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H | CHAPTER I.
is always
thankless toQlcc I
give advice in thes
| matters , " said Mn
| Charles Romainc
discreetly. "You
I ' brother and I hav
decided not to at
tempt to influenc
you in any way
Constance ; not t <
I .bias your judgmen
H in favor of or against Mr. Withers. You
B as the one most nearly interested ii
B the consequences of your acceptanci
H or refusal of his offer , should surel ]
P ) bo able to make up your mind how t (
Hj treat it and him. "
H ; "I should be , as you say , " respondet
H > the sister-in-law. "But I cannot. "
P ! She was a handsome woman , in thi
H. . prime of early maturity , whose fac <
P seldom wore , in the presence of others
P the perturbed expression that now be
P gloomed it.
. "That does not affect the fact of youi
H duty , " answered Mrs. Romainc , witl :
Hj considerable severity. "There are times
m ' ] and circumstances In which vacillatior
Pfl is folly criminal weakness. You have
H known Mr. Withers long enough tc
P form a correct estimate of his charac-
P ter. In means and in reputation he is
H all that could be desired , your brothei
R says. Either you like him well enougfc
Pfl j to marry him , or you do not. Your sit-
H ' ' nation in life will be bettered by an
H alliance with him , or it will not. These
P are the questions for your considera-
P tion. And excuse me for saying that n
P woman of your ago should not be at a
Pfl loss in weighing these. "
R Again Constance had nothing ready
P ( except a weak phrase of reluctant ac-
R quiescence. "I feel the weight of your
R reasoning , Margaret. You cannot de-
R spise me more than I do myself for my
H childish hesitancy. Mr. Withers any
R sensible and honorable man deserves
H different treatment. If I could see the
R way clear before me I would walk in
H f it. But , indeed , I am iu a sore dilem-
R ma. " She turned away , as her voice
H shook on the last sentence , and affect-
H ed to be busy with some papers upon a
H stand.
H Mrs. Romaiue was just in all her
H i dealings with her husband's sister , and
H meJHit , in her way , to be kind. Con-
H stance respected her for her excellent
H sense , her honesty of purpose and ac-
PJ tion but she was the last of her
HI friends whom she would have select-
Hi ed , of her free will , as the confidante
Pfl ] of such joys and sorrows as shrink
HI from the touch of hard natures refuse
B to be confessed to unsympathizing ears.
fl Her heart and eyes were very full now ,
B but she would strangle sooner than
B drop a tear while those cold , light orbs
PS were upon her.
B , In consideration of the weakness and
B ridiculous sensitiveness of her compan-
B ion , Mrs. Romaiue forbore to speak the
B disdain she felt at the irresolution and
B distress she could not "comprehend. "Is
B Mr. Withers personally disagreeable to
B you ? " she demanded , in her strong con-
B tralto voice.
B "I liked him tolerably well very
B well , in fact , until he told me what
B brought him here so regularly , " Con-
B stance stammered. "Now I am embar-
B rassc-d in his presence so uneasy that
H I wish sometimes I could never see or
B , hear.of him again. "
B "Mere shyness ! " said Mrs. Romainc
B Such as would be pardonable in a
B j girl of seventeen. In a woman of seven-
B and-twenty it is absurd. Mr. Withers
H is highly esteemed by all who know
B bim. Your disrelish of his society is
B caprice , unless" the marble gray eyes
P K more searching "unless you have a
B } iirior attachment ? "
Rfl Constance smiled drearily. "I have
never been in love in my life , that 1
! "know of. "
"You are none the worse for having
_ -escaped an infatuation that has wrecked -
B -ed more women for time and for eter-
B Hity ihan all other delusions combined.
