The morning news., 1894-11-11
The DENTVILLE AWAKENING,
Ry EDGAR L. WAKEMAN.
conyEght Isal by Edgar L waeman an Rights Reserved

ana AdSueu dDONt the SLANflo anu AAptltGo
still, the new method is nothing more or
Of quaint old Dentvilie. budding sleepily
and comfortably beneath.
All this day and all the day and night
before. with the bitter blast had come the
stinging slect. It had sheeted the walls of
stone winding along the highways and
lanes and between the tiny farms, until
they shown like polished marble. Il had
pointed the stubble in the fields until it
stood like myriad barbs of steel. 1t had
armored the outlying shocks Of corn until
they paled and flashed like ghostly SEN
tlnels at their posts, and had mantled the
peaked stacks besides the farmsteads
along the hfll-sides until they seemed
like gigantic cowls Of huddled monks at
prayer.
From end to end Of Dentvine its broad
rooted homes lay silvered, ice-bound and
clutched as in a remorseless iron hand;
and with 1.-THE and cruel rods Of steel
the fierce swirls of broken ice prisms
and cones and circlets. swept from the tos-
sing limbs above, had scourged the viii
lage folk from struggling streets to
homes
If the dominating spirits Of such ele-
mental hours have consciousness, as the
DAY wore on they could not but have no
ticed that the storms power seemed TO
have greatest force and fury at four sep
arate points within and about the little
village.
one of these was where mass Of stately
larches threateningly twisted around and
over a great stone mansion, at the high
est and most exposed portion Of the prin-
cipal village street, and where a hard
faced old man stood al the broad windows
of his ample home, looking with unrelent-
ing and almost triumphant face into the
deserted street below.
Another was where great elms, in
protecting hollow square, came between
the pretty village parsonage. The struc-
fure was set back a little from the street,
and was reached from the roadway
through rows of box and lilac where,
in summer birds must have come and
built and sung; and a the dainty latticed
window of this parsonage a mans sad
and thoughtful face was pressed in
mute seeming that it's possessor's heart
was troubled for the hurts that winter
ever brings
Still another was just at the village
edge, in the middle of a stony field; a long,
low rambling structure, cheerless as the
storm-swept, outjutting rocks around it,
comfortess as the ghOstly hills which
made its pitiless horizon lghtless as the
shuddering night which was closing in
upon it; more hopeless to its inmates than
icy storms, granite rocks or even DEATH
for here was one of the sublimate anti
types of New England Christian char
ity, the village pOor-house; the very
starv cling trees around 1t beating it's icy
shingles as II in bitter taunt and menace
at the half starved wretches beneath.
And we'll il was for the peace Of Dent
vile that what faces, If any, peered from
these rafting windows. were safely hid
den by distance from village eyes below.
The last was where half-dozen glgan-
tic silver poplars whipped and moaned
above the village tavern. Though it stood
in a little hollow, over against the village
postoffice and general store; though il
was surrounded and protected by rising
ground on the one side and fine old out
buildings on the other: though the elins
and the naples opposite should have
broken the force of the blast, and this
place of all places In Dentville been quiet
and hushful in the fiercest of storms. it
seemed that the elements now combined in
most furious pranks and antics about it.
It's ancient sign swung wildly and
grOaned dismally. It's great chimneys
gave out hoarse murmurings. It's dimin-
utive windows ratified and trembled as
though every succeeding blast would beat
them In. It's tiny shutters We're torn from
their fastcnngs. The poplars above it
seemed writhing and bending as if about
to crash through its warped and silvered
roof.
And as If in keeping with the intensity
of the elemental struggles around and
above this old Red Lion Inn of DeutvIlle,
the most pitiful and desperate face that
had ever been seen in this village-a
womans face from which the last gleam
of hope had been effaced as though by this
very storm--was now and then pressed
against it's icy window panes.
II, too, such relentless forces of nature
could be conscious and all -ohse rVant, it
would have been noticed that at least
three of the wild storm centers in Dent
willie had their corresponding surgings of
troublous human emotion housed beneath
them.
More unaccountable STILL the three faces
at the three separate windows, that of the
chief mansion OF the village, the village
parsonage and the village inn, were all
looking with deep intentness at the same
object in the now dimly-lighted village
postof1ce window.
This object was a miserable placard in
dingy black and white, telling the pitiful
old legend upon which countless ambitions
and hopes had before been broken, how a
certain Grand Star Combination, appeal
ing to the cultured appreciation of Dent
vile, had, after repeated urgent requests,
turned aside from its victorious route
through the chief cities OF the country
10 present in Dentville Hall, for three
nights only, its matchless renditions Of
Shakesperean tragedy.
Ponsonby Addington, ii proclaimed in
its hugest and most notified block-type
letters, before whom even kings and EN-
perors had bowed in fervor Of histrlonic
admiration. had consented to appear in
the leading roles. The queen OF the tragic
stage. Letitia Arlington, had been Sc
cured to delneate Shakespeare marvel.
Gus heroines and these renowned stars
would have the able support of the high
est talent procurable in the dramatic
ceBters OF the east.
The costumes were heralded as brilliant
and gorgeous; the orchestra scores would
be charmingly rendered; TO add TO the un
rivaled effectiveness Of these ever-memor
able performances there would he an i'm
pressive array Of knights courtiers
guards, men-at-arms, pages and attend
ants; and Notwithstanding the extraor
dinary expense Of this mastodonic ag
gregauon OF talent, prices had been re
duced to suit the times and admission
would only be: Adults. 25 cents; children
10 cents: children in arms, free
The unrelenting and almost triumphan
face behind the windows OF the chic
mansion OF the village was that of olt
Squire Gabriel Dent; for half a century
the dominant spirit OF the hamlet tina
bore his name; man Of iron will, sterI
as thu rronite hills above him and al
infiexibe IN the principles of his puritani,
creed as the immufable nets of the bart