Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1912-10-24
CHAPTER l.
In Which Kezlah Hears TWO FRO
posaIs and the Beginning
of a Third.

POSdlo 0lI6 wv
Of a Third.
Trumet in a fog; a fog blown In
during the night by the wind from the
wide Atlantic So wet and heavy that
one might taste the salt In 1t. 80
thick that houses along the main road
were but dim shapes behind its gray
drapery, and only the gates and fences
Of the front yards were plainly in evil
dence to the passers-by. The beach
plum and bayberry bushes on the
dunes were spangled with beady drops.
The pole on Cannon Hin, where the
beacon was hoisted when the packet
from Boston dropped anchor in the
bay, was shiny and slippery. The new
weathervane, a gilded whale, present
ed to the Regular" church by Captain
Zebediah Mayo, retired whaler, swan
in sea of cloud. The lichened caves
Of the little "Come-Outer" chapel
dripped at sedate intervals. The brick
walk leading to the door Of Captain
Elkanah Daniels's fine residence held
undignifed puddles in its hollows.
And, through the damp stiffness, the
muttered growl f the surf, three
miles away at the foot of the sandy
bluffs by the lighthouse, sounded omi-
nously.
Directly opposite Captain Elkanah's
front gate, on the other side Of the
main road, stood the little story-and-
a-half house, also the captains prop
erty, which for fourteen years had
been tenanted by Mrs. KeZlah Coffin
and Der brother, Solomon Hall, the
shoemaker. But Solomon had, the
month before, given up his fight with
debt and illness and was sleeping qqi-
city down in Trumet's most populous
center, the graveyard. And Keziah,
left alone, had decided that the rent
and living expenses were more than
her precarious earnings as seam
stress would warrant, and, having bar
gained with the furniture dealer In
Wellmouth for the sale of her house
hold effects, was nov busy getting
them ready for the morr0-- when the
dealers wagon was to call. She was
going to Boston, where a distant and
condescending rich relative had in.
terested himself to the extent Of find
ing her place as sewing woman in
a large tailoring establishment.
The fog hung like a wet blanket
over the house and It's small yard
where few venerable pear trees, too
conservative in their old age to ven.
ture bud even though 1t was almost
May, stood bare and forlorn. The day
was dismal. The dismantled dining
room, its tables and chairs pushed into
corner, and its faded ingram carpet
partially stripped from the floor, was
dismal, likewise. Considering all
things, one might have expected Ke
ziah herself to be even more dismal
But, to all outward appearances, she
was not. A large portion of her
thirty-nine years Of life had beer
passed under a wet blanket, so tc
speak, and she had not permitted the
depressing covering to shut out more
sunshine than was absolutely neces
sary. IF you can't get cream, yol
might as we'll learn to love your sas
ser of skim milk" said practical Ke
ziah.
She was on her knees, her calico
dress sleeves, patched and darned, bu
absolutely clean, rolled back, uncover
ing pair of plump, strong arms,
saucer Of tacks before her. and a tacl
hammer with claw head in her hand
She was taking up the carpet. Grac,
Van Horne, Captain Eben Hammond'
ward, who had called to see IL Their
was anything she might do to help
was removing towels, tablecloths, an,
the like from the drawers in a tai
"high-boy," folding them and placin
them in an old and battered trunk
The pair had been discussing the sui
ject which all Trumet had dlscusse
for three weeks, namely, the calling
to the pastorate Of the Regular
church of the Rev. John Ellery, tn
young divinity student, who was [
take the place Of old Parson Langley
minister in the parish for over thirt
years. Discussion in the village ha
now reached critical point, for tn
Reverend John was expected by a
most any coach. In those days tn
days of the late fifties, the railroa
. down the Cape extended only as IL
as Sandwich; passengers made Ii
rest Of their journey by stage. Man
came direct from the city by IL
packet, the little schooner, but M
Ellery had written that he shou
probably come on the coach.
They say he's very nice-looking
remarked Nj Van Horne soberly, b.
with mischievous glance under h
dark lashes at Keziah. The lady a
dressed paused long enough to tran
fer several tacks from the floor to Il
saucer, and then made answer.
"Humph!" she observed. "a got
many years ago saw theater she
up to Boston. Don't be shocke
those circumstance we hear so mu
tell of-the kind you can't control
have kept me from goin' to theate
much, even II wanted to. But d
see this entertainment, and fool O
twas, too, all singin' instead Of talk
Opera, believe they called 1t. We
as started to say, one Of the lead
folks in It was the Old Harry himse