Show josephic Josep liC 3 of place 11 ari etc mus by ellsworth boins couii crl bat SYNOPSIS lofv keziah coffin itne widow to 1 arranging ging to move from t to boa 1304 n following the 0 ath of her brother r horn hom ahll eh lid d kept houe kyan kyar per r wid w e r marriage 1 ano and Is 1 Ign antly refused capt apt elkanah dan ian I 1 leader of the regular church offer s ealah ih P 1 an a housek housekeeper for th the a W aln minister alst e r ae and nd he deat decides d beeer e to remain et keilah takes charee charge ot of atey ahn ellery the new now minister and irive gives im aduce RS as to his hi conduct toward ambers jer of the parish CHAPTER ill III continued Ke eilah flub he commanded hum turn oil Iez keelah inh come in here a minute heziah alah caroe came in response to the call er being bev ing in ber her hand the renoa ion of the parsonage had bad so far pro led that she could now find time r a little sewing after the dinner LS were done heziah eald said the captain pompous we copet expect you to look out tor for mr nir licary y in every respect the pariah parish jihee expects that ca cs 1 I it 11 try eald said mrs coffin shortly well that s all you cin c in go je must be going too mr bir ellery se consider our house at your dis osal I 1 any time de be neighborly bum hum hal be neighborly les es purred annabel do come and see us often congenial society ery ry scarce in tor for me beope ally y we can read together are bu fond of moore bloore mr ellery t I 1 just apte on him the ie last hum ha was partially browned arned by the click of 0 the bat gat ke ah closed the dining room door irs ira coffin said the minister 1 I ant II 11 trouble the parish committee sure of bat that ira lm perfectly satis malls dd ealah eat sat down in the rocker an and r needle moved very briskly for a ament nent then she said without ing up hat s good I 1 own up I 1 like to ar you say it and I 1 am glad there e tomo some things I 1 do like about this 8 w biaco of mine because well ause aue here there a likely to be others that han ant t like at all on n friday evening the minister ti ducted his first prayer meeting fore it and afterwards he heard good dral deal concerning the come ers he ile learned that captain en n hammond had bad preached against in the chapel on sunday most III his s own parishioners seemed to ink ik it a good joke be he sun of be the following thursday ning ming rose behind a curtain ot of tog dense as that of the day upon ch ellery arrived A flat calm in forenoon the wind changed about ce e clock and aud beginning with a rp and sudden squall from the ih th west blew hard and steady yet fog still till cloaked everything and used to be blown away biln out in this ibis mr Elir ex med lined keziah in amazement as the lister ister put on his bat hat and coat about en that evening sakes alive I 1 wont be able to see the way to gate it its a as dark as a biggers nig gers ket and thicker than young one ones a poor mans family as my father d to say be wet through ere in the world are you bound tor for i he minister equivocated he ile eald said bad had been in the house all mt day and like a walk ell taip an umbrella thin n was housekeeper a advice you 11 d it before you get back I 1 cat idle t ads dark enough and thick mn urn in all fill conscience the main d was as a black wet et void vold through ich gleams from lighted windows re big vague yellow blotches T the he brella was useful in the same way w ay t a blind mans cane Is useful in lis the way two or three r ra who ho met the minister carried terns teras john ellery stumbled on ough the mist till he reached the auers where the tore store wae was located I 1 the reads forked there he ned ed to the right into the way led ed locally Ilam I lammonds monda turn of bort distance down the turn oft od d a small brown shingled building windows alight opposite its door either side of he be road grew a cading hornbeam tree surrounded a cluster of swamp blackberry hes in the black shadow of tb the nieam mr ellery stood still lie if del ing in his mind a question uld ho he or should he not enter that ding 3 he be stood there groups of people bcd from the loy tog and darkness ragged passed in at fit the door some of n be te had bad teen during bis his fortnight aru run ot e others were strangers to A lantern danced and wab bled te the turnoff turn oct fron frow the direction I 1 t e bay shore and the packet wharf row rew near and be saw that it was ard by an old man with long white end thin beard who walked with limp beside him was a thin ban wearing a black poke bonnet i a shawl in the rear of the pair e ancibor woman a young woman fug h b die the way sho she was wa dressed alier ter ekr 1014 vigorous step the trio jd d on tan platform pl attona of the building 0 c d roan man blew out the lantern a 1 threw the door open and a in ot of light poured over greup roup the young woman oman was graco grace van iloene the minister min leter recognized her nt at once undoubtedly tho the old man with the limp waa was her ber guardian captain aben hammond who by common report bad had spoken of him ellery as a hired priest the door closed A few mol ants thereafter the tho sound of a squeaky melodeon came from within the building 9 it walled wailed and quivered and groaned then with a suddenness that wae