The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1916-03-13
THE PURtFlcATloN or
MULFERA.

again IN more senses than one. There
were no ladies on Mulfera, and this
wrought inevitable deterioration in the
young men who made a bachelors bar.
racks Of the homestead. Not that they
ever turned It into the perfect pan.
demonium you might suppose, but II
was unnecessary either to wear a col
lar or TO repress 'an oath at table, and
this sort of disregard does not usually
stop at the elementary decencies. II
is true that on Mulfera the bark of
the bachelor was something worse than
his bite and his tongue no fair cri-
terion to the rest of him. Nevertheless
the place became a byword, even In
the back blocks, and when at last the
good Bishop Methuen had the bardi.
hood TO include it in an episcopal itin-
erary there were admirers of that dear
divine who roundly condemned his
folly aud enemies who no longer de
MED his herolsm.
The lord bishop Of the back blocks
had at that time been twelvemonth
or more in charge Of what he himself
described playfully as his oceanic
see" But his long neglect of Mulfera
was due less to its remoteness than to
the notorious fact that they wanted
no adjectlval and alliterative bishops
there. An obvious way OF repulse
happened to he open TO the blasphem-
ing squatter, though there is no other
instance of its employment. On these
/ up country visltations the bishop was
dependent for his mobility upon the
horsehesh of his hOspitable hosts.
/ Thus it became the custom to send to
/ fetch him from one station to another,
and as n rule the owner or the mana
ger came himself. with four horses
and the big trap. The manager Of
Mulfera said his horses had something
else to do, and his neighbors backed
! him up with some discreet encourage
ment on their own account 1t was
felt that a slur would be left upon the
whole district II his lOrdship actually
met with the only sort Of reception
which was predicted for him on Null
fera. Bishop Methuen, however. was
one of the last men on earth TO shirk
Il plague spot, and on this one warning
was eventually received that the Dish
Op and his chaplain would arrive on
horseback the following Sunday morn
ing to conduct divine service IL quite
convenient at II O'Clock.
The language Of the manager was
something inconceivable upon receipt
OF this cool advice. He was man
named Carmichael, and quite n differ
cnt type from the neighbOrs who held
up horny hands when the bishop de
cided on his raid. Carmichael was not
"a native OF this colony" or Of the next,
but he was that distressing spectacle,
the public school man who is no cred
1t to his public school. Worse than
this, he was a man OF brains Worst
Of all, he had promised very different
Z ly as a boy, A younger man who had
been at school with him, having come
out for his health. Travelled some hun
dreds of miles to see Carmichael,
whose conversation struck him abso-
lutely dumb. He was captain of our
house. the visitor explained TO Car
michaels subordinates, and you
daren't say dash in dormitOry-not
even dashw
In appearance this redoubtable per
son was chiefly remarkable for the
intellectual cast OF his still occasional
ly clean shaven countenance, and for
his double eyeglasses, or, rather, the
way he wore them. They were very
strong and very common, without any
rims, and Carmichael bought them by
the box lie would not wear them
with cord, and in the heat they were
continually slipping off his nose. When
they did not slip right of they hung
at such an angle that Carmichael had
10 throw his whole body and head
backward in order TO see anything
through them except the ground. And
when they fell some one else had to
find them while Carmichael cursed, for
his naked eye was as blind as bats
Lets go mastering on Sunday"
suggested the overseer, every blessed
man. Let him find the whole place
deserted, homestead and hut"
"Or lets get blind for the occasion"
was the bOOkkeeppr's idea, every
mothers SON"
That would do" agreed the over
seer IF we got just blind enough |
And we might get the blacks from !
PoOnee Creek to come and Join the |
dance"
The Overscer was "A dapper Victorian |
with a golden mustache twisted rak- |
lshly mp and down at either end re-
,pectively. like an overturned letter |
lie lived up TO the name OF Smart |
The boOkkeeper was u servlle echo |
with character and a face OF putty. |
He had once perpetrated an Opprobui-
Gus ode TO the overseer and had an
swered TO the name OF Chaucer ever
since.
Carmichael leaned back 10 look from
one Of these worthless to the other, and
his specialized eyes famed with NOR
liant scorn.
Il suppose you think you're funny,
you fellows" said he. and without the
oath which was sign OF his good will
except when he lost his temper with
the sheep. III so, l wish you'd get
outside 10 entertain each other. Since
the fellows coming we shall have 10
let him come, and the thing is how 70
choke him off ever coming again with.
out open insult. which | won't allow.
A service OF some sort we shall have
10 have this once"
"Pm on 10 guy IT," declared the In