Show the alright in the clea jl aasa G JL ri na sg S g A TALE of the NORTH COUNTRY in the TIME of SILAS WRIGHT 1 ba IRVING I author of EDEN EBEN HOLDEN DRI D AND 1 I DARREL MEL OP OF THE BLESSED ISLES KEEPING UP WITH LIZZIE etc etc copyright by irving D Bichell cr BARTON MAKES HIS FIRST FORAY INTO THE WORLD AS A STUDENT IN MICHAEL ACADEMY synopsis barton baynes an orphan goes oes to live with ills uncle peabody baynes and ills his aunt deel on a farm on Rattle road in a neighborhood called about the year 1820 1826 he meets sally dunkelberg Dunk elborg about ills own age but socially of a class above the Baynes cs and is fascinated by her pretty face and fine clothes B barton arton also meets roving kate known in tile the neighborhood as the silent woman amos grimshaw Grini shaw a young son of the richest roan man in the township is a visitor at the baynes hoine and roving kate tells the boys fortunes predicting a bright future for barton and and death on the gallows for amos barton meets silas biln i wright jr a man prominent in public affairs who evinces much interest in III the boy barton learns of the power of money when mr Grini shaw threatens to take the baynes farm unless a note which he holds is paid now in ills his sixteenth year barton on his way to the post office at canton meets a stranger and they ride together they encounter a highwayman who shoots and kills the alie stranger bartons horse throws him and runs away As the murderer bends over the stranger barton throws a stone which he observes wounds the thief who makes off at once CHAPTER VII continued the beauty of that perfect day was upon her I 1 remember that her dress was like the color of it its fireweed blossoms and that the blue of its sky was in her eyes and the yellow of the sunlight light in her hair and the red of its clover in her cheeks I 1 remember liow low the lie august breezes played with her hair flinging its golden curving strands strand about her neek neck and shoulders so that it touched my face now and then as we w walked somehow the rustle rustic of her dress started a strange vitiation in my spirit I 1 put my arm around her waist and she put her arm around mine as no ine ran along A curious feeling came over me I 1 stopped and loosed my arm It its svery ery warm I 1 said as I 1 picked a stalk of fireweed what was there about the girl which so thrilled me with happiness she turned away and felt the ribbon by which her hair was gathered at the back of her head after a moment of silence I 1 ventured 1 I guess youve never fallen in love yes I 1 have who with 1 I dont think I 1 dare tell you she answered slowly looking down as she walked ill tell you who I 1 love if you wish I 1 said who you I 1 whispered the word and was afraid she would laugh at me but she we stopped and listened to the song of a bird I 1 do not remember what bird it was and then she whispered will you love me always and forever yes I 1 answered in the careless way of youth she stopped and looked into my eyes and I 1 looked into hers slay may I 1 kiss youl you I 1 asked and afraid with cheeks burning she turned away and answered 1 I guess iou ou can if you want to now I 1 seem to be in gladdins Alad dins tower and to see her standing so red and graceful and innocent in the sunlight and that strange fire kindled by our kisses warms my blood again that night I 1 heard a whispered conference below after I 1 had gone upstairs I 1 knew that something ng was coming and wondered what it might 0 1 pa F 1 I 4 p ol 01 f 11 Y L AC A C ra will you love ale always and for ever be soon uncle peabody came up to our little room looking highly serious I 1 sat halt undressed and rather fear ful ill looking into ills his face As I 1 think of the immaculate soul of the boy I 1 feel a touch of pathos in that scene J think that he fult felt it for I 1 remember that liis ills whisper trembled a little as he began to tell me why men are strong and women are beautiful and given in marriage be calling in love one ol 01 0 ome days he sald said its natural ye should you remember roeln katel kate he asked by and by yes I 1 answered some lay day when youre a little older ill tell ye her story an see what happens when men an women break the law 0 god heres mr wrights letter aunt deel asked me to give it to you to keep youre old enough now an be goin away to school before long I 1 guess I 1 took the letter and read again the superscription on its envelope to master barton baynes to be opened when lie he leaves home to go to school input I 1 put it away in the pine box bos with leather hinges on oil its cover which uncle peabody had made for me and wondered again what it was all about and again that night I 1 broke camp and moved further into the world over the silent trails of knowledge uncle peabody wont went away for a few days after the harvesting he had gone afoot I 1 knew not where he returned one afternoon in a buggy with the great michael racket hacket of the canton academy racket hacket was a big brawny red haired kindly irishman with a merry heart and tongue the latter having a touch of the brogue of the green isle which he had never seen for he had been born in massachusetts i and had got his education in harvard he was then a man of forty youre coming to me tills this fall he said as he put his hand on my