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SIX
-THE STORY OF WAITSTILL BAXTER"
Copyright. 191.1. by
Kate Dougli* Wigfiin
Author of “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm"
PROLOGUE.
Strength and interest of quit
lives in the New England <
three-quarters of a century ag<
provide the framework of "Tin
Story of Waitstill Baxter. " Tha
is the skeleton. The flesh urn:
blood of human beings, tivin<
and loving and moving in a worlc
of their own that is a minia/uri
picture of the greater world ou
side, are also there. The sto/
is a cross section of life as seer
and described by a woman win
has been well called "America's
greatest living woman novelist."
Amid the hills of New Englaru .
are many men and women lik<
'Waitstill and Patience Baxter
and their father, Ivory Boynton
and his afflicted mother ana
funny Cephas Cole, who worn
hopefully, but with small chanc
of success. They find their way
into books but seldom, for it
takes a master hand to descrtbi
faithfully the doings of real
people. And that is the reason
why "The Story of Waitstitl
Baxter" has won highest praise
from crilics who know a good
book when they see one.
CHAPTER I.
Th« S'stsra.
FA I!, far up lu tin- bosom of New
Hampshire* granite hills the
(taco luis Its birth. Am the
momitalii till gathers strength
It take*
Through Rartlvtt’a v»ln» lu tuneful way
Ur hole* in tons'*)* flagrant brakes
Unrealuia from the glare us day.
Now It leaves the inouutHlllH and flows
through “gl'eeii I'l'yshurgs wood* ami
farina In the comae of Ita frequent
turn* anil iwltta anil hernia It meets
with tunny another stream and semis It
fuller and stronger, along Ita rejoicing
way. Wliru it Itaa Journeyed more
thau Inn miles anil la nearing the oceim
It grtsU* the (ireat Uhnl|m*c river ami
accept' It', crystal tribute. Then In Its
turn the l.lltle Oaalpee jolna forces
and the river, now a splendid atrenui
flown onward to llonny Ksgl«*. to Mod
erntion and to Salmon fulls, where ll
dashes over the dam like a young
Niagara and hurtle* In a foamy torrent
through the lagged defile cut between
k>fiy hank t of solid rock
Widening cut placidly for n moment's
rest In the siinnj renebes near Fleas
ant point it gathers Itself for a new
plunge at I cion lalla, after which It
B|Mssiil,\ tm :cs Itself In the bay and Is
fresh water no more.
At one ol the falls on the (taco tin
two littls hamlet* of Kdgewood ami
Rlverborv m-stle together at the bridge
and make one village. The stream Is a
wonder of Iwauty .lust here, a mirror
of placid loveliness above the dam. s
tawny, routing wonder at the fall am!
a mad, white flecked torrent as It
dashes on Its way to the ocean.
The river ha* seen strange sights In
Ita time, though the hlatory of the-,
two tiny village* Is quite unkuown to
the great world outside They have
been horu. waxed strong and fallen
almost to decay while Saco water Imi
tumbled over the rooks and spent Itsell
lu Ita Impetuous Journey to the sea
It remembers the yellow moccaslnd
Sokokls as they issued from the Indiun
Cellar and carried their birchen canoes
along the wooded shore. It was In
those years that the silver skinned sal
toon leaped lu Its crystal depth*, the
otter and the beaver crept with aleck
wet skins upou Its shore aud the
brown deer catne down to quench his
thirst at Its brink, while at twilight
tbe stealthy forms of tvenr aud panther
and wolf were mirrored In Ita glassy
eurface.
Time sped. Men chained the river's
turbulent forces and ordered It to
grind at tbe mill. Then bouaes aud
barns appeared along Ita bank*
bridge* were built, orchards planted
formats changed Into farm*, white
painted meeting houses gleamed
through tbe trees, and distant bells
rang from their steeple* on qutet Buu
day morning*
All at once myriads of great hewn
logs vexwl Ita downward course. *len
der logs linked together in long rnfts
and huge log* drifting down singly or
In pairs Men ap|>esred. running hltb
or and thither like ants and going
through mysterious operation* Use tea
KATE DOUGLAS WIGGtN
•on for which the river con Id never
Cuphh But tin* mill wheels turned
the Krent sown buzzed, the smoke from
tavern chimneys rose In the air, and
the rattle and clatter of stagerosches
resounded along the road.
Now children paddled with bare feel
In the river's sandy coves and shal
lows, and lovers sat on Its alder shaded
banks and exchanged their vows just
where the shuffling hear was wont to
eomc down and drink.
