Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1894-03-16
The Great Hesper.
pY FRANK BARRETT.
CHAPTER I.

We landed at Southampton, Sep
TENDER IA, 1855, and a ragged crew
we were.
The Judge" Joe Brace, led the
way-a great gaunt man, with long,
long legs, stoop in his shoulders,
and a swaying movement OF his body
and arms when he walked as if he
had load on his back and a long
way to go; man with black fell
on the back OF his hands, dark
beard growing high upon his cheek
bones, and o great bush of iron-gray
hair sticking out all round his head.
and forelock hanging down over his
eye. One could see nothing of his
features but long red nose and deep
set beady black eyes His fustian
jacket was worn to rag at the elbows
and so was mine, as for that
split in the seams between the
shoulders with the constant strain of
the laboring arms. Once upon a time
his top boots had been black, but
now they were all the same yellow
clay color with the trousers that
were tucked into them, and just as
badly in need OF repair.
/ followed with Van Hoeck. He
held my arm, not for support. but for
guidance, because he was stone blind.
He was thirty or Whereabouts, be-
lieve; but he looked twenty years
older than /, who am now about
twenty-six. Though he was
Dutch By birth he looked like
an Asiatic. While l. with my
fair skin, light hair and large frame.
am pretty true in appearance to my
northern race. Ho was better dress.
ed than any of us, for though he
had accompanied us, and roughed 1t
50 far as board and lodging were
concerned, he had taken only a
financial part in the enterprise, his
blindness naturally debarring him
from u laborious part. His clothes
retained something of their original
appearance. Albeit he had worn
them day after day for eighteen
months at least; whereas mine. what
with the exposure TO the sun. the
sweat of work, rough usage, and the
strange devices employed in repair
ing them, were scarcely recognizable
as civilized clothing. His face gave
more sign of strain and fatigue than
either the judges or mine, which
might VOL be, seeing how great q
relief TO the mind physical labor is.
There was a furrow between his
brows, deep lines descending from
the inner angle of the eye, O pinched
lo6is about the nostrils and aeshless
cheeks. that gave fearful, strenuous
eagerness TO the weird expression OF
his face. And that expression was
weird, nay, even repulsive, though
his features were not ill-shaped, and
it was due chiefly to the popularity
of his eyes Most people of dark
complexion, like his, have dark
iris to the eye, but his was OF q
steely-gray, and was the more notice
able because there was the iris and
nothing else; there was no pupil
nothing but that gray patch upon
the yellowish ball Of the eye. He
kept his eyes open when his mind
was preoccupied. Often when he was
sitting near me while / worked
have changed my position that /
might not see those CHASTITY eyes
wide open to an African sun, yet un.
conscious of its glare. There was
something terrible in his blindness
Our rear was brought up by the
"Kid." The name by constant use
and familiarity had long ceased to be
slangy to my ears.
Poor little Lola! she was the
raggedest and most disreputable OF
the lot, though it was not for that
reason that she walked behind us;
indeed, had she suspected that TO
follow implied inferiority, she would
have marched ahead of her own
father. That was her character.
The Kid had given us a deal of
trouble-had we foroseen how much,
do not think Van Hoeck or would
have put in that postscript to the
agreement which her father, the
Judge. induced us to subscribe.
The Kid has eyes In her head for
to see with" the Judge said, in
urging her CLAIM upon our future
consideration, lend she kin use 'em
as well as us in loofin for stones,
end likewise, bein' a female, she kin
cook our meals for us; che kin wash
our shuts, end she kin sew us up,
end keep us nice and tidy" Whether
she was capable OF helping us in
these matters / cannot say; all
know Is. that she didn't What kin
you expectP" asked her father, in
extenuation; cher mother was the
darter of burned greaser, end Il
amt the kids fault II she's go
greaser blood In her"