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EIGHT
“Tf?e Story of Waitstill Baxter”
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Copyright. 1013. by KATE DOUGLAS WIGGIN
Kite Dougin Wlggln C®
Author of “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm”
PROLOGUE
Strength and interest of qut
lives in the New England <
three-quarters of a century ag
provide the framework of “Th
Story of Waitstill Baxter. " The.
ie the skeleton. The flesh am
blood of human beings, livin:
and loving and moving in a wort .
of their own that is a miniatur
picture of the greater world out
eide, are also there. The stoi
ie a cross section of life as see •
and described by a woman wh .
has been well called “America’
greatest living woman novelist.
Amid the hills of New Englaru
are many men and women lik ,
Waitstill and Patience Baxtc
and their father, Ivory Boyntoi
and his afflicted mother am
funny Cephas Cole, who woo
hopefully, but with small chanc
of success. They find their wa;
into books but seldom, for i,
takes a master hand to desertbt
faithfully the doings of rea
people. And that is the reasot
why “The Story of Watt stilt
Baxter" has won highest praisi
from critics who know a gooc
book wher they see one.
(Continued From Yesterday.)
In going to the chamber the (laugh
ter hnd to pass throuKh the barroom
A* ahe nvh* moving quietly through
hoping to escape the uotlre of ttie new
comer, he turned In Ida clmir and.
looking Iter full In the face, suddenly
■aid:
"Madam, you needn't touch your vll
ver. 1 don't want It. 1 am a (tootle
man "
WbcreuiHin the bewildered Beta?
Beuttled back to her mother and told
her the strange guest was Indeed a
fortune teller.
Of Cochrane's Initial niqtearnnre an r
preacher Ivory had told Waltetill It
their talk In the churchyard early li
tho summer. It wna at a child's fu
neral that the new prophet created hi
ll rat senaatlon, and there, too, that
Aaron and hole Boynton tlrat canu
Wider his apell. The whole oouutryshh
had been Just then w rought up to n
atata of religious excitement by rc
riral meetings. and Cocbrniie gallic
the benefit of thla definite prepnratloi
for hia work, lie claimed that nil hb
aaylnga were from divine Inspiration
and that thoaa who embraced hla doc
trine received direct communication
from the Almighty, lie disdained for
mal creeds mat all manner of cblircl
organisation*, declaring that sectarlai
names were marks of tho beast and nl
church members to be In Babykon 11<
Introduced retuipUem as a a.itnholh
cleansing from sectarian atalua, and
after some months advanced a pro pool
tion that hts flock hold all things In
common. Fie put a sudden end to tin
solemn "deaconing out" and dronltn
of psalm tunes and grafted on to Id
form of worship lively singing am
marching accompanied by Happing ot
hands and whirling In circles, durltn
the progress of which the most hy»
tarlcal converts or the moat fully
"Oochranlxe,! wouM swoon upon tin
floor, or. In obeying their leader's in
•tractions to “become sa little chll
Aran," would sometimes go through the
moat extraordinary and unmeaning
antics
It waa not until lie had converted
hundreds to tbe new faith that b*
added more •txrtllng revelations to bis
gospel. Me waa hi turn l*>ld, mystical
eloqoeut, audacious. |>er»ua»lre, auto
eraUc, and even wben Ida self styled
“rooununk'atione from ttie Almighty
controverted all that hla hearers had
formerly held to he right, he still mag
netlaed or hypnotised them Into an un
wilting assent to hla liellefa There
waa finally a proclamation to the effect
•hat marriage rows were to tie annul
lad when advisable and that complete
spiritual Hberty waa to follow; a liberty
In which a new afflulty might be sought
and a spiritual union begun upou earth
• union as nearly approximate to God's
Standards as faulty human beings
could manage to attain.
Borne of the faithful fell away ai
thla time, being unable to accept the
fall doctrine, but retained their faith
taa Cochrane's original power to con
Tart alnnera gn4 save tbrip from the
wrath of God. Storm clouds began to
gether In the sky. however, ns the do
liialmi spread, month by month, and
local everywhere sought to
minimize the Influence of the danger
otis orator, who rose superior to evert
attack and carried himself like some
magnificent martyr at will among th.
crowds that now criticised him here
or there In private and In public.