The Saco could remember the “cold
year," when there was a black frost
every month of the twelve, and
though almost all the corn along Its
shores shriveled on the stalk, there
were two farms where the vapor from
the river saved the crops, and all lin
seed for the next season came from Un
favored spot, to be known as “Egypt'
from that day henceforward
Strange, complex things now began
to happen, and the river played Its own
part In some of these, for there were
disastrous freshets, Uie sudden break
lug up of great Jams of logs aud the
drowning of men who were engulfed
In the dark whirlpool below the rapids
Caravans, with menageries of wild
boasts, crossed the bridge now every
year. An Infuriated elephant, lifted Un
able of the old Kdgewood tavern ham
and the wild laughter of the roistering
ruin drinkers who were tantalizing the
anlmnls floated down to the river’s
edge. The roar of a lion, tearing ami
chewing the arm of one of the by
slanders, and the cheers of the throng
when a plucky captain of the local
id 1111 in thrust s stake down the beast's
thront -these sounds displaced the for
mer warwboop of the Indians and tin
ring of the ax In the virgin forest*
along the shores.
There were days and raoonllgh:
nights, too, when strange sights anti
Bounds of quite another nature conic
have been noted by the river as It
flowed under the hrtdgo that united
the two little villages.
Issuing from the door of the Hirer
boro townhouse aud winding down tin
hill through the long row of teams sml
carriages that lined the roadside, came
a processlou of Hinging men and sing
lng women Convinced of sin, but eti.
tranced with promised pardon, spirit it
ally Intuxlratod by the glowing elo
queues of the latter day prophet they
were worshiping, the l>and of "Coolt
ranltcs" mu re lied down the dusty road
and across the bridge, dancing, sway
lng, waving handkerchiefs and shout
lng hosannas.
tied watched and listened, knowing
that there would be other prophets
true and false, in the days to come
and other processions following them
And the river watched and listened,
too. as It hurried on toward the sea
with Ita story of the present that was
aonte time to be the history of the past
When Jacob Oechrane was lending
his overwrought, ecstatic bsnd across
the river, Waltstill Itaxter, tlieu a
child was watchlug the strnnga, noisy
company from the window of a little
brick dwelling on the top of tko Town
Mouse hill.
Her stepmother stood tteslde her
with a young baby In her arms, but
when she saw what held tbe gaae of
the child she drew her away, saying.
•*We mustn't look, Waltstill; your fa
ther don't like It!"
"Who was the big man at the head,
mother T”
"Hl* name Is Jacob Cochrane, but
you mustn't think or talk about him.
He la very wicked,”
"He doesn't look any wickeder than
the others,” said tbe child. “Who was
tbe man that foil down In tbe road,
mother, and the woman that kuelt and
prayed over him? Why did be fait, aud
why did ahe pray, mother?"
'That was Master Aaron Royaton.
the schoolmaster, and his wife. Hr
ouly made believe to fall down, aa the
Cochranltes do; the way they carry on
Is a disgrace to the village, and that’s
the reason your father won't let ua
took at them.”
“t played with a alee boy over to
Boynton's," mused the child
“That was Ivory, their only child
He la a good little fellow, but his
mother and father will spot! him with
their ertty ways."
”1 hope nothing will happen to hliu
foi I love him." said tbe child gravely
”He showed me a humming bird's nest,
the first I ever saw, and the Uttleat!"
“Don’t talk about loving him." chid
ed the woman. "If your father should
hear you he'd send you to bed without
your porridge."
"Father couldn't hear me. for I nevet
sneak whoa tie’s at home." said frave
little Waitstill. "And I'm used to going
to bed without m,v porridge."
• »••••»
The river was still naming under the
bridge, but the current of time had
swept Jucob Cochrane nut of sight,
though not out of mi.-id. for lie had left
here uud there n disciple to preach hie
strange ?.ud uncertain doctrine. Wait
still. the chili! who never spoke in In-r
father’s presence, was a young woman
now, the mistress of the house; the
stepmother was dead and the hahy a
girl of seventeen.
The brick cottage ou thv, hilltop had
grown only a little shabbier. Deacon
Fox well Baxter still slummed Its door
behind him every morning at 7 o'clock
and. without any such cheerful conVen
tlons as goodbys to his girls, walked
down to the bridge to open hia store-.
The day. properly speaking, had
opened when Waitstill and I’atience
had left their beds at dawn, built the
Are, fed the hens and turkeys nnd pre
pared the breakfast, while the deacon
was graining the horse and milking
the cows. Such minor "chores" as
carrying water from the well, splitting
kindling, chopping pine or bringing
wood into the kitchen were left to
Waitstill, who had a strong hack or If
she had not hud never been unwise
enough to mention the fact In her fa
ther's presence. The almanac day,
however, which opened with sunrise,
had nothing to do with the real human
day, which always began when Mr.
Baxter shimmed the door behind him
and reached Its high noon of delight
when be disappeared from view.
