The evening world., 1911-08-28

A uuarter Of q mile from tho Eagle
House was what would have been de-
ecribed to tie guests ~ IAN object or
Interest" Ia the catalogue had the
Eagle House issued n catalogue, THE
was an old. old mill that wa no longer
a mill. In the words OF Josiah Rankin.
1t was the only church In the United
States, sail, with an overshot wheel,
and the only mill In tho world. sab,
with pews and n pipe organ The
guests Of the Eagie House attended
tho old mill-church each Sabbath and
heard the preacher liken the purified
Christian to bottled -four ground to
usefulness between the millstones OF
experience and suffering.
Every yea about the beginning Of
autumn there came 10 the Eagle House
one Ahram Strong. who remained for a
time an honored and beloved guest.
in Lakelands he vas called Father
Abram." because his hair was so white,
his face go strong and kind and horid,
his laugh 10 merry and his black
clothes and broad hat so ~priestly in ap-
pearance. Even new guests after three
or four days' acquaintance rave him
this familiar title.
Father Abram came q long way TO
Lakelands. He lived In a big. roaring
town In the Northwest. where he
owned mills-not little mills with pews
and an organ In them. but great. ugly.
mou~ntain-like mills that the freight
trains crawled around all day like
ants around an ant-heap. And now
you must be told about Father Abram
and the mill that was q church, for
their stories run together.
In he days when the church was a
mill Mr.. Strong was the miller. There
was no Jollier. dustier, busler, happier
miller in all the land thar he. He lived
In a little cottage across tho road from
the mill. His shand was heavy, but his
toll was light. and the mountaineers
brought their grain to him across many
weary miles or rocky roads.
The delight of TIE mliler's life was his
little daughter. Aglaia. That was a
brave name, truly. for a fiaxen-halred
fodder. but the mountaineers love son
orous and stately names. The mother
Aaa encountered 1t somewhere in a book
and the deed was done. In Ter baby
hood Aglaia herself repudlated the
name. as far as common use went. ana
persisted In calling herself "Dums."
The miller and his wife often tried 10
coax from Aglala the source OF this
mysterious name, but without results.
At last they arrived at a theory. In
the little garden behind the cottage was
a bed OF rhododendrons In which the
child took a peculiar delight and inter-
est. 1t may ave been that she per-
ceived In "Dums' a klnsttp to the
formidable name Of her favorite flowers.
When Aglaia was four years old she
and her father used 10 go through a
little performance In the mill every az
ternoon that never falied to come off,
the weather permitting. When supper
was ready her mother would brush her
hair and put on a clean apron and send
her across to the mill TO bring her faith
er home. When the miller saw her
coming In the mill door he would come
forward, all white with the fiour dust.
and wave his hand and sing an old
miller's song that was familiar in those
parts and ran something like this:
The wheel goes round,
The grist is ground.
The dusty miller's merry.
He sings all day,
His work IN play,
While thinking Of his dearie.
Then Aglaia would run to him laugh.
Ing. and call: Dada. come take Dums
home.% and the miller would swing her
TO his shoulder and march over to sup
per. singing the miller's song. Every
evening this would take place.