"What a picture of splendid audacity
he must have been " wrote Ivory,
"when he entered the orthodox meet
lng house at a huge gathering where
he knew that the speakers were to de
nounce his teachings, old ['arson Bur.
zell gave out Ills text from the high
pulpit, Mark xill. .'l7. And what I su.t
unto you I say unto all. watch.' .Inst
here Cochrane stepped in at the open
doot of the church and heard the
warning, meant, he knew, for himself,
and seizing the moment of silence fol
lowing the reading of the text, he cried
In his splendid sonorous voice, without
so much ns stirring from his plact
within the door frame, ‘llehold. 1
stand at the door and knock. If any
man hear my voice I will come In to
him and will sup with him. I come to
preach the everlasting goS|iel to every
one that heareth, and all that I want
here Is my bigness on the floor.'
"I cannot find.” continued Ivory on
another page, "that my father or moth
*r «ver engaged In any of the foolish
and childish practices which disgraced
the meetings of some of Cochrane's
most fanatical followers and converts
By my mother's conversations (some
of which I have repented to you, but
which may he full of errors, because of
her confusion of mind) I believe she
must have had a difference of opinion
with my father on some of these
views, but I have no means of know
lng this to a certainty, nor do 1 know
that the question of ‘choosing spiritual
consorts'ever came between or divided
them. This part of the delusion nl
waya tills me with mich unspeakable
disgust that I have never liked to seek
additional light from any of the oldei
men and women who might revel in
giving It That my mother did no!
sympathise with ray father’s going out
to preach Cochrane's gospel through
the country, this I know, and she wa?
so truly religious, so burning with zeal
that had ahe fully believed In my fn
ther'a mission she would bnve spurred
him on Instead of endeavoring to de
tain lilm.
"You know the retribution that ovet
took Cochrane at Inst." wrote Ivor
again, when he had shown the man'
early victories ami hla enormous lnflu
•uce. "There begau to be tndlgnun
protests agulust hi* doctrines by law
ynrs and doctors, as well as by minis
ters; not from all sides, however, so
remember, In extenuation of my fittli
er’a and ray mother’s espousal of tlit
strange belief, that mnuy of tbe strong
oat and wisest men, ns well ns tin
purest and Itnest women lit York coun
ty, came under thla man's H(*ell for a
time and believed In him Implicitly
some of them even unto the end.
"Finally there was Cochrane'S arrest
and examination, the order for him to
api>ear lit the supreme court, hla fall
ure to do so. his recapture and trial ami
hi* sentence of four years' Imprison
meat on son oral counts, In nil of which
he waa pni\ is) guilty Cochrane hud all
along said that the Anointed of the
laird would never Is* allowed to remain
In Jail, hut ho wna mistaken, for hi
stayed In the state's priaon at Charles
town, Maas., for the full duration ot
hla sentence Mere (1 am again trying
to plead the cause of iny father and
mother), here he received much sytnpn
thy aml some few visitors, one of
whom walked all the way from Kdge
wood to Boston, llh mtlea, with n petl
tlon for pardon, a petition which wn
dellvered and refused at the Boaton
atatehouse Cochrane Issued from prls
on a broken and humiliated man
but. If report says true, la still living
far out of sight and knowledge, some
where In New Hampshire Me onct
aent my father an epitaph of hla owe
selection, asking him to have It
upon his gravestone should he die ami
denly when away from hla Mentis
My mother often repents tt. not reall*
tug how far from the point tt sounds ft
ua who never knew him In hla glory
but only In Ida downfall:
"He spread hts arms full wide abroad
Hla works are ever before tus Uod
IBs same on earth shall * s remain
Though envious sinners fiet tn vain
“W# are certain.** concluded Ivory
“that my father preached with Coch
ran* lu I.lndngtou. Limerick and l*nt
sons field Me also wrote from Ki
field and Efflugbnut In New Haul)
ahlre After that all la alienee. Vat
ous reports place hjui in UtwlML JJ*
Kew York, men as tar west as Ohio
whether as Cochranite evangelist or
what not alas! we can never know. 1
despair of ever tracing his steps. I
only hope that he died before he wan
dered too widely, either from his l>e
lief In God or Ids fidelity to my moth
er's long suffering love.”
Waitstill rend the letter twice
through and replaced It In her dress to
read again at night. It seemed the
only tangible evidence of Ivory’s love
that she had ever received and sin
warmed her heart with what she felt
that he had put between the lines.
