The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1904-08-25
CHAPTER i


influenced il.
NV earliest recollections are Of Tab
ernacle House: previous TO those, all is
dim and shadow Tabernacle House
was an establishment kept by the Rev.
Obadiah Porter for the reception of
some half dozen boys.
The reverend pedagogue was man
whose satyr-like face greatly belied his
professions of profound piety. | could
not understand, child as | was. how it
ever came into his head to set up as a
tutor. or how parents or friends could be
induced TO confde the education of chill
dren 10 the care of a man deficient IN
the cOmmorest rudiments of learning.
His original occupation was that OF
shoemaker and his hands still retained
coarse grimed look His bullet-shaped
head was covered with a thick mass
of hair. which had a shaggy. ragged APP
pesrance. from being cut in irregular
lengths. or rather chopped away III
pieces. His forehead was very low. lie
had thick. shaggy eyebrows. and small.
snake-lika eyes. In stature he was short.
thickset. bull-necked: has arms were re-
markably long. his feet splay aud i'll
shaped.
Obadiah Porter was widower, with
one daughter So powerfully have terri
bic events engraven her after-image upon
my mind. that | can scarcely recall its
first impressions. | think she must have
been about fifteen or sixteen. | being
some FIVE or six. when | first saw her.
She did not bear the slightest resem-
blance TO her father; she was tall, thin;
her hair was bright red, her complexion
pale. her eyes large. her features deli
cate. and sharply cut. To this young
lady was handed over the tuition of her
fathers pupils.
There were five besides myself. There
was a strange bond OF sympathy be-
tween LIS all-not one of US knew any
thing Of our parents. One knew an
aunt. another an uncle. third grand
mother. or q grandfather, or a guard
ian. but no father or mother.
It was a popularity Of Mr.. Porter's
establishment that he did not take boys
who had parents His advertisement in
the newspapers ran thus: The Rever-
end Oil adiah Porter undertakes the care.
education and religious training of or
phan boys from the earliest age. I'm
exceptional references as TO piety and
discretion will be given. y. B.-No hol-
idays."
1t is not my intention TO linger upon
this period or enter into any minute de-
scriptions of our uninteresting. monoton-
Gus life. The years crept on, and were
almost wholly passed within the pre-
cincts of Tabernacle House. 1t was a
fine. old-fashioned dwelling. 1t had large
gardens back and front-the latter be-
Ing screened from the road by high
faoS rf
a paddock Altogether. it was quite a
gentleman's house. But rents are Won
derfully low in these parts. Mr.. Por-
ter was very well-to-do His boarders
alone brought him in respectable in
come; his chapel was well attended: and
he numbered many of the most prosper
Gus MawwOrms of the town among his
congregation. to one of whom-a Mrs.
Humphries-this house belonged.
By and by there were changes. One
boy left. and then another; but others
took their places Grim-looking persons
came to take them away; but. except in
one case. we knew nothing of their flu
ture destiny or destination, and they
dropped out of our lives completely. 1t
seemed as though we were interlopers
upon the world. and ought never to have
been born.
The exceptional case l mention was
that of a boy named Josiah Cook, whom
Mr.. Porter had transferred from his
care TO that of printer in the town, as
an apprentice | little thought that
Cooks transference 10 Bury would 80
materially influence my own future life
that out of that event would spring an
incident destined to shape its whole flu
ture course.
There was one large room at the top
Of the house. in which we six boys slept,
two in each of the three beds Cook
was my bed fellow. and we were fast
friends and companions. He was bold
venturesome boy. and on the last night
of his sojourn amongst us he proposed
the daring plan of some night paying us
a secret visit and relating all the lad
ventures" be should experience in his
new home.
Il can easily climb over the garden
wall from the next field he said: sc
thrown up at your window, it will be
me-"
Six months passed away and we
heard nothing more of Cook. He was
rapidly fading out of our thoughts, when
S0arI
crack at our bedroom window. TIE bold
est of our number gently lifted the sash
and peered out 1t a bright moon
light night. and he saw, standing in the
garden beneath. the well-known figure
of our old companion.
The back of the house was covered
with a fine old pear tree. 1t had no
been pruned for several years. ard bae
thrown out its wood somewhat wildly. 4
few whispered words. and Cook wa.
mounting the tree with hand and foot
almost as easily as though he had beer
ascending a ladder When he Chamber
ed into the room we all gathered round
him in sort of awe-struck manner.
Now. look here. boys" he said: .swba
do you think has brought me hero to
right?'
ITO see u.s. we supposed.
''Well. that of course; but do yol
think it would be the thing in me I,
come and make your mouths water witt
the story of all these nice things, unles
had something to pop into them? 2"
He has brought us som ething nice L
eat" was the idea suggested. But whel
he lnfolded the meaning of his symbol
lea. speech. our hairs positively stood oil
end. OF all the delights experienced b,
him in his new sphere of life, that upol
which he most glowingly dilated was tn
theater. His mast printed the bill
for that establishment, and he was FIRE
quently employed 10 carry them to tn
manager. He thus gained admission be
hind the scenes, while his acquaintanc
with the bill-sticker gained him an occa