arm and gave me a little shake lad youve got a pair of shoulders ye shall live in my house an help with the chores if ye wish to be grand said uncle peabody but as to myself just then I 1 knew not what to io think of it END OF BOOK ONE BOOK TWO which Is the story of the principal witness CHAPTER vill in which I 1 meet other great men it was a sunny day late in september on which aunt deel and uncle peabody took roe me and my little pine chest with all my treasures in it to the village where I 1 was to go gao to school and live with the family of mr michael hacket the schoolmaster I 1 remember the sad excitement of that ride to the village and all the words of advice and counsel spoken by my aunt I 1 remember look looking ing in vain for sally as we passed the Dunkel dunkelbergr bergs I 1 remember my growing loneliness as the day wore on and how aunt deel stood silently buttoning my coat with tears rolling down her cheeks while I 1 loaned leaned back upon the gate in front of the racket house hous c on ashery lane trying to act like a man and rather ashamed asha ined of my poor success uncle peabody stood surveying the sky in silence with his back toward us he turned and nervously blew out his bre breath ath his lips trembled tremble d a little as lie he said 1 I dunno but what its goin to rain I 1 watched them as they walked to the tavern sheds both looking down at the ground and going rather unsteadily oli oh the look of that beloved pair as they walked away from roe me the look of their leaning heads their silence and the sound of their footsteps are somehow a part of the picture which has hung all these years in my memory sally dunkelberg and her mother came along and said that they were g alad lad I 1 had come to school I 1 could not talk to them and seeing my trouble they went on sally waving her hand band to me ns as they turned the corner below I 1 felt ashamed of myself suddenly I 1 heard the door open behind me and the voice of mr hacket bart lie he called ive a friend here who has something to say to you come in I 1 turned and went into the house away with sadness badness laddie addle buck he excil exclaimed tImed as he be took ills his violin from its case cae while I 1 sat wiping my eyes away with sadness badness she often raps at my door and whilo I 1 try not to be aude I 1 always pretend to be very busy just a light word 0 recognition by way 0 common polite politeness then laugh if yc can an do it quickly lad an she will pass on the last words were spoken in a whisper with ith one hand on my breast he turned the strings and played the F fishers hornpipe what wh a romp of merry music filled the housel house 1 I 1 had never hoard heard the like and was soon sm smiling effing at him as lie he played ills his bow nna and fin fingers ers flew in the wild frolic of the devils dream it lei led me out of my sadness into a world all new to me now god bless your soul bovi boy lie he exclaimed by and by as lie he put down ills his instrument we shall have a good time together that we will not a stroke 0 work tills this day I 1 come I 1 have a guide here that will take us down to the land 0 the fairies then with his microscope he showed me into the wonder world of littleness of which I 1 had no knowledge the microscope is like the art 01 0 the teacher lie he said pvc ive known a goot good teacher eacher t to take a brain no bigger than ti flys foot an make it visible to the naked eye one of the children of which there were four in the racket hacket home called us to supper mrs hacket a stout woman with a red and kindly face sat nt at one end of the table and between them were the children mary a pretty daughter of seventeen years malpie magpie a six year old ruth buth a delicate airl irl of seven and john a noisy red faced boy of five the chairs were of plain wood like the kitchen chairs of today in the middle of the table was an empty one painted green before lie he sat down mr racket hacket put ills his liand hand on the back of this chair and said sald A merry heart to you michael henry I 1 wondered at the meaning of this s but dared not to ask the oldest t daughter acted as a kind of moderator with ithe he others amary mary Is the constable of this house with power to arrest and hale into court for undue haste or rebellion or impoliteness mr racket hacket explained 1 I believe that sally dunkelberg 19 your friend he said to me presently yes sir I 1 answered A fine slip of a girl that and a born scholar I 1 saw you look at her as the persian looks at the rising sun I 1 blushed and mary and her mother and the boy john looked tit at me and laughed rime mr racket hacket exclaimed with a kindly smile uncle peabody would have called it a stout snag the schoolmaster had hauled it out of his brain very deftly and chucked it down before me in a kind of challenge what does that mean I 1 asked you shall know in a week my son he answered 1 I shall put you into the latin class wednesday morning and god help you to like it as well as you like sally again they laughed and again 1 I blushed hold up yer head my brave lad he went on yeve a perfect right to like sally it if yeve a heart to A lad in his teens will never know beans if be an eye for the girls it was a merry supper and when it ended mr racket hacket rose and took the green chair from