The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1915-03-25
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table, beside Mr.. Blagden's chair. There
was a marked absence OF the dim re-
ng1ous light in the room tonight. '
Don't cross your legs, Mary" said
her aunt severely. How many times
have 1 told you -?"
Yes, ma'am," gasped Mary. uncross-
ing her plump little legs in a hurry,
smile up against the frozen faces oppo-
site: The chill was transferred. to her
blithe little heart. 80. -.
Mr.. Presbrey wants to talk to both of
you,' announced Mr.. Biagden. Il am
sure o will receive what he is about
10 say In good grace and humility. You
know that he, as we'll as you aunt and
l. a n welfare OF your souls at
heart. He is about to tell you If your
father, and the dreadful story of your
unhappy mother. Now, please pay
strict attention to his words. You will
nnd comfort and solace in the prom
lses he will hold out to you afterwards.
There Is a great light beyond the
oreakers-er-ahem!-over which you
must be cast before the darkness of the
night is lifted for you. He will. with
Gods blessing, direct you into paths
whlch lead away from the pits into
which your unfortunate parents drifted
In their wilfulness. Will you be good
enough, Mr.. Presbrey, to-er-ahem!
He broke off the injunction-it was
hardly a request--in the middle, and
settled back with complacent conf
dence In his pastors intuition.
The worthy pastor cleared his throat,
and began. With his uncle's first words
Eric felt a sickening, horrid lump aris-
ing In his throat. Something seemed to
tighten about his whole body, holding
him in a grip so relentless that he
could scarcely breathe. He sat there,
staring wide eyed and helpless, at the
lean face of the man who was to say
things he knew would hurt as nothing
had ever hurt him before. Twice he
swallowed hard, but the lump was
there to stay. He heard the quick, be-
wildered catch in Mary's breathing.
Without looking, he knew that her lip
trembled. He knew they were about to
attack his father. He knew ~instinctively
what charge would be brought against
him-and he, had loved him so dearly,
so fiercely. Words struggled to his
lips. .
1T was a duel" he managed to say,
In a pitiful effort to anticipate pain.
MI. Presbrey hesitated. He won
dered who had given this version to
the boy.
ALAS, my boy, you have been misin-
formed-er-I should say you have
misconstrued the words Of your infor-
mant," he said uneasily. 1t suddenly
occurred to him that either Mr.. or Mrs.
Blagden, in a moment of weakness,
might have told the boy that there was
a duel; in that event, it was necessary
for his to proceed with tact-with cau-
ton.
WHO told you that, Eric % demanded
his uncle and aunt simultaneously.
ut doesn't matter" supplied Mr..
Presbrey indulgently, quite at ease once
more. 1T may have been that as a
very small child he heard something to
that effect, and his memory has re-
tanned it after a fashion. Quite likely,
er-quit natural. Very frequently a
word spoken in the presence of the
merest babe finds Judgment in its i'm
mature brain and makes itself manifest
strangely in after years. I knew of an
instance"
Don't keep the child waiting, Arthur
dear" put in his wife. He seems so
eager to hear about his father" She
meant to be kind. I've 40 doubt.
Therefore. Mr.. Presbrey, with the
permission Of the erring woman's
brother, plunged into the history OF
Philip Midthorne and Mary Blagden,
ordering his language In its simplest
form so that his small listeners might
read as they ran, so to speak. The
whole ugly business, from start to fin
ish, was laid bare for their benefit
and their future gloriication. The
helpless little Midthornes heard him
through to the end, sitting immovable
on the edge Of the sofa, never once
lifting their dry, half closed eyes from
the carpet at their feet. They heard
the beings they loved best of, all in the
world, albeit they had known them so
briefly, characterized as creatures OF
iniquity, their sorry misdeeds held up
to them as warning examples, very
much as the hangman Of old left his
victim swinging by the roadside so that
all who contemplated evil doing might
see and be guided into paths Of recti-
1 will not attempt to follow the good
Presbrey's preamble, nor to repeat
his sanity Interruptions Of himself that
he might point out lights among the
shadows when occasions suggested
themselves. He dwelt with particular
intensity on the devils that entered into
and warped the nature of Philip Mid
thorne, Transforming him into a COM
mon murderer when he might have
an honor and a credit to his peo-
ple-especially to those innocent, God
fearing connections in Corinth. At some
length, he dwelt with the impulses that
conquered the man, and pointed out to
Eric the signs of them already appear
ing In him. Violent temper, lack of
self restraint, the desire to inflict bod
lily injury, ~ungovernable spells Of fury,
sullenness, secretiveness-and so on
and so on-against all of which he must
steel himself unless he was determined
to follow in the footsteps Of his Inflated
father.
you do not want to be a murderer,
Eric" he said at n stage, bending his
luminous blue eyes on the bent, down.
cast face of the boy. You do not
want to come to an end like his, my
boy-do you? All, I am sure you do
not. And yet-ah, me! I shudder to
think Of what may come to pass IL you
do not safeguard yourself. Come unto
Me and I will give you rest Let me
be your guide, my boy; let me lead you
into sweet, gentle fields. where strife
and bitterness are not to be encoun-
tered" z
Mrs. Presbrey, carried away by the
earnestness OF her husband, cried out:
"Oh, Eric, think twice-always think
twice!"
Think Of the great. good God. who
-" began MI. Presbrey, but Eric,
who, all through the blighting recital
had been trying to concentrate his
mind on the ~admonition: Honor thy
father and thy mother that thy days
may be long in the land" could control
himself no longer.
Il wish I could kill you-and you!"
he cried from the bottom of his har-
assed soul, lifting his blood-red face
to glare first at n n then at the
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