THE WE8T 8H0RE.
C7
i
She stepped noisily about the room, after banging
the door, and soon waked the baby, whose indignant
cries roused Silas, who groaned inwardly. He had
six daughters of his own, and he knew that women
were whimsical and incomprehensible beings. Chal
cy, never still, lounged before the one small window
and drummed on the pane with ten lean fingers. 8e
rena lifted her eyebrows, but with wonderful self
command for so thin a woman, said nothing.
" D'ye know Tom 'ad come? " asked Chalcy pres.
ently, of no one in particular.
" I wonder! " exclaimed Serena. " Clarissy mint
look at 'im now."
" Tom's got a minty good house to take a woman
to," observed Martha, with a ruminating air. " I 'low
thet ole man Baker'll set a heap by Tom's wife, an'
they do say Mis Baker left no end 0' quilts an' dishes.
Law, ef Clarissy was my girl"
" They wouldn't be no trouble then," sneered Se
rena, with a wicked side glance at Chalcy, " any girl
but Clarissy 'd jump at the chance 0' marryin' Tom
Baker."
" I kin tell ye one thing," flashed Chalcy, "ef I
aint smart 'null to be a fust wife I won't go stickin'
myself where nobuddy thinks uv me enny more'n ef
I wuz the dirt under their feet"
Serena's cheek flushed. Silas looked from one to
the other. " Shet up, Chalcy! " he said sternly.
" You'd best make Sereny quit a-tantin' uv er
then," thus Martha entered the conflict
" Oh, hev yer jaw out," he exclaimed, starting up
and going out
Experience had taught him the wisdom of flight
at such times. Silas Dean's was one of those natures
made up of opposing qualities, so often found among
those sects whose peculiar principles set them apart
from the majority of their countrymen. Ho wm an
American, from the south originally, and had drifted
to the uncertain region which is neither north nor
Bouth, the great middle west, where he had married a
woman who was his superior in every respect, save
one-she loved him. Her love made her yield weak
ly to his whims, and at last follow him to Mormon
ism; but when it came to the question of plural mar
riage, she refused to accept it, defied the church, and
died a broken-hearted woman. All this had but set
tied Silas more firmly in the wild and vinionary fan
cies which had taken hold of his narrow, credulous
mind. He fed his imagination with lofty bop 0
what the Lord might yet call him to da He read
and re-read the marvelous record of the Isrartiti-s,
with a strange feeling that he bad Un with them id
their journeying He would like to have gone bk
to the nomadic wandering life of that time. He
with delight the steady growth of God.
M We're a-makin' a noble history right straight along,"
was his favorite saying, as ho reviewed the founding
of the desert city. At all times his righteous wrath
was hot against the Gentiles, who heard and believed
not One ambition ho cherished in secret a hopo so
dear that he had never profaned it by utterance, If
only the call would come to him to go out among the
misguided heathen, he felt that tho Lord would touch
his lips with holy fire and make many a wasto place
blossom with the fruit of tho true word. But this
night his soul was iu darkness. Tho hope which had
come to lo a part of him lay so chill and lifeless in
his breast, that he almost wishod ho had never kuown
it; yet ho could not give it up. Like many a wiser
man, ho had inado out of his longing a Nemesis
which gave him no peace
He thought of Clarissy half angrily, and of her
mother, never a pleasant subject for him. "Pos
sessed of tho devil," that was what bad been said
when she stubbornly set herself against his tnarriago
with Martha. Ho had done his duty then, and ho
would do it now. Ho would go to-morrow and soo
Bishop Yelkton about it; perhaps ho would talk to
her.
Tho light swish of a woman's dress made him
turn, and this brought him in front of Clarissy as sho
camo down from tho hill.
" lien takiu' a walk?" ho askod, not unkindly, his
gnarled and suspicious heart yearning over his daugh
ter, whom ho trembled for as ono in danger of wan
dering out of tho ono way to eternal life,
" Yes, sir," sho repliM civilly, standing dutifully,
as sho saw ho hail something to say.
" Clarify, what makes yo so diffrunt from tho rest
uv us?" ho spoke, almost appealingly.
" Am I different? " There was a glad ring iu her
voice. " Mebbo I'm like mother."
" I 'lowed you'd mot forgot her."
" 1 won't never forgit her. I try to remember
everything 'bout her I kin," sho said, earnestly.
" Hho wur a unregenerato woman," began Silas,
gloomily.
" Hho wuz a Christian an' a saint," broko in his
daughter, " an' sho's an angel in heaven now, a heap
nigher to Christ than wo'll ever git, I'm afeerd."
Hho went on into the house, leaving her father in
a state of dubious wonder as to whether her devil, if
iho really was jjoosessM of one, was as dumb as ho
thought Imido tho Loom Serena's red eyes were
evidenco that her sharp tongue had not ! a match
' for her beavier.wittel, but coarnr, antagonist. Clar.
j iftiy's sore heart sank as sho felt tho jar of conflicting
natures that would never w at jacv
M Com 'ere, Clarissy," called Chalcy, as sho fiat
tened her noso against tho window. M 1 kin a