The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-10-16
SILAS MARINER.
CHAPTER l..

hummed Nb,lslly In tho farm houses there
might DO seen in English rural Districts
far away among the lanes, or deep In the
bosom of the hills, certain pallid, UNDER
sized men, who, by the size OF the
brawncy country folk, looked like the
remnants OF a dlsnhcrited race.
2. In the early years OF tho nineteenth
century, such Il linen weaver, named fSnas
Mariner. worked ut his vocation In u
stone cottage that stood among the MI ~
hedgcrows. near tile village OF Ravclocr
and not far from the edge or the deserted
stone-pIt.
3. 1t was hftcen years since Slas Mariner
had first come to Isavcloe; he was then
simply a pallid young man. with proml-
tient, short-slghtcd brown eyes. whose
anpearsnce would have nothing strange
Il for people OF average culture and eSpc-
sicnce. bu. FOR the villagers, near whom
4 he had come to settle, II had mysterious.
peculiarities, which correspondent with his
& advent from an unknown region called
North lard. =
4. AZ the end OF fifteen years the Itase-
loe men said just the same things about
Silns Mariner MS mt the beginning. There
WIZ only one Important addition which
the years had brought. 1t was that Mas
( ter. Mariner had laid by q fine sight Of
money somewhere. & Il
Vi s. B,ssxhiIc, opinion concerning him had
remained stationary. Manners inward life
4 had been 4 history and a mctamorphosls.
= Before he came to Raycloc he had been
nssocated with tho close fellowship OF
narrow religious sect, where the poor
e est layman has. at the very least tie
weight OF "a silent voter In the govern
mont OF his community. Mariner was
\ highly thought OF in that little hidden
world, known to itself ns the church as
Ernbng In Lantern Yard. dc was be-
%iieved to be a young man OF exemplary
life and ardent faith. and q peculiar m
tercat had been centercd IN him ever since
s he had fallen at II prayer meeting Into e.
mysterious rigidity md suspension OF con-
seriousness which. lasting for nm hour or
more, had been mistaken for death
&. Among the members of his church
there was ono young man. a little older
than himself with whom he had long
lived In such close friendship that IT
was the custom OF their Lantern YARD
brethren to call them David md J6l,athnn.S
The real name OF the friend was William
Dane Tor some months S!lns Mirncr
had been engaged to young servant
woman, waiting only for little increase
TO their mutual savings In order TO- their
marriage 1t wns a great dcllg hit to him
that Sarah did not object to Williams
occasional presence at thelr Sunday In
II terviews.
e. About this time the ; senior deacon OF
Lantern Yard Church was taken seriously
III. SiIas frequently took his turn In the.
night watching with william. the one
relieving the other at o'clock in the
morning One night Silas. sitting By
the old mans bedside. observed that his
y 4 audible breathing Ind ceased Examina-
ton convinced him that tho deacon was
,iead-had been dead for some 1ime-for
the limbs We're rigid Silns asked himself
IL lie had been asleep. md looked Mt the.
clock. 1t was already 4 In tho morning.
How was It that William, had not come?
s. lie summoned help and went to his
work. wishing he could hive seen VIII
liam, TO know the reason OF his non
appearance. AT Q O'Clock in the evening,
Y rs he was thinking OF going to seek his
friend. William came and with him the
minister.
e.Thcy came to summon him to meet
4 the church members there. TO his inquiry
concerning the cause OF the sim --n,'e5
he only reply was; you Will hear"
Nothing further was said until Sslas
~ns seated In the vestry, In front Of the
minister. Then the minister. taking out
n spocket knife shovel 1t to sllas. and
asked him IL he knew where he had left
that knife. silas said he did not know
he had left 1t anywhere out or his Lown
pocket. He was then cxhorteG to confess
had been found in bureau by the de-
parted deacons bedside. in the place
where the little bag OF church money had
lain. Some hand had removed that bag
u f3Whose hand could It he, II not that OF
the man to whom the knife belonged?
TO- Tor some time slas was mute VIII,
astonishment. Then he said God will
clear Inc. d Search me and my dwelling:
sou will nild nothing but three pound nyr
OF my own SAVINGS" The search wns
made, and 1t ended in William Dunes
finding the we'll known bag. cmrty. tucked
behind the chest Of drawers In Sllas's
chnmher. On S this. William .eXlortcd llI.s
friend 10 confess Sllns turned n look %
keen repronci to him and said: William
for nine years We have gone in and out
together, and have you ever known me
toillc? but God will clear me-
J.. On their rel urn to The vestry The
members resolved on praying and 9 Grawln'
lots to ascertain the cuprit, Silns knel
With his brethren. but the lots lerlarc1g
him guilty. He was solen,ny 10 snspendc
from churnh membership. Only OF co9fdr
sion could he BIO received again whit,
tho II fold of the church. Al last. wht
GYeryt one arose to depart. Mariner wc'
i tVlWillinm Dane and said "rhe last tin
St3I remember using my KNIT WIS t., chi
strap for you, You stole tn Obey 81
YOU have woven Il plot to lay the sin
my door" william answered rnpck'
tS'I leave 12 our brethren to Judge butwel
,ls' can do nothing hui pray for y,
sllns."
IL. Mariner went home and's sat alone j.
whole day, without any imnnlse to II
to Sarah and wjnlher belief In his inr
cence. The second dav tho 1'inistcr n
\. ono Of the dencons aan,o with Il messas
from Sarah that she held her en- gag0nr99
ats an end Slas received lie mess,
mutely, and turned from the messcngs
to.,hls loom.
Is, In little more than q month si,le
ana William were married. Not lol a
nfterwardsit was rknown tho brethrr
In I.antcra Yard that Sas>had departe
from the town.
Questions,
1, Give the. meaning Of the word ''mela
4 1l,orphossn in the nth paragraph,