“Would that I were free to tell you
how I value your friendship!” "My
mother’s heart feeds on the sight of
you!" “I want you to know something
of the circumstances that have made
me a prisoner In life instead of a free
man.” “Yours is the most undaunted
heart In all the world!" These sen
fences Waitstill rehearsed again and
again and they rang In her ears lik.
music, converting all the tasks of hei
long day Into a deep and silent Joy.
CHAPTER XVII.
At the Brick Store.
TllEltE were two grand place.-
for gossip In the community
the old tavern on the Edge
wood side of the bridge ami
the brick store In Uiverboro. The com
pany at the Edgewood tavern would
be a trifle different in character, runr.
picturesque. Imposing and eclectic la
cause of the transient guests that guv.
It change and variety. Here might la
found a judge or a lawyer on his way
to court, a sheriff with a handcuffed
prisoner, a farmer or two stopping on
the rond to market with a cartful ot
produce and an occasional teamster
peddler and stage driver. On wiutei
nights champion story tellers like Jed
Morrill and Ilish Blxby would drop In
there and hang their woolen neck com
sorters on the pegs along the wall side
where there were already hats, top
coats and fur mufflers, as well as
stacks of whips, canes and oxgonds
standing In the corners. They would
then enter the room, nibbing theii
hands genially and. nodding to Com
panlon I’lke, Cephas Cole, l’hil Perry
and others, ensconce themselves snugly
In the group by tlie great open tire
place. The landlord was always glad
to see them enter, for their storm
though old to him, were new to many
of the assembled company and hail a
remarkable effect on the consumption
ot liquid refreshment.
On summer evenings gossip was lan
guld in the village, and If any occurred
at ail it would be ou the loafers' bench
at one or the other side of the bridge
When cooler weather came the group
of local wits gathered In Rtverboro,
either at Unde Ibirt's joiner's shop or
at the brick store, according to fancy
The latter place was perhaps the fa
eorlte for Illverboro talkers. It was a
large, two story, square brick build
lng, with a big mouthed chimney and
an open Are. When every bouse In the
two villages had six feet of snow
nronnd It roads would alwnys be hr<>
ken to the brick store, and a crowd of
ten or fifteen men would be gathered
there talking, listening, betting, amok
lng, chewing, bragging, playing check
era, singing and “swapping stories."
Rome of the men had been through
the war of 1812 and could display
wounds received on the field of valor,
others were still prouder of scars won
in encounters with the Indians and
there was one old codger, a revolu
tiouury veteran. Bill Dnuham by name
who would add bloody tales of his en
counters with the “Husshons."
"'Tts an awful sin to have on your
aoul,” Hill would say from his place
In a dark corner, where be would sit
with his hat pulled over his eyes tl"
the psychological moment came for the
"Husshons" to be trotted out. " 'Tls
an awful slu to have on your aoul—the
extummlnutlon of a race o' men. even
If they wa’n't nothin' more'u so many
ignorant cockroaches. Them was the
great days for tlghtln'! The Husshons
was the biggest men I ever seen on the
field, moat of 'em ataudln' six feet
eight in their stockin'*— but Lord! bow
we wallopnl 'em I Once we had a can
non nioiinled an’ loaded for 'em that
was so large we had to draw the ball
Into It with a yoke of oxen!”
Bill paimed from force of habit, just
as he had paused for the last twenty
years. There had been times when
roars of Incredulous laughter had
greeted thla boast, but moat of this
particular group had heard the yarn
more than once and let It pass with a
smile and a wink, remembering the
night that Abel l>ny bad asked old Hill
how they got the oxeu out of the can
non on that most memorable occasion.
“Oh,” said Bill, " that was easy
enongh. We Jest unyoked 'em an'
turned 'em out o' the primin' hole!”
It was only early October, but there
had been a killing frost, and Ezra
Simms, who kept the brick store, flung
some shavings and small wood on the
hearth and lighted a blaze, just to In
duce a little trade and Mart converse
tlon on what threatened to be a dull
evening I’eter Morrill, Jed'a |Mdest
brother, had lately returned worn a
long trip through the state and Into
New Hampshire aud his adventures by
Held and flood were always worth ll*
teulng to. He went about the country
mending clock* and so many an old
timepiece Mill tears hls name, with
the date of repairing written In pencil
on the Inatde of the door.
