Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-01-02
he Salvation
Of Daniel.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
UsNsIlsAlsNN.N0.S N.SNs(


oS<. MS. TRAPAUD was in high
~ z good feather; her bay mare
vi Q and foal had fetched one
hundred and thirty golden
ION sovereigns between them.
recover. she had only given eighty
meas for the mare. Who will be
onished, therefore. that she found
news of her bargain quite an
eeaDie adjunct to her breakfast that
,rning?
Lrs. Trapaud was woman of
me humor; when her husband died
met friend-a man also of some
imor-who knew as all the world
aew. and as Mrs. Trepaud had never
.nded TO hide. that the marriage
been the reverse 10 happy. lie
d ut her weeds with a. comnre-
NC smile.
your divorce at LAST" he said.
J. and in the higher courts. too"
piled.
Trepaud was always equal 10
casion.
l Trepaud died his widow car
ried Oh. the work of his life; she con
tinued to breed his horses. Not so
! much. be 1t understood. from any
touching sympathy with Tie dear de-
parted as from sound conviction
that 1t was in her 10 make the thing
pay. And she did
1t was a strange household composed
of antiqnated serving men and wo.
men who had been berot;en AMI born
on the estate. and in whom the last
expiring breath of feuda!iSm fingered
as Though dying hard Trepaud left
| no heir. and these farm and stable
hands. these domestic serving maids.
s-er. Mrs. Trepaud.s children She
dosed and physlcked them when they
required it. she rubbed their backs
when the rheumatism got importunate:
she scolded. she praised. rewarded and
blanchard they loved her.
But as in every household thcre is
one black sheep. so IN this patr.archal
family there was one stfangplin-. Dan
iel-he had no other name-had not
been born and bred on the estate: he
had not even first seen light in the
village: no. not within ton leagues of
II the gossips said. He came from
practically nowhere. It was so very far
away. On winter nights. when the
evenings were long and dull. the
younger ones-for age was mere mat
ter OF comparison In the Thepaud
household-would coax old Mrs. Good
heart to tell again the story of how
Daniel first came to the hall.
"It were a wild. bleak night jest
SIGH a one as this" the old housekeep-
err would begin.
"And the wind were bowling in the
chimbley. we knows" would interpo-
tate an irresponsible voice
"will We niyer learn TO hould per
tongue. then, and not interrupt the
story?" A chorus OF voices would rro-
test. and then. Mrs. coodheart. having
! duly allowed herself TO he appeased.
! the story would drag out its slow. IA
miliar existence punctuated with
"ohs" and ''ahs" and there nows" that
! had become sanctified by custom into
a sort of rite. But the reader who does
not know what three hundred and six
ty-five days spent on Il midland horse
farm situated n good twenty miles
from anywhere on the map can be lik.
wouli hardly appreciate the art with
which Daniels history was told so
we will offer brief and more modern
up-to-date sketch that shall state the
plain matter in a nutshell.
One Christmas eve quarter of
century ago the hosp.tahle glare of a
fire that not only could roast an OK.
but WAS actually doing so. attracted
little ragged follow. who was trampn2
along the high road in search of a
nights lodging One OF the Keepers
found him in the fir plantation and
dragged him after linn till they stood
In the glare Of the freight before The
paud. his wife. and the assembled
household. Questioned. the little fell
low said his name was Daniel: he was
q foundlirg and had been put ont to
service with drunken carpenter.
from whom he had run away. He he'd
got as fer north MS this In q barge
along the canals and had worked NJ
whatever came 10 his hand for all the
food and lodging that charity had not
given him. 1'rapaud liked the lads
face and TOO. him into his service. He
was honest and industrious. lie bad ris-
en- by slow degrees and now for seven
years he had been butler Mt the hall.
Daniel took 4 pathetic pleasure in
hearing his own story rccited: it made
him feel kind of hero: but there was
alWavs the ever-nreSent ache at his
heart that he bought his proud posi-
ton n the cost of love and fear. He
YVES Fever quite one Of them. Int q
thing apart rs 4 man who does not
know his own surname must ever be-
Mrs. Trapaud was habitnally careful
money. never leaving carelessly