HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1932-02-04, Page 6PAGE,, Six
(Continued from last week) ed in the South, I he the North. Your
land is balmy and pleasant most of
the year, mine cold and' ,cheerless:
Your soil is easily cultivated and pro-
ductive of great returns, our nand is
hilly and covered with •granite bould-
ers, around the bases of which men.
search with'the hoe to find a nest'
here and there for a few grains of
hard, yellow, scrub -flint corn. Your
winters are so mild that stock scarce-
ly. seek for shelter, and your herds
graze in open air the year through;
our winters are so long that when
's'pring comes the entire crop of the
sunfner has been consumed Ain feed-
ing a very limited number of animals.
You became the heir of plenty by the
result of that battle for freedom, in
which both our ancestors served so
valiantly, while it brought to us only
a barren heritage, While you have
been free to roam at will, watching
for fancied insults and cultivating
belligerent passions, I have been
compelled to work unremittingly, and
thus our distinctive environments
have created our different views Of
life. Each of us should :in consequ-
ence have forbearance for the other.
'1 had to gain a livelihood, and was
forced to spend the results of my
little savings to secure the education
necessary for the ministry, iwhile you
were provided for by the property
you inherited, 'and were not obliged
to labour."
The parson was interrupted by the
grocer, who, ever mindful of his
guests, stepped forth and heaped the
fire with coal; the long-legged clerk,.
who had never before been known to
move the relic of a chair on which
he sat, actually broke the record and
hitched it toward the stove. 'Mose,
the Jew -patient, pleasant Mose in-
capable of sarcas'm or hatefulness,
even when his people had been abus-
ed by idle -mouthed Gentiles, and
whose face had never before lost its
smile, now drew his nail -keg seat a
foot forward, even edging himself
into the circle of Genitiles.
"Isn't this a fearful night' to be on
picket duty? God help our exposed
brethren of the North and South,"
said Professor' Drake. There was no
reply, and the eyes of the spectators
turned again to the actors before
them. The colonel, now pressing the
preacher to the climax, as the.,preach-
er had previously dope to, him, said,
"Let's have the story, Pahson,- not
an oration about our oonvmon pedi-
gree. I don't ,catch the connection."
"The story you soon shall have,
sir; S wished to show that you and
I may each revere the memory of
other's ancestors. I wished also to
remove the stigma ;you have tried to
cast 'over the Aman you killed, and to
say, Colonel, that your bonloured an-
cestor fought for his country, as
thousands of noble Southern soldiers
are now 'doing and as Colonel Lurid -
Then, without rising, Mr. Jones
tack his note -book and pencil from
his pocket, and, resting his hand on
the soft cushion of his vacant chair,
carefully wrote a few sentences, in
it. Rising, he tore out the leaf and
handed it to the village- clerk who
was also secretary of the church,
"Read," he said solemnly, "read aloud,
and then present it to the trustees."
"To the officers. of Stringtown
Church: This, my resignation, is to
take effect at once. No longer a teach-
er of the Word, ' no .longer a mediator
ftir others, I must ask others to pray
for .me, a sinning suppliant. Osmond
Jones." 'Then, standing erect, he fac-
ed Colonel Luridson, who, undaunt-
ed, returned his look with a defiant
scowl.
"Pahson,"'said Luridson, "Pahson
Jones, were it not for your cloth I
would make you eat the insult you
have just given me -me, a Virginia
gentleman. At your request, I told
this story to please this company.
You have called' me a murderer, nth,
—me, a gentleman of honah, sub.. I
will not stand the insult, p'ahson or
no pahson-prayer or 11,0 prayer. You
took advantage of youah cloth, and
you shall eat your words, or by the
bones of my grandfather you will
sing your next song and breathe your
next insulting prayer in—"
"Check your wrath," interruipted
the parson, without the least excite-
ment. "Listen to me. You have told
your story; now I shall tell mine. If
you are a brave man you will not
flinch. I have head your words, and
you are bound to listen to what I ata
bound to relate, and which, .notwith
standing the task yon have unposed
upon me, I shall tell as deliberately
as you have spoken."
CHAPTER IX.
THE SEAFORTH NEWS.
