Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1899-07-29
have it ar-the plantations here and
in Louisiana-all-all-"
The blood gushed from his mouth
and he fell back in a faint.
CHAPTER IL
and he &c
.nonc me GRANITE r1Lrs

As has been said, the scenes de
scribed in my first chapter were not
witnessed by me. But had seen and :
known one of the chief actors long be-
fore that memorable morning. | had
seen and known him under .circum-
stances that make it necessary to due
comprehension of the narrative to state
where, when and how
| 1t was FIVE years before. To be ex-
act, il was the spring of 1s4s- was
planting corn with my father. on one of
| the almost sterile hillsides of the New
Hampshire farm. The humble roof
under which was born was visible
down near the river. The Merrimac
wound along two sides of our little
homestead, furnishing the only cheer
full feature Of the scene Hills-ster-
lie hills-eucompassed US. Twenty
miles away could see the granite top
of Mount Kearsarge soaring to the
, clouds.
was boy of eleven, rather preco- |
cious for my years l attended the |
. public school four months in the year, |
/ | and labored with my father the bal |
, ance Of the time among these rocks.
! went TO meeting" on Sundays in the
old edifice on top of a high hill, on the
, steeple OF which n veering wooden
{ Goldfish denoted the direction of the
> wind, and saved the people from the
+ proclamation which a cross in that
place would have caused listened
to the choir, elevated to fearful
5 height in the rear gallery, as they
s thundered forth resembling anthems
n and fugues. heard the dolcful-visaged
and drawling-voiced minister pray
;. forty minutes at a stretch, and preach
Ees nj
tenths of the whole race to exquisite
, and eternal torment. / had thirst
for knowledge that the public school
II could not supply. A stray copy of the
a. Boston Daily Journal, coming like an
O. fenchanter from the outside world,
sometimes stimulated this thirst
I'd was generally regarded as "a green
ID lboy," IAN odd stick" etc; and once
ne heard of Deacon Hallecx telling my
I'd father that a boy with such out
err llandish notions as Dorr ought to be
Whipped regularly twice a week
Z, doubtless ] should have been. had the
= deacon been given the ordering of me
- earlier than he was; but my father, al
,E though reared in all the vigor of Puri-
tanism, was by nature kind and ten
= sder-hearted, and religious fanaticisn
could not change him To my own
puzzled youthful mind, it often seemed
= as though grave mistake had beer
: made in my allotment l seemed K
3 have been set down in the wrong cor
= ner of the world, among people Will
= whom had no affinity.
- was still mere boy. learned a
/ grew older, and long before lad
An | farewell TO my northern home, to re
~ spect the intelligence, the force, tn
Al. Il, hos
very '.failings leaned 10 virtues side.
- Still, thought then. as / think nov
.s~ that should always have been dwarfe
and cramped among them
Returning 10 the bleak hill-sid
'po- where my father and were striving I
low plant corn on that afternoon, recor
TO how ! suddenly stopped work, leane
on my hoe, and contemplated m
pls- father. He was in his shirt-sleevc
oke his craving hair and refined b'
ing wrinl1led face were turned 20 me as
gth bent over his toll. A sudden inspir
ton seized me.
lng Father! DO you suppose that WIZ
nan I get to be as old as you are, ] shall
the planting corn in these rocks?"
He stopped and looked up in 81
Cup prise
II nope not. Dorr-I hope you won
But what put snch question into 20
head just now?'
!. ITS in my head all the time t
,tlng way things are going on here, the
n as don't seem to be anything coming
d. me but the same poverty and the sa
and labor that YOU have always had"
He looked at me-a serious pityi
said glance it was-and atdown on a gr
shirt his hand and sighed.
erted "AIy boy, I've often thought of II
ed a Your poor mother and 1 have j
awake nights talking about it; bu
nded never thought it had troubled you a
What do you want?"
ITO go to the academy-maybe
college-and by and by to get out i
the world, try to make man of l
- VIC self, like tho men read of, and to
something besides these hills and tn
people. I'd like to get rich, and &C
'Pe"u back and build big house for you
mother over on the lake. Yes, I'd
Gu Z -. to do anything rather than live h
- all my life"
'nUeu He smiled at my youthful enthusia
- but his look of painful reflection gu
' ly returned.
~ - 'Dorr, | had just such dreams
self, when was young. and pres'
80 that my father before me had them
! -; wanted an education, and eoui
- -. have it. Poverty, hard toll and
barrassment seem to be the lo
- ~ those who cleave to this soil
- knows. wish things might be shs
as you wish them; but how to cont
- it do not know"
49, His hoe dropped from mis- hand,
- his eyes sought the ground chal
TO look down toward the river
aocsc- and saw man in a buggy ssto