"lie’s opening the store shutters!"
chanted Patience from the helghta of a
kitchen chair by the window. “Now
he's taken his cane and lieafen off the
Boynton puppy that was sitting on the
steps as usual. 1 don't mean Ivory's
dog" (here the girl gave u quick glance
at her sister), "but Hodman’s little yel
low cur. Itodinnn must have come
down to the bridge ou some errand for
Ivory. Isn’t It odd when that dog has
•11 the other store steps to stt upon he
should choose father’s when every
bone In his body must tell him how
father hatea him nnd Uie whole Boyn
ton family?’’
“Father Inis no real cause that I ever
heard of. But some dogs never know
when they’ve had enough besting noi
some people either," said Wuftstili,
speaking from the pantry.
“Don’t be gloomy wheu It’s my birth
day, sis. Now he's opened the door and
kicked the cat. All Is ready for bus!
ness at the Baxter store."
"I wish you weren’t quite so free
with your tongue. Patty."
"Somebody must talk," retorted the
girl, jumping down from the chair nnd
shaking back her mop of red gold
curls. "I'll put this hateful, childish,
round comb In Hiid out Just once more,
then It will dlsuppeiir forever. This
very afternoon up goes my hair!"
“You know it will be of no uae unless
yon braid It very plainly and neatly.
Father will take notice aud make you
smooth it down."
“Father hasn’t looked me square In
the face for years, besides my hair
won't braid and nothing can make It
quite plain Hiid neat, thank goodneasl
Dot us be thankful for small mercies,
as Jed Morrill snhl when the llghtniug
•truck his mother-ln law and skipped
his wife."
"Patty, I will not permit you to re
peat those tavern stories, they are not
seemly on the lips of n girl!" And
Waitstill came out of the pantry with
• shadow of disapproval In her eyes
and In her voice.
Patty flung her arms around her sis
ter tempestuously and pulled out the
waves of her hair so that It softened
her face. "I’ll be good," she snld, “and
oh, Watty, let's Invent some sort of
/At, 45
ij S * ffit jlm.'fin
yfflM
"M*’a opening ths (tors shuttsra.”
cheap happiness for today! I shall
never be seventeen again and we have
so many trouble* let's put oue of
the cows In tbe burse's stall and tee
wbat will happen: Ur left spread up
our last* with tlw head at tbe foot sad
put the chest of drawers on the other
side of the room, or let’s make candy!
Do you think father wotild mis* the
molasses ts we only use a cupful?
Couldn't we strain the milk, but leave
the churning and tbe dishes for an
hour or too. Just once? If you ssy
its' 1 csjp think of something wander
THE AUGUSTA HERALD, AUGUSTA, GA.
ful to no.
"Wlint Is it?" asked Waitstill, relent
Ing at the sight of the girl's eager
roguish face.
“Pierce my cars!” cried Patty. “Say
you will!"
"Ob! Patty. Patty. I am afraid yon
are given over to vanity! 1 daren't let
you wear eardrops without father’s
permission."
"Why not? I.ots of church member*
wear ihem. so It can’t he a mortal s!n
Father Is against all adornments, but
that’s because tie doesn’t want to buy
them. You've always said I should
have your mother's coral pendants
when I was old enough. Here I am.
seventeen today, and Dr. Perry says I
am already a well favored young wo
man. I can pull my hair over my ear
for a few days, and when the holes an
all made and healed even father can
not make me fill them up again. Be
aides, I'll never wear the earrings at
borne!”
"Oh. nvy dear, my dear!” sighed
Waitstill. with a half sob In her voice.
“If only I was wise enough to know
how we could keep from these little
deceits, yet have any liberty or can
fort In life!”
"We can’t! The Lord couldn’t expect
us to bear all we bear.” exclaimed
Patty, “without our trying once In a
while to have a good time in our own
way. We never (lo a thing that we are
ashamed of or that other girls don’;
do every day in the week; only oui
pleasures always have to be taken be
bind father's buck. It’s only me that’s
ever wrong, anyway, for yon are nl
ways an angel. It’s a burning Nbaine
and you only twenty-one yourself, i'l
pierce your ears If you say so and let
you wear your own coral drops!”
"No, Patty! I’ve outgrown those long
lngs years ago. When your mother
died and left father and you and the
house to me my girlhood died, too
though 1 was only fourteen."
“It was only your inside girlhood
that died.” Insisted Patty stoutly.
“The outside Is na fresh iib the paint
on Uncle Itnrty's new ell. You've got
the loveliest eyes and hair In Klver
boro, and vmi know it: besides, Ivor,\
You May Be Happier Than You Know
. .... „. i ~ .„ „ „
Study the man on the left in the three pictures and
the woman on the right, and ask yourseh “Which is
the richer?”
The man thinkc he is the richer, and the womar
thinks she is the poorer.
Bnt a big library that does not interest you is not
as good as a few books that feed you.