H A rational marriage founded upon
H mutual esteem and the belief that the
H social and moral condition of the par-
Pfl ties .to the contract would be promot-
B ed thereby is the only safe union. The
B * young , inexperienced and headstrong ,
B repudiate this principle. The mature
B in age know it to be true. But , as 1
B have said , it is not my intention to dl-
P K rect your judgment. This is a momsn-
H tous era in your life. I can only hope
flj ! and pray that you may be guided
H ' aright in your decision. "
B Left to herself to digest this morsel
Hj of pious encouragement , Constance
B v drew a low seat to the hearth regis-
Bj • ter , clasped her hands upon her knees ,
Bj " and tried , for the hundredth time that
B . < iay , to weigh the facts of her position
B fairly and impartially.
k
B- She had been an orphan for eight
B years , and a resident in the house of
B • fcer elder brother. Her senior by more
B than a dozen years , and in the excit-
B 1 * nS swing of successful mercantile life ,
B he had little leisure for the study of
P R 3iis sister's tastes and traits , when she
K first became his ward , and conceived
B tne taslc to De an " accessary one , now
B that she was to be a fixture in his fam-
B , ily , and appeared to get on smoothly
B | - -itli his wife. Iu truth , it never oc-
Pfll curred to him to lay a disturbing finger
H npon the tiniest wheel of the domestic
H t machinery. His respect for his spouse's
Bl executive and administrative abilities
R was exceeded only by her confidence in
H Iier own powers. She was never irasci-
P B i bie , but he knew that she would have
B [ borne down calmly and energtically
B any attempt at interference in her op-
erations as minister of the interior
the ruler of the establishment he , by i
much-abused figure of speech , calleiJ
his home. A snug and elegant abode
she made of it , and , beholding Con
stance well dressed and well fed , habit
ually cheerful and never rebellious , he
may be forgiven for not spending a
thought upon her for hours together ,
and when he did remember her , for
dwelling the rather upon his disin
terested kindness to a helpless depend
ent than speculating upon her possible
and unappeased spiritual appetites.
For these , and for other whimsies ,
Mrs. Romaine had little thought and no
charity. Life , with her , was a fabric
made up of duties , various and many ,
but all double-twisted into hempen
strength and woven too closely for a
shine of fancy or romance to strike
through.
She had coincided readily in her hus
band's plan to take charge of his young
sister when her parents died. "Her
brother's house is the fittest asylum for
her , " she had said. "I shall do my
best to render her comfortable and con
tented. "
She kept her word. Constance's ward
robe was ample and handsome , her
room elegantly furnished , and she en
tered society under the chaperonage of
her sister-in-law. The servants were
trained to respect her ; the children to
regard her as their elder sister. What
more could a penniless orphan require ?
Mrs. Romaine was not afraid to ask
the question of her conscience and of
heaven. Her "best" was no empty pro
fession. It was lucky for her self-com
placency that she never suspected what
year.j of barrenness and longing these
eight were to her protege.
Constance was not a genius there
fore she never breathed even to her
self : "I feel like a seed in the cold
earth , quickening at heart , and longing
for the air. " Her temperament was
not melancholic , nor did her taste run
after poetry and martyrdom. She was
simply a young , pretty and moderately
well-educated woman , too sensible not
to perceive that her temporal needs
were conscientiously supplied , and too
affectionate to be satisfied with the
meager allowance of nourishment
dealt out for her heart and sympathies.
While the memory of her father's proud
affection and her mother's caresses
was fresh upon her she had long and
frequent spells of lonely weeping was
wont to resign herself in the seclusion
of her chamber to passionate lamenta
tions over her orphanage and isola
tion of spirit. Routine was Mrs. Ro-
maine's watchword , and in bodily ex
ercise Constance conformed to her
quiet despotism visited , studied ,
worked and took recreation by rule.
The system wrought upon her benefi
cially so far as her physique was con
cerned. She grew from a slender , pale
girl into ripe and healthy womanhood ;
was more comely at twenty-seven than
at twenty-one.
CHAPTER II.
UT all this time she
was an hungered.
