The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1904-10-06
I.

yeaE I must glance back at the earlier
year ~ my childhood, and nj those who
tnHaenced II. .
Ma earliest rccollections ara OF Tab
ernntle House; previous TO those. all Is
flul and shadow. Tabernacle House
was hn establishment kept By the Rev.
OBADIAH Porter, for the reception OF
some bali dozen boyA
Ire reverend pedagogue was q man
Whope satyr-llko face greatly bclied his
professions % profound piety. ! could
pst understand, child as | was, how IL
ever came into his head 20 set up rs a
tufOt. or how parents or friends could be
tnanced 20 conide the education Of chill
6rea 10 the rare OF a man deicient In
the rommoncst rudimcnts Of learning.
Nin original occupation was that Of n
nhoUpaker. and his hands still rcNRiued a
coarse, grimed look. His bullet-shRped
head was covered with n thick mass
OF hair, which had a shaggy. ragged mp
pearancc, from being cut In irregular
kngthR or rather chopped away In
bieccs. His forehead was very low. He
hRd thick, shaggy eyebrows, and small,
unakelike eyes. In stature he was short,
9hickset. bull-necked; his Rrns wefe re-
mnrknbly long, his feet splay and I'D
shaped.
Obadiah Porter was a widower, with
one daughter, So powerfully have terri
hle events engraven her afteTImaEc upon
nv mind. that 1 can acarccly rfcAll It's
Hrst Impressions. I think she mus have
been nbons hftasn OF sixteen being
acnc lrA OK SIX, when 7 hrst saw her.
Sin ana not bear the slightest reScm-
Zee 10 her father: she wal tall. thin;
hair was hrsRht red, her complexion
her eyus large. her features dell.
and sharply cot To this young
was HANDED ever the tuition OF her
3 pupils.
e were Eve besides myself. There
strnare bond az sympathy be-
JUS all-not one Of as knew any
f our parents. One knew an
mother an uncle. q third a grand
or a graadfather, or a guard
& no father or mother.
as a pe~cnliarity Of Mr.. Porter'S
hynent thar be did not take boys
a parenta His advertisement In
,spapcrs ran thus: ''Ths Rever-
adiah Porter undertakes the crre,
U HlN WMM tNtAMNQWM ANNANAAh VI vi
nys frons tho earliest age. I'm.
nal r~eferenees on 10 piety and
ON win be- given. n. B.-No hol-
not my Intention 20 linger upon
io6. or enter into any minute de-
aa * our nninteresting, monotop-
The years crcpt on, and were
wholly passcd within the pre-
Tabernnele House. IL was q
AshsAi0ned dweIling. IL had large
back h1d front-tha latter be-
eose8 frosn the road by a high
sal5es an extensive orchard and
*. Altogether, Il was quite a
ms house. But rents are Won
low IA these parts. Mr.. Por.
very welLto-do. His boArders
ought him IN a respectable In
J chapel was well attended; and
erred Many OF the most prosper
worms Of the town among his
ation, % one OF whom-a Mrs.
4ex-thia house belonged.
4 W there were changes. One
and then another; but others
Oar place8. Grim-lookiag persons
take them away; but. except In
3, we knew nothing OF their fu-
Astiny or destination, and they
out 0g our lives completely. IL
as though we were interlopers
e world, and ought never to have
I'm
Exceptional case I mention was
a boy named Josiah Cook, whom
sortcr had transferred from his
thar OF q printer IN the town, rs
rentice. ] little thought that
tFansference 20 Bury would so
ily inilnenre my own future life
But of that aVent would spring an
destined 10 shape It's whole fu-
Irse.
wa one large room at the top
guae, in which We six boys slept,
hauh OF the three beds. Cook
bed fellow, and We were fast
"a c~oEnpanions. He was a bold,
me bey, and on the last night
ourn amongst US he proposed
plan OF some night paying Us
FiHit and relating all the lad.
ha should experience in his
easily climb over the garden
the next held," he said; $50
boys; II you hear a stone
az az your window, Il will be
Six months passed away and we
heard nothing more OF Cook. He was
rapidly fading oat ~ our thoughts, when,
n autumnhi night we heard n sharp
crack at our bedroom window. The bold
~ az our number gently lifted the sash.
and peered out. II was a bright moon
lixht night. and he saw, standing In the
Raraan beneath. the well-known figure
~ 6 old companion.
The back OF the house was covered
with a hne old pear tree. II had not
been prnned foe several gears. aud had
thrown ont It's wood somewhat wildly. A
Few whispered words. aud Cook was
mounting the tree with hand aud foot.
alracpl ar easily as though he Ind been
ascending a ladder. When he Chamber
cd into the room we all gathered round
Sim 10 a sort Of awe-struck manner.
"Now. look here. boys" he said: what
o 700 think has brought me here to-
riShtTF
ITO 800 No." we supposed.