Hooper

“ The effect was gorgeous enough to have suited a taste the most critical, but the very prodigality of this untamed Southern beauty wearied Hooper. He was thinking of a brown-eyed girl he had left in tears among the apple-blossoms of an orchard in the rolling hills of Ohio.
Fordyce Allyn laughed gaily. Nearly always there was a ripple of laughter in his manner.
"It isn't half bad. Did you ever see anything finer than that outlook to the left?"
"I'm not looking for scenery," grunted Hooper. "I haven't lost any myself. The whole place is alive with malaria and fever. ”

“ Hooper was irreparably a bugbear. He could not walk the street with any peace of mind, so conscious was he that the gentle and timid would turn aside to avoid him, and that others would make it a point of hardihood to throw themselves in his way. The impertinence of the latter class compelled him to give up his customary walk at sunset to the burial ground; for when he leaned pensively over the gate, there would always be faces behind the gravestones, peeping at his black veil. A fable went the rounds that the stare of the dead people drove him thence. ”

“ Hooper's politeness and suavity concealed, and well concealed, a bitter irony. His manner was detached and a little precise. [Pg 18] Every few moments he burst into a flurry of activity with the fly whacker, darting here and there as his eyes fell upon one of the insects; but returning always calmly to his discourse with an air of never having moved from his chair. He talked to me of Praxiteles, among other things. What should an Arizona cowboy know of Praxiteles? ”

“ But conviction of the truth crept into him from Hooper’s steady, almost sympathetic glance. Steiner began to foam at the mouth; his skull-like face was convulsed. His eyes watched Hooper as the skipper untied and unfolded the papers he had brought. His lips curved back over his teeth and he shook like a leaf, clutching his bamboo support.
“Here are papers, printed papers, dating far back, Steiner. I expected you would doubt my word and I brought these to convince you. Don’t make a fool of yourself and tear them up. I do not want to taunt you. The world is trying to be at peace again. ”

“ The English divines in general took the side of the bishops; the foreign divines were expected to be on the side of the gospel; and Hooper turned first to Bucer, who was then lecturing at Cambridge. To the sad discouragement of the ultra party, Bucer believed that there were things in the world more important than vestments. He had expressed his opinion freely to the council on the condition to which they were reducing England. About the time when the Hooper controversy began, he had told Calvin that there was no religion at all in England. ”

“ He entered with an almost noiseless step, bent his head mildly to the pews on each side, and bowed as he passed his oldest parishioner, a white-haired great grandsire, who occupied an arm-chair in the centre of the aisle. It was strange to observe how slowly this venerable man became conscious of something singular in the appearance of his pastor. He seemed not fully to partake of the prevailing wonder, till Mr. Hooper had ascended the stairs, and showed himself in the pulpit, face to face with his congregation, except for the black veil. That mysterious emblem was never once withdrawn. ”

“ "He remarked afterwards to me, apropos to Hooper, that it was a curious thing that a number of men, knowing that there was nothing they could do, could quietly watch a man fighting for his life, and he did not think that any but the British temperament could do so. ”

“ Hooper’s black veil or by a direct appeal to discover the secret which it was supposed to hide. By persons who claimed a superiority to popular prejudice it was reckoned merely an eccentric whim, such as often mingles with the sober actions of men otherwise rational and tinges them all with its own semblance of insanity. But with the multitude good Mr. Hooper was irreparably a bugbear. ”

“ Mr. Saffron came back, greeted again by Beaumaroy’s courtly bow and Hooper’s vaguely reminiscent but slovenly military salute. The pair sat down to a homely beefsteak; but the golden tinted wine gurgled into their glasses. But, before they fell to, there was a little incident. A sudden, but fierce, anger seized old Mr. Saffron. In his harshest tones he rapped out at the Sergeant, “My knife! You careless scoundrel, you haven’t given me my knife!”
Beaumaroy sprang to his feet with a muttered exclamation: “It’s all my fault, sir. I forgot to give it to Hooper. I always lock it up when I go out.” ”

