The silver star., 1900-03-23
Brother MilIiksn's Low Voice.

,tand. In daytime. all the year
Iong. its branches seemed to
,eckon the valley road to labor
on over the rising slopes; and
by night except when the nights were
dsrkest the great mass of its foliage
or its angular gaunt skeleton loomed
up against the sky, shadowy land
mark in the starlight, mystery of
black and silver when the moon glided
out above the hills.
Under this tree, Wiley Sides and his
friends often met on their way to and
from the Pass. and, in consequence, its
broad shadow came to be avoided by
,ther wayfarers. Often the meetings
we're prearranged, and the tree was
starting-p point for some expedition, un-
dertaken more as horseplay than for
any serious purpose, but which would
keep the country talking for week.
. often, however, the session under the
tree came after the raid, when the
men, tired at about the same time,
collapsed on the hospitablc earth.
Sometimes they sang and shouted,
sometimes they fought, and sometimes
they fell into such deep slumbsr that
next morning the passers saw them
still lying there. with shifting sun
shine and shadow on their faces, as
rustful and unconscious as SO many
forgotten ninepins after game OF
bowls.
Considered in that way, Wiley was
the most trustful man around the
Pass. His voice was the loudest, also;
and his daring went the greatest
lengths. There was no need to conjure
up bug-a-boos to frighten the children
with in that region. The women on
the scattered, lonely farms had only to
60 to the door and call. Come, Wiley"
and the staunchest little rebel wilted
into obedience; for all the children
had heard his cries and his pistol
shots as his horse went gallopIng past
in the black nights.
The mothers had heard, too. and had
trembled, and some OF them cahed
Come. Wiley" in low. half-choking
voices. they were SO afraid that he
might be somewhere near and come.
But the tall. strong. unprejudiced old
tree beckoned. Come. Wiley! Come
Wiley!" and never vas afraid at any
time.
Next to Wiley and his friends. the
man who took most pleasure in the
tree was Brother MilIikin, the preach
er; but he enjoyed it for very different
reasons from those which led Wiley
into its shadow. Two or three times
every week he had to take the long
ride to a little settlement called Sum-
init. where he had a second pastorate,
and. he often stopped beneath the tai,
ton from its strong. unhampered up
lift toward the sky.
Il seemed an indignity that 1t should
always be associated with Wiley Sides,
and a plan occurred to him for max
Ing IT, rallying ground for very diff
ferent class Of people from Wiley's
friends. Standing, as 1t did. half way
between his two churches. it was an
almost obvious place for union meet
ings to both congregations Tor Satur.
day nights all summer long.
The plan worked we'll. The people
made evening picnics OF the meetings.
driving out In great numbers from
both villages; and, IL the Sunday
morning services suffered little in
consequence. Brother Millikin did not
care; for. one after another, Wiley's
friends had sauntered within range OF
his voice. and their attention had been
caught and held by what he had to
say.
No one without great personal mag
netism could have swayed their rough,
ironclad natures. and even Brother
Miflikin. who had great magnetism.
could not make consistent converts OF
them all. or entirely change their lives.
but he held their hearts In his hand.
and 30 they could never wander very
far.
Wiley was the only one of the gang
who had completely evaded and eluded
him. giving the meetings u wide berth.
1t was even noticed that Wiley had be-
come quite abstemious on Saturday
nights, tor fear that some time, when
his ideas Of locality were not quite
clear. his horse should fall into the
old custom and carry him TO the tree
and stop. II was hard, though, for
him to bear anything In mind 70 reg
ularly a. once q week. and at last he
had an inspiration for making every
day like every other. as days had al
ways been before. There should be NO
tree.
To have cut the tree down would
have required much labor. and that was
an insupcrable objection from Wiley's
point Of view; but. having NO scruples
against letting months Of slow decline
do his work for him. Wiley had another
plan. He dropped into . neighbor's
yard one night, when the nighbor was
not looking. helped himself to an Ak.
rode away to the tree. and hacked OF
the bark In = deep, narrow blase
around the trunk. while above him the