The Miller sun. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 190?-19??, 1904-09-21
cHAPTER III.

i am the tdSt one ieIt oi MI. IOTttT y
old pupils; they have all been ''bagged'
by some grim custodian. and carried off
I know not whittier. Others have taken
their places, but | am still left. ] am
melancholy, moody and dreamy. My
reading is limited to a few semi-religious
books. How ardently / long for a copy
Of Shakespeare, but not one penny OF
pocket money has ever been given me-;
neither would the Rev. Mr.. Porter hear
of such a book being brought into his
house. Every image of that one break
In my monotoncus existence is indelibly
fixed upon my memory; and ! can never
disassociate that mysterious child that
IL met under the old Norman gateway
with the Juliet of the play. What a
strange memory she has left upon my
brain: she Is ever with ne in M dreams.
Shall | ever see her again? | am ever
asking myself. Yes; ] feel assured |
shall. l feel that she is in come way
interviewer with my destiny.
We never saw Josiah Cook again, but
! heard that he had gone away with the
theatrical company. who left the town
shortly after the time that marked my
adventure. The Rev. Obadiah Porter, of
course, at once settled his eternal pros
poets by condemning him to the bottom
less pit.
During my boyish days the post OF
sery ant was occupied by a very cross old
woman but a twelvcmonth previous TO
the period at which l have arrived, she
left. and her place was taken by a
,yonng woman OF about twenty years OF
agc. When | ceased TO attend the school
room | was consigned TO the kitchen, and
helped in tho household work. Martha
and / soon became fast friends. She
ssed TO say that had it not been for me
she would not have remained a month
In the house. In the winter evenings,
after she had finished her work, when
Mr.. Porter did not require our presence
at Little Bethlehem, or at religious eX-
~ercises, we used to sit by the fire and
talk. She had but little education; but
her shrewd mind was a better tutor for
me at that time than would have been
a more learned, sedentary companion.
The second person of whom | must
speak ~conjures up a very different set OF
images. l remember the first tine | saw
him was the very evening after my mem
orable escapade. We were ut prayers;
there was q loud, imperious knock at the
street door. The Rev. Mr.. Porter pans
ed and signed to the servant to answer
the knock.
The next moment there entered the
parlor a tall, elegantly dressed man, with
a remarkably pale face, the pallor of
which was greatly enhanced by II full,
glossy black beard, black curling hair,
and large black eyes. One of those
strange shudders, at which the supersti-
tious cry out that some one is walking
over their grave, ran through me as |
hooked up ri him. He stood in the door
way, and cast upon the group a glance
OF infinite scorn.
When you lave finished your dcvo-
lions he said, with a sneer, addressing
my tutor. II have something to say to
you"
The Rev. Obadiah Porter colored, hest
1ated for q moment. and then rising,
said. with his devotional whine. I'VE
swill ask a blessing upon all here, and
pray no more tonight"
With an exclamation of contemptnous
impatience, the stranger threw himself
upca the sofa, his head still covered. We
swerc quickly hustled out of the room,
and the tutor and his daughter were left
IIDI 4 u NltN AfFAtRt
More thun a twelvemonth passed
away, before he came again to the house,
-Then. little by little, he became a fire.
nucnt visitor. Miss Judith ard he were
.yery frequently together. | used often
TO see them stroll down the road arm
in-arm: and by and by ! began to OBJ
serve how anxionsly she watched fol
his coming. Martha soon compreherded
how matters stood.
II don't like that Mr.. Rodwcll," she
used 10 say: and If Judith wasn't quite
SO high in her manner ! should take thu
liberty OF telling her so"
One evening I was summoned from thu
Kitchen TO attend Hr. Porter in hi,
study" When | entered the room h,
hade me shut the door. and take a scat
I obeyed hiu. wondering what was com
ing.
"Silas," he began, fixing his small
sharp eyes upon me. and brushing bacl
the reheliious hair from his low fore
head. "can you remember anything O
your life previous to the time that Provi
sencc entrusted you to my keeping
Don't hatch a lie" no said. sharply; IRE
member the fate or Ananias."
Indeed, sir, I have no such thought.
/ answered meekly. Remember how
young I must have been when l frs
came to you. and-
Don't beat about the bush," he cried
vet more sharply. "You are conceaiinl
something you can't deceive me-" The,
suddenly changing his tone to his usua
one or shutting Hypocrisy. he added. Isl
las. / am asking these questions for yon
good-,for the sake Of those carnal In
tercsts that must be looked to while w
are ~sojourners in this world of SIM
He leaned forward with his arms upol
the table, and fixing his snake-iikc eye