The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1893-06-16

made her the very brightest little Jet OF
flame that ever danced upon the earth.
But it was remarkable attribute of
! this garb, and, indeed, of the child'S
| whole appearance, that it irresistibly
/ and inevitably reminded the behOlder Of
| the token which Hester Prynne was
! doomed to wear upon her bosom. It
/ was the scarlet letter in another form;
the scarlet letter endowed with ifel
! The mother herself-as if the red ig-
nominy were so deeply scorched into
| her brain that all her conceptions as
sumed its form-had carefully wrought
| out the similitude; lavishing many hours
| of morbid ingenuity to create an analogy
/ between the object of her affection and
the emblem of her guilt and torture.
! But in truth Pearl was the one as we'll
as the other, and only in consequence of
| that identity had Hester contrived Sc
: perfectly to represent the scarlet letter
in her appearance.
As the two wayfarers came within the
precincts Of the town the children of
the Puritans looked up from their play,
or what passed for play with those SOM
Der little urchins, and spake gravely one
to another;
Behold. verify, there is the woman
| of the scarlet letter; and of a truth,
moreover, there is the likeness of the
scarlet letter running along by her side.
Come, therefore, and let us fling mud at
them"
But Pearl, who was dauntless child,
after frowning, stamping her foot and
shaking her little hand with variety
of threatening gestures, suddenly made
a rush at the knot of her enemies and
put them all to fight She resembled,
in her fierce pursuit of them, an infant
pestilence-the scarlet fever or some
such half hedged angel of Judgment
whose mission was to punish the sins of
the rising generation. She screamed
and shouted, too, with a terrific volume
Of sound, which doubtless caused the
hearts of the fugitives to quake within
them. The victory accomplished, Pearl
returned quietly to her mother and
looked up smiling into her face.
Without further adventure they
reached the dwelling of Governor Bel
lingham. This was large wooden house,
built in a fashion of which there are
specimens still extant in the streets of
our older towns; now moss grown,
crumbling to decay, and melancholy at
heart with the many sorrowful or joyful
occurrences, remembered or forgotten,
that have happened and passed away
within their dusky chambers. Then,
however, there was the freshness of the
passing year on its exterior, and the
cheerfulness, cleaning forth from the
sunny windows, of a human habita-
ton into which death had never en-
tered.
They approached the door, which was
of an arched form and hanlzed ON each
side by narrow tower or projection of
the edifice, in both of which were lattice
windows, with wooden shutters to close
over them at need. Lifting the iron
hammer that hung at the portal, Hester
Prynne gave summons, which was an
swered by one of the governors bond
servants, free born Englishman, but
now seven years slave. During that
term he was to be the property of his
master, and as much a commodity of
bargain and sale as an OK, or joint stool
The serf wore the blue coat, which was
the customary garb Of serving men of
that period and long before in the old
hereditary halls of England.
els the worshipful Governor Belling-
WlOL1I1! AOSGS1s
yea, forsooth, replied the bond serV-
ant, staring with wide open eyes at the
scarlet letter, which, being a newcon er
IN the country, he had never before SEEN
''Yea, his honorable worship is within.
But he hath godly minister or two with
him, and likewise leech. Ye may not
see his worship now"
Nevertheless, l will enter" answered
Hester Prynne, and the bond servant,
perhaps Judging from the decision of her
air and the glittering symbol in her
bosom that she was a great lady in the
land, offered no opposition"
So the mother and little Pearl were
admitted into the hall of entrance. With
many variations suggested by the nature
of his building materials, diversity OF
climate and different mode of social
life, Governor Belingham had planned
his new habitation after the residences
of gentlemen of fair estate in his native
} land. Here, then, was a wide and rea-
sonably lofty hall, extending through the
whole depth of the house and forming q
medium of general communication, more
or less directly, with all the other apart
. ments
, At about the center of the oak panels
| G1cAG I1uSQ Inc H4ll WAS SUSpSHU0u q SUI
of mail, not like the pictures-an ances
J trail relic-but of the most modern date
for it had been manufactured by skill
full armorer in London the same year IL
which Governor Bellingham came ovel
} to New England. There was steel head
piece, cuirass, gorget and greaves
with a pair Of gauntlets and sword
hanging beneath, all, and especially the
} helmet and breastpIate, so highly bur
nished as to glow with white radiance
: and scatter an illumination everywhere
about upon the floor. This bright pane
ply was not meant for mere idle show
: but had been worn by the governor OF
many solemn muster and training field
J and had glittered, moreover, at the head
} of regiment In the Pequod war. For
} though bred a lawyer and accustomed
to speak of Bacon, Coke, Noye and Finch
7 as his professional associates, the ed
gencies of this new country had trans
formed Governor Bellingham into sol
. der as well as a statesman and ruler.
: Little Pearl, who was as greatly
pleased with the cleaning ar1nor as she
1 had been with the gIittering frontispiec'
+ of the house, spent some time looking
. into the polished mirror of the breast
s Olafa