| Show BOOK TWO which Is the story of the principal witness CHAPTER R vill VIII in which I 1 meet other great men it was a sunny adny late la in september on which aunt deel and uncle peabody took me and my pine chest with nil all my treasures in it to tho the villa logo go where I 1 was to go to school and live with the family of mr michael blacket the tha 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 looking in vain for sally as we passed the dunkelbergr Dunkel 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 leaned back upon the gate in front of the hacket house on ashery lane trying to act like a man and rather ashamed of my poor success uncle peabody stood surveying surveying the sky in silence with his back toward d us he turned and nervously blew out his breath ills lips trembled a little as he sold said 1 I dunno but what its coln to rain I 1 watched them as they walked to the tavern sheds both looking down at the ground and going rather unsteadily oh the look of that beloved pair as they walked away from me I 1 the look of their leaning heads I 1 their silence and the sound of their footsteps are somehow a part of the picture which has hung all i these years in my memory sally dunkelberg and her mother came along ond and said that they were glad I 1 had bad como come to school I 1 could not tolk talk to them and seeing my trouble ole they went on sally waving her hand to me ns as they turned the corner carner below I 1 felt ashamed of myself suddenly I 1 heard the door open behind me and the voice of mr blacket bart lie ho called ive a friend here who has something to say to you come to in I 1 turned and went into the house aw away 11 y with sadness laddle laddie buckl buck I 1 he ex calmed as he took his violin from it its case cake while I 1 sat wiping my eyes away with sad sadness 1 she often raps at rny my door and whilo I 1 try not to t be rude I 1 always pretend to be very busy just tl a light word ol 01 0 recognition by bi way 0 W common polite politeness I 1 then laugh it if ye con can an do it quickly lad an she will pass on the last words were spoke kenIn a whisper with one hand on my breast lie ha turned the strings and an d played the fishers hornpipe apat vat a romp of merry music filled the housel house 1 I 1 had never heard the like and was waa soon smiling at him as he played ills bow and fingers flew in the wl wild id frolic of the devils dream it led rie me out of my sadness into a world all new to me now god bless your soul byl boy I 1 he exclaimed by and by as he put down his instrument we shall have a good time together that we will not a stroke 0 work this dry I 1 Comel come I 1 have bave a guide gulde here that will take us down to the tha land 0 the fairies then with his microscope he showed me int into 0 the wonder world of littleness of ahl which ch I 1 had no knowledge the microscope Is like the art 0 the teacher lie he said ive known a good teacher to take a brain no bigger than a flys toot foot an make it visible to the naked eye one oie ot of the children of which there were tour four in the hacket home called us to supper mrs hacket a stout woman with a red and kindly face sat at t 0 one end of the table and between them tb e in were the children mary ilary a pretty daughter of seventeen years maggle maggie a six year benr old ruth a delicate girl of seven even and john anoise anol sy red faced boy of five the chairs were of plain wood like ilke the kitchen chairs of today in the middle of the table was an empty one painted green gree n before he eat cat down sir ir hachet pu put t hla his hand on the th eback back of this chair and said A merry heart to you michael henry iwo at the meaning of this but dared not to ask the oldest daughter acted as a kind of moderator with the others mary is the constable of this house with power to arrest and ba hale leAnto into con t f undue u due haste or rebellion or mr backet explained explain id elleve that sally dunkelberg ls your friend 11 he said inid to me presently yes sir I 1 answered A fine a a 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 at me and laughed 1 mr hacket backet exclaimed with a kindly smile uncle peabody called it a stout snag the schoolmaster had hauled it out of his brain very deftly and chucked before me in a kind c of challenge what does that mean I 1 asked you shall know ln in a week my son he ansi answered ered 1 I shall put you into the latin class wednesday morning and god goa help you to like it as well as you y ou like ilka sally again they laughed and again I 1 blushed hold holdup i up yer head my brave lad h he went on teve a perfect right to like sally it yeve a heart to A lad lif hla his teens teena will vill never ehnow now leans beans I 1 if he an eye for the girla it was a merry supper and when it ended mr bir hacket roseand rose and took the green green chair from the table exclaiming michael henry god bless you I 1 then he kissed his wife and said maggie you wild rose of erin I 1 ive been till nil day in the study I 1 must take a walk or I 1 shall get an exalted abdomen ono Is badly beaten anthe race ol 01 0 life v whon hw his abdomen gets ahead of ills his tots children keep