Boynton wornu ten you so If you didn't
Come and bore my ears, there’s a dar
ling!"
"Ivory Boynton never speaks a word
of my looks, nor a word that father
and all the world mightn't hear.” And
Waitstill flushed.
"Then it’s because he's shy and silent
and has so many troubles of his own
that he doesn’t dare say anything.
When my hair is once up and the coral
pendants are swinging in my ears I
shall expect to hear something about
my looks, I can tell you. Walty, after
all, though we never have what we
want to eat and never a decent dress
to our backs, nor a young man to cross
the threshold. I wouldn’t change places
with Ivory Boynton, would yon?" Here
Patty swept the hearth vigorously with
a turkey wing and added" a Tew corn
cobs to the fire.
Waitstill paused a moment in her
task of bread kneading. "Well,” she
answered critically, "at least we know
where our father is.”
“We do Indeed. We also know that
he Is thoroughly alive."
"And, though people do talk about
him, they can't say the things they say
of Master Aaron Boynton. I don’t be
lieve father would ever run away and
desert us."
"I fear not." snld Patty. "I wish the
angels would put the Idea into his
head, though, of course. It wouldn’t be
the angels They'd be above It. It
would have to be the ‘old driver,’ as
Jed Morrill calls the evil one. But
whoever did it the result would be the
same—we should be deserted and live
happily ever after. Oh, to be deserted
and left with you alone on this hill
top, wbat joy It would be!"
CHAPTER 11,
Daacon Baxter’s Wives.
WAITSTILL frowned, but did
not interfere further with
Patty’s Intemperate speech.
She knew that she was sim
ply serving as an escape valve and
that after the steam was “let otT” she
would be more rational.
“Of course we are motherless,” con
tinued Patty wistfully, "but poor Ivory
Is worse than motherless.”
“No. not worse, Patty,” said Wait
still, taking the bread board and mov
ing toward the closet. “Ivory loves
his mother, and she loves him with all
the mind she has left. She has the
best blood of New England flowing In
her veins, and I suppose it was a great
comedown for her to marry Aaron
Boynton, clever and gifted though he
was. Now Ivory has to protect her
poor, daft, innocent creature —and hide
her away from the gossip of the vil
lage. He Is surely the best of sons,
Ivory Boynton."
“She Is a terrible care for him and
like to spoil his life.” said Patty.
“There are cares that swell the heart
and make It bigger and warmer, Patty,
Just as there are cures that shrivel It
and leave it tired and cold. Love light
ens Ivory’s afflictions, but that is
something you and I have to do with
out, so it seems."
“I suppose little Rodman is some
comfort to the Boyntons, even if he is
only ten?” Patty suggested.
“No doubt. He's a good little fel
low, and, though it’s rather hard for
Ivory to be burdened for these last five
years with the support of a child
who’s no nearer kin than a cousin,
still he’s of use, minding Mrs. Boyn
ton and the house when Ivory's «way
The schoolteacher says he is wonder
ful at his books and likely to be a
great credit to the Boyntons some day
or other."
“You've forgot to name our one greai
blessing, Walty, and I believe, any
way, you’re talking to keep my mind
off the earrings!"
"You mean we’ve each other? No.
Patty, I never forget that day or
night. ’Tis that makes me willing to
boar any burden futher chooses to put
upon us. Now the bread is set, but 1
don’; believe I have the courage to put
a needle into your tender flesh, Patty
I really don't.”
“Nonsense! I’ve got the waxed silk
all ready aud chosen the right sized
needle, and I’ll promise not to jumi
or screech more Ihan I can help. We'l
ft few etw<s which ftsc ft PEueor.”” "
twaHft*
A rich table without appetite, is not as good as tha
simple fare with “I am hungry as a bear” sauce.
The man too sleepy to see the opera is less to be
envied than the woman occupying a seat that cost five
cents—NEXT TO A MAN THAT SHE REALLY LIKES
Find comfcrt in these pictures—for thev have
plenty of comfort for millions of us.
SATURDAY. MAY 9.
“We can’t! The Lord couldn’t expee
us to bear all that we bear.”
make a tiny Tiad'pencll dot right inThe
middle of the lobe, tben you place the
needle on It. shut your eyes and jab
bard! I expect to faint, but when 1
‘come to’ we can decide which of ns
will pull the needle through to the
other side. Probably It will bo you,
I’m such a coward. If it hurt* dread
fully I’ll have only one pierced today
and take the other tomorrow, and if it
hgrts very dreadfully perhaps I’ll go
through life with one earring. Aunt
Abby Cole will say it’s Just odd enough
to suit me!”
"You’ll never go through life with
one tongue at the rate yon use It now,”
chided Waitstill, "for It will never last
you. Come, we'll take the workbasket
and go out lu the bam where no one
will see or henr us.”
(To Be Continued Tomorrow.)