There wn* never any lack of suti
Jects at the brick store, the Idlosyu
<T»»lew of the neighbors being themo«i
prolific source of snei-dote *nd com
uieut. Whenever all rise failed ther
THE AUGUSTA HERALD. AUGUSTA. GA.
was always .... ....... .
Baxter's parsimony. In which tn
lage traced the Influence of heredlt,-
“He can’t hardly help It. Inheritin' I
on both sides.” wns Abel Day's opin
lon. “The Baxters was allers snu
from time 'memorial, and Foxy's th
snuggest ot ’em. When I look at hi
ugly mug nn' hear hls snarlin' voice
thinks to myself, he's goln' the same
way hls father did. When old Lev
Baxter was left a wldder man in tha
house o' his'n up river he grew was
an’ wuss. if you remember, till h
wn’n’t hardly human at the Inst, and
don't believe Foxy even went up to hi
own father's funeral.”
" 'Twould 'a' served old Levi right I
nobody else had gone.” said Ilish Blx
by. “When hls wife died he refused t
come Into the house till the last mlu
nte. He stnyed to work In the bnrn til
all the folks bad assembled and evei
the men were all settln' down n:
benches In the kitchen. The parse;
sent me out for him. and I’m blest i
the old skunk didn’t Pome In througl
the crowd with Ids sleeves rolled up
went to the sink and washed, and the;
set down In the room where the colli i
was, as cool as a cowcurnber.”
"I remember that funeral well." eoi
roborated Abel' Day. “An’ Mis' Day
heerd Levi say to his daughter, a
soon as they'd put |KX>r old Mrs. Bus
ter int’ the grave. 'Coine on. Mnrthy
there’s no use cryin' over spilt ftillk
we’d better go home an' husk out tht
rest o' that corn.' Old Foxy could liavi
Inherited plenty o' meanness from lib
father, that's certain, an' he’s added t,
hls Inheritance right along, like tin
thrifty man he is. I hate to think o'
them two fine girls weurln' their tin
gers to the bone for hls benefit."
“Oh, well, 'twon't last forever." sab
Rlsh Blxby. “They’re tho hnn’somesi
couple o' girls or. the river, an' they',
get husbands afore many years. l’n
tience ’ll have one pretty soon, by tin
looks. She never budges nn inch bu
Mark Wilson or I’hll Perry are follerin
behind, with Cephas Cole watchln' hi
ehanee right along too. Waitstill don";
seem to have no beaux; what with (ly
in’ around to keep up with the deacon
an’ bein’ a mother to Patience, he
bands Is full, I guess."
“If things was a little jnite dlfreni
all round 1 could prognosticate win-
Waitstill could keep house for.” was
Peter Morrill's opinion.
“You mean Ivory Boynton? Well. If
the deacon was asked he'd never give
hls consent, that’s certain, an' Ivory
ain’t In no position to keep a wifi
anyways. What was It you heerd
’boat Aaron Boynton up to New Hump
shire. Peter?" asked Abel Day.
“Consld'able. one way an’ another
an' none of It would 'a' been any coni
fort to Ivory. I guess Aaron 'n' Jakt
Cochrane wns both of 'em more Inter
feted in savin' the sisters’ souls than
the brothers'. Aaron wns a fine np
peerin' man, and so was Jake for that
taßtter, 'n' they both Tiad tEe gift o'
gab. There’s nothin' like a limber
tongue if yon want to please the wo
men folks. If report says true. Aaron
died of a fever out In Ohio sonic
where*. Cortland's the place, I b'lleve.
Seems 's if bo hid bis trail all tbe way
from New Hampshire somehow, for as
a usual thing a man o' book lenrnln’
like him would bo remembered wher
ever he went. Wouldn’t you call Aaron
Boynton a turrlble I'arned man, Tiino
thy?”
Timothy Grant, the parish clerk, had
Just entered the store on nn errand;
but, being directly nddressed and Judg
lng that the subject under discussion
was a discreet one and that It wns too
early In the evening for drinking to
begin, he Joined the group by the fire
side. He hod preached lu Vermont for
several years as an Itinerant Metho
dist minister before settling down to
fsrmlng In Edgewood. only giving up
bis profession beesuse hls quiver was
so full of little Grants that a wander
lng life was difficult and undesirable.
