The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-03-15

thy. broad Scots folk. without a hair OF
nonsense to the pair Of them. And the
fact was that she made a goddess and
an only child of the effete and fearful
lady; and even as she waited at table
her hands would sometimes itch for
my lords ears.
Thus. at least, when the family were
at Hermiston, not only my lord, but
| Mr.. Weir, too, enjoyed a holiday. Free
from the dreadful looking-for of the
miscarried dinner, she would mind her
seam, read her piety book and take her
walk (Which was my lords orders).
sometimes by herself. sometimes with
Archie, the only child of that scarce
natural union. The child was her next
bond to life. Her frosted sentiment
bloomed again, she breathed deep of
| life. she let loose her heart in that So
ciety. The miracle of her motherhood
was ever new to her. The sight of the
little man at her skirt intoxicated her
with the sense of power, and froze her
with the consciousness of her RESPONSE
bility. She looked forward, and, seeing
him in fancy grow up and play diverse
part on the worlds theater, caught I'm
her breadth and lifted up her courage
with lively effort. 1t was only with
the child that she forgot herself and
was at moments natural; yet it was
only with the child that she had con-
ceived and managed to pursue a
scheme of conduct. Archie was to be
great man and good; a minister, IL pos
sible, saint for certain She tried TO
engaged his mind upon her favorite
books, Rutherfords Letters" Scou-
gafs Grace Astounding and the like.
1T was a common practice of her (and
strange to remember now that she
would carry the child to the DeiPs
Hage. sit with him on the praying wea-
ver's stone and talk of the Covenanters
no
history was wholly artless, a design i'm
snow and ink; upon the one side, ten
der innocents with psalms upon their
lips; upon the other, the prosecutors
booted, bloody-minded, flushed with
wine; a suffering Christ, a raging Beel- !
zebub. Prosecutor was a word that |
Knocked upon the woman's heart: IL |
was her highest thought of wickedness |
and the mark of ii was on her house. /
Her great-great-grandfat had drawn I
the sword against the lords Amounted
on the field of Rulion Green, and
breathed his last tradition said) in the
arms of the detestable Delyell Nor
could she blind herself to this, that had
they lived in these old days, Hermis-
ton himself would have been num-
bered alongside of Bloody Mackenzie
and the polite Lauderdale and Rothes
In the band of Gods immediate enc
mics. The sense of this moved her 10
the more fervor; she had a voice for
that name of prosecutor that thrilled
IN the chfld's marrow; and when one
lay the mob hooted and Kissed them
all in my lords travelling carriage. and
,rled, Down with the prosecutor,
Town with Hanging Hermistonp' and
mamma covered her eyes and wept,
Ind papa let down the glass and looked
tut upon the rabble with his droll for (
nidable face, bitter and smiling. as
hey said he sometimes looked when he
rave sentence, Archie was for the mo-
nent TOO much amazed to be alarmed
tut he had scarce got his mother by
lerself before his shrill voice was
aised demanding an explanation: 6
Why they had called papa a persecu-
or? :
Keep me, my precious!" she ex-
lalmed. Keep me, my dearl this is 4
oleetical. Ye must never ask me any 7
hing poleetical, Archie. Your father is 4
great man, my dear. and it's no for
ne to you to be judging him. 1t would S
@ telling us all, If we behaved our S
elves in our several stations the way {
our father does in his high office; and I
It me hear no more of any such dis 2
espectful and undutiful questions, No a
hat you meant to be undutiful. my {
Imb; your mother kens that-she kens I
well, dearie'" and so slid off to safer Y
'pics, and left on the mind of the child t
n obscure but inerradical sense of I,
)mething wrong Y
Mrs. Weir's philosophy of life was o
in one observation-disclosures. h
her view of the universe, which was "
j lighted up with a glow out of the N
oors of hell, good people must walk G.
lere in kind of ecstasy of tenderness.
he beasts and plants had no souls; &c
ley were here but for a day, and let Il
leir day pass gently And as for the W
nmortal men, on what black, down. I
ard path were many of them vending L
nd to what a horror of an immortal
Y! Are not two sparrows," Whose fc
'er shall smite thee" God sendeth Vi
is rain" Judge not, that We be not d,
dyed, these texts made her body of
vinity; she put them on in the morn III
G with her clothes and lay down to ia
eep with them at night; they haunted m
II like a favorite air, they chung about III
r like a favorite perfume. Their is
mister was a marrowy expounder OF eN
q law, and my lord sat under him sa
tn relish; but Mrs. Weir respected w
m from far off; heard him dixie the yc