our young friend lappy here I 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 a book by the fireside soon mrs hacket and the children chil drea came ame and sat down with me lets play backgammon mary proposed 1 I dont want to said bald john dont f forget michael ahenry 11 she reminded who Is michael henry aj I 1 askell asked sure hes the boy that has never been born said mrs hacket he was wag to be the he biggest and noblest of them kind an helpful an cheery hearted an beloved a 0 god abo above all the others we try to live up to hirn him ile he seemed to me a very strang dand wonderful creati creature ire this invisible occupant of the green chair I 1 know now what I 1 knew not then that michael henry was the spirit of their home an ideal of bf which thi the empty green chair was a constant 1 reminder we played backgammon and old mald 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 had come when I 1 could open it and read the message of which I 1 had thought much and wl with t it a growing interest Int prest I 1 roso rose and said that I 1 should like to go to my room mr racket hacket lighted a candle and took tie me upstairs to a little room where my chest had been deposited deposIt td there were to in the tha room rabin a bed a chair a portrait of napoleon bonaparte and asdall a small table on which were a dictionary addible a bible and a number of schoolbooks these were marys maryls books sail said mr hacket hacker 1 I told your uncle that ye yd could use them an welcome I 1 sat down and opened the seated sealed envelope with trembling hands bands and fountan found la it this brief note dear Dearr partner artner I 1 want you to ask tho the wisest man you know to explain these words to you 1 I suggest that you commit them to memoir memory and think often of their meaning they are from job his bones are full odthe sins of his youth which shall lille lie down with him in the dust 1 I believe that they are the most impressive in all the literature read yours tours truly imly SILAS WRIGHT WEIGHT JB I 1 read them the words over and over agat again n but knew not their meaning badly and slowly I 1 got ready for bed the noises of the village challenged chall eng ew d my ear nf after ter I 1 had put out my candle andl 1 there were many barking dogs some horsemen passed with a creaking of saddle leather followed by a wagon soon SO oi I 1 heard running feet an deager vol voices ces 1 I rose and looke dout of the open I 1 window men were hurrying down the street with lanterns hes hels the son eon 0 61 ben grimshaw I 1 heard one of bf them saying they caught him back in ia the south woods q I 1 1 9 V I 1 I 1 went with him while he ha fed his HI chickens an and d two small yesterday the sheriff said that he ha tried to run ran away when he be saw lem em coming what was the meaning of thise what had amos grimshaw been doing I 1 trembled as I 1 got back into bed I 1 cannot evini even now explain why but long ago I 1 gave up trying to fathom the depths of the human spirit with an infinite sed sea beneath it crossed by subtle tides and currents wo we see only the straws on the surface I 1 was up tip at daylight and mr hacket cams came to my door while bile I 1 was dressing A merry day to you I 1 he exclaimed rii ill await you below and introduce you to the humble herds and flocks of a schoolmaster I 1 went with him while he be fed his bis 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 tha boxes by the fireplace and the kitchen kotc hen stove and raked up the leaves in the tha dooryard and wheeled them away now you know the duties ol 01 0 your office said bald the schoolmaster as we went in to breakfast we sat down at the table with the tha family and I 1 drew out my letter from the senator and gave it to mr mi hacket to read the senator I 1 god prosper him I 1 I 1 heard that he came on the plattsburg Platts burg stage last night he said its as he began the reading an announcement which caused nie roe and the children to clap our hands with joy mr blacket thoughtfully repeated th the e words from job with a most impressive intonation ile he passed the letter back to me and said all truel I 1 have seen it sinking into the bones 0 the young and I 1 have seen it lying down with the aged la im the dust ol 01 0 their graves it isa Is a big book the one we we are now opening god help us I 1 it has more pages than all the days a 0 your life just think 0 your body A brave and tender youth I 1 it Is like a sponge how it takes things in an holds em an feeds upon leml cal A part 0 every apple ye ya eat sinks down into yer blood an bones ye cant get it out its the same way with the books ye read aal an the thoughts yo ye enjoy they go down into yer bones nn an yo 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 II last night when yo ye were nil all in bed his face fac ewas ans a chunk ol 01 0 laughter oh ob what a limb he Is I 1 V I 1 wish I 1 could tell ye all the good things he be said I 1 barton and anatha the hackette hop hear some news that startles them ard sets barton to worry worrying lna about a secret that he shares share with no one dont ale th the E next I 1 installment ailment TO ZM SS CON CONTINUED |
