Story of Chester Lawrence

Story of Chester Lawrence

Being the Completed Account of One
who Played an Important Part in
"Piney Ridge Cottage"

By NEPHI ANDERSON

Author of "Added Upon," "The Castle Builder,"
"Piney Ridge Cottage," etc.

THE DESERET NEWS
Salt Like City, Utah
1913

Books by Nephi Anderson.

ADDED UPON, Fifth and Enlarged Edition. A story illustrating "Mormon" teachings regarding the past, the present, and the future states of existence.

THE CASTLE BUILDER. The scenes and characters are from Norway, the Land of the Midnight Sun.

MARCUS KING, MORMON, is the story of a convert to "Mormonism" who came to Utah in early pioneer days.

PINEY RIDGE COTTAGE, the love story of a "Mormon" country girl.

A YOUNG FOLKS' HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. The story of the "Mormon" Church is told in simple, interesting chapters.

DESERET NEWS BOOK STORE,
Salt Lake City, Utah.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER I.
CHAPTER II.
CHAPTER III.
CHAPTER IV.
CHAPTER V.
CHAPTER VI.
CHAPTER VII.
CHAPTER VIII.
CHAPTER IX.
CHAPTER X.
CHAPTER XI.
CHAPTER XII.
CHAPTER XIII.
CHAPTER XIV.
CHAPTER XV.
CHAPTER XVI.
CHAPTER XVII.
CHAPTER XVIII.
CHAPTER XIX.
CHAPTER XX.
CHAPTER XXI.
CHAPTER XXII.

Story of Chester Lawrence.

CHAPTER I.

It was raining when the ship was ready to sail; yet on the pier a large crowd of people stood under dripping umbrellas, waving and shouting farewells to their friends on board. The departing passengers, most of them protected by an upper deck, pressed four deep against the rail, and waved and shouted in return.

The belated passenger, struggling with heavy hand baggage, scrambled up the gang-plank. The last visitors were hustled ashore; amid noise and bustle, the plank was drawn away, and the ship was clear. A tremor ran through the vessel as the propeller began to move, and soon there was a strip of water between the pier and the ship. Then a tiny tug-boat came alongside, fastened itself to the steamer, and with calm assurance, guided its big brother safely into the harbor and down the bay. The people on shore merged into one dark object; the greetings became indistinct; the great city itself, back of the pier, melted into a gray mass as seen through the rain.

Chester Lawrence stood on the deck of the departing vessel and watched the interesting scene. He stood as one apart from the crowd, having no portion with either those on board or those left behind. He was a spectator only. Not a soul in that mass of humanity on the pier, not one in the big city, knew Chester Lawrence or had a thought for him. No one cared whether his voyage would be pleasant or otherwise. There were no tears for him, or fears that he would not return in safety. Of the hundreds of waving handkerchiefs, none was meant for him; but as a last show of good-fellowship and as a farewell greeting to his native land, Chester waved once with the rest.

The rain continued as the ship dropped down the bay and came safely into the open sea. Some of the passengers then hurried below, while others lingered on deck to see as long as possible the fast-receding land. Chester took his time. He had seen that his grips had been safely stowed away in his state room, so he had no worries, as others seemed to have, regarding his belongings. The ship hands (sailors they cannot now be called) were busy clearing the deck and getting things into their proper places. The vessel pointed fairly into the vast eastern sea. The land became a dark, fast-thinning line on the western horizon, and then even that was swallowed up in the