The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1894-12-28
CHAPTER. III-(COntfnH ed.)

But who directly tod you
"Well-wcll: | must tell the truth.
Here he twirled about his hat awk-
wardly THAT it was young missus's
Miss Evelyns | mean-nurse, who,
who dropped in to see my good woman,
and told us all was settled for her
missus had asked her young miss how
she, miss, should like you, the captain,
for her papa"
Amidst this confusion Of "missus's"
and miss's," one thing was apparent,
he had been talked Of by the lady, and
this made matters more puZzling. How
ever. he dismissed the man, assuring
him he did not require his services,
and the fellow went, but perfectly as
sured the captain was going to be mar
ried, and he winked as he said, bowling
himself out
"Ah. WE'LL as you like, captain, l
knows you great folks likes to be quiet
about them things; but hope when it
is, you won't forget me, and | wish you
and the lady many happy days, and a
han'sOme lady she is, too! and good
wife she made to Squire Evelyn, and
Of course she'll do the same by you"
Here he closed the door on the an
noyed Benedict of village creation. and
going out. met several other tradesmen,
dressed in their best going up the ave
nue. on the same errand He stopped,
spoke to them all. said the captain was
"all right but ''shy." and bidding them
go in and win," passed on with know
ing wink.
Capt. Oliver was nearly worried out
of the place. for he was Il man of quiet,
rather shy habits, associating with few.
Consequently this dead set at him
made him frantic. and he resolved to
cut the widow. But widows are not SO
easily got rid of, especially pious ones,
bent on converting in two senses; a
stranger into husband, and sinner
into saint She argued with herself
that, in sisterly love and charity. she
ought not to let this fine vessel be lost
for want of pilot
Mrs. Eveyln's sisterly love for man
kind in general was not Of that true
Christian kind which opens wide it's
bosom. out Of which sweet charitable
thoughts, river-like, flow over the sur
face Of the earth; No: between the
rocks, over which 1t equally broke;
these were selfishness and illiberality.
She was resolved to save her own soul,
sort of sauve qui peut business. and
as fixed idea arose in her mind that
the captain ought to be loved as a por-
ton of herself, In sisterly love, for had
he not saved her life? (She slightly
exaggerated the accident of the cow
She felt 1t duty to do all In her
power to convert him. Yet even while
thinking Of all this. she energetically
assured herself that poor Evelyn
should never have a successor"
She was Ill prepared, consequently,
Tor the captains absence, for, to the
amaZement Of the watching neighbors
days passed, and he did not appear
near the door of his intended wife's
abode, and probably he never would
have crossed the threshold again. but
for one OF those occurrences which. seiZ-
Ing some weak point Of our characters
urge us to do things we should not
otherwise have dreamed Of
Capt. Oliver was obstinate: moreover
ne had a great aversion to priestly in
terference with himself in any way.
He liked the clergy in their own sphere
and place, the church, but he denied
any right they had to interfere with
their parisOners in private; consequent
~ he was not little annoyed and
scarcely received with due politeness
the visit of the village rector, Il man
OF liberal mind. who had had more
than one discussion with Mrs Evelyn
on the violent measures she wished to
have adopted about forcing the poor
Into her ideas Of devotion or else send
Ing them forth unemployed, to starye
The rector came as the pastor to look
after one of his sheep, in great danger
OF going astray, as he said, after a
suitable preamble, Into the bye-p tbs
Of illiberality."
Now, as Capt Oliver had not the
least intention OF having any portion
of his fleece caught in these brambles,
he stood manfully up and defended his
opinions.
Mrs. Evelyn is a very agreeable per-
son." continued the rector II met her
several times during her late husband 8
lifetime. and was forced to acknowl-
edge her charms of mind and person.
whilst deploring that the former should
be SO exalted in some things, so stern In
religious matters. My dear Capt Oh
iver"-here the rector spoke rather
hesitatingly, not exactly feeling sure
how the other might accept his ex-
postulations-'let us not see you, one
OF our most liberal-mnded men, led
away into the by-paths Of narrow
prejudice"
It is not to be supposed that the good
man said all this in peace. To locker
on, the speech had been varied, and ac-
companied by charming little panto-
mime Of much energy. The captain
once broke in with
"But my dear rector"
'The rest was lost in the raised voice,
but uninterrupted speech Of the other.
In vain Capt. Oliver both mutely be-
sought a hearing and spoke, but the
words were lost; pebbles cast In the