Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1905-02-18
CHAPTER I.


events which began in my fourteenth
year, | must glance back at the earlier
years of my childhood, and at those who
influenced it.
My earliest recollections are of Tab.
ernacle House; previous to those. all is
dim and shadowy. Tabernacle House
was an establishment kept by the Rev
Obadiah Porter. for the reception of
some half dozen boys.
The reverend pedagogue was a man
whose satyr-like face greatly belied his
professions of profound piety. | could
not understand, child as | was. how it
ever came into his head to set up as a
tutor or how parents or friends could be
induced to contide the education of chill
dreu to the care of man deficient in
the commonest rudiments of learning.
His original occupation was that Of a
shoemaker, and his hands still retained a
coarse, grimed look. His bullet shaped
head was covered with a thick mass
of hair, which had shaggy, ragged APP
pearance, from being cut in irregular
lengths, or rather chopped away in
pieces. His forehead was very low. lie
had thick, shaggy eyebrows and small.
snake-like eyes. In stature he was short,
thickset, bull-necked; his arms were re-
markably long, his feet splay aud i'll
shaped.
Obadiah Porter was a widoWer, with
one daughter. So powerfully have terri
BILE events engraven her after-image upon
my mind, that | can scarcely recall its
first impressions, think she must have
been about fifteen or sixteen. | being
some FIVE or six, when / first saw her.
She did not bear the slightest resem-
blance to her father; she was tall. thin;
her hair was bright red, her complexion
pale, her eyes large her features deli
cate, and sharply cut. To this young
lady was handed over the tuition of her
fathers pupils.
There were five besides myself There
was strange bond of sympathy be-
tween us all-not one of us knew any
thing of our parents. One knew an
aunt, another an uncle, a third grand
mother, or a grandfather or a guard
ian, but no father or mother.
1t was a popularity of Mr.. Porter's
establishment that he did not take boys
who had parents. His advertisement in
the newspapers ran thus: The Rever-
end Obadiah Porter undertakes the care,
education and religious training OF or
phan boys from the earliest age I'm
exceptional references as to piety and
discretion will be given. n BIO hol-
idays."
1t is not my intention to linger upon
this period, or enter into any minute de-
scriptions of our uninteresting. mOnoton-
GUS life. The years crept on, and were
almost wholly passed within the pre-
cincts of Tabernacle House 1t was
fine old-fashioned dwelling 1t had large =,
gardens back and front-the latter be-
ing screened from the road by high
wall-besides an extensive orchard and
paddock. Altogether, it was quite a |
gentleman's house. But rents are won
derfully low in these parts. Mr.. Por-
ter was very well-to-do. His boarders
alone brought him in respectable in
come; his chapel was well attended, and
he numbered many Of the most prosper
GUS Mawworms OF the town among his
congregation, to one OF whom-a Mrs
Humphries-this house belonged.
BY and by there were changes One
boy left, and then another: but others
took their places. Grim-looking persons
came to take them away; but, except in
one case, We knew nothing of their flu
ture destiny or destination, and they
dropped out of our lives completely 1t
seemed as though we were interlopers
upon the world, and ought never to have
been born.
The exceptional case | mention was
that of boy named Josiah Cook, whom
Mr.. Porter had transferred from his
care to that Of a printer in the town. as
an apprentice. l little thought that
Cooks transference to Bury would so
materially influence my own future life
that out OF that event would spring an
incident destined to shape its whole fu-
ture course.
There was one large room at the top
of the house, in which we six boys slept,
two in each of the three beds. Cook
was my bed fellow. and we were fast
lends and companions. He was a bold.
lturesome boy. and on the last night
his sojourn amongst us he proposed
daring plan of some night paying us
cret visit and relating all the lad
res" he should experience in his
Ame
easily climb over the garden
I'm the next field" he said: $50
t, boys; IL you hear stone
up at your window, it will be
months passed away and we
~ nothing more of Cook lie was
pidly fading out of our thoughts, when,
20 autumnal night we heard a sharp
ack at our bedroom window. The bold
81 OF our number gently lifted the sash.
and peered out. 1t was a bright moon
light night, and he saw. standing in the
garden beneath, the well-known figure
of our old companion.
The back of the house was covered
with a fine old pear tree. 1t had not
been prnned for several years, atd had
thrown out its wood somewhat wildly. A
few whispered words. and Cook was
the tree with hand and foot |
4 noaf "A an silv a. though ha had hnnn |