The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-03-24

feel and enabled her to play the part for which she had schooled herself.
 Hester was to stand for three hours upon the scaffold of the pillory then to be taken back for term in prison and to wear the Scarlet Letter for the rest of her life. That she had not been branded on the forehead, that she was spared putting her head in the pillory, in fact that she had not been condemn ed to death was, the people said. owing largely to the intercessions of the Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale, the pale young pastor into whose churcn she had brought this great scandal.
 As Hester stood on the scaffo1d of the pillory. above her in the wooden balcony of the meeting house stood and sat the great men of the town-the Wodshipiful Master Bel1ingham. Gov ernor of the colony, with his chief Cap- tain. the Magistrates and the minister's. In their solemn and ponderous way these Puritan fathers were as fond of pomp and show as any people of their time, but they compromised with their conscience by making their displays grim and awe-insptring. They came forth to burn a witch or hang a Quak- CT in solemn state which they now found suitable to the punishment of woman who had incurred the penalty of the Scarlet Letter.
 For two years this woman, Hester Prynne, had lived in Boston. She was the daughter of an English family of the armiger class but of decayed for tune. and had been given in marriage while still mere child to an elderly man, slightly deformed but of consid- eraoie means and scholar of wide reputation. Most of the time the scholar husband was with his books. but In his leisure moments he liked to be amused by Hester's conversation and to enjoy the light of her beauty.
 For several years they had lived in Antwerp. Then he had sent his vrtSe across the ocean, intending to follow as soon as he could arrange his affairs News came of his departure from tha other side, but the ship in which he sailed was never heard from He was supposed to be lying dead at the bot tom of the sea.
 happened. and Hester Prynne, the proud and beautiful. stood In the scorn of all mems eyes upon the pil- lory scaffold. with the mob about her and the great men looking down upon her from above,
 She had refused steadfastly to reveal to the magistrates the name of the partner of her guilt. and now. as she stood there with the sun shining so brightly on the gold threads that sur rounded her badge of shame as to make the Scarlet Letter seem branded upon her bosom. the famous John Wilson, Boston's oldest clergyman. raised up his voice and demanded that the young Dimmesdale, under whose spiritual ministrations Hester had been, should deal with her" before the community. he ended with: what say you again, Brother Dimmesdale7 Shall 1t be thou or I that shall deal with this poor sinners soulT" The Governor added his commands to the entreaties of Elder Wilson, and at last the young clergyman, with Ehastly white and drawn face. leaned over the balcony and addressed the wretched woman, telling her to speak and spare not to reveal to the world the partner of her crime. Hester still refused to reveal the name, and declared that she would that she could bear his sor- rows as well as his own.
 To an intimation that if she revealed the name the doom of the Scarlet Let. ter might be taken from her, she re- piled: Never! It is too deeply burned into my heart"
 While Hester was thus being dealt with" as the phrase was. she chanced to glance toward the outskirts of the crowd and there saw that which caused the blood to leave her cheeks and for an instant her fortitude almost forsakA her. The town was close to the edge of the forest and out of the forest had come man, old, misshapen. but known to the woman standing there only too well. He had an Indian guide with him and pressed forward to get a near CT look at the woman standing on the scaffold.
 Hester had now borne all that she could bear, and for the rest of her stay upon the scaffold. stood with glazed ,aI --N, -G. difference, her listless looks falling most upon that bent figure at the out skirts of the crowd. In this dazed con- dition she was taken back to prison and the people who followed said that the scarlet letter shed red light about the dark passage of the prison as she entered 1t.
 After her return to the prison Hester was found to be in a state of such ner, vous excitement that 1t required con- stant watchfulness to prevent her do- ing violence to herself. Finally her condition became such that medical aid had to be called, and a man was in- troduced who had announced himself to the jailer as Roger Chillingworth. a scholar well versed in all Christian modes of physical science. as we'll as in knowledge gained by years res idence among the Indians.
 The man was Hester's husband, the SchOlar RTynne, whom Sne ndQ reCOE- nizcd on the outskirts af the crowd as she stood upon the pillory scaffold The ship in which he had sailed for the New World had not been lost at sea. but had been wrecked upon the coast, and for year he had been cap tive among the Indians. He had arrived in Boston to arrange for his ransom from the Sagamore, whose captive he was.
 Hester. who had been raving vio- lently, became still as death when Chillingworth, as we must call him hereafter, entered the room. Few words were spoken between the two at first When the jailer left the room the supposed physician prepared draft for the sleeping woman and handed it to her. She took it. saying; T have sought for death; would even now well come 1t; but think twice ere your hand administers 1t to me"
 T desire not your death. but that you may endure your punishment" re- piled he That you may live to en- dure 1t. drink this" And the woman drank with strange eyes fixed upon the man whose face, old ant gray. was taking on a look of dreadful hate and determination.
 He told Hester that he should stay on in Boston as 6 physician and that.