The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1895-05-16
sCOTCHED, NOT KILLED.

S|COItHfD' MI hlbLhb'
A vast, bleak moor.
Far az the eye car reach scarcely
a human h%abitation is to be seen,
save here and there a few huts,
where the shepherds dwell.
1t is a wild day in early January;
the wind ia bowling with portentous
fury, and the snow, which already
forms a thick carpet, is falling in
heavy flakes.
The sheep, which in the summer
Craze in large numbers on these
moors, are all peuncd comfortably
in their folds, and eve the shop
herds, foI the most part, are sitting
pipe in mouth, in more sheltered
spots.
Only that all enduring mortal, the
posiman, is Flooding along in violent
contes. with the opposing elements.
"Ye'n no be goin' mon, across tn
moors Il such weather." one of the
towusfolk hed sold 10 him, on seeing
-i,'m buckrpg on re wallet in which
he carried bis letters and packages.
Put he replied that duty obliged
him, that they had had no letters at
the vicarage for Il week, aud he must
try and get across the moor.
1.-The parson 'ull be none the bet.
ter when ye're lost II the snow,
Hen no be even the buryin' the
richer.n
But the man who had tru1gcd
twice q day across those moors for
the last fourteen years was obstinate.
He said he could find his way, and
the vicar ''maun haze his letters"
The vicarage was a good three
miles from this p~ostoAice up a hill,
and then down Il slight incline on
the other side, being sheltered from
the cold winds by n knoll of trees
which surrounded it and the tiny
church, and also served as a pro-
lection to Il few struggling cottages
called the "yillagc," III which the
Wears immediate flock dwclt, his
parish being of considerable extent,
though it scarcely contained one
hundred and fifty souls.
!, required q man OF iron consti-
tuition to be the vicar of such a
place.
The Rev. Abel Singleton was
exactly adapted for the work. He
had been born and bred on the
moors, was hardy and stroug, had
boosted that he had never had a
days illness in his life. His wife,
however, by no means matched him
in strength. She was frail and deli
cate, and terribly tried by the bleak
airs of her northern home. In fact,
she was only kept alive there during
the winter by having two rooms
converted into hot houses, and in
these she lived for Fix months OF tie
year a perfectly artificial existence,
surrounded by books, perfumes and
9Xutica.
Ii was a trial % the vicar to have
an aiIing wife who could not help
him in his parish duaics, but that was
a nothing compared with What this
strong, hearty man suffered fpum
the atmosphere OF these rooms, ana
yet he never complained. II VS.
devoted to his Mini, going without
ntcessaries for himself in oruer o.
Liro the ~luxuries she lrgtfu!,y f,..
lie.d we're requisites.
Many of the ntishbo-3 thought
that more fresh air, and rss co. ug
ding would be very bcAelic'ni II Mai,
but they did Z dGle auEaost ,...s -
fhe vicar, since TO pamper Mini was
the pleasure OF his lille, especially as
they had no childrcn, the one infant
Mimi Lad bone him having died
when it was n few weeks old.
Thus year after year the Singletons
lived for each other, for they could
almost count on their fingers the
visitors they received.
The ncighbors who occasionally
chose to find fault with Mrs. Single
ton for being a confirmed invalid
lived too far off to gladden. her heart
very often with whins of fresh air
from that outer world from which
they blamed her for banishlng her
self,
1t was during one of Clement