the table exclaiming Mie michael bael henry god bless youl you 1 then he kissed ills his wife and said maggie you wild rose of erin I 1 ive been all day in the study I 1 must take a walk or I 1 shall get an exalted abdomen one Is badly beaten in the race 0 life when ills his abdomen gets ahead of his toes children keep our young friend happy here until I 1 come back and mind you dont forget the good fellow in the green chair mary helped her mother with the dishes while I 1 sat with 1 a I book by the fireside soon mrs racket hacket and the children came and sat down with me lets play baclig backgammon bacU gammon ammon mary proposed 1 I dont want to said john dont forget michael henry she reminded who is michael henry I 1 asked sure hes the boy that lias has never been born said mrs racket hacket he was to be the biggest and noblest of them kind an helpful an cheery hearted an beloved 0 god above all the others we try to live up to him ile he seemed to me a very strange and wonderful ond erful creature this invisible occupant of the green chair I 1 know now what I 1 knew not then that michael henry was tile the spirit of their lionie home an ideal of which tile empty green chair was a constant reminder wo we played backgammon and old maid and everlasting until mr hacket returned the sealed envelope which mr wright had left at our home a long time before that day was in my pocket at last the hour lind had come vucu I 1 could open it and read the message of which I 1 had thought much and with a growing interest I 1 rose and said that I 1 should like to go to my room mr racket hacket lighted a candle and took me upstairs to a little room where my chest bad been deposited there were in the room fe bed a chair a portrait of napoleon bonaparte und and a small table on oil which wore were a dictionary a bible and a number of schoolbooks school bools these were marys books 11 sald said sa ld mr Hacke 11 ack et fr 1 I told your uncle that yo could use them an welcome I 1 sat down donn and opened the sealed healed envelope with trembling hands and found in it this brief note dear partner I 1 want you to 0 o esir the wisest ninn man you know to explain these words to you I 1 bugge suggest A abat you commit them to memory and think often of 0 their meaning they are arc from job his bones are full of the sins of ills his youth which shall lie le down with him in the dust 1 I believe that they are arc the most impressive in all the literature I 1 havo bavo read sours truly SILAS WRIGHT WEIGHT JR JIL I 1 read the words over and over dver again but knew not their meaning sadly and slowly I 1 got ready for bed the noises of the village challenged my car after I 1 had bad put out my candle there were many barking dogs some horsemen passed with a creaking of 0 saddle leather followed by a wagon soon I 1 heard running feet and eager voices I 1 rose and looked out of the open window men were hurrying down the street with lanterns hes the son 0 ben grimshaw I 1 heard one of them saying they caught him back in the south woods ta Z st 1 1 41 1 fit 11 I 1 went ident with him while he fed his chickens and two small yesterday the sheriff said that he tried to run away when he saw em coming what was the meaning of this what had amos grimshaw been doing I 1 trembled as I 1 got back into bed I 1 cannot even now explain why but long ago I 1 gave up trying to fathom the depths of the human spirit with an infinite sea beneath it crossed by subtle tides and currents we see only the straws on the surface I 1 was up at daylight and mr racket hacket came to my door while I 1 was dressing A merry day to you I 1 lip he exclaimed ill await you below and introduce 3 ou to the humble herds and flocks of a schoolmaster I 1 went with him while he fed his chickens and two small I 1 milked the cow for him and together we drove her back to the pasture then we split some wood and filled the boxes by the fireplace and the kitchen stove and raked up the leaves in the dooryard and wheeled them away now you know the duties 0 your office said the schoolmaster as we went in to break breakfast fasL we sat down at the table with the family and I 1 drew out my letter from the senator and gave it to mr racket hacket to read the senator god prosper him I 1 heard that lie he came on the Platts plattsburg burg stage last night he said as he began the reading an announcement which caused me and the children to clap our hands with joy I 1 mr racket hacket thoughtfully repeated the words from job with a most impressive intonation he passed the letter back to me and said all truel true I 1 have seen it sinking into the bones 0 the young and I 1 have seen it lying down with the aged in the dust 0 their graves it is a big book the one we are now opening god help us it has more pages than all the days 0 your life just think 0 sour body A brave and ten tender der youth I 1 it is like a sponge how it takes things in an holds em ein an feeds upon em cm A part 0 every apple ye cat sinks down into yer blood an bones ye cant get it out its the same way with the books ye rend read an the thoughts ye enjoy they go down into yer bones an ye cant get lem em out why I 1 like to think 0 michael henry his food is good thoughts and his wine is laughter I 1 had a long visit with M 11 last night when yo ye were all in |