The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1915-07-22

MARY MIDTHORNE
ORG BARR McCUTCHEON.
Author OF -Graustark.- -rruxton King etc
Copyright, 1871 BY Dodd. Mead q Co.
iii lM III

from the chapel, followed by his wife,
whose whitened head was bent and
whose limbs tottered.
The next day, bright and early,
Horace Blagden sent out q command to
the officers and chief men Of the First
church They obeyed, and 3 o'clock
found all of them gathered In the pri-
vate offices OF the banker. They came
away from that meeting with grave
faces and troubled hearts, but just the
same, they affected no sign OF hes
itancy in asking Mr.. Presbrey for his
resignation.
The minister was dumbfounded. He
had known all along h a he was kick
ing against the pricks but, to quote
Uncle Jabez Carr. he didn't know
there was a mule watin' to kick back
when he was a-lookin' t'other way"
Mr.. Presbrey refused to resign. A
great hullabaloo ensued. Corinth had
never known the like of IT. Todville
chuckled, and. to a man came out for
Mr.. Presbrey. The same spirit inflated
the narrow by-ways along the water
front until they were ready to burst
with acclaim. Notwithstanding Mr..
Presbrey's. rigorous efforts to reform
that section of town, or to obliterate
brothel house owners and the human
dregs Of Corinth JoyfuIly took sides
with him in the fight against Horace
Blagden, a rather anomalous condi7
ton, you may say. but perfectly natur-
al If you pause to consider the rela-
tive influence of the two c~ontenders.
Lower Corinth had no fear OF God, but
Therefore, II IL could destroy Horace,
there would be nothing to fear.
A subsequent letter from Mary in
formed Eric that Mr.. Presbrey was 10
open a school for boys on the old Dex-
ter farm, Just above Corinth. A
youngish man from Boston was likely
to be called to the First church. He
had preached for two Sundays on trial
and Uncle Horace was quite enthusiasts
tic over him.
Few and far between were the let
ters the young man received from his
uncle. They were always Of q business
nature. absolutely undertaking In that
respect. Drafts from dividends, re-
ports on properties, and matters of that
sort. There never was a letter from
Aunt Rena. She made nc effort to be
friendly.
But m day. a month before he was
to sail for home, Eric received from his
uncle a letter that sorely disturbed his
peace Of mind. 1t revived the old dread
that grew UP with him from childhood
and which had lain dormant for the
past few years-the dread of the pro-
phecy concerning himself and Mary. He
had killed his man. That much of 1t
was fulfilled. Now. what Of Mary?
Was she to fulfill her part of the ugly
prophecy?
His uncle, after ~apologising for call
ing his attention to the unpleasant mat
ter to follow, wrote:
II am very glad Il hear that you are
coming home. 1t In not, as I have stat
ed before in this letter, my custom to
interfere in the affairs Of others. Since
you and Mary reached an age that war
ranted the belief that you would be
capable of thinking soundly for your
selves, 1 have not undertaken to OBJ
trude my opinions, much less to offer
criticism Of any act or impulse.
You, Eric, 1 knew to be level headed
n steady. I have had no fears for
you. Regarding Mary. l cannot speak
so confidently. She Is wayward and
she is extremely pretty. The combina-
ton Is not as desirable as 1t may seem,
as viewed from the vantage point Of an
older head. We have tried to keep the
n traverses clean and free from
communicating influences. But she sees
fit to resent our thoughtful considera-
ton. l am not pretending to you, even
delusivelv, that she has oVerstepped
the bounds Of ~propriety in any sense of
the term. I believe Mary to be a good
girl and pure minded.
You recall young Payson. He is now,
you doubtless know, living in New
York. where he has a position with a
bond house-a responsible posi-
ton. I hear. He belongs to several
clubs and is what Is termed a mar
amout town. The influences OF Corinth
seem to have deserted him. / am not
his integrity. That privilege
was denied me long ago. / was mistaken
about him once. I shall not fall into
error again. I did him a grievous
wrong. Had II not been for the arrogant
demands of Adam Carr, I should have
inclined to restore him to his po-
sttion in the bank. But that was not to
be considered. / owe nothing to the
generosity Of Adam Carr. He Is my
enemy. .t.. G'',"t
Now to come to the point. Mary. who
will Dor be 81, has taken a great fancy
to this young man. He visits his mother
him to come to my home, Mary sees
him frequently and in a clandestine
manner. Your aunt and, I have remon-
strated. but to no avail. She goes about
with him when the occasion presents
itself. She rides in his automobile with
strange men and women from New
York-flashy women who drink and
AAAOhO OEA VIA W "a AAG1l Gig
to be estranged from her friend
and old time companion, Joan Bright.
The inference Is plain. Joan does not
approve Of John Payson and his friends.
see but little of her in these days.
A few nights ago Mary came home
from an all day trip-on a Sabbath -
and your aunt distinctly smelt the
odor of wine on her breath.
Last week I met Payson In Corinth.
Realizing that 1t was better for every
one concerned, l politely asked him to
come to my house to see Mary. We
would be glad to welcome him there.
He calmly informed me that he would
not put foot inside my gates, not in
], 000, 900 years. or something to that eff
feet. Whereupon I notified him that he
could not continue his attentions to my
niece unless he were manly enough to
visit her In the home of her protectors.
/ will not repeat what he said in re-
Spouse TO this. Suffice to say. he in
suited me. He did not hesitate to say
that he would see Mary when he
pleased and as he pleased.
II do not like this young a He Is
not all that he should be. Judge
Bright. once his friend. 10Y says that
he belongs to a asst set In New York,
and has been spoiled by prosperity and
adulation. I am quite sure that he
means to marry your sister II she will
have him. He knows that b will come
into a fortune soon. He is a reckless
Spectator, ] am told. I e for her
interests more thar l can tell you.
You know him. / leave II to you as
to whether he Ia altogether the man