was startling came the first veree verse of a hymn sung with tr tremendous enthuse aam a oh who vho hall shall answer when the ford tord shall call lift HI rno rinso ined med sinners home the hallelujah chorus was still ring ing when the watcher across the street stepped out from the shadow of the hornbeam lanout a pause pauso he strode over to tho the platform plat toria an other moment and the door had shut abut behind him the minister of the be regular church had bad entered the come outer I 1 chapel to attend a come outer prayer meeting CHAPTER IV in which the parson fr in strange water waters the come outer chapel v was as as a baro bare inside almost as it was without bare dare wooden walls a beamed coiling a railed raised platform at one end with a table and chairs and the melodeon upon it rows of wooden settees for the congregation that waa was all As A the minister entered nt ered the worshipers acie ele stand tr les up tip to eing three or four op uttering oil lamps but dimly illumined the place and made tion uncertain the second verse of the hymn wae was juat just beginning as cilery came in most of the forty or more grown people in the chapel were too busy wrestling with the tune to turn and look at him A 4 child hero here and there in the back row twisted a curious neck but twisted back again as parental fingers tugged at its car the minister tiptoed to a dark corner and took bis his stand in front of a vacant settee the man whom ellery had decided must be captain eben hammond was standing on the low platform beside the table A quaint figure patriarchal with its flowing white hair and beard puritanical with its set shaven shave lips and tufted brows captain eben held an open hymn book botik back in one hand and beat time with the other lie ile wore brass bowed spectacles well down toward the tip of ut hie his nose swinging a heavy stubby finger and singing in a high quavering voice f t no particular register be he led off the third verse I 1 oh who hall shall weep when the th roll Is I 1 celled called and who hall shall hout shout for joy boyr the singing over the worshipers sat down captain eben took a fig ared handkerchief from bis his pocket and wiped his forehead the th thin near nearsighted sighted young woman who bad had been humped over the keyboard of the melodeon straightened up the wor related it little and began to look about then tho the captain adjusted his spectacles and ai opened a bible which be tool took from ane table beside him clear hig jg his throat he be announced that he be would read from the word tenth chapter of jeremiah thua thue tho the lord learn not the way of the feithen he ithen and be not dismayed at too the signs of heaven beaven tor for the heathen ore are dismayed at them A meni ment the shout came from the second bench from the front where ez klel bassett lias sett clara clam digger and fervent re was alway to be found on meeting nights ezekiel was the fa ther of susannah U B bassett Ba isett sukey D for short who played thys anelo deon he ile had boon been by successive a seventh day barest a second adventist a a iego legu lar and waa was now the molt most energetic of come outers later he was tn to become a spiritualist and preside preslee at table tipping stances Ezekle ls amen waa was so sudden and emphatic that it startled the into looking up instead of the faces facts of his congregation he be found himself treated to a view of their back hair nearly every bead head was as turned toward the rear corner of the room there was a it bull buzz of whispering and in front many men and women were standing up to look ezekiel bassett stepped forward and whispered in hie his car ar the captains expression of righteous indigena tion changed to one of blank aston he ile too gared rated at tho tb dark corner then bis his lips tightened and he rapped smartly on the table my friends he said let as bow in prayer john ellery could have repeated abat prayer almost word for or word year years after that night the th captain prayed for the few here there gathered together gethers to let them be steadfast let them be la in aba a way tto patti P they viere er treading might be narrow and ani be b set with thorns but it was the pa patt leading to glory glary scoffers Sc offers may sneer he declare aref hie his voice rising they may make a mock of us they may even come luto thy presence to laugh at us but their theirs s tle laugh that turns to groan groaning gro anin la 11 and so 10 on hie his remarks becoming more personal and eer eier pointing like a compas needle to the occupant of that seat in the corner 0 lord prayed captain hammond the perspiration in beads heads on hie his forehead thou haft hast laid said that the pastors become brutish and hare have not bought sought thee and that they hant shant prosper help us tonight to labor with this one that ho be may see bis his error and repeat in sackcloth eack cloth and abbes they sang once more a hymn that prophesied woes to the unbeliever then ezekiel bassett roee rose to testify the testimony was mainly to the ef f feet that he was happy because he had fled to the ark of safety while there was yet time captain eben called for more mony dut but the testifiers were ere to use the old minstrel joke backward in coming forward that evening at an ordinary