Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-08-13
s. Barring GOULD

What exclaimed BaDb; no 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?
sReturn.'-with a sigh-'never.'
Cursed be the blood that flows IL
her veins!' shouted the new conner
Restless, enervescing, fevered, fantas
TIC, 1t is none Of it mine, it is all hel
Mothers He sprang 10 his feet and
paced the room furiously, with knitted
brows and clenched fists. Jordan tol
lowed him with his eye. The man
was some way past the middle OF life
He was strongly and compactIy built
He wore a long dark coat and Wals,'
coat. breeches, and blue worsted stock
ings. His hair was gray; his protrud'
ing eyebrows met over the nose
They were black, and sinister eX'
preston to his face. His profile was
strongly accentuated, hawklike, greedy,
cruel
4 see It ALL he said, parity 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'
.ricaI performers, and pipers and
tumbIers. But they returned again to
torment the elect. What saith the
Scripture? Make no marriage with
the heather, else shall ye be unclean,
ye and your children
He reseated himself. Igno,ius Jor-
dam he said, 4 was mad and wicked
when l took her mother to wife and
a mad and wicked thing you did when
you took the daughter. As l saw you
lust now-as l see you at present
standing with spread arms against the
black shadow cross from the window
I thought it was a figure OF what you
chose for your lot when you took Eve
/ crucifed myself when l married he
mother, and now the iron enters your
side He paused; he was pointing al
Ingatius with Out-thrust finger, and
the shadow seemed to enter Ignatius
against the wall. The blood that be
gins to flow will not cease to 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 its pomps and Vanities and
lusts, its lies, it's laughter. Gone bach
to the players and dancers.
Jordan nodded he could Do'c speak
Dead to every call of dutJ,' Babl
continued with a scoWl OF his bro"
dead to everything but the cravings Of
a cankered heart; dead to the love o.
lawful gain; alive to wantonness, and
music, and glitter. Sit down, and
will tell you the story Of my folly, and
you shall tell me the tale OF yours
He looked imperiously at Jordan, whc
sank into his chair beside the cradle.
1 will light my pipe Ezekiel Babl
struck light with flint and steel
We have made a like experience,
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. Did
you marry her?'
The pale man opened his mouth, and
spread out, then cIasped, his hands
InervousIy, but said nothing.
I am not deaf that I 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, and
not on me. I committed myself, and
could not break off the yoke. mar
ried.
The child in the cradle began to
stir. Jordan rocked it with his foot.
I will tell you all the visitor con,
tinued. I was a young man when
first saw Eve-not your Eve, but her
mother. I had gone into Totnes, and
Z 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. ! saw
only her. I thought her richly, beau,
tifulIy dressed. Her beauty shone
forth above all. She had hair like
chestnut, and brown eyes, a clear, thin
skin, and was formed deIicately as nc
girl of this country and stock. I knew
she was of foreign blood. A carpe,
was laid in the maTket-place, and she
danced on it to music. 1t was like
a flame Pickering, not a girl dancing
She looked at me out of her large
eyes, and I loved her. 1t was witch
craft, the work Of the devil. The fire
marrow, il ran in my veins. That was
witchcra-t, but I did not think II then,
There should have been a heap OF
wood raised and fired, and she cast
INTO the flames. But our lot is fallen
in evil days. The word of the Lord is
no longer precious. and the Lord has
said, Thou shalt not suffer a witch Il
live" That was witchcraft. How
else was it that I gave no tho .ght 70
Tamsine Boyey, Of Buncombe, till i
was too late. though Buncombe joins
my land. and so Buncombe was lost