She would cheer
fully have refund
ed to her brother
two-thirds of herr
liberal allowance of
r ( - f \ \
ir SdiuX.pocket money if he
/i HCs$5 had granted to her
| 0 with its quarterly
6' ' payment a sentence
of fraternal fond
ness , a token , verbal or looked , that he
renumbered whose child she was , and
that the same mother love had guard
ed their infancy. Her sister-in-law
would have been welcome to withhold
many of her gifts of wearing apparel
and jewelry had she bethought herself
now and then how gratefuly kisses
fall upon young lips , and that youthful
heads are often sadly weary for the
lack of a friendly shoulder , or a loving
bosom , on which to rest. She did not
accuse her relatives of willful unkind-
ne ' ss because these were withheld. They
interchanged no such unremunerative
demonstrations among themselves.
Husband and wife were courteous in
their demeanor , the one to the other ;
their children were demure models of
filial duty at home and industry at
school ; the training in both places be
ing severe enough to quench what fee
ble glimmer of individuality may have
been born with the offspring of the
methodical and practical parents. Con
stance found them extremely uninter
esting , notwithstanding the natural
love for children which led her to court
their companionship during the earlier
weeks of her domestication in their
house. It was next to a miracle that
she did not stiffen in this atmosphere
into a buckram image of feminine pro
priety a prodigy of starch and virtue ,
such as would have brought calm de
light-to the well-regulated mind of her
exemplar , and effectually chased all
thoughts of matrimony from those of
masculine beholders. Had her discon
tent with her allotted sphere been less
active , the result would have been cer
tain and deplorable. She was , instead ,
popular among her acquaintances of
both sexes , and had many friends , if
few lovers. This latter deficiency had
given her no concern until within two
years. At twenty-five she opened her
eyes in wide amaze upon the thinning
ranks of her virgin associates , and be
gan seriously -ponder the causes that
had left her unsought , save by two very
silly and utterly ineligible swains , whose
overtures were , in her esteem , - presumption
sumption that was only too ridiculous
" " " " ' " ' -
v i i1" -
l i n. .
to be insulting. Her quick wit an <
knowledge of the world helped Jaer t (
a solution of the problem. "I am pee
and dependent upon my brother's char
ity , " she concluded , with a new am
stifling uprising of dissatisfaction witl
her condition. "Men rarely fall in lov <
with such more rarely woo them. '
She never spoke the thought aloud , bu
it grew and strengthened until it re
ceived a startling blow from Mr. With
crs * proposal of marriage.
He was a wealthy banker from i
neighboring city , whom business rela
tions with Mr. Romaine drew to hk
house and into his sister's company
His courtship was all Mrs. Romaine
could desire. His visits were not toe
frequent , and were paid at stated inter
vals , as befitted his habits of order anc
punctuality. His manner to the ladj
honored by his preference was replete
with stately respect that was the an
tipodes of servile devotion , while his
partiality for her society , and admira
tion for her person , were unmistakable.
He paid his addresses through Mr. Ro
maine as his fair one's guardian , offer
ing voluntarily to give his beloved
whatever time for deliberation upon the
proposal she desired.
"You had better-think it over for a
week , " advised her brother , when he
had laid the case duly before Con
stance. "It is too serious a matter to
be settled out of hand. "
After that , neither he nor his v/ife
obtruded their counsel upon her until
the afternoon of the seventh day. Then
Mrs. Romaine , going to her sister's
chamber to communicate the substance
of a telegram just received by her hus
band to the effect that Mr. Withers
would call that evening at 8 o'clock ,
was moved to grave remonstrance by
the discovery that she whom he came
to woo had no answer prepared for
him. Constance was no nearer ready
after the conversation before recorded.
"I cannot afford to be romantic , "
she had reminded herself several
times. "And who knows but this irra
tional repugnance may pass away when
I have once made up my mind to ac
cept him ? This may be in all likeli
hood it is my last chance of achiev
ing an independent position. It has
been a long time coming , and my
charms will be on the wane soon. True ,
a marriage with Elnathan Withers is
not the destiny of which I have dream
ed , but then dreams are but foolish va
garies after all. Life is real and ear
nest. "
( TO BE COXTIKCnn. )
A ZOOLOGICAL DIVERSION.
An Eloplmnt That Used to Tlax a Clever
Trlclr on Visitors.