meeter b this time the shouts and would have been at their height and half ball a dozen come autera on their feet at once relating their experiences and proclaim ing their happiness dut but tonight there was a damper the presence of the leader of the opposition cast a shadow oner the feathering lathering only the bravest attempted speech the other others sat silent showing their resentment and contempt by frowning froning glance glances over their shoulders and portentous nods one to the other the captain looked over the meet ing im ashamed he eald said ashamed of the behavior of some of us in the lord a house this has boon a failure this jerice of ours we have kep kepl still when we should have justified our faith and allowed the presence of a stranger to interfere with our duty to tle almighty and I 1 will eay say he be added his voice rising and trembling with indignation to him who came here uninvited and broke up this meet in that it would be well for him to remember the words of Scrip tur tue woe unto ye felse false prophets and workers of iniquity let him remember ishac the divine wisdom put into ay my head to read tonight to night the pastora pastors have become bretl brutish 1 l and have not bought sought the lord therefore they shall not pro prosper 9 per amen A I 1 ameni amen ameal I 1 so be 11 10 the cries came from all parta parts of the little room the they ceased abruptly tor for john cilery ellery waa was on hie his feet captain Capt aln hammond he eald said 1 I re altz a that I 1 have no right to speak in this building but I 1 must say any one word my bly coming here tonight to night may have be been ben n a mistake I 1 im m inclined to think it was dut but I 1 came not as you sem to infer to sneer and scoff gainly I 1 had no to disturb your service I 1 came because I 1 had heard repeatedly sinco since my in thia this town of this society and its meetings I 1 had heard too that there seemed to tb be a feeling of antagonism almost hatred against me among you here I 1 see why most bloat of you have I 1 believe been at ono one time members of the church where I 1 preach I 1 wished to find out for myself how much ot of truth there was in the stories I 1 had beard and to eee see if better feeling between the two societies might not be brought about those were my reasons for coming here t tonight 0 an A for my being a false kroph im not crying ah she gasped et at and a worker of Iniquity he smiled well there Is another terse verse of scripture I 1 would call to your at judge not that ye be not judged lie ile till t down there waa was silence tor for a moment and then a buzz of whim captain aten who had beard leard him with a face of iron bardnel bard nes neal aal 1 d the table we will sing in closen ba bk said the forty second hymn after which the benediction wilt will be pronounced the regular minister left the cone come outers meeting with the unpleasant conviction that be he had blundered bad ly ills Illa visit instead of tending toward better understanding and more cor dial relationship had been regarded as an intrusion so that old bigot was as tho van home girls girl 11 uncle it hardly seemed pon po mitt P that she who appeared appear etl so ro re fined tined and ladylike when whet ha be met her at t the parsonage should be a member cf of that curious company when be h rose to speak he tie had seen her bet la in the front row beside the thin middle aged female who bad entered the chapel with captain hammond and with her she was looking at him intently tb the lamp over the speakers table had shone full on her fac fact and the picture remained la in his memory U uw w her C and the navy shadows of her hair on per er for thead lie ile bad had kakta but a few steps when there was as a rustle in the wet grae grass behind him mr M r cilery ullery whispered a voice mr air ellery may I 1 peak speak to ou just a moment lie ile wheeled in sur surprise prize ancyl 1 why by mae nisa nan chornel hornel be exclaimed la Is it you 1 I 1 felt she he said that I 1 must see you and explain I 1 am so sorry you caroe came here tonight to night oh I 1 wah ish you hada t ahat hat made ou do it iff 1 I came began ellery soule somewhat what because I 1 well because I 1 thought it might bo be a good to do chere was a bitterness in hie his tone unmistakable and a little laugh from hie his companion did not tend to soothe hie his feelings thank you he said berhar j it I 1 Is funny I 1 did not riot find it so good evening the girl detained him aa an be was turning away anay 1 I came after you wont on grace rapidly and with nervous haste be auie ause I 1 felt that you ought not to misjudge my uncle for what ho he laid said tonight he ile nt have hurt your f feelings for the orld he ile Is a good man and does good to everybody eiery body if it you yo u only knew the good be he doea dwa do you wouldn t tou ou v t dare think hardly of him I 1 m not judging your uncle he declared I 1 it seemed to roe me that the boot wae was on the other leg I 1 I 1 know but you do judge him and you mu in t I 1 ou on see he thought you had come to make fun of him and us some of the regular people do people who aren t tit fit to tie his shoes and so be spoke against you yot ile hell it be sorry when he thinks if it ever over that what I 1 came to tell you I 1 ask your |