderbuss cudgels strings of
onions dried herbs of every kind and all
the thousand things wanted for the con.
duct of household At one end was a
noble fire Of logs burning in an ample
chimney. and before the fire great piece
of beef roasting and now to outward
scrutiny and sense of smell ready to be
dished middle aged woman. full,
comedy and good natured of aspect. was
engaged in preparation for that critical
operation This was Prudence. who had
lived at the mill all her life
She looked up as Ralph appeared in the
doorway and shook her head more in pity
ways by way of friendly warning. in the
direction of the table at which sat an
other woman of different appearance She
was perhaps five or six and thirty with
i'm,
proved by cast in her eye This was
Barbara sister OF Mathew Humble. anC
now acting in the capacity of mistress Of
Norwich Mill for her brother was no,
married She had open before her ths
Bible and she had found a most beautiful
collection of texts appropriate to the cas<
of fools in the book of Proverbs The
table was laid for dinner with pewter
plates and black handled knives and stee
forks The beer had been drawn. anc
stood in great brown jug foaming with
with venerable silver head Ralph OBJ
served without establishment that the
plate set for him contained piece of dry
bread ostentatiously displayed 1t was
to be his dinner
This pleasing maiden Barbara. who re-
garded the boy with an affection almost as
great asher brothers, that is to say will
malignity quite uncommon. first pointed
with her lean and skinny forefnger to the
page before her. and read aloud. shaking
her head reproachfully
AS a man who casteth firebrands. ar
rows, and death so is the man that de
ceiveth his neighbor. and saith. Am no,
in sport7.
Solomon must surely have had Ralph IL
his mind