The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1917-08-03
CHAPTER !.

ure in the village of Nottingham for
years. The eccentricity of his gray
derby hat, his beetling gray brows, his
always fresh gray gloves, his erect,
rather heavy old figure, singled him
out from the mass Of commuters that
thronged the city trains. The gray
derby was q part Of old Hilary. Elk.
cept on those are occasions when he
attended service at Saint Jude's he
was never seen without it.
! He lived on the hill above the vii.
lage, with his daughter-had lived
there for ten years. The hall was
beautiful, but old Hilary received no
visitors, returned no advances. Visit
ors thought this curious. The villagers,
prosperous business men with smart
wives, shrugged their shoulders. The
mans house was his own. II he found
that he could do without the town,
the town could get along without him.
There ri no mystery about the
hall, and little curiosity. Cars going
to the country club passed under the
brick wall Of its Italian garden. Their
occupants sometimes caught q glimpse
Of Elinor Kingston there, reading in q
rose arbor, wandering among her
peonies and iris in the spring, or cut
ting sprays Of phlox in midsummer.
The men thought her rather lovely /;
the women, odd, with her blond hair
and dark eyes. The assistant rector
of Saint Jude's, newly come to the vii
lage, met her face to face on n OF
his long country walks, q month or so
before old Hilary's death. and could not
forget her.
He led the conversation to her that
night ut a dinner.
IAN exquisite face" he described
her, ''but sud, almost tragically sad"
"BlondY" The lady on his right was
4 Mrs. Bryant. In honor Of the new
assistant rector, who came OF fine fam
lily and was a distinct acquisition to
the village, she wore the Bryant pear
shaped pearl. She spoke rather curt
". II should not call her exquisite
but you probably met Elinor Kingston.
Her sadness Is a pose, I believe; n
has everything she wants."
The assistant rector was young. but
very wise. So he spoke no more OF
Elinor until the women had left the
table. Then he ventured again.
"Don't join the army Of those OF us
who worship from affair."" advised the
youth who had moved up beside him.
ashes the loveliest thing In this part
OF the country. But, except u sainted
rector, no one ever gets to put q foot
on the place. It's exclusiveness to the
nth power, and then some. There's
a lot Of talk, Of course, or used to be.
Old Kingston brings his servants from
New York, and except an elderly
housekeeper, none Of them speak Eng
lish. They used to say around here
that he was a refugee, but that's oil
rot. He's q stingy old dotard, afraid
some handsome youth like myself will
captivate the girl. That's all there Is
to It."
The assistant rector, whose name
was Ward, smiled perfunctorily. In
stead Of the cleaning table, spread
with flowers and candles, with the gay
colors Of cordials and liQueurs, he was
seeing q girl standing at the turn OF q
country road and gazing down into the
valley and the distant village with
eomber eyes.
Faith, hope and charity, and the
greatest Of these Ii faith. Faith In our
selves, faith IN those around us, and
that sublimest faith Of all which
trusts In something beyond. To all
men IL given such faith at the begin
ming OF life, and some keep It to the
END. But here and there II a who
has lost It, who cannot turn his eyes
up and say 'sLord. Lord" Old Hilary
had not kept the faith.
Years aeo he had not been evil. he
had gone from philosophy into unbe-
lief. that route which all must travel.
But, unlike the many, he had not come
hack.
He had started with socialism. but
socialism must be founded on the
Christ, ana him he scorned. So from
socialism no had drifted to anarchy.
no rob tho rich and give to the poor.
1t nrsk. Later On, 10 rob the rich. 70
incite sedltions, to arm the rebellious-
a., II was comprehensive enough. vast
II wicked with that most terrible law.
lessness u al, that believes itself law.
70 plt his wits against the world
ana win-that had been old Hilary'a
creed. "For the oppressed" had been
at hrst the slogan Of the band he gath
cred around him. against the op'
puaasor' It became later on. Vastly
different the two. Most Of human
charity and kandlinesa lay crushed
down and trnmpied undetfoot durina
old Hilary's pfooress frDm Christ =
lAntichfist-
Joy #H