The elephant at the Jardin des
Plantes , at Paris , used to play his vis
itors a trick , which could not have
been thought of but by an animal of
much intelligence. His house opened
upon an inclosure called the Elephant's
park , containing a pond , in which hey
would lay himself under the water ,
concealing every part of him except the
irery end of his trunk a mere speck
that would hardly be noticed by a
stranger to the animal's habits.
A crowd would assemble around the
inclosure , and , not seeing him in it ,
would watch in expectation that he
would soon issue from the house. But ,
tvhile they were gazing about , a co
pious sprinkling of water would fall
jpon them , and ladies and gentlemen ,
with their fine bonnets and coats ,
would run for shelter under the trees ,
ooking up at the clear sky and wonder-
ng whence such a shower could come.
Immediately afterward , however ,
.hey would see the elephant rising
rom his bath , evincing , as it seemed ,
in awkward joy at the trick that he
lad played. In the course of time his
imusement became generally known ,
md the moment the water began to
ise from his trunk the spectators
vould lake flight , at which he appeared
jxecedingly delighted , getting up as
ast as he could to see the bustle he
lad caused. Pittsburg Dispatch.
USES OF ICE WATER.
: n ne.Uth It Should Xot Be Used for
Brlnklnir Purposes.
In health no one ought to drin7c ice
vater , for it has occasioned fatal in-
' animation of the stomach and bow-
ds , and sometimes sudden death. The
emptation to drink it is very great in
he summer. To use it at all with
safety the person should take but a
single swallow at the time , take the
ilass from the lips for half a minute ,
ind then another swallow , and so on.
t will be found that in this way it be-
: omcs disagreeable after a few mouth-
'uls. On the other hand , ice itself may
ie taken as freely as possible , not only
vithout injury , but with the most strik-
ng advantage in dangerous forms of
lisease. If broken in sizes of a pea or
jean and swallowed as freely as prac-
icable , without much chewing or
: runching between the teeth , it will
> ften be efficient in checking various
rinds of diarrhea , and has cured vio-
ent cases of Asiatic cholera. A kind
u cushion of powdered ice kept to the
mtire scalp has allayed violent infi.am-
nation of the brain , and arrested fear-
'
ul convulsions induced by too much
docd there. In croup , water as cold
is ice can make it , applied freely to the
hroat , neck and chest with a sponge
> r cloth , very often affords an almost
niraculous relief , and if this be fol-
owed by drinking copiously of the
iame ice-cold element , the wetted parts
viped dry , and the child wrapped up
veil in the bed clothes , it falls into a
lelightfiU , and life-giving slumber.
S'ew York Ledger.
Kitttonss Campalsni.
In Canada no campaign buttons , ribbons
bens or badges can be worn between
lomination and polling day. The carry-
ng of flags as a party badge is also for-
jidden. The penalty is a fine of § 100
) r three months in prison , or bQti.
Boston Journal.
| OR , TALMAOE'S SERMON , j
Washington , D. C , Nov. S , 1S96.
