The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1893-06-09

if not, thou strange and elfsh child.
whence didst thou conner
'Ten mel Tell mel" repeated Pearl.
no longer seriously, but laughing and
capering about the floor. "Tt Is thou
that must tell mel"
But Hester could not resolve the
query, being herself in dismal labyrinth
of doubt. She Observation-Disclosures a
smile and a shudder-the talk Of the
neighboring townspeople who, seeking
vainly elsewhere for the child's pater-
nifty, and observing some Of her odd
attributes. had given out that poor little
Pearl was demon offspring.
Hester Prynne went one day
to the mansion of Governor Beihnghan
with pair of gloves, which she had
fringed and embroidered TO his order,
and which were to be worn on some
great occasion of state, for, though the
chances of a popular election had caused
this former ruler to descend q step or
two from the highest rank, he still held
they,b other than the insidious whis-
pers Of the bad angel, who would fam
have persuaded the struggling woman,
as vet only half his victim, that the out
ward guise of purity was but lie, and
that, if truth were everywhere to be
shown, a scarlet letter would blaze
forth on many bosom besides Hester
Prynne's2 Or must she receive those in
timations, so obscure. yet so distinct, as
truth?
In all her miserable experience there
was nothing else so awful and so loath-
some as this sense. 1t perplexed as
well as shocked her by the irreverent
inopportuneness of the occasions that
brought it into vivid action. Sometimes
the red infamy upon her breast would
give a sympathetic throb, as she passed
near a venerable minister or magistrate,
the model of piety and Justice, to whom
that age of antique reverence looked up,
as to moral man in fellowship with
angels. ''What evil thing is at handY'
would Hester say to herself. Lifting
her reluctant eyes, there would be moth
ing human within the scope of view
! save the form of this earthly saint!
Again, a mystic sisterhood would con-
tumaciously assert itself, as she met the
sanctifed frown of some matron, who
according to the rumor of all tongues,
had kept cold snow within her bosom
throughout life.
That unsunned snow in tho matron's
bosom and the burning shaTneton Hester
Prynnes-what had the two in COM
mon? Or, once more, the electric thrill
would give her warning Behold, Hes
ter, here is companioni'-and looking
up she would detect the eyes of young
maiden glancing at the scarlet letter
shyly and aside and quickly averted
with a faint. chill crimson in her cheeks
as if her purity were somewhat sullied
by that momentary glance. o fend
whose talisman was that fatal symbol
wouldst thou leave nothing, whether IL
youth or age, for this poor sinner to re
we're? Such loss of faith is ever one OF the
saddest results of sin. Be it accepted "a
a proof that all was not corrupt in thi'
poor victim of her own frailty and man
hard law that Hester Prynne yet strug
gled to believe that no fellow morta
was guilty like herself.
The vulgar who IN those dreary OLE
times were always contributing gro
, tesque horror to what interested thei
imaginations had a story about the scar
let letter which we might readily worl
up into terrific legend. They averre'
that the symbol was not mere scarle
cloth tinged in an earthly dye pot. bu
, was red hot with Internal fire, and coul
be seen glowing all alight wheneEe
Hester Prynne walked abroad in til
night time And we must needs say
scared Testers bosom so deeply tina
. perhaps there was more truth in tn
I rumor than our modern incredulity ma
I | be inclined to admit.