Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1908-08-12

against the IurCn6r Wall. 1SHdIluo
stood unconsciously spreading ms
arms against this shadow like .
CHASTITY Christ on his cross. The
stranger noticed the likeness, and said
IN his harsh tones Ignatius Jordan.
thou hast crucided myself Then
again, as he took seat "nasked.
Eve, where is Ever
The gentleman addressed answered
with an effort, She Is no IUnsel mere.
She is gone
What exclaimed Babb; mo longer
here? She was here last week.
Where is she now?'
She is gone said Jordan in low
tone.
Gone!-her child is here. When will
she return?'
'Return!'-with a sigh-'never.'
Cursed be the blood that flows in
her veins' shouted the new conner.
Restless, effervescing, feVered, fantas-
tic! It is none of it mine, it is all her
Mothers He sprang to his feet and
paced the room furiOusly, with knitted
brows and clenched fists. Jordan fol-
lowed him with his eye. The man
was some way past the middle Of life.
He was strongly and compactly built.
He wore a long dark coat and waist-
coat, breaches, and blue wOrsted stock
ings His hair was gray; his protrud-
ing eyebrows met over the nose.
They were black, and a sinister eX-
preston to his face. His profile was
strongly accumulated, hawklike, greedy,
cruel
I see it ALL he said, partly to him
self; that cursed foreign blood would
not suffer her to find rest even here,
where there is prosperity. What is
prosperity to her? What is comfort?
Bah! all her lust is alter tinsel and
tawdry. He raiseI his arm and Gle
nched his fist. "A life accursed Of God!
Of old our fOrefathers, under the
righteous Cromwell, rose up and swept
all profanity out of the land, the jes-
tiers, and the carol singers, and theat-
rical performers, and pipers and
tumblers. But they returned again to
torment the elect. What saith the
Scripture? Make no marriage with
the heather, else shall ye be unclean,
we and your children
He reseated himself. 'Ignatius Jor-
dan,' he said, l was mad and wicked
when | took her mother to wife and
a mad and wicked thing you did when
you took the daughter. AS l saw you
just nOw-as l see you at present
standing with spread arms against the
black shadow cross from the window,
l thought it was figure OF what you
chose for your lot when you took Eve.
crucifed myself when l married h7r
mother, and now the iron enters your
side He paused; he was pointing at
Ingatius with out-thrust finger, and
the shadow seemed to enter IgnaLiue
against the wall The blood that be-
gins to flow will not cease 10 run till
it has all run out
Again he paused, The arms of Jor-
dan fell.
So she has left you, muttered the
stranger, she has gone back to the
world to it's pomps and vanities and
lusts. its lies, it's laughter. Gone back
to the players and dancers
Jordan nodded; he could not speak.
Dead to every call OF duty BAD
continued with a scoWl on his brow,
dead to everything but the cravings OF
a cankered heart; dead to the love OF
lawful gain; alive to vantonness, ana
music, and glitter. Sit down, and
will tell you the story OF my folly, ana
you shall tell me the tale of yours
He looked imperiously at Jordan, who
sank into his chair beside the cradle.
I will light my pipe Ezekiel Babb
struck a light with flint and steel.
We have made a like experience, i
with the mother, you with the daugh-
ter. Why are you downcast? Re-
joice if she has set you free. The
mother never did that for me. Dil
you marry her?'
The pale man opened his mouth, ana
spread out, then clasped, his hands
nervously, hut said nothing.
1 am not deaf that l should be ad-
dressed in signs, said Babb. Did you
marry my daughter?'
No
The face of heaven was turned on
you,' said BaBb discontentedly, ana
not on me. l committed myself, ana
could not break off the yoke. mar
ried.'
The child in the cradle began to
stir. Jordan rocked it with his foot,
I viii tell you ALL the visitor con
tinued. I was a young man when l
first saw Eve-not your Eve, but her
mother. l had gone into Totnes, and
stood by the cloth market at the
gate to the church. 1t was the great
fairday. There were performers in
the open space before the market. !
had seen nothing like it before. What
was performed l do not recall. l saw
only her. l thought her richly, beau
tifully dressed. Her beauty shone
forth above ALL She had hair like
chestnut, and brown eyes, a clear, thin
skin, and was formed delieately as nc