Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1912-09-26

Eben Hammond was but memory in
Trumet
keziah fingered to speak a word
with Grace. The girl, looking very
white and worn, leaned on the arm of
Captain Nat, whose big body acted as
buffer between her and oversympa-
thetic Come-Outers. Mrs. Coffin silent
ly held out both hands and Grace took
them eagerly
"Auntie," she whispered, tell me:
Did letter. Did he
Eyes, it came. / gave it to him.
"Did-did he tell you? Do you
know?"
Eyes, know, deary."
did he's he"
"He's we'll. deary. He'll be all
right. I'll look out for him"
"You will, won't you? You won't
let him do anything"
mot a thing. Don't worry. We've
had a long talk and he's going to
stay right here and go on with his
work. And nobody elsell ever know,
Oracle"
20 Aunt Keziah! If could be one
half as patient and brave and sweet
as you ore"
"Sssh! here comes Nat. Be kind
to him. He's sufferin', too; maybe
more'n you imagine. Here she il,
Nat Take her back home and be
good to her."
II tell you," broke in the voice Of
Captain Zeb Mayo, "Keziah. I've been
waitin' for you. Get in my shay and
I'll drive you back to the parsonage"
Mrs. Coffin accepted the invitation
and seat in the chaise beside Cap
tain Zeb. The captain spoke Of the
dead Come-Outer and Of his respect
for him in spite of the difference in
creed. He also spoke of the Rev. John
Ellery and of the affection he had
come to feel for the young man.
I'm glad to hear you say so. OF
course Cap'n Elkanah is boss of the
parish committee and"
What? No, he amt nuther. He's
head of it, but his vote counts just one
and no more What makes you say
| that?"
ooh, nuthin' Only l thought maybe,
long as Elkanah was feelin' that Mr..
Ellery want orthodox enough, he
might be goin' to make a change. l
didn't mean to stir you up, Zebedee.
But from things Cap'n Daniels has
said gathered that he was runnin'
the committee. And, as I'm friend
of Mr.. Ellery, it.
Friend! Well, som 1, amt II If
you ever hear of Daniels tryin' any
tricks against the minister, you send
fer me, that's ALL I'll show him. Boss!
Humph!"
The willy Keziah alighted at the par
sonage gate with the feeling that she
had sown seed in fertile ground. She
was quite aware of Captain Zeb's jeal-
ousy of the great Daniels And the
time might come when her parson
needed an influential friend on the
committee and in the Regular society.
The news of the engagement be-
tween Captain Nat Hammond and
Grace Van Horne, told by DR.. Parker
to one or two of his patients, spread
through Trumet like measles through
family of small children. Annabel
Daniels and her father had not expect
ed it. They We're. however, greatly
pleased. In their discussion, which
lasted far into the night, Captain Elk
anah expressed the opinion that the
unexpected denouement was the result
of his interview with Eben.
II think. pa" she said. that it's our
duty. yours and mine, to treat him Just
as we always have. He doesn't know
that we know, and we will keep the
secret. And. as Christians, we should
forget and forgive"
Ryan Pepper was another whom the
news OF the engagement surprised
greatly. When Lavinia told him of II.
at the dinner table, he dropped the
knife he was holding and the greasy
section Of fishbaH balanced upon 1t.
Remembering what he had seen in the
grove he could not understand; but
he also remembered. even more vivid
ly. what Keziah Coffin had promised
to do II he ever breathed word. And
he vowed again that that word should
not be breathed.
!, Keziah was the life Of the gloomy
| parsonage. Without her the minister
would have broken down. He called
her Aunt Keziah" at her request and
she continued to call him John" This
was in private. of course: in public
he was "Mr. Ellery" and she MRS.
Coffin"
In his walks about town he saw
nothing of Grace. She and Mrs. Pound
! berry and Captain Nat were still at
the old home and no one save them
selves knew what their plans might
be. Yet oddly enough, Ellery was the
first outsider to learn these plans and
that from Nat himself
He met the captain at the corner
of the Turnoff' one day late in Au-
gust. He tried to make his bow seem
cordial, but was painfully aware that
1t was-not. Nat. however. seemed not