Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-19
A VILLAGE TRAGEDY
BY 5. BARING-GoULD
Inr Of -'Nehalah.' John Herring etc

IS
vx ACHARY NUDGE lived on one side
of hill his work was on the
other The intervening hill was
covered with wood, oak, eoppice
and plantations of larch and pine,
and tbrougb this wood ran the road he
traced daily to his work and home again.
q distance OF two miles. He was quarry
man and the quarry at which he was en-
rpped was one of slate. At the foot of
tho hill on the other side, half mile from
Ills cottage, was a small farm of sixty
acres occupied by the Dyers. Every morn
ing as Zachary went to his occupation. he
deposited at this farm, called Little Close,
a tin can; and every evening as he re-
turned from his quarry work he called TO
receive his can filled with SKINNED milk
Occasionally, moreover, he also received a
pound of butter in cloth: when this was
the case, on the morrow morning he return-
cd the napkin empty.
Zachary lived with his mother, widow,
left with three children; the two Others
were girls, but one of these latter was In
an asylum Zachary's father had been
found one morning hanging in barn. He
had committed suicide because his wife had
put patch OF unsuitable color into the
seat OF n pair of well worn trousers and
people had laughed at him on that ac-
count.
Zachary was a Woodworking man. He
supported his widowed mother and sister,
who was at home, and was still at school.
He also contributed a small amount toward
the maintenance OF his other sister, VINO
was a lunatic, He was a reserved. silent
man His fellow workmen considered him
morose. but the most charitable said that
his gloom was the result of the domestic
troubles that weighed upon him. He was
"A well-conducted man, except only wnen
he had a little drink in him, and then he
was irascible and unreasonable, A glass or
gle sufficed to upset his head OF this he
was aware and he rarely INDUCED. He took
with him to the quarry as MS drink notn! ing
but cold tea and he did not frequent the
public house. He was powerful man,
there was not one stronger In arm ana
back none more enduring In the quarry
than Zachary Nudge.
When Zachary called at Little Close lie
was usually met by the farmers daugh-
ter, Euphemia Dyer, a graceful glri, WIN
the freshest of compilations, with large soft
dark eyes and hair abundant with a
pretty ripple in ii: whether natural or arr
tidciaI / will not pretend to say, only this
may be noted, that the ripple was more
pronounced on the Sunday than on any
other day in the week, and was hardly no.
ticeable on Saturday.
k%
Not many words passed between her and
the young Quarryman in the early morning
when he handed in the empty milk can, but
in the evening, when he was on his way
home from work, then he was disposed to
linger at the gate of Little Close, was in
disposed to take his can and be gone; and
engaged in conversation with Euphemia,
who was apparently nothing 10th to have a
few words with Zachary. He was q ro-
bust. fine looking man, with light beard
and mustache and clear blue gray eyes.
For some time Mrs. Dyer had not thought
anything of these passing interviews; it is
customary among west country folk to
have q talk on every possible occasion, and
IL is considered churiish not to do so. But
as these talks became prolonged and as
after them Euphemia returned to the
kitchen with a heightened color, her moth
or said one day, CURLY: Look here, Phe-
mic, I'll give Zachie the milk in future and
don't be taking out the can to him. There's
plenty o work for you to do in the house,
and / can't have you lettering in the road
talking to every chap as passes by"
Mother, / don't talk to every chap, only
to Zachie. and he comes for his milk.
And Zachie Nudge is just about the last
fellow l care about your getting too famil-
lar with"
Il don't care to seem proud, mother"
It's not that / want you TO seem proud;
but / want you to keep distance between
yourself and him, is but htting,
Hes u steady man, and supports his
mother"
And lunatic sister" threw in Mrs.
Dyer. No, it won't do. I'll hand him the
milk in future
Euphemia pouted. That evening Zachary
Nudge accepted his can with sulky grunt,
and did not indulge in conversation
Next day it was the same. The same the
day following Then he said TO Mrs.
Dyer: What is up, missus? Is Phemy
il?"
NO. she amt i'll, but is busy" retorted
the mother shortly. Il can't spare her to be
chattering here. when she has the work
elsewhere to mind"
So matters continued for some weeks; and
Zachary thenceforth surrendered his can in
the morning and received it in the evening
in moody silence. Occasionally in the door
way he saw Euphemia in her pale cotton
gown, showing herself, but not venturing to
draw near.
Now a new misfortune befeil Zachary.
After a very short illness his mother died.
She had been an ailing woman for some
while but the malady that carried her off
came on suddenly and she was dead be-
fore her son and daughter suspected that it
was fatal. Now there was but the sister
to keep house and as she had not passed
the sixth standard and Zachary had been
obliged to keep her at home to attend to the