The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1892-10-26
Christopher Columbus.
accented nnrtrat nE the Snanish Government

cite her ever active and wandering curl
osity, she few thitherward and, as we
might say, seized upon that man or
thing as her own property, 80 far as she
desired it; but without yielding the mi
nutest degree of control over her motions
in requital. The Puritans looked on,
and, If they smiled, were none the less
inclined to pronounce the child demon
offspring. from the indescribable charm
of beauty and eccentricity that shone
through her little figure and sparkled
with its activity. She ran and looked
the wild Indian in the face; and he grew
conscious of a nature wilder than his
own. Thence with native audacity, but
still with reserve as characteristic, she
few into the midst of a group of mari
ners-the swarthy checked wild men of
the ocean, as the Indians were of the
land; and they gazed wonderingly and ad-
miringly at Pearl, as if fake of the.sea
foam had taken the shape Of little
maid, and were gifted with soul of tie
sea fire that flashes beneath the prov in
the night time.
One Of these seafaring men--the ship
master, indeed, who had spoken to Hes
ter Prynne-was so smitten with PEARLS
aspect that he attempted to lay hands
upon her, with purpose to snatch kiss.
Finding it as impossible to touch her as
TO catch humming bird in the air, he
took from his hat the gold chain that
was twisted about it and threw it to the
child. Pearl Immediately twined it
around her neck and waist with such
happy skill that once seen there it be-
came part of her, and it was difficult
TO imagine her without it.
THY mother is yonder woman with
the scarlet letter." said the seaman.
"Wlt thou carry her a message from
meT'
"If the message pleases me will"
answered Pearl.
Then tell her." rejoined he, that |
spake again with the black visaged,
hump shouldered old doctor, and he en-
cages to bring his END, the gentleman
she wots Of, aboard with him. So let
thy mother take no thought save for
herself and thee. Wilt thou ell her
this, thou witch babyT'
Mistress Hibbins says my father is
the Prince Of the ARR cried Pearl, with
o naughty smile. IF thou callest me
that i'll name shall tell him of thee.
and he will chase thy ship with tenn
pestr'
Pursuing q ZigZag course across the
market place the child returned TO her
mother and communicated what the
yinar haH enid HaCfat.io of,
calm, steadfastly enduring spirit almost
sank at last on beholding this dark and
grim countenance Of an inevitable doom,
which--at the moment when passage
seemed to, open for the minister and her
self out Of their labyrinth of misery
showed itself with an manufacturing smile
right in the midst of their path. {"
With her mind harassed by the ter
rible perplexity in which the shipmas-
also subjected TO another trial. There
were many people present, from the
country round about, who had often
heard of the scarlet letter, and to whom
II had been made terrific by a hundred
false or exaggerated rumors, but who
had never ,beheld it with their own
bodily eyes. These, after exhausting
other modes of amusement, now
thronged about HesteIs Prynne with
rude and boorish intrusiveness. IN
scrupulous as it was, however, it could
not bring them nearer than a circuit of
several yards. At that distance they
accordingly stood, fixed there by the
centrifugal force of the repugnance
which the mystic symbol inspired. The
whole gang Of sailors, likewise, observ-
ing the press of spectators and learning
the purport Of the scarlet letter, came
and thrust their sunburned and despera-
do looking faces into the ring.
Even the Indians were affected by a
sort of cold shadow of the white mans
curiosity, and gliding through the crowd
fastened their snakelike black eyes ON
Testers bosom, conceiving, perhaps,
that the wearer Of this brilliantly en-
broidered badge must needs be person
age Of high dignity among her people.
Lastly the inhabitants Of the town (their
own interest in this worn out subject
languidly reviving itself by sympathy
with what they saw others feel lopnged