The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1912-12-13
RHODA
WOULDN'T
by ANNA BENTLEY

Il3 luteleSl III tHOSe people VINO sew
nul hundred years ago settled on the
continent Of North America. The prin-
slp4i settlements were those OF the cav
alters az jamestown in Virginia and
the puritans in Massachusetts,. They
ere very different, the cavaliers being
4 hcltcr skeltor lot, the Puritans being
governed By cold and tyrapnical re-
ligiun
one Of the most attractive inets OF
the Atlantic ocean on the North Amer
lean coast is Narragansett bay 1t con
tains a number Of islands, the largest
pf which, Rhode Island, gives the state
It's name, On one or these Islands
some two aud a half centuries ago Par
don Pym, preaching elder, built him
a house, where he lived In solitude.
But the house was not intended for
such an existence The elder had long
loved Rhoda Baker, spinster Of the
mainland, and he had constructed 1t
hoping to bring her there as his wife.
tie had even arranged window where
she could sit as she worked and see
him coming 10 his boat TO their home
But RLoda was Que OF those persons
whose gaze is forever turned within
themselves. This made her very shy.
Whether 1t was from this cause or
whether she could not make up her
mind that she loved the elder we'll
enough to marry him or that she waa
f.at, hA I 1rI iy1f oil "a n
do SO, she gave Pardon Pym no encour,
Ggement 10 speak.
Quite possibly * was the latter cause,
for at that time the people OF New
England were wholly absorbed In their
religion They were not so much a
colaGy rs church The governors of
the chUrch ruiad he people-not only
the people in the church, but those
without the church 1t was the church
that ordered a sea captain Of Boston
arriving IL home after long voyage,
to the stocks for hissIng his wife on
Sunday IT was the church tnat GP.
dered scolding women to the duckipe
staal and sauSed them into a cold
stream again and again till all the tenn
per was taken out OF them. II was Ia
the church edifce directly under It's
pdilit that transgressors against the
church a~ we're forced to Sit facing
the congregation, doing Cenance.
Ii Was natural that a people who
had come 10 q wilderness that they
might not be iHterfepsd with in mat
ters Of religion and found there 10th
ing 10 ampse them outside Of thel,
working hours should be absorbed in
that religion and produce such q char
acter as Rhoda Baker. She listened
to no other suitor than the preacher,
but never by a word or deed did she
give him hint that she would marry
niia should he ask her to do so.
The wOmsG af that time obliged TO
make themselves musi o. the articles
they needed, devoted themsciye. - .tif-
ferent industries. Rhoda Baker work
ed 10 leather OF leather she made all
sorts Of articles useful and ornamental.
One was a trelis-pfobabiF couple
Of clothes horses-on which were vines
bearing fruits such as are grown to
day and some which were the product
OF her imagination. There were grapes
made Gf bullets or pebbles around
which she sewed IL delicate stitches
pieces OF thin leather, so,aati4es kid
gloves. The grapes were attached u
the stem with hooks and eyes. These
were used that the grapes might be
detached occasionally sron the stem
and carefully busted.
In this ieaiher work Pym was Rho.
da'S devoted assistant He furnished
her with the leather. which she con-
verted into articles Of beauty-strapge
wherein the man was con-
tlIually hunting for old boots or such
CASTOR clothing as was made Of leath-
er and the woman was converting
them into things which In that day
were considered beautiful
One day PyH vent with an Offering
Of the tops of an old pair Of boots. He
raped for admittance with the pon-
terous iron knooker. but received no |
response. He knocked again. All was !
silent within. Feeling sure Rhoda was |
II home. he opened the door and en-. |
cred. a rocking chair stood near In |
he center Of the room. Ii rocked.
The elder signad The chair had
fven away the fact that RhOda pre-
erred not 10 have a visit from her
over. and instead OF bidding him en-
or she had arisen and gone into an.
ther room. Why? He did tot know.
10 one knew then. and Rhoda's secret
as been buried with her for more than
O0 years
When she died she left her lover dis
onsolate. She did not bequeath to
i'm her treasures OF leather work. but
them to the church, and
hey are now the property Of the
hurch guild Of the village In which
hey We're made. Pym. having nothing
which TO remember her. concluded
name his boat for her. But so ten.
er was his conscience that he ahrank
rom making 1t appear by placing
hoda's name on his craft that she
nd been his willing love. So he
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