Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-28

that. though Dan might rage and teal
cGs,f Ssa cesssd cS ~ y Is. IA shiSG q him. But
4 Ev had she NOT thought lof the harm
Ssmisht az to h4s m6tlieri All ,thl
n ~ M, since ne MAS 4, child she hat
Il IN tie tyrsnniet. be lad indicted upot
q Ssf mother stfrnhehs her. =. !
What fresh tyranny wenld he, ,aniiicl
SK her now a+-fny that ahe. was fomin!
1 Home like thi4 to- Ibu!den to
For a morfe3k Hessts tod sherseH sp'
4 ,faust 70 back Gven yet. But she wa
y ~ weak and ITO III 70 - one stel
s4irther. All TIE same she could no
4 llre her stepfathey 10 her present con.
altion. II she co9M only 9et ypstair'
- Sns not t'',v wortins. = Sic LOOKED 4 IL,
Z i ~ilj. door-it had not yet been opentd
n was impossible that Dan could be 4
4 Sed-he> was such an early riser. HI
Sust have gone up the brews to look a
4 ~ heifers In the top helds. .
With q slow step she went over to TN
\ awelling house. The door was shut
I ;Sut she could hear sounds from thu
a Iitchefi. There was the stunning o.
sfIow feet, accompanied by the tap O
\ ~ walking. stick; then the blowing ant
coughing Of bellows and the cracking o.
burning gorse and then the measured
beatine Of a foot on the hcarthstone
lEeeping time to q husky ana tremulouI
voice that was singing
gw "Safe In the arms Of Jesus,
Sg Safe in His tender care y
With a palpitating heart Bessie lifted
the latch, pushed the door open an(
I took one step into the kitchen. Hel
mother, who was still wearing her nigh
e ecap, was sitting on the three -legget
stool in the choillagh, stirring porridg'
n the oven pot that hung from th'
4 Salowrie. Z, She had heard the click of thu
7latch and was looking round.
! Ssf There was silence for moment. Bes.
sGe tried to speak and could not. TIT
jSld woman rose on rigid limbs and hel
hand on the handle Of her stick wal
I s,frembling. It was just as II the spirit
I q some one she had been thinking'abou,
had suddenly appeared before her.
.'Is 1t thyself, girl?' she said, IN
bfeathless whisper.
~ Mother, r., cried Bessie, and she tool
another step forward ~ .ril
- Again there was Q moment OF silence
With her heart at her lips Bessie saw
that her mothers eyes were wandering
over her figure. Then the sticktdroppet
from the old woman's hand to the hool
\ and she stretched out her arms, and hel
thin hands shook like withered leaves.
"Bolla veen boIla veen J" she cried
In low voice that was a sob. TT
my own case over again" =
II And then the girl fell into her moth
yer's arms and buried her head In he,
breast and cried, as only a suffering
child can cry. helplessly, piteously.
A moment later there was a heav!
sfo0tstep outside, and the ring OF al
,iron tool thrown down on the street. ;
The old woman raised her face with ,
look of fear .s,
IA "It's thy father" she whispered.
III I'll
Dan Baldromma had risen earlier
than usual that morning. For NOR
than a week there had not been watel
enough to his mill wheel for his liking
and suspecting the cause Of the short
age, he had put a pick over his shoulder
and walked up the glen.
There was little croft on the top o
ithe brews half q mile nearer to tn
mountain. 1t was called Baldromma
beg (the little Baldromma) and its oc
cupants (sub- tenants Of Dan Baldrom
gma) were a quaint old o0uple-Wil
skillicorpe, a long, slow-eyed, slow
legged person who was 4 claes- leade
among the "Primitives," and his wife
Bridget, typical little Manxwomal
sot her class, keen -eyed, quick. .tongued
illiterate and superstitious. .
Their croft was thirsty land, th0ugl
water in abundance was 30 near, and t
every request that it should DO laid Of
~ pipes from the glen, Dan had said
let your wife carry it-what else i
the woman there for?''
Bridget had carried 1t for ten years
Then her anger getting the better 0
her, she put on a pair Of her husband
big boots and rolled two great boulder
into a neck Of the river, with the resul
that a deep stream Of sweet water cam
lowing down to her house and fields.
This was just what Dan had sus
pected, and coming upon the new mad
dam, he stretched his legs across II
swung his pick and sent the boulder
tumbling down the glen, with torren
OF water from Baldromma- beg at tn
back Of them.
But Bridget, also, had risen earlie
tnan usual that morning, and, heafin
the sound Of Dams pick, she went ou
80" ~ uts uuu WOEh uuu lClI Ou utu
with hot repr0aches.
WAS there nothing doing down a
the mill, Dan Collister," she cried
that thou must be coming up here (
put thy evil eye on other people
Get thee indoors, woman" growle
Dan. "and put thy house in order
,|My house in order? Mine? An
What about thine? Thine that is
ssatssrace to the parish and the talk Q
she island. - ;1f lrfE. WI
II Keep q civil tongue in thy head
mrs. Skillicorne, or maybe I'll be show
T'hf thee the road to Hollantide."
~ Turn me out of the croft, will thou
70 1t and welcome! give thee lave
A. would be middling aisy to find bet
ser farm, and Satan himself cOuldn'
nnd worse landlord But set tho
ohe loot on this land until my year
over and II there's bucket Of dirt
Mater on the cowhouse floor Ill thrOy
over thee. Put my house in orde
,naeed Where's thy daughter, Ell
"nere's thy daughter, say?'
ye cot no daughter, woman, an
vel thou knows it," said Dan.
Deed ] DO. No wonder the Lor
couldn't TRUST thee with daughter 0
~! own, the way th0u's brought vi
s one, Away with thee and lOOl
~ nr--it Will become thee better"
@ Dspt .haying 2nishsd his work
~ n9x pIMAeinS down fhe glen an
e WHIT skiMeRs1s ehsd come out q
"a, 4