The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1913-09-19

@ls5SzESI then his hope Of finding her
&@ died out. He and his wife
moved to the northwest. In a few
years he was the owner of a mod
ern mill in one Of the important mill
ing cities in that region. Mrs. Strong
never recovered from the shock caused
by the loss Of Aglaia. and two years
after they moved away the miller was
left to bear his sorrow alone.
When Abram Strong became pros
porous he paid a visit to Lakelands and
the old mill. The scene was a sad one
for him, but he was a strong man. and
was then that he was inspired to con
vert the old mill into a church. Lake
lands was too poor to build one; and
the still poorer mountaineers could not
assist. There was no place Of wor-
ship nearer than twenty miles.
The miller altered the appearance of
the mill as little as possible. The big
The young people who came to the
church used to cut their initials in it's
soft and slowly decaying wood. The
dam was partly destroyed. and the
clear mountain stream rippled un-
checked down its rocky bed. Inside
the mill the changes We're greater.
The shafts and millstones and belts
and pulleys were, of course, all remov-
ed. There were two rows Of benches
with aisles between and a little raised
platform and pulpit at one end. On
three sides overhead was a gallery con-
tanning seats and reached by a stair
inside. There was also an organ
"a real pipe organ-in the gallery that
was the pride of the congregation of
the Old Mill church. Miss Phoebe
Summers was the %organist. The Lake
lands boys proudly took turns at pump
ing it for her at each Sundays service.
The Rev. Mr.. cambridge was the
preacher and rode down from Squirrel
Gap on his old white horse without
eve missing a service. And Abram
Strong paid for everything. He paid
the preacher $500 a year and Miss
Phoebe $500.
Thus, IL memory of Aglaia, the old
mill was converted into a blessing for
the community in which she had once
lived. 1t seemed that the brief life Of
the child had brought about more good
than the threescore years and ten Of
many. But Abram Strong set up yet
another monument to her memory.
Out from his mills in the northwest
came the "Aglaia" -four, made from
the hardest and finest wheat that could
be raised. The country soon found
out that the "Aglaia" -four had two
prices. One was the highest market
price, and the other w~as-nothing.
wherever there happened a calamity
that left people d~estitute-a fire, a
food, a tornado, a strike or a famine
there would 60 hurrying a generous
consignment Of the "Aglaia'' at its
nothing price. 1t was given away
cautiously and judiciously, but it was
freely given, and not a penny could
the hungry ones pay for it.
There came a year that brought hard
times to the Cumberlands. Grain
crops everywhere were light, and there
were no local crops at all. Mountain
Goods had done much damage to prop.
erty. Even game in the woods was
80 scarce that the hunters brought
hardly enough home to keep their folk
alive. Especially about Lakelands was
the rigor felt.
AS soon as .Abram Strong heard OF
this his messages flew, and the little
narrow gauge cars began to unload
"Aglaia" -four there. The miller's or
ders were to store the flour in the gal
lery OF the Old Mill church and that
every one who attended the church
was to carry home Il sack Of it.
Two weeks after that .Abram Strong
came for his yearly visit to the Eagle
House and became Father -Abraln'
again.
That season the Eagle House hat
fewer guests than usual. Among then
was Rose Chester. Miss Chester camt
to Lakelands from Atlanta, where shs
worked. in a department store. This
was the first vacation outing of he1
life. The wife Of the store manage
had once spent Il summer at the Eagle
House. She had taken a fancy tt
Rose and had persuaded her to =
there for her three weeks holiday
The managers wife gave her q letter