When Uncle Bnrt Cole had remarked
that Mis' Grant had a little of every
thing In the way of baby stock now—
black, red au' ynller haired, dark and
light complected, fat an' lean, tall nn’
short, twins an' singles—Jed Morrill
had observed dryly, "Yes. Mia' Grant
kind o’ reminds me of charity.”
"How’s that?” Inquired Uncle Ban.
"She beareth all things," chuckled
Jed.
“Aaron Boyton wa* Indeed a man of
most adhealve lamin',” agreed Tim
othy, who bad tbe reputation of the
largest and most unusual vocabulary
In Edgewood, “Next to Jacob Coob
rane I should soy Aaron had more
graudeloqiieuce as an orator than any
man we've ever had lu these parts. It
don’t seem ’• If Ivory was goln’ to take
after his father that way. Tbe little
feller, now, I* smart 'a a whip nn’
eonld talk the tall off a brass monkey.”
“Yes. but Rodman ain't no kin to the
Boyntons,” Abel reminded him. "He
inhalls from the other side o' the
bouse."
"That'* so. Well. Ivory does for cer
tain, an' takes after his mother, right
enough, for she Imln't spoken a doz
en words in ns many years. I guess
Ivory's got a sight o' book knowledge,
though, an' they do say he could tnlk
Greek an' I<atln both. If we had any of
'em tn the community to converse with
I'r* never paid no Intention to the
dead languages, bein' #o ookerpled with
other studies.”
“Why do they call 'em the dead lan
rußgea. Tlmr naked Rlsh Blxby.
"Because all them that ever s|K>ke
'em tin* |>erlsh<M off the fnce o’ the
laud." Timothy answered oracularly.
"Dead an' gone they t>e. kick, stock
and barrel; yet there was a time when
Latins an' Crustacean* an' Hebrews
in' Prooshlaus an' Australians an' SI
meslaus was clinltertu' away tn tbelr
<>wn tongue*, an' so pow'fwl that they
ivas wallopin' the whole earth, you
might say.”
"I I>et yer they never tried to wnllnp
these here United States." Interpolated
818 Dunham from tin l dark corner l*y
molu-scs hogsheads _
"Is lit, i,. ... ..civ/" Tile uni,,
and Rodman Boynton appeared on i.
th real)old.
"No. sonny. Ivory ain’t been in tlii
evenin'," replied Ezra Simms. "I hop
there ain’t nothin’ the matter over t
your house?”
“No, nothing particular," the boy a;
swered. "only Aunt Boynton don
seem so we.l as common, and I can
find Ivory anywhere.”
“Come along with me. I'll help ,vo
look for him, an' then I'll go as fur a
the lane with yer If we don't find him
And kindly Rish Blxby took the boy
hand and left the store.
“Mis' Boynton's had a spell. I giipss!
suggested the storekeeper, peerln
through the door into the darknes
“’Taln’t like Ivory to be out night
and leave her to Rod."
“She don't have no spells," said Ain
Day. “Uncle Bart sees consld'able o
Ivory, an' he says his mother is a
quiet as a lamb. Couldn't you git tn
kind of a certlfcnte of Aaron's deatl
out o' that Enfield feller. I’eter? Seem
’a If that poor woman ougbter he stop
ped watchln' for a dead mail; tin ker
In’ herself all out an' keepln' Ivory an
the boy all nerved np."
"Uve told Ivory everything I coni'
gather up In the way of informstloi
and give him the names of the folk-
In Ohio that Imd writ back to New
Hampshire. I didn't dilate on Aaron's
goin’s on in Effingham and Portsmouth
’cause I dassay 'twns nothin' but scan
dal. Them as hates the Cochranttes I
never allow there's any good in 'em
whereas I've met some as is servin
the Lord good an’ constant an' lndulg
In’ In no kind of foolishness an' devil
try whatsoever."
"Spenkln' o' Husshons." said Rill
Dunham from hls corner, “I reniem
ber"—
“We wa'n't alludin' to no Husshons.'
retorted Timothy Grant. "We was
dealin' with the misfortunes of Aaron
Boynton, who never fit vnlorously on
the field o' battle, but perished out in
Ohio of scarlit fever, 1f what they say
In Enfield Is true."