THUII2SDAY, FEBRU'AIRY 4, 1432
ney of the ill -Bated historical Willey.
house, : and there, hidden in a nook
that even tourists seldom find, the
days of our peaceful' child life came
and went. Before our cottage stretch-
ed a small meadow,, through. 'i which
wound a clear brook fresh from the
birch -covered mountain in its rear:
One corner of this meadow was a
garden, and Mended also a -small rye
Yield, 'which gave us our dark rye
bread. We had not muck beyond the
necessities of life, !rut we were happy.
'We roamed the mountain side Satur-
day afternoons, caught 'fish in the
brook and 'helped our father till his
little fields. In winter `evenings •w'e
cracked nuts, ate apples and .listened.
to our aged grandmother's stories of
wolves, Indians and of the revolu
tionary"•w^ars; during 'winter we at-
tended a neighborhood school.' You
never beheld such scenes as • we' some-
times witnessed there; you have`nev-
er ploughed your way to school
through waist -deep snow- nor slept in.
the garret under the clap -boards and
waked to find the snow sifted in fur-
rows across the coverlet,
'Suc'h a vlronments teach us to
love one mother more dearly, bring
us closer togdther, strengthen family
and neighbourly ties, stake our joys
a pleasure to others, and move others
to mourn with us in sorrow, bind b it-
!man lives into one, give to us faith,
hope, and charity.
"You spoke of the fine sense of
honour that exists among your peo-
ple, but,' my brother, could you have
'been schooled, as I have been, to
think , of the sorrowing friends, the
mourning 'wife, children, or sweet-
heart, and the agony with which love
looks into an open grave, your 'ten-
der' heart, which bleeds at the recol-
lection of a dying baby snake, would.
not forget its tenderness and gloat
over cold-blooded murder in behalf of
wounded 'honour.'
As in harmony with these pathetic
words, as if to impress their force
upon that little circle, at this point
the 'building trembled more violently
than ever, the storm's fury .seeming
even to bend it out of its upright
position, and, springing from its seat
on the topmost shelf, a glass fruit jar
shivered into fragments on the floor
directly between the two upright
men,
!But the cry of wind and crash of
glass were unheeded by the epell-
wrapped.actors' who stood facing
each other, and the audience 'began
now to realise 'that these two men
were personally concerned in both
the story the Virginian had told and
that which the parson was relating.
The colonel was stoically gazing into
vacancy. "Thus," con'trnued the par-
son, "my boyhood days were spent
until my brother, grew to manhood,
and my dear sisters were in the early
bloom of maidenhood•, my aged
grandaitobher, with her stories of the
long -ago, had gone to eternal rest,
and my patient, loving mother, like
a guardian angel, moved quietly a-
bout the house, thoughtful of all but
herself, typical of thousands of New
England mothers who forget them-
selves itt their plodding life -work. I'm
Chinking now o1 a typical, New Eng -
lead winter, during which there was
never a thaw after the opening snow
'flew; •every day after Noveiniber' first
the frost crept deeper, every night
the cold grew stronger, and when the
days began to lengthen we had al-
ready experienced winter enough for
the wo'hle season. It had been de-
cided long ,previously that I should
go to an academy to study for the
ministry, and each member of our
family had scrimped and saved for
years, in order to gather together the
necessary means. My devoted sisters
had even spent several summers as
dining -room waiters in a .neighboring
mountain hotel, adding by this sac-
rifice . their earnings to the family
hoard.. But God moves in mysteries;.
the week after New Year's Day my
father was kicked by our horse and
instantly killed. We were drawn to
the churchyard by the same horse;
and as we bowed our heads aboutthe
open grave,Colonel, the snow which
had been shovelled aside stood on a
level as high above the earth's sur-
face as the pit before us sunk beneath
it. Next day the winds swept back
the snow drift, and a cloak of pure,
unruffled whiteness told that God.
conducted the close as well as the•
opening of that drama. God was
with me then, but God only knows,
my brethren, whether the hand of
Providence is with me now.
