The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1912-11-01
CHAPTER III.
In Which KezIah Assumes Guardian
wbE,

In Which KezIah Assumes a Guardian
ship.
Grace left the parsonage soon after
the supposed tramp disclosed his
identity. Her farewelIs were hurried
and she firmly refused Mrs. Collins
not tooinsistent appeal to return TO
the house up street" and have sup
per- She said she was glad to meet
Mr.. Ellery. The young minister af
firmed his delight in meeting her.
Then she disappeared in the misty
twilight and John Ellery surreptitious-
~ wiped his perspiring forehead with
his cuff, having in his late desire for
the primal necessities forgotten such
a trifling incidental as a handkerchief.
The minister smiled rather one-sid-
eddy.
''It's been something OF day for
me-" he said. Il am ahead Of time
and I've made a lot of trouble, I'm
afraid. But yesterday afternoon l
was ready and, to tell the truth, l was
eager to come and see my new home
and get at my work. So l started on
the morning train. Then the stage
broke down and I began to think l
was stranded at Bayport But this
hnd-hearted chap from Wellmouth-I
believe that's where he lived-hap-
pened to pull up to watch us Wrest-
ling with the smashed Wheel and
when he found / was in a hurry TO
get to Trumet, offered to give me
lift. His name was-was Bird. No,
that wasn't it, but it was something
like Bird, or some kind of a bird"
"Bird?" repeated Keziah thought
fully. There's no Birds that 1 know
of in Wellmouth. Hum! Hey?
'Twa'n't Sparrow, was it?"
THAT was it Sparrow"
Good land, Emulous Sparrow
Run considerable to whiskers and
tongue, didn't he?"
why, yes; he did wear beard. AS
for tongue-well he was converse
tional, If that's what you mean
That's what ! mean. If you rode
twelve mile with Emulous, you must
have had an earache for the last six.
Did he ask a question or two about
your personal affairs, here and there
between times?"
MI. EMERY lduSHSu
Eyes, one or two, between times"
he admitted.
81 shan't die of surprise. Did you
tell him who you WASP"
MOO to be honest, / didn't. He
was so very anxious to find out, that
well, lodged. I think he believed
was going to visit Captain Daniels.
Still, some one may have seen me
come here"
mo, no, they didn't. This fog is as
thick as Injun-meal puddin Nobody
saw you"
We'll" with some hesitation, 1.-The
young lady who was here with you"
"Oh, Grace Van Horne! She's all
right She won't tell. She amt that
kind"
Van Horne? That doesn't sound
like New England name"
"'Tisn't Her folks come from Jer-
sey somewheres. But she was adopt
ed by old Cap'n Hammond, who keeps
the tavern down on the bay shore by
the packet wharf, and she's lived in
Trumet since she was six years old.
Her father was Teunis Van Horne,
and he was mate on Cap'n Ebens
coastin' schooner and was drowned
off Hatteras. Eben was saved just by
the skin of his teeth and got broken
hip and religion while 1t happened.
His hips better except that he's some
lame; but his religions been more
and more feverish ever since. He's
one Of the head Come-Outers, and
built their chapel with his own money.
You mustn't think I'm speakin' light
fy of religion, nor of Cap'n Eben, ell
Their. He's dear good soul as ever
was, but he Is the narrowest kind of
Come-Outer. His creed is just about
as wide as the chapel door, and that's
as narrow as the way leadin' to sal
Walton: it is the way, too, so the Come
Cutters think"
What are Come Cutters? Some new
sect?"
"Sakes alive! Haven't you heard
of Come-Outers Cats foot, Well,
you'll hear OF 'em often enough from
now on. They're folks who used to
go to our church, the Regular. but
left becarse the services was too
worldly, with organs and choir sing
in, and the road to paradise too easy
No need for me to tell you any more
You'll learn"
Mr.. Ellery was interested. He had
been in Trumet but once before, on
the occasion when he preached his
trial sermon, and OF that memorable
visit remembered little except the ser
mon itself, the pews filled with cap
tains and their families, and the awe
inspiring personality OF Captain FL
y1anah Daniels, who nad been mis- host.
To a young man, the ink upon his di-
ploma from the theological school still
fresh, a trial sermon is weighty mat
ter, and the preaching of it weightieT
still. He had rehearsed it over and
over in private, had delivered it al
most through clinched teeth, and had
returned to his room in the Boston
boarding house with the conviction
that it was an utter failure. Captain
Elkanah and the gracious Miss Anna
bel, his daughter, had been kind
enough to express qualification, and
their praise alone saved him from de-
SPAR. Then, to his amazement, the
call had come. OF casual converse
ton at the church and about the Dan