“’Tis an easy death." remarked Bill
argumentatively. “Scnrlit fever don't
seem like untilin' to me! Many's tin
time I’ve been close enough to fire at
the eyeball of a Musshoji an" run tin
resk o' bein' blown to smithereens!
calm in 1 cool I nllers was too! Searli
fever Is an easy death from a warrior
p'int o' view!"
“Spenkln' of easy death.” continued
Timothy, "you know I'm a great on,
for words, bein' something of a si ho!
ard in my small way. Mobile you no
tieed that Elder Boone used n Strang,
word in Ills sermon Inst Sunday'.
Words air eur'otts things sometimes
as I know, hevin' had consld'uhle lels
ure time to read when 1 was jog;: in
'bout the country an’ bein' brought
Into eontnek with men o' lenrnln'. Th
way I worked It out. not wishin’ to ask
Parson any more questions. bein' .some
thing of a scholnrd myself, is this;
The youth In Ashy is a peculiar kind
o’ youth, ’n' their religion disposes 'em
to lay no kind o' stress on Framing life
When anything goes wrong with 'em
an’ they get a set hack in war or liusi
ness, or affairs with women folks, they
want to die right off, so they take ;
sword an' stun' it straight up wher
ever they happen to lie. in the sh<*(l o;
the barn or the henhouse, an’ they
p’int the sharp end right to their waist
line, where the bowels an' other vital
organisms Is loweated, an' then they
fall on to it. It runs 'em right throng 1 '
to the tmek ail' kills 'em like a shot, and
that's the way I curtate the youth in
Ashy dies, if my entomology is correct,
as it gen'ally is.”
"Don't seem an easy death te me."
argued Ezra, “blit 1 ain’t no scholnrd.
What college did you attend to. Tim’:"
“I don’t hold nodlaploma.” responded
Timothy, "though 1 attended the Ware
ham academy quite a spell, the same
time as your sister was goln’ to Ware
ham seminary where eddication is still
bein’ disseminated though of an awful
poor kind compared to the old times.”
“It's live an’ lam." said the store
keeper respectfully. "I never thought
of a semluary bein' a place of dissemi
nation before, but yon can see the two
words Is near kin."
“You can't allers tell by the sound."
said Timothy instructively. "Some
times two words ’ll start from the same
root an' branch out dlffrent. like ‘crit
ter' an' ‘hypocrltter.’ A 'h.vpocrltter'
must natcberally start by bein' a !crit
ter,' but a critter ain’t obliged to be a
’hypocrltter' ’thont he wants to."
“I should hope not.” interpolated
Abel Day piously. "Entomology must
be an awful interestin' study, though
I never thought of observin' words my
self. 'cept to avoid vulgar language an'
profanity."
“Httsshou’s a cttr'ous word for a
man." interjected Bill Dunham with a
last despairing effort. "I remember
seeln' a Ilttsshon once flint"—
“Perhaps you ain't one to observe
closely, Abel." said Timothy, not tak
Ing note of any Interruption, simply
using the time to direct a stream of to
bacco Juice to an Incredible distance,
but landing It neatly lu the exact spot
he had Intended. "It's a trade by it
self, you might any. observin' Is. an’
there's another slnc’lar corruption!
The Whigs in foreign part*, so they
say, build stone towers to observe the
evil machination* of the Tories, an' so
the word ‘oliservatory’ come Into gen
eral use! All entomology; nothin’ but
entomology."
”1 don’t see where lu thunder you
picked up so much lamin'. Timothy!”
It was Abel Day’s exclamation, bill
every one agreed with him.
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Red That Blossomed.
IVORY BOYNTON hud tHken tbe
horse and gone to the village on
an errand, a rare tiling for him
to do after dark, so Rod was
thinking as he sat in the living room
learning Ills Sunday school lesson on
the same evening that tbe men were
gossiping at the brick store. Mis aunt
had requited him from the timuiwheu
tie ■ ... ."!,, m.l t
read ,u it ~i a chapter in <b,
Bible e-. • night Beginning with
Genesis, lie had reached Leviticus and
had made up his mind that the Bible
was a much more difficult book than
“Scottish Chiefs" notwithstanding the
fact that Ivory helped him over most
of the hard places. At the present
juncture he was vastly Interested in
the subject of “rods" a* unfolded in
the book of Exodus, which was being
studied by his Sunday school class.