"We returned to our desolate home
and spentv e could the re-
mainder
as best 1 -
mainder oe the sal winter; but with
returning spring and the cares of the.
sugar bush our sorrow abated, and
for the duties of life cannot be thrown
aside even at the beheet r
grief;
and
he who hest serveshisres
C tar1 sots
not backward, as you yourself have
said, Colonel: Realising that "I had
no chance now for my.' contemplated
education, my ambition was thrown
aside, and the usual life cares, were
resumed How long this ;ran I,can-
not,say, but'long,enough to giveme
many heartaches over withered pros-
pects. Sti11,, the unexpected often
The Story of the Parson.
"Inscrutable Providence has led us
together, Colonel, me from the North
and you from the South. That we are
both of one honourable People is evi-
denced from that fact that from Ben-
nington and from Saeatoga, to the
moss -clad Southern glades where
Marion camped, our ancestors fought
for a common cause, freedom for the
white 'man. !Shoulder to shoulder
your ancestors and mine faced the
same enemy, each patriot ready and
willing to die for the land he loved,
a land dear alike to North and South.
Nobler then never lived thanour fore-
fathers, Colonel; for while yours, on
the verge of starvation, were 'fighting
in 'Virginia, mine, -half frozen and
with empty stomachs, were battling
in New England. Thank God for the
patriots North and ,South, who gave
us a country of which both have
great reason to be proud.
"You have given your version of an
affair in which you participated, you,
a descendant of a Revolutionary hero
who served, and 'died with Washing-
ton. Youselected what you consider
the proper method of righting a fanc-
ied wrong, the manly way to •main-
tain the 'honour' of your distinguish-
ed grandfather and yourself. Now, I
.will give the history of the man you
kil'led, who, like yourself, was a de-
scendant of a soldier who faced the
!British enemy,' and fell near where
now stands the monument of Bunker
Kill. Notwithstanding your different
!methods of life, neither you who live
nor he whorl you killed can be :con-
sidered the descendants of cowards."
Ether the speaker's voice had in-
sensibly fallen, or the storm without
had increased in violence to such a
'degree as to overcome its low mur-
mur. Thewords were scarcely audi-
ble, and as the 'fast sentence was
a
S,
spoken a pause ensued in 'which one
heard onlythe shreikinof thefran-
tic
g Fran
tic wind,.
"There are good reasons, Colonel
'Luridson, Why mencannot see life's
duties exactly alike; and while 1
,freely overlook your extravagant'
ideas of personal honour, it is a pity
you cannot have equal charity for the
views, of my people: You were rear-
happens:, llriends, you cannot inoag-
iile
the joy that followed the recep-
tion of a precious letter; OurCon-
gres'sman,.. unbeknown to us,hard in-
terested himself in our behalf with
rite ltreeecemaiys 13ureau;;nty brother
received by mail'` a great envelope
marked `Official,' and in it: came an
appointment as -school -teacher
Virginia."
The Colonel, whose gaze had been
riveted upon the ceiling, shot a quick
glance' aft the speaker; evidently < he
had anticipated the- closing informa-
tion, and after the sudden start be
st'oi'c'al'ly resumed his Soratter. position,
Mr. Wagner stopped ,whittling; .Pro-
fessor Drake, uacoMfiortable, busied
himself in straightening the edges, of
a ,pile of books;; J'ud'ge Elford grimly
chewed his quid. The pas'to'r stood
motionless a moment, apparently ,lost
in thought, then he slowly took his
note-ibn:ok and some papers from an
inner pocket and handed them to Mr.
Wagner, .sajeing: "Please mail these
'to -morrow to the address inscr'i'bed
on the fly -leaf of the book."
At these words Luridson turxred
half way. toward the wall, and drew
his' half-closed hand from his hip
pocket; an object' could be seen in
its palm which glistened like a bright
bar of iron; a click followed, the
hand returned the gleaning object to
its' former place, and the colonel
stood immovable 'before the pastor.
There had been a lullin the wind
without at this juncture, and taking
one step towards the colonel, the pas-
tor continued, in a soft, tremulous
tone: "Need you be told what. fol-
lo'wed? A telegram, a soibbing moth-
er, distracted sisters, brother on bend-
ed knees, alone, in an attic realm, re-
igistenin'g with god an oath to re-
venge the infamous crime and not to
relent until the murderer had been
brought to judgment. Since that day.
