The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-02-25

IT HAD fairly poured for two days,
and I had waded through all the
newspapers and other reading mat
ter to be had at the little Adirondack
hotel at which 1 was staying.
The landlord, Mr.. Carpenter, was a
jolly old fellow who was noted for
his sprightly stories, and he did his
best to entertain his guests and keep
up their spirits as they sat On the
broad piazza of the Wayside house and
watched the steady downpour.
1 did not join the group on the
veranda. If there is anything l par
ticularly dislike it is to listen to the
chatter of a lot Of people who are
trying to delude themselves into the
belief that they are enjoying life
when the face of Nature is ankle
deep with mud and water, and it is
still raining as if it never intended to
stop. So l stuck to my room and
burrowed my way through books,
week-old newspapers, patent medi-
cine Misunderstanding that would
help me in a measure to forget the
aboElinable weather.
But on the evening of the second
day, when it grew suddenly colder
and a roaring wood fire had been
Lndled in the open fireplace in the
big sitting-room, 1 was one of the
first to gather around its cheerful
blaze.
Now, if ever, was the time for
storytelling, but the landlords roper
tory seemed to be about exhausted.
NO use asking for any more funny
stories" lie drawled out with a depre-
catory shake of the head. These
two wet days have pumped me dry
so to speak. I a only think of one
more story, but as there isn't any
thing comical about that one, 1 dom
suppose you'Il care to hear IT,"
Give US a story, by all means
urged one of the ladies. Il can al
ways sleep better if 1 have a ghosr
story or some exciting adventure t;
go to bed on"
Well" began the landlord, re
fectively, Il don't think this comes
under the head OF a ghost story MOI
even q story Of adventure. I'll hav,
to tell it, and let you classify it 70.
yourselves. The climax of my stor,
came ten years ago when 1 was keep
ing q hotel in my native village
which 1 will call Eden Center; but tn.
beginning dated back many years be
fore that, to the time when the Peek
were the nabobs of the place.
Squire Peek, with his wife an
only daughter, lived in a big whit
house on a hill in the outskirts of tn
village, and a naughty. high-steppini
old chap he was when l first kney
him. He always seemed to conside
himself and his family a little abov
the rest of the folks in Eden Center
and when Lucinda Peek grew up, a
though she was by long odds the bes
looking young lady in the place, an
while the young fellows were a
half daft over her, none of them rea.
~ had the courage to make love t
her for fear of arousing the wrath Q
the stiff-necked old squire.
THE first one who tried it was a
outsider, and the ruthless way j
which his aspirations were nipped i
the bud by Lucinda's father he'll
forth very little encouragement t
the others. He was a young colleg
student, named Henry Randell, VIII
had come to Eden Center to spend hi
summer vacation in earning som
needed money. Though depender
wholly on his own earnings, he WI
bravely working his way throug
college, it seems, and he got a jo
keeping the books and making up a
counts at the village store daytime
and at night he gave lessons on ii
violin and other musical instrument
He was a first-class singer, too, an
soon after coming to the place /
started a singing school, hiring II
schoolhouse and charging a regula
! fee for the lessons, which he ga,
I every Thursday evening.
at was at the singing school tn;
\ he made the acquaintance of Lucind
( Peek, and il was a clear case of 10,
1 at first sight. He was a manly youu
I fellow, and when the rest of the boy
y saw how matters were shaping, thei
R wasn't one of them but wished hi
& well.
Z But the our of true love run
\ uncommonly rough sometimes as IL
\ poet tells about, and when your
Randell walked boldly up to the b
! house on the hill with Lucinda OF
y evening, and asked her father for h,
) hand in marriage, it was said th'
I the naughty old squire drove hi
\ from the house with the dire
threats and curses that one ma
I ever poured upon the head of anotI
I err. 1t was then near the close
y his Nncatinn- and Randall WINS cor