What added to the excitement was the
fact that his uncle’s Christian name.
Aaron, kept appearing in the chronicle
ns frequently us that of the great law
giver Moses himself, and there were
many verses about the wonder work
ing rods of Moses and Aaron that had
a strange effect upon the boy’s ear
when he read them aloud, as he loved
to do whenever he was left alone for a
time. When his aunt was in the room
his instinct kept him from doing this,
for the mere mention of the name of
Aaron, lie feared, might sadden his
aunt and provoke in her that danger
ous vein of reminiscence that made
Ivory so air.ioi!
(To Be Continued Tomorrow.)
AT THE BIJOU
The appearance of Sig. Anthony
Novell! in the principal role in George
Kleine’s latest photo-drama “For Na
poleon and France” cannot fail to im
press one with the remarkable versa
tility of 'this renowned Italian artist,
who bears a remarkable resemblance
to one of America’s leading actors,
William Faversham. This production
in which this accomplished star is
again introduced to audiences of this
country is historical and romantic,
spectacular and dramatic, and will be
the attraction at the Bijou Theatre for
two days commencing with matinee
tomorrow.
“For Napoleon and France” has a
more potent romantic atmosphere than
any other of the Cines photodramas
presented in this country by George
Kleine. Novelli appears as Capt.
Robert I.arive, a hero at the French
Court and a favorite of Napoleon be
cause of his heroism in fighting fur
the glory of France. Though more at
home on the field of battle, the gallant
officer soon adapts himself to his new
court environs, and is feted and paid
Scene From “For Napoleon and France” to Be
Shown at the Bijou Friday and Saturday,
Matinee and Night
The Herald 9 s Picture Gallery
L' * ,***
SaMlEvt..' “
A bewitching, cunning little con- |
testant tn the great race for fame and !
fortune, now being conducted by The
Herald, Is thla little man who greets j
you today. Here he Is with hi*
grandfather; and this is one of the j
proudest grandfathers you ever heard ,
of He I* going to work real hard ;
for the baby and is hoping to see him
crowned with success at the close o' i
the contest June 2flth. This little
man Is Master William Lester, son of
THURSDAY, MAY 28.
homage on all sides. The infectious
artificiality of the court soon inocu
lates him and he becomes one of the
throng of courtiers who laugh at mor
ality and court iniquity. Soon he is
at the feet of a famous beauty, the
toast of France and the world, and
through his helpless Infatuation she
attempts to use him to serve the ne
farious ends of herself and her ac
complices. Intervention of his sister
prevents this, and the consumation of
the plans for vengeance of the fair
adventuress places him in the shadow
of a disgraceful death from which he
is saved by the great Napoleon.
Novelli was initially presented to
the admiring throngs of photodrama
devotees as Vinitius, the young Roman
patrician and soldier who became a
Christian through his love for Lygia
in “Quo Vadis.” Next he was seen in
the famous character of Anthony in
“Antony and Cleopatra,” and only re
cently was introduced as Lieutenant
Ross in “Between Savage and Tiger.”
Signora Giovanni Gonzales Terrihili,
a famous Cines actress, who is still
winning favor throughout the nation
as Cleopatra, distinguishes herself in
“For Napoleon and France” in the role
of Madame De Longueville, the famous
French adventuress and beauty, who
so nearly ruined the life of Capt.
Robert Larive. Sig. George Cattaneo,
who so admirably affects the striking
peculiarities of the Littlie Corsican in
“For Napoleon and France,” will he
remembered by thousands and thou
sands of photodrama enthusiasts as
the despotic and inordinately vain
Nero in “Quo Vadis.”
The appearance of these- favorite
actors in this lat ots t rh r todramatic
triumph is sure to stimulate interest
in the presentation hero of “For Na
poleon and France.”
Tonight “Quo Vadis” will he given
for the last time.
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BY TOMMINS STUDIO
WILLIAM LESTER.
Mr. and Mrs. Lister, of 522 Bill*
Street. Master William has already
made something of a reputation for
himself as a vote getter, and It seems
a safe prediction to make that muen
will be heard of this little fellow be
fore the contest is over. He lias anv
number of ambitions and enthusiastic
workers in his behalf and it behoove*
the others to keep their yes open on
this little contestant Watch this
little man gain votes!