Heaven has kept -rte from encoun-
tering the slayer of niy. brother. The
fellow fled, Colonel, and you know,
brave as you pretend to be, that he
:who stands before me now is a fu-
gitive from justice and fears .to go
back to his Virginia: home; neither
does he dare .to let his honourable
Virginia countrymen know his hiding -
place. , You
iding-place._,You have'discreduted your an-
cestors, you are shaming the brave
Southern' soldier, and 'hav'e no claim
on the glorious mother of !States, Vir-
ginia.' -
The' Colonel made a quick motion,
as if to strike the speaker, but 1'I'r.
Jones calmly field °dint his open hand,
and in response to the silent com-
mand Luridson resumed his former
position:
"Long," continued the pastor, "I
struggled to overcome my wraith,
vainly struggled to forgive,: and at
last I vowed that while our Master
kept us apart no intensional act of
mine should bring us into conflict;
but if God Almighty led us to , eadh
other I wouldconsider that it was
by His will, and for a single purpose,
and—,the hour has now come."
The hand of the colonel sped to-
ward his hip ,packet, but not so
quickly as the pastor's arm ' sprang
out, for as springs the tongue of a
lizard, too rapid for eye to'foll'ow, so
sprang the pastor's arms; and as a
quivering sparrow gives one glance
of despair, and one only, whenfall's
the unexpected shadow of the hawk
upon him, so gave the colonel one
upward turn of the eye; and as the
talons of the fierce bird of oley,
crunching through bone and flesh,
creep :into the ,vitals of the death -
struck bird, so crept those finger -ends
into the tissues of the colonel's throat,
closing the throbbing arteries be-
neath, •d'aminring up life's crimson cur-
rent until, under the pressure .of the
fluttering heart, blood flowed •tram
mouth, nose, and ear, and the very
eyeballs turned purple.,.
The teacher sprang fo?ward. eo did
the judge, but boo late; the crime had
been committed inthespace of a
breath; taken by surprise, 'they could
give the unfortunate man no help;
the pent-up hatred of years had been
concentrated in that fearful grasp.
That -wild throwing of ` the arms,
gurgle indescribably horrible, at-
itenspted swelling of the breast, in-
stant blackening of the face,fright-
ful upturning of the eyeballs, follow-
ed by the rush of blood from the
mouth and nostrils, were sights that
hauntme yet.
;As falls an unclasped garment in a
heap, so sank the Colonel, dead upon
the floor.
:Folding his hands, upon his breast,
the pastor addressed Judge Elford.
"A murderer has gone .to jud'glmcnt,
a murderer is born for judgment: I
give myself; up to the law"
Paralysed, stunned with horror by
what they had witnessed, tate, mem-
bers of the circle stood like: frozen
figures, motionless .and dumb. mb around
the erect parson and the fallen brag-
gart, How long I know not, only 1
ant sure that from my place in the
rear, where I Bail crept close to old
Mose, I saw the amazed groupstand
aghast, •staring first upon the", slayer
and then upon his, victim
]Next I beheld, as in a dream, that
the village doctor raised the head of
the vanquis'hed' man, tore open the
garments coveriiig his chest, loosen-
ed his collar,''plaecd a Mand upon his
breast and kneeled expectantly for a
brief period, then with a shake of the
head slowly ;arose and pronounced
the word, "Dead." "Strange," he
said, "that• a single squeeze like this
should be followect death, 1 have
scan men choked until the tongue
hung ,out of. their .mouth, and yet they
revived. There is no . evidence of 'life
in Luridson, however: the shock must
have burst a blood -vessel in his
brain:"
The witnesses of the drama now
regained their self-control, the palsy
passed, their minds were liberated
from :the, stupefying ,spell, and simul
baneous'ly sevena'l riven stepped for=
,ward. 1n silence the dead colonel
Was straightened out upon the,'floor
and covered with a 'strip of muslin
torn from a holt. A messenger with
lantern in, hand was dispatched for
the village undertaker, and old `Mose
voluarteeeecl to periform the ' errand.