“ By his actions and writings Hooper very effectively contributed to the popularising of extreme puritanic views of religion in England. Of his numerous works, both in Latin and English, the following have been printed: 1. ‘Answer to the Bishop of Winchester's Book entitled “A Detection of the Devil's Sophistry,”’ Zurich, 1547, 4to. 2. ‘A Declaration of Christ and His Office,’ dedicated to Edward, duke of Somerset, 8 Dec. 1547, Zurich, 1547; recus. cum correctionibus per Christoph. Rosdell, 12mo, London, 1582. 3. ”

“ Hooper had the rifles and automatic pistols with their ammunition stowed in his spare berth and under it. The crew’s quarters were a bit cramped but the weather was fair and they would spend most of their time on deck. The one problem that seemed to vex Hooper was to find occupation for the men who had shipped as guards. They were a roughish lot but they seemed fit.
“I don’t like idleness. It brews too much loose talk,” he said. “Your men are different, Manning, but those chaps are practically passengers. ”

“ Hooper, Thad, Grace and Skeets descended the hill.
Bill, after greetings, merely pointed to the break. Mr. Hooper started to say something about the structure's being too weak; Thad laughed, and Grace, looking daggers at him, turned away and pulled Skeets with her. Gus, gazing at Thad, addressed Mr. Hooper.
"Yes, too weak to stand the force of an explosion. It wasn't the water pressure. Mr. Hooper; you'll notice that the stones there are forced in against the water ”

“ In May 1549, when the reformation was well established in England, Hooper returned and became chaplain to Protector Somerset. He now appeared as the leader of the advanced section of the reformers. He lectured twice a day in some of the London churches, and drew enormous auditories. ”

“ Hooper’s face!”
“Something must surely be amiss with Mr. Hooper’s intellects,” observed her husband, the physician of the village. “But the strangest part of the affair is the effect of this vagary, even on a sober-minded man like myself. The black veil, though it covers only our pastor’s face, throws its influence over his whole person, and makes him ghostlike from head to foot. Do you not feel it so?”
“Truly do I,” replied the lady; “and I would not be alone with him for the world. I wonder he is not afraid to be alone with himself!”
“Men sometimes are so,” said her husband. ”

“ Hooper looked sharply at the young man. "It's because," said he, "they're pinning hopes to you."
"Hopes?"
"Labor can't get anywhere until it makes friends in the ranks of the employers," said Hooper. "I guess most of the men don't understand that—even most of the leaders, but it's so. It's got to be so if we get what we must have without a revolution."
Bonbright pondered this. "The men think I may be their friend?"
"Some saw you last night, and some heard you talk to Dulac. Most of them have heard about it now." ”

“ And from one of these had come the gold-filled teeth that decorated Tiburi’s necklace. He picked up one of the heads by its tow-colored locks and. proffered it to Hooper with a smile that showed his filed teeth, and another flow of words.
“To give away heads,” he says, “is to do what no other chief has done. Now he has delivered all the skipper’s enemies, so far as he is able.”
Hooper stood his ground, surveying the relics gravely. Manning had harder work to control his feelings. Hooper turned to Edwards. ”

“ As I leaned on my gun enjoying the profound stillness of this place, far from all sounds of village, or wood, or sea—a stillness that seemed to deepen and deepen into unearthly intensity—the charm was broken by a human voice speaking near me—the tone was hollow and full of agony—“Bring me a light! Bring me a light!” it cried. It was like a sick or dying man. The voice came, I thought, from the room next to me on the right hand of the Hall. I rushed into the house and to the door of that room; it was the first which Mr. Erle had shown me. ”

“ During the talk Hooper had been to a cupboard and mixed a glass of whisky and soda. He brought it to Beaumaroy and put it on a small table by him. Beaumaroy regarded his squat paunchy figure, red face, small eyes (a squint in one of them) , and bulbous nose with a patient and benign toleration.
“Since you can’t expect, Sergeant, to prepossess the judge and jury in your favor, the instant you make your appearance in the box——”
“Here, what are you on to, sir?”
“It’s the more important for you to have it clearly in your mind that we are laboring in the cause of humanity, freedom, and justice. ”

