Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 February 1904 — Old Blazer’s Hero [ARTICLE]

Old Blazer’s Hero

By DAVID CHRISTIE MURRAY.

CHAPTER XXHL—(Coiiti'ntied.) - Since lie I’yitl broken the bond which lor a little while had hold him, he had fallen back into all the regular ways of kjs youth, and among other reviyed habits was that of taking his inoiTior to the ‘ eld-fashioned -chapel in which site had after her own fashion, all her life.’ I'l.esmseiElo. sit in sight. Hackett there, and without :<-isi.ng motives too closely, it is just possible that he continued Unit revived habit of his •as much for-the. sake of seeing her as for any reason which the pastor of ■ the -j-b mu—mightlurve Duhul +oww» . solid.. It happened one gusty Snirh.. night in midwinter, a month after Hnek-ctt-'s return. that he went to chapel alone, and returning homeward, overheard .4 phrase which, in its own due time, brought him 4he supreme temptation <»f his Ji.e. The Baril was dutifully elbowing Hep- • isibah -hompwnrd. and the two were butting. against the wind, head downward and shoulders squared, when Blanc' came up behind them. Hepzibah.-- with the wind in htr ears, was uncoil scions of the footsteps in her rear, .<■,filing to Shadrach. said: "Trust a woman for leadin’ a woman’s tenrt. it’s Ned her cares The unwilling listener .sEi.mil • suddenly still, and ali the blood in his body seemed to riot for a moment in I.N heart and head. He was conscious of nothing for a while, and when lie recovered himself he was surprised to see the dark figures ttill bitt a iittle way m. front <-f him. lie seemed .to have been absent from himself and them for a long t imc. '■* llepzi: bah's voice reached him, blown- backward by the wind. ’’No.’’. She was evidently answering some saying of Shadrach’s which Blane had missed. "No harm’ll come on’t. Iler's as gooil. as gold, and so is lie; but it’s him as hcr’s grown to care for, though it's a million, to one her never guesses it." Now Ned Blane had never played the eavesdropper iir. his life before, but if all self-respect had. hung forever upon j the issue of that temptation, he would have let it go. lie had followed to hear. •imply and purely because he could not do otherwise, but now thaj he had heard ] he stood still in the roaring wind. I If that were true! The thought haunted him thereafter day and flight, and broitght'with it snch temptations as the simplest minded may fancy. But in n little while the true temptation came. That howling wind turned mu- north and blew-for days. It bote bitter frost upon its wings,, and locked every stream and canal and lake nud standing pond deep in black ice. There had been no such frost for years, aud all the skaters in the township must seeds turn out day by day or night by night to revel on Barker's mill pond, a space of water some dozen acres in extent, which being sheltered by thickwooded slopes from the wild wind, had frozen marble smooth. Ned was not much <■/ yn expert, but the fleet passage through the stinging air at once in- . spired and soothed him, and he was there night after night amongst the crowd who sped to and fro in the coming and going of numberless torchlights and the steadier glare of cresset fires which burned upon the bank, Saturday afternoon left him free for • n hour or two of daylight, and he set •ut for the pool. As he reached the •dge there was a great noise of apphutse. and a huge horseshoe line of spectators was formed upon the ice to watch the •volutions of some skilled performer. Ned, dangling his skates in his hand, walked over drearily enough to see what might be seen.'-’ttnd shouldering through the crowd at a place where it was less dense than at most points, beheld Ids 1 enemy, who, with half his world for; •nlookers, was rollicking hither and thith- 1 •r with an enchanting grace and surety. I Ilis habitual swagger became him here, end was converted into a beauty. He circled, poised on the outer edge, at apparently impossible angles, soaring like' a bird on oven wing, waving and darting with a bold and sweet ; dexterity, and moving, as it seemed, more by volition than by mere force of skill and muscle. And as he skimmed the tinging ice. followed by the hurrahs and han 1 clapping of the crowd, restored to all hispid | kingship. Ned looked on. and was aware I •f such an inward volcano of rage and j hatred ns scorched-his heart within him. I There is no speaking of these things. | The mere truth is that these extreme rages of great passion, whether they be of love or hate. are so rare that no words! have been coined for tl|cm. We find words for the commonplace, because all men and women have felt it. But the little hate is irs common as glass, and the ;» >at is, happily, its rare as the Koh moor. • With that plienomeu.'d ami unnaniable hate, Ned Blane watched his blackguard rival as lie swam in perfect grace and mercurial swiftness on the frozen sur-face-of-the pool. The mere presence of the man was enough; but the popular applause choked him as if with sulphurous • shea. ’ There was nt the south end of the •licet of water-n mill wheel, now frozen and act, but it had been working until jeaterdny. and ncur it the ice was known to be quaggy and unsafe. The bases of the horseshoe line were drawn nwny from this unsound spot of Ice. and in thejmiddle of it was n low poat with n cross-piece upon it, and on ♦lie croas piece was pasted a strip of paper, whereon wr.a printed tiie word “dangerous.” Now that day, <hy of late, Hackett had been drinking. •nd this sign of danger hired him nearer •nd nearer. He did things iu spirituous, recklessness which be would not have dared tp do had he been altogether sober, for In that state his nerves were n<>t to turn aghast at very simple matters. But now he was so sure of everything that. In spite of warning cries, ho must fweds go swimming and sailing nearer

and nearer to the warning post, trusting to his own swiftness- la carry him harmless over the treacherous ice. Aud Blanc, since one must needs tell the whole truth about hint, stood looking on iiu satisfaction in the certainty that by and by the ice would give way with him, and maybe drown him, and so, rid the earth of a villain .crown pbcyomcnal. Crash! Hackett was through, nml the ice starred right to the feet of the horseshoe line. The people started backward with- a wild stampede, wlmdi-Ket thejsolid floor waltzing like the slow movement of free water' free wind., N.cd Blane held his ground. "Drown ."’ho -said within himself. Then in one mere second —for at such times fancy, will busy herself, and. will get through more work than she will do in a common year—he saw all that might happen from this unnamable villain's death, nml justified himself to Itjt him die, and exulted in the tiling that lay before him. I'p -cariieL Hackett, spouting nnd screaming with struggling arms, and down again he wont, like a stone. The croud yelled and screamed, and went silent. He came up again and clutched nt a square of ice, ami wont down with it. And then and there, with one incredible lightning flash. Blane rend his own heart, and snatched his own salvation.