During .this period the pastor stood
silent, with downcast eyes; the judge
sat apparently apathetic, and, obey-
ing a cotn!nton instinct, the mem'iiers
Of the circle automatically resumed
their usual' places, waiting for the
end of the strange New Year celebra-
tion, I, however, against my will,
son is not doing. Your ancestors of
!Revolutioliary fame did not choke
stripling lads with pens in their
hands in behalf of 'falsely imputed in-
sults, sir,"
'Involuntarily the colonel's band
sought his back pocket, but as be
made the movement ttwo mentbers of
the Circle sprang to their feet. The,
parson waved them; balr
"Shame, shame, Calonelf," he said
calmly, "1 !haven't eve'n a pen; be-
sides, I have not told my story; you
aye bound in honour to listen patient-
ly to my story."
"Then be quick about it," said Lu-
ridson savagely, and be careful of
your words, or I won't promise for
any tdmper. Just now you came near
going to the other Jones, and ances-
tors or no ancestors, cloth or no
cloth, I warn you not to rile me a-
gain.
"I was born and rear
s n ed in New
England," continued the clergyman
Without noticing the insult, "where
Erten, women, and children must work
for their living, and, I assure you
they consider it honourable 'to do so.
I was the elder of two ;boys, and
much bltter 'than, two sisters. ]Ouse lit-
tle home nestled at the base of a
mountain; spur, ,within a .Short 'jour -
,i
ee
r•�t
PROFESSION?L CARDS,
1Vfedicel
DR. A. H(UIGIH 1ZOSIS, ;aityrsieiafa
and Surgeon, Late of London MMS;
pital, London, England. Spezia?,
attention to diseases of the eye;:, care,
nose and throat. Office and teas✓
deuce behind • Dominioia Bank. Orate
Phone No. 5; Residence Phone bdl
now that the old Jew, Mose, was
gone .from my side, found . myself
crouching, shivering next' the stove,
near ,Osneoad pones, the preacher,
who .alone was standing. Seeilig me,
hereached clown :and placed his hand
gently on my head.
"Child," he said, "would to God you
had stayed with your mother to -
;eight."
CHAPTER . X.
The Fearful Storni of New Year's
Eve 1263
DR. F. 3. BUIRIROIWIS, 'Seafertfe.
Office and. residence, Goderich',strce .
east' of the United Church. C arimesa
for 'theCounty of Huron. Te1eglamaet
No, - Co
46.
DR. C.' MIAIOKIAY.—C.
honor graduate of Trinity •University
and gold medallist of Trinity bded1c
College; • member of, the College of,
Physicians and' Surgeons of O'atarie:
DIR. F. J. R. F10'RISTEHR-Eye, Elar
Nose and Throat. GraduateMedi-
cine, University of Toronto NW,
Late: Assistant New York Oplstftal
mic and Aural Institute, Moorefield%"
Eye, and Golden Square throat ,fras
Mals, London, England, At Costae-
ercial Hotel, 'Seaforth, 3rd Monday fig
each month,' from 11 amt. to 5p.m '.
,The calm Which had subdued, for
the ,time, the usually active and solme-
tiines' boisterous proceedings of the
villagers was, in impressive . contrast
with the wild uproar of the winter
tempest. The storm raged, if pos-
sible, withincreasing violence in the
utter darkness around. the building in
Which lay Colonel Luridson's stark
corpse, surrounded by many who
'watched, but no one who deeply
mourned. The judge at last rose, and
was about to speak, for the very sil-
ence had become ;oppressive, when the
door of the room, was flung open,
end old Cupe, the faithful slave of
the Corn Bug, with the incofning
'blast burst into the midst of the
company.Dazzled by the brightness,
he stored about ,the room, and it
couid be seen that he was benumbed
and suffering with cold. His gar
'meats were covered' with ice, his
beard was 'hidden in frost. Catching
s'i'ght of the physician, neglecting the
bright stove that must have seemed
so grateful, he impulsively exclaimed:
"Quick, ,Dbctaih, quick, Ma'se am
dyin'; he waists yo' too, Pa'hsan;.
quick, Pahsoitl
The doctor 'went lto the door, Step-
ped outside, returned; and 'closed the
strong valve against the blast.
"Not this' night, Cape. A man
would freeze before' he conk] find the.
cabin," •
"Yo' must go, Mase Dock, yo' must
go, for never will .Ma'se live to.•mor-
ning."
