Shining Ferry

omething of a quandary. It came addressed, of course, to his f

g his ragged whisker. "So that was the name on the letter you

name, sir,"

did my father com

had not

, still pondering. "She signs herself 'Yours very truly,' and hopes he has b

ely noth

rcepted it, in short. But he did not like to say this aloud. "I wish," he went on, "I knew exactly what the old man wrote; how far it com

hat he made her a definite offer. My dear mast

t once and fix a date-say next Thursday. You needn't say anything about my father's death. Ju

o that, sir?" Mr

over such a trifle; though, if you wish, I'll explain it personally to the Managers. We may have a dozen cases like this before we get into wo

ht that there should be none. Was he not by far the richest man in the parish? Samuel Rosewarne studied his Bible devoutly; but he did not seek it for anything which might stand in the way of his own will or his private advantage. When he came upon a text condemning riches, for instance, or definitely bidding him to forgive a debtor, he told himself that Christ was speaking figura

sary-Parson Endicott, for example-who hated Dissent, perceiving that it rested on self-assertiveness, encouraging unlearned men to be opinionative in error. Perceiving this, Parson Endicott supposed himself to be combating error by snatching at eve

is own Church, which (he fully believed) in these times depends for existence upon mendicancy. Therefore Mr. Samuel would certainly be elected; and counting on this, he felt sorry to have missed the chance of giving the teachership, by his casting vote, to one of his own sect-some broad-minded, undenominational person who would teach the little ones to a

at pursing his lips over the letter, "you

d of his quill. He did not understand the drift of the question.

he shall be met at the station,

could scarcely bri

to that. Merely say that you hope she will be

ery kind o

it through, and nodded. "Yes, that will do; seal it up and let

me that great

n together equally wel

sir. When a man gets up in years- wi

give you further particulars of my father's off

y he was pounced upon by Mother Butson, who regularl

ny-it's no use your t

wasn't!" he protested; though indeed th

ul asked it fiercely, yet trembled while waiting fo

ed; but the letter in his pocket seemed to be

. But I must warn you not to be too hopeful. The person that Mr. Rosewarne

is time what had happened

tin' and wrote off to the woman, and that the hand of God struck 'en dead in his chair. Say what

se such talk of my poor dead master; indeed you mustn't." He looked past he

nough now, and poor, he that ground the poor!" At once she began to fawn. "But Mr. Sam'll see justice done. You'll speak a word for me to Mr. Sam? He's a professin' Christian, and like as not when this woman shows herself she'll

hed 'en. But she didn't. 'Twas his own sins compassed his end. Look to your ways, Pe

warne's belief or unbelief had nothing to do with their hatred. They gloated because he had been removed in the act of doing that which would

e should speak as these old women had spoken of his dead master; next, because he really felt sorry for them, and was carrying a letter to their hurt; again because, in spite of Mr. Sam's reassuring words, he could not shake off a sense of having exceeded his duties by signing that letter without c