Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1905-02-17
CHAPTER I.

year, must glance Ddck at tne carrier
years Of my childhood, and at those who
Influenced il.
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 confide the education OF chill
dren to the care OF man deficient in
the commonest rudiments OF learning
His original occupation was that of a
shoemaker aud his hands still retained a
coarse, grimed look. His bullet-shaped
head was covered with a thick mass
Of hair, which had a shaggy, ragged ap-
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 and 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 l first saw her.
She did not bear the slightest rescm-
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 a 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 a grand
mother. or a grandfather, or guard
dan, but no father or mother.
1t was peculiarly of Mr.. Porters
establishment that he did not take boys
who had parents. His advertisement In
the newspapers ran thus: THE Rever-
end Obadiah Porter undertakes the crre,
education and religious training OF or
phan boys from the earliest age. I'm
exceptional references as to piety and
discretion will be ,iven. n. B.-No 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 a
fine, old-fashioned dwelling. 1t had large
gardens back and front-the latter be-
Ing screened from the road by a high
wall-besides an extensive orchard and
paddock. Altogether, il was quite !
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-thls 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 fu-
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 a boy named Josiah Cook whom |
Mr. Porter had transferred from his |
care to that OF 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 flu
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
friends aud companions. lie was a bold.
Venturesome boy, and on the last night |
OF his sojourn amongst us he proposed
the daring plan OF some night paying us
secret visit and relating all the lad
ventures he should experience in his
new home.
81 can easily climb over the garden
wall from the next field" he said: $50
look out. boys; IL you hear a stone
thrown up at your window, it will be
me"
Six months passed away and we
heard nothing more OF Cook. He was
rapidly fading out OF our thoughts. when.
one autumnal night we heard a sharp
crack at our bedroom window. The bold
est Of our number gently lifted the sash,
ana peered out 1t was 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 tine old pear tree. Ii had NOT
been pruned for several years. ahd had
thrown out It's wood somewhat wildly. A
Few whispered words, aud Cook was
mountipS the tree with hand and foot.
almost "a easily as though he had been
ascending ladder. When he Chamber
ed into the room we all gathered ,opnd
him In q sort OF awe-str,tck oann.r