The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1902-04-04
CHAPTER I.

About two years ago accepted cur
acy In the village of Timperley, within
few miles OF large Lancashire town.
II l had had much choice / would not
have chosen cure Of souls among mill
hands and miners. would have pre-
ferred to perform my duties under
clear sky, rather than under canopy
Of smoke; within call of fields and
woods, rather than in forest of tall
chimneys and black heads Of coal pits.
But since l was disappointed in my
hope Of cure in certain pleasant viii
lage OF Sussex, / resolved to go to Tim
perley in Lancashire. So when one
dark afternoon OF February l alighted
at the nearest station on branch rail-
way, and asked fellow passenger, who
looked like a native, and who was hurry
ing away, whether he could direct me
to Timperley-when | was answered
with curt "Noa," was not discon-
certed. / received somewhat unin.
telligible direction from a station por-
ter, and leaving orders concerning my
luggage, went out into the dark and
the drizzle to walk to Timperley.
tramped for half mile or so along
q we'll paved road, and then according
to direction, thoughD | turned down
q narrow lane between a hedge and
wooden fence. l trudged some distance
through deep mud, now stumbling upon
Jumps on the firm edge of the cartSay,
and now plunging into holes, when the
lane seemed to lose itself in field. |
hesitated little and then resolved to
return to the road. My eyes were now
used to the dark, and l perceived a
foot path across the field inclining
back toward the road. / struck into
this, thinking it would save me some
distance. But l soon found to my
vexation that "the shortest way arcoss
is the longest way round" l perse-
vered over the sodden grass, and some-
times somthing else besides grass, and
presently began to scent somewhat OF
the pleasant odors Of rusticity, and my
spirits rose degree or two. passed
a low black wooden building, and
guessed it was COW house; heard
the animals pulling at their chains and
munching their food. By-and-by l
found myself again on tolerably good
road, came upon some houses of the
suburban semi-detached villa descrip-
tion (at one of which knocked and
inquired my way), and soon, stumbling
and splashing through exasperating
mud and cinders, came out upon the
edge of the valley in which Timperley
lay.
/ stood and gazed around me. Such
a spectacle | had never seen before. /
listened to and felt the feverish rush of
the life of Lancashire industry. The
birr and buzz Of thousands of spindles,
the swift click and thud of shuttle and
loom, and the regular sob and respira-
tion of mighty engines mingled with
the rush Of water and the plaintiye
painting of some machine as of an en-
shaved geni of the Arabian Nights.
could not at first apportion the sounds
to the various groups of buildings be-
meath me. On my right was many
storied mill, whose bright windows
were reflected in the CLASSY surface Of a
pond, on the banks OF which there
grew, pensive and forlorn. a few scrubby
trees. On my left an aggregation of
long low buildings with glass roofs,
that looked with their shining backs
like monstrous, crouching dragons of
antediluvian days. Farther up the val
ley was another group of buildings
wrapped in cloud Of steam. Imme-
diately before me was a ruined mill,
unrooied and gaunt, with its bell tower
and its tall, cold chimney outlined
against the sky; behind 1t was another
group OF irregular buildings. A dozen
tall chimneys poured their smoke into
the sulphurous air, which was pervaded
by certain glow-insuffcient to dis.
sipate the darkness, but enough to make
the stream which wound down the val
ley CLEAN like black gigantic snake.
Now and again furnace mouths opened
and glowed with a isrocious glare,
while weird tongues of lurid fame
fickered on the slope and ridge behind
As | looked a great repulsion seized
me. / recalled the Prophets descrip-
tion in the Old Testament of the Valley
of Hinnom or Tophet, in which men
sacrificed to strange gods, and caused
their sons and daughters TO "pass
through the fires to Moloch." This,
surely, was one Of the Tophets Of mod
ern days, In which the sons and daugh-
tiers Of England are made to pass
through the fires of the Moloch Of
Wealth and the Baal Of all-devouring
Industry.
And still as looked and thought Of
this the bell tower Of the ruined mill
before me fell Nth q loud clang, and
there uprose into the air TO mingle
with the other sounds the frantic
screaming of pigs and neighing Of
horses. l was not surprised; l was
somehow prepared by the scene not to
be surprised at anything that might
happen In this strange region. Il
passed, however, hurriedly down the
sloPe BY a rough path. and found the
road into the valley and the villsge. I
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