"I 'will not go this night,"'•said the
doctor emphatically. It is better' for
one to die than that two should per-
ish."
After a period of silence the negro's
self-possession was restored, arid'' he
became again tite ;garrulous Cups,
prone to argue regardless of the bm-
pentane° of the message :to he defile,
ered.
is
DIR. W. C. SPIRIOAT,—+Graduate oE'.
Faculty of Medicine, Univsrsitgr'
Western Ontario; .London. Marafte
of College . of Physicians and Sar-.,
geons of Ontario. Office in rear aE'
Aberhart's drug store, Sca€artEo-.
Phone 90. Hours ' 1,30-4 p.m., rid
-9 p.m. Other hours by appellat
Dental
To be. continued.
:DR J. A. MLriNN, Successor tm,
Dr. R. R. Ross, graduate of mart'1fr
western University, Chicago, &IL >LI
centiate Royal College of Dental Sar`'
geons, Toronto. Office over Ss'lfrl°
hardware, Main St., Seaforth. Plicate'
151.
DR. F. J. BIECHIELY, gradient* •
Royal College of Dental Surgeons,
Toronto. Office over W. R. Ssaiith%
grocery, Main St., Seaforth. Ekastee,
office 1S5W, residence 185'.
Auctioneer.
GEORGE ELLIOTT, Licensed
Auctioneer for the County of Mason.
Arrangements can be made for Stye
Date ab The, Seaforth Dews., Charge*
moderate and satisfaction_ .gursuteell.
Asthma Victims. The man or
woman subject to asthma is indeed a
victim. 'What can be more terrifying
than to suddenly be seized' with par-
oxysms of 'ch'oking';which seem to
fairly threaten the existence of life it-
self. Front sueh a condition Dr. 5. D.
Kellogg's Asthma'- Remedylhas
brought•many''to 'completely restored
health and happiness. It is known
and prized in every section :of this
broad land.
"So he was the life of the party."
"Yea'h. He was the only c °'Who
could talk louder than the radio," '
WATSON AND RED`S,.
REAL ESTATE
AND INSURANCE AGENCY
(Succssors to James Watson)
MAIN ST, SHMl0RiTII, O1!IIC
All kinds of. Insurance risks etlfoes:-..
ed at lowest rates in .First -Clad:
Companies.
THE McKILLOP
Mutual f ire Ins ran e
� c at
FARM AJTI4D IISOLATE'D TOWN
PPRIOIPIERTY, 0 NI, Y, IiNSUREN1'
Officers — !John Benxvewies, Bsad-
hagen, ,President; Jas;. Connolly, Goat-
erich, Vice.lPres,; ID. P. IMeGeegsss,
Seaforth No. 4, Sec,-Treas.
Directors—lGeo. R. McCartney, Sem-
forth No. 3; Alex.' BroadEoot, Sear
forth No. 3; James Evian's,' Seafoef t
No. 15; IRobt. 'Ferris, 'Blyth INb, 1; Ps.
Slholdice, Walton No. 4; ,Jolhn Pepper.
IBrucefield; William: 'Kurox, Lenges-
borough.
Agents—'Jas, Watt, ISlytth No. 1;
E. IHinchdey, ISeafiorbh; .J, iA. Murray;,
Seaforth No. 3; W. J. Yeo, Mum
No. .3; R. IG. (Jarenuth, Bornholm'
;Auditors pas. 'I{err, ,Staines;
{Thos. Moylan, 'iSe!aforth No. 5.
Partiesdesirous to effect insurance
or transact other business, wilt' fie '
pronmptly, attended to' by apipl:ca> uee5.
to any of the above named officers ad-
dressed to' their respective oast
offices
o)
advocate o taco an prohibition.
• A DOLLAR'S WORTH
ix weeks' trial subscription tion Yrs
and mail it with $1 for a e m
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fearless f p and p hlpltlon And don't mise Snubs. 'Out Doa
and the Sundial and the other features.
Tx£ OBei00I0P±SCI£NOS MONITea, Back Bay Station, Poston, Mase,
Please send mea six weelc8'-trlSl sutiscrintlon. rondo°° one dollar (bit.
(Name,.Please , 551n5)...
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