“ My plans had gone perfectly up to this moment. I had schemed to get inside the ranch and into Old Man Hooper's room; and here I was! What more could a man ask?
The next thing occurred so soon, however, that I hadn't had time to think of more than ten per cent. of the things that might happen to me. The outside door opened to admit Hooper, followed by the girl. He stood aside in the most courtly fashion.
"My dear," he said, "here is Mr. Sanborn, who has come [Pg 79] to call on you. You remember Mr. Sanborn, I am sure. You met him at dinner ”

“ HOOPER, JOHN (d. 1555) , bishop of Gloucester and Worcester, was born towards the end of the fifteenth century in Somerset, where his father was a man of wealth. The exact date and place are not known. He himself usually spelt his name Hoper, others wrote it Houper. He graduated B.A. at Oxford early in 1519, but his college is unknown (Oxf. Univ. Reg. Oxf. Hist. Soc. i. 108) . ”

“ Give me the papers. Unless they are some trick.”
“I would hardly go to all that trouble, Steiner. You will see they are authentic.”
“What do you intend to do with us? To take us prisoners? I’ll rot here first.”
“You can take your choice, Steiner,” said Hooper coldly. “You will be under guard, because there are a good many of you and, when you get back your strength you may attempt tricks yourself. But you are not prisoners. There is no more war between us. ”

“ After a sound night's rest, Hooper rose early, and passed the morning in solitary prayer. Feb. 8.In the course of the day, young Sir Anthony Kingston, one of the commissioners appointed to superintend the execution, expressed a wish to see him. Kingston was an old acquaintance, Hooper having been the means of bringing him out of evil ways. He entered the room unannounced. Hooper was on his knees, and, looking round at the intruder, did not at first know him. Kingston told him his name, and then, bursting into tears, said:—
'Oh, consider; life is sweet and death is bitter ”

“ Manning’s voice was sarcastic and the steward gave him an ugly glance.
“I did not, sir.”
“All right, Edwards,” said Hooper dryly. “You may go for’ard.”
The steward left with a quick look passing between him and the chief. Tiburi had gathered himself together. It was plain to both the white men that Edwards had lied about the liquor, though there was only the one bottle in evidence. Tiburi was inclined to swagger. His eyes met Hooper’s almost defiantly.
“I am a big chief! A great chief,” he said, pounding his chest so that the mock jewel danced. “Many men obey me.” ”

“ Others begged for more chocolate. As Hooper turned away they set up a wailing cry.
“We’ll be back,” Hooper assured them. “What have they been fed on?” he demanded of Tiburi.
“Coconuts,” replied the chief. “A man can live on coconuts.”
Hooper turned away down the bush trail that led past the village to the sea. He did not want to break with Tiburi, but his heart was sick within him.
“I never fancied I’d feel particularly sorry for Steiner, Tommy,” he said. “He had to have the news, and the papers were the best way of convincing him. ”

“ Unfortunately every one here styled himself a great and powerful man, and Hooper himself calls a host of ragged scoundrels "noblemen and gentlemen," each of whom he advised Lander to conciliate with presents, and especially spirituous liquors, in order to do away any evil impression they might secretly have received, and obtain their suffrages, though it should be at the expense of half the goods in their possession. ”

“ A milder curate going.
A friend arrived one day
At Spiffton-extra-Sooper,
And in this shameful way
He spoke to Mr. Hooper:
“You think your famous name
For mildness can’t be shaken,
That none can blot your fame—
But, Hooper, you’re mistaken!
“Your mind is not as blank
As that of Hopley Porter,
Who holds a curate’s rank
At Assesmilk-cum-Worter.
“He plays the airy flute,
And looks depressed and blighted,
Doves round about him ‘toot,’
And lambkins dance delighted.
“He labours more than you
At worsted work, and frames it ”

“ Hooper's only reply was a contemptuous, flashing look that succeeded in reducing the importunate clergyman to silence—just in time—for as the word “Chicago” passed his lips the handle of the door turned, and Deacon Hooper entered the room.
“Why, how do you do, Mr. Letgood?” said the Deacon cordially. “I'm glad to see you, sir, as you are too, I'm sartin,” he added, turning to his wife and putting his arms round her waist and his lips to her cheek in an affectionate caress. “Take a seat, won't you? It's too hot to stand.” As Mrs. ”