The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1905-02-01
||X Bound by a Spell |;


to be said in the matter. and the sooner
the affair is settled off-hand, the better"
The reverend gentleman was becoming
very repulsive. For time. l could not
understand his meaning; at last. 1t be-
gan to dawn upon me-he actually meant
to infer that Judith was In love with
me. What an idiot he must have thought
me. And yet, without the key his con-
versation with his daughter had given.
might ! not. in my simple trust of his
truth, have believed? shame to say.
that I fear might. But knowing what
did, I felt positively sick ut the nnuse-
Gus hypocrisy and falsehood Of the man.
He paused. rubbed his hands. then
brushed back his hair chucSlcd and
waited for me TO speak. What could
do-whnt could sayi Must | yield to
this mans incinations without a. strns
gle: Did he suspect that | knew aueht
Of his secrets. what might he not do to
me! Kill me--imprison me for life! III
stinctively felt that he would pause Mt
nothing to secure his own ends. | must
say something. To his proposition, or
rather to his inuendoes, l could make no
reply. would evade the question--try
to turn the subject. As matter OF
course, | said the thing which above all
others l ought not to have said.
did you hear anything about my
friends while you were in the city,"
Had thunderbolt fallen Mt his feet 1t
could not more suddenly have changed
his whole demeanor. He pushed back
his chair with start; and such look
OF fierce inquiry came into his face, such
n nv in. Ia mi RI hia fh1t
felt sure he was going to strike me
down upon the spot. The words were
. scarcely off my lips before | was con-
scions of the irretrieyable blunder | had
made.
"What do you meanT" he cried. men,
acinsly.
did yon not say you intended to make
further inquiries when you went 10 the
city," faltered.
Not to you. Have you been listen
iug?'
could feel the telltale blod rush into
my face Mt the question. "E,e r since
you were speaking to me on the subject.
| have thought OF nothing else" cried,
In the same faltering voice.
Look here, Master Silas: what's the
meaning Of this behavior? There's some
thing up--I know there Is. by your man.
ner. Don't attempt to humbug me. be-
cause it won't do. Or Is 1t that you
are such thorough paced idiot that YOU
don't understand the drift OF what I've
been saying? I'll satisfy myself upon
that point by and by. In the MEANWHILE
III speak n little palmer. l mean you
to marry my daughter. To this you cunt
possibly make any objection, as all the
sacrifice is on my side and hers. Now
come, what do you say to thntT
Now that he had thrown off the mask,
and spoken more plainly, felt, for the
first time in my life something like
courage to oppose him. II know that
possess no advantages to entitle mo to
such match, but | am too young to
marry" | said, with some little firm
ness.
II am the best judge of that" he an
swered sharply.
But | have no wish to marry"
"What" he exclaimed, furiously. "Do
you mean to say that you've the impu-
dence to refuse my daughter?"
Then followed n string Of invectives
and opprobrious cpithets that need not
repeat. lie literally foamed at the
mouth.
you shall smart for this insult" he
went on, wiping the pcrspiration from
his face, "lou shall so down upon
your knees and beg my pardon for this,
and pray with all your heart and aoul
for y =. hat >sdG -vT~ jas. refJ,sed!
With these words, and casting a ma
tgnant look mon me, he hurried out OF
the room.
sank into n chair. literally stupefied
and overw helmed. But even the mint
resistance that | had made inspired me
with new confidence. l felt that | was
no longer school boy, but verginy on
manhood; that it was cowardly md DIS
graceful to yield n slnvish obedience
against my conscience to such man
as he had now shown himself. The first
resolution | formed consequent upon this
better and frmer state of mind was that
| would make clean breast to Martha
of all knew. and then be guided by
her superior worldly wisdom rs to what
| had better do. Feeling much relieved,
| went up to the school room to super
intend the afternoon tasks.