Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1902-07-25
that ~had attended the trick 10 had
played upon me.
CHAPTER vi.


CHAPTER VI
Wien 1 reaehed the charming little
Surrey village Of Bishopstowe, I
could see that it bore out Kitwater's
description 81 It. prettier little
place could scarcely have been dis
covered, win its tree-shaded high
road, it's cluster Of thatched cottages.
it's blacksmith's shop, rustic inn with
the signboard on high post before
the door, and, last but not least, the
quaint little church standing some
hundred yards back from the main
road, and approached from the lych-
gate by an avenue of lines.
Here" I said to, myself, sis q
place where man might live to zbes
100, undisturbed by the rush and
hustle of the great world"
That was my feeling then, but
since I have come to knowait. BETTER.
and have been permitted an noppor-
tunity of seeing for myself some
thing Of the inner life of the hamlet,Y
I have discovered that it issonly the
life Of a great city, on small scale.
There is the same keen competition
in trade, with the same jealousies
and chickering's. However, on this
peaceful Sunday morning it struck
me as being delightful. There was
an old-world quiet about it that was
vastly soothing. The rocks cawed
lazily in the elms before the church
as if they knew it were Sunday morn
ing and day of rest. A dog lay ex-
tended in the middle of the road,
baskings in the sunshine q thing,
which he would not have dared to do
on weekday. Even the little
stream that runs under the old stone
bridge, which marks the center of
the village, and then winds it's tor
tuous course round the churchyard,
through the Squire's park, and then
down the valley on its way to the
sea, seemed to flow somewhat more
slowly than was it's wont.
Feeling just in the humor for lit
tie moraizing, I opened the lych-
gate and entered the churchyard.
The congregation were singing the
last hymn, the Old Hundredth, if I
remember rightly, and the sound Of
their united voices fitted perfectly
into the whole scheme, giving it the
one touch that was lacking. AS 1
strolled along I glanced at the in
scriptions on the various tomb
stones, and endeavored to derive
from them some notion Of the lives
and characters of those whose mem
cries they perpetuated.
SACRED to the memory of Eras-
mus Cunning, ~ years schoolmaster
of this parish. Born 24th Of March,
1906, and rested from his labors on
September the 10Th, 1876" Seating
myself on the low wall that sur
rounded the churchyard, looked
down upon the river, and, while 50
doing, reflected upon Erasmus Gun
ming. What had he been like, this
knight of the ferrule, who for ~
years acted as pedagogue to this
tiny hamlet? What good had he
done in HIS world? Had he realized
his life's ambition? Into many of
the congregation now worshiping
yonder he must have driven the three
Rs, possibly with the assistance of
the faithful ferru]e aforesaid, yet
how many OF them gave thought to
his memory! In this case the asser-
ton that he frosted from his labors''
was trile ambiguous. Consigning
poor Erasmus to oblivion, I contin-
ued my walk. Presently my eyes
caught an inscription that made me
halt again. It was dedicated to the
flowing Memory of William Kitwa-
ter, and Susan, his wife," I was still
looking at it, when heard a step
on the gravel-path behind me, and
turning round, found myself stand
ing face to face with Miss Kitwater.
To use the conventional phrase,
church had "come out" and the con-
gregation was even now making it's
way down the broad avenue towards
the. high-road.
Glow do yon do, Mr.. Fairfax" said
Miss Kitwater, giving me her hand
as she spoke. ut is kind indeed of
YOU to come down. hope you have
good news for us?"
II am inclined to consider it good
news myself" I said. II hope you
will think so too"
She did not question me further
about it then, but, asking me to ex-
cuse her for a moment, stepped over
the little plot of ground where her
dear ones lay, and plucked some of
the dead leaves from the flowers
that grew upon it. To my thinking
she was just what an honest English
girl should be; straightforward and
gentle, looking the whole world in
the face with frank and honorable
simplicity. When she had finished
her labor of love, which only occu-
pied her a few moments, she sug-
geSted that we should stroll on to
her house.
my uncle will be wondering what
has become Of me-" she said, land
he VII also BE- most anxious to see
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