CHAPTER XXIV. -On a spring morning the wind was clanging and the belts xverc pealing, and rent-clouds (•barged oyer tho chill blue field of the sky al such a pace that the random gleams of sunshine cast between them swept hill and dale with a hirdlike speed. The strong sunshine breasted tlie heathy hills and climbed them at a flash; the shadow crept in its rear, and the iiVw bright racer leaped behind the of the cloudy shade, as if it. Shadrach, ’standing at the door of his mother’s cottage, clad iu his Sunday best, with a white favor in his coat, and his hands enshrouded in monstrous gloves of Berlin thread, fixed his new hat with an air of resolution. ’as if prepared to hold to it in any extremity of the wind's boisterous jollity. "1 tek it." he said, turning to Hepzibah, who stood behind in a summer.WenstmiMuutwhite muslin and a very triumph iira bonnet -"I rok it as tt kind of honor as ain't often depte the likes of lutz.” "I should think it,” answered Hepzibah. She spoke almost snappishly, being engaged with a hairpin and a refractory glove-button, but she looked up a second later with a frank and smiling face. "Yes," said Shadrach’s mother, hovering about Hepzibah and touching her here and there with decided fingers, and retiring with her head on one side to observe the artistic effect of each stroke. "It's a thing as you'd ought to remeiiLb< rs to your dyin’ day. Shadrach. To be tied by tho same words—-it's a noble honor. Shadrach, and. I hope as it bespeaks well for your future." “Ankorc to that, I says, ina'ain!” said Hepzibah's mother, who was weak like Shadrach, whilst Shadrach’s mother was jm'kily de< ided, like Hepzibali. "Hepzibah.” she added solicitously, "you’re lookin’ a bit coldish already. You'll be froze in that book muslin afore you reach the church. Y'ou'd better have a shawl across your shoulders." "Rubbidge!" said Shadrach’s mother. “The wind’ll keep ’em warm enough. It's time we started, ain't it. Shadrach'.'" Shadrach, with difficulty unbuttoning his emit, drew from an inner pocket a great turnip of a watch and consulted it with pride. "Thcer's a good three-quarters yet.” he nuswered. "Thecr's no use in arriving before iverybody. Ned and his good lady'll be on the stroke o’ time, 1 bet. Nayther too soon nor yet too late, that’s Ned’s method.” “Well, then, shut the door and sit down,” said his mother; "and for goodness mercy’s sake let me button up your .coat! You'd leave all your finger tips 1' the button holes." , - "Thecr’s many curious things ns comesto pass,” said Hepzibah, sealing herself with a slow, angular precision, mid spreading out tho book muslin with careful hands, "as nobody nd iver dream on, aud this is one of 'em." "Ah!” returned Shadrach, "Mister Ned's got the: wish of .his heart nt limt, and I’m gay and glad of it. Her hold him off and on a longish time, though. Her might ha’ got it over this time Inst year, without seemin' anyhow uncommon. I’ve no mind to speak ill o’ them as is departed ” "Departed!” repeated his mother, cutting him short with an air of disdain. "I wonder how you can use such a word about such a crectur! A miler, as was took by judgment! And you may sny what you like, Shadrach, I shall plver think it anythin' but a straightfor'nrd Ilyin’ 1' the face o’ Brovidonce as Mister Ned should ha’ tried to fish him out again. He was meant to be drowned, an’ he was dfowned; nnd what'S meant to be, in spite of a(l tlie Neds i’ the world. Ami as for ‘departed,’ all 1 got to say is. you might know bettor thnn try to turn your own mothor.'s stomach on your weddin' morning'.” "I used tire word." said Shadrach, meekly, "because 1 didn’t wish to be too hard upon him.” “Let him rest, poor c/ootiir!" put in Hepzibah with unexpected gentleness. “He was a fine figure of n man, but he'd got a bit too much of his grnndfeyther nnd feytlier in him. Ho hnd nothin' to do with the mnkln* of either, o' them. *o far as I knewd, nnd Them Above’ll know how far he was to be made to answer." “Thnl is oudoubtedly the way to look at it,” returned, tlie Bard, "ondoubtedly the way to look nt it?' “Time we was off, Shadrach," said Hepzibah. Thry passed out nt the door and over

; the windy heatft, the bridegroom lujtl.v arming the bride. ’“We shall have a run for it yet, I jt*clare'l\cried Shadrach’s mother. "Thcre’e tho carriage a-drivin’ to the church. I can see tlte white faviour on the coachman's bosom.” The wind-swept music of the bells rolled round them, nnd as they reached the gate, panting in indecorous haste, Mary Hackett stepped from the carriage and greeted them with a smile. The last ray of cloud was borne away by the boisterous wind, and the sky shone clear, r.s if I’m- a happy omen.. (The .end.)