The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1893-08-11

why, what IS this. potherg" cried
! she. Wherefore have all the people
left their work today? Is it d play day
for the whole world? See, there IS the
blacksmith He has washed his sooty
face and put on his Sabbath day clothes,
and looks as if he would gladly be merry
if any kind body would only teach him
howl And there IS Master Bracket, the
old jailer, nodding and smiling at me.
Why does he do so, mother!"
He remembers thee little babe, my
child" answered Hester.
''He should not nod and smile at me
for all that-the black, grim, ugly eyed
old manr said Pearl s.He may nod at
thee, if he viii; for thou art clad III
gray and wearest the scarlet letter But
see, mother. how many faces of strange
people, and Indians among them, and
sailors! What have they all come to do
here in the market place.
'They wait to see the procession pass, y
said Hester. For the governor and the
magistrates are to go by and the minis
tiers and all the great people and good
people, with the music and the soldiers
marching before them"
''And viii the minister be there?' asked
Pearl. "And will he hold out both his
hands to me, as when thou ledst me to
him from the brookside?''
''He will be there, child,'' answered
hel mother. "But he viii not greet
thee today; nor must thou greet him"
''What a strange, sad man is her'
said the child, as if speaking partly to
herself. Gin the dark night time he
calls us to him, and holds thy hand and
mine, as when we stood with him on
the scaffold yonder. And in the deep
forest, where only the old trees can
hear, and the strip of sky see it, he
talks with thee, sitting on a heap of
mossl And he kisses my forehead, too,
so that the little brook would hardly
wash it off! But here, in the sunny day,
and among all the people, he knows US
not; nor must we know himl A strange,
sad man is he, with his hand always
over his heart:"'
''Be quiet. Pearl! Thou understandest
not these things" said her mother,
"Think not now of the minister but
look about thee and see how CHEEKY is
everybody's face today. The children
have come from their schools, and the
grown people from their workshops ana
their fields on purpose to be happy. For
today a new man is beginning to rule
over them, and so-as has been the Gus
tom of mankind ever since a nation was
first gathered-they make merry and re-
joice, as if a good and golden year were
at length to pass over the poor old
worldT"
The picture of human life in the mar
ket place, though its general tint was
the sad gray, brown or black Of the Eng
lish emigrants, was yet enlivened by
some diversity of hue. A party of IN
dians-in their savage fnery of curious
ly embroidered deerskin robes, WAN
pun belts, red and yellow ocher and
feathers, and armed with the bow and
arrow and stoneheaded spear = stood
apart with colmtenances of infexible
gravity beyond what even the Puritan
aspect could attain. Nor, wild as
were these painted barbarians, were
they the widest feature of the scene.
This distinction could more justly be
claimed by some mariners part Of the
crew of the vessel from the Spanish
Main-who had come ashore to see
the humors of election day. They
were rough looking desperadOes, with
sun blackened faces and an i'm
mensity of beard; their wide. short
trousers were confined about the waist
by belts, often clasped with rough
plate of gold, and sustaining always
long knife, and in some instances
sword.
From beneath their broad brimmed
hats of palm leaf cleaned eyes which,
even in good nature and merrimept, had
a kind of animal ferocity. They trans
crossed without fear or scruple the rules
of behavior that were binding on all
others; smoking tobacco under the bea-
dies very nose, although each Whit
would have cost townsman a shil-
ling; and quaffing at their pleasure
drafts of wine or aqua vitae from pocket
TASKS, which they freely rendered to the
gaping crowd around them. It remark
ably characterized the incomplete mo-
rality of the age, rigid as we call it,
that license was allowed the seafaring
class, not merely for their freaks on
shore, but for far more desperate deeds
ON their proper element. :
Thus the Puritan elders in their black
cloaks, starched bands and steeple
crowned hats smiled not unbenignantly
at the clamor and rude department of
these jolly seafaring men; and it excited
neither surprise nor animadversion
when so reputable a citizen as old Roger
Chillingworth, the physician, was seen
to enter the market place in close and
familiar talk with the commander of
the questionable vessel.
The latter was by far the mos>showy
and gallant figure, so far as apparel
went, anywhere. to be seen among the
multitude. He wore profusion of rib
5ons on his garment and gold lace on
his hat, which was also encircled by
gold chain and surmounted with a
feather. There was a sword at his side
and a sword cut on his forehead, which,
by the arrangement of his hair, he
seemed anxious rather to display than
hide. A landsman could hardly have
worn this garb and shown this face,
and worn and shown them both with
such a galliard air without undergoing
stern question before a magistrate and
probably mourning fine or nnprison-
ment, or perhaps an exhibition in the
stocks. AS regarded the shipmaster,
however, all was looked upon as per-
tanning to the character, as to a fish his