Clear out of the ordinary style of ser
monizing is this remarkable discourse
of Dr. Talmage. His text is : Rom. 9
3 : "I could wish that myself were ac
cursed from Christ for my brethren ,
my kinsmen according to the flesh. "
A tough passage , indeed , for those
who take Paul literally. When eomc
of the old theologians declared thai
they were willing to be damned for the
glory of God , they said what no one
Relieved. Paul did not in the text mean
'he was willing to die forever to save
ais relatives. He used hyperbole , and
when he declared , "I could wish that
myself were accursed-from Christ for
my brethren , my kinsmen according to
the flesh , " he meant in the most vehe
ment of all possible ways to declare
his anxiety for the salvation of his
relatives and friends. It was a pas
sion for souls. Not more than one
Christian out of thousands of Chris
tians feels it. All-absorbing desire for
the bettermen of the physical and men
tal condition is very common. It
would take more of a mathematician
than I ever can be to calculate how
many are , up to an anxiety that some
times will not let them sleep nights ,
planning for the efficiency of hospitals
where the sick and wounded of
body are treated , and for eye and
ear infirmaries , and for dispensaries
and retreats where the poorest may
have most skilful surgery and help
ful treatment. Oh , it is beautiful and
glorious , this widespread and ever-
intensifying movement to alleviate and
cure physical misfortunes ! May God
encourage and help the thousands of
splendid men and women engaged in
that work. But all that is outside of
my subject to-day. In behalf of the
immortality of a man , the inner eye ,
the inner ear , the inner capacity for
gladness or distress , how few feel any
thing like the overwhelming concen
tration expressed in my text. Rarer
than four-leaved clovers , rarer than
century plants , rarer than prima don
nas , have been those of whom it maybe
bo said : "They had a passion for
souls. " You could count on the fin
gers and thumb of your left hand all
the names of those you can recall , who
in the last , the eighteenth century ,
were so characterized. All the names
of those you could recall in our time
as having this passion for souls you
can count on the fingers and thumbs
of your right and left hands. There
are many more such consecrated souls ,
but they are scattered so widely you
do not know them. Thoroughly Chris
tian people by the hundreds of millions
there are to-day , but how few people
do you know who are utterly oblivious
to everything in this world except the
redemption of souls ? Paul had it when
he wrote my text , and the time will
come when the majority of Christians
will have it , if this world is ever to be
lifted out of the slough in which it has
been sinking and floundering for near
nineteen centuries. And the better
ment had better begin with myself
and yourself. When a committee of
the "Society of Friends" called upon a
member to reprimand him for breaking
seme small rule of the society , the
member replied , "I had a dream in
which all the Friends had assembled
to plan some way to have our meeting
house cleaned , for it was very filthy.
Many propositions were made , but no
conclusion was reached until one of the
members rose and said : 'Friends , I
think if each one would take a broom
and sweep immediately around his own
seat , the meeting-house would be
clean. ' " So let the work of spiritual
improvement begin around our own
soul. Some one whispers up from the
right-hand side of the pulpit and says :
"Will you please name some of the per
sons in our times who have this pas
sion for souls ? " Ch.no ! That would
be invidious and imprudent , and the
mere mentioning of the names of such
persons might cause in them spiritual
pride , and then the Lord would have
no more use for them. Some one whis
pers up fror" the left-hand side of the
pulpit : "Will you not then mention
among the people of the past some who
had this passion for Gouls ? " Oh , yes !
Samuel Rutherford , the Scotchman of
three hundred years ago , his imprison
ment at Aberdeen for his religious zeal
and the public burning of his bock ,
"Le Rex , " in Edinboro , and his unjust
arraignment for high treason , and oth
er persecutions purifying and sancti
fying him , so that his works , entitled
"Trial and Triumph of Faith" and
"Chrtat Dying and Drawing Sinners to
Himself , " and , above all. his two hun
dred and fifteen unparalleled letters ,
showed that he had the passion for
couls. Richard Baxter , whose "para
phrase of the New Testament" caused
him to be dragged before Lord Jeffries ,
who howled at him as "a rascal" and
"sniveling Presbyterian , " and impris
oned him for two years Baxter , writ
ing one hundred and sixty-eight reli
gious books , his "Call to the Uncon
verted" bringing uncounted thousands
into the pardon of the G-ospel , and his
"Saint's Everlasting Rest" opening
heaven to a host innumerable. Rich
ard Cecil. Thomas-a-Kemps , writing
his "Imitation of Christ" for all ages ,
Harlan Page , Robert McCheyne , Net-
tleton , Finney. And more whom I
might mention , the characteristic of
whose lives was an overtowering pas
sion for souls. A. B. Earl , the Baptist
evangelist , had It. I. S. Inskip , the
Methodist evangelist , had it. Jacob
Knapp had it. Br. Bachus , president
of Hamilton College , had it , and when
told he had only half an hour to live ,
said , "Is that so ? Then take me cut
of my bed and place me upon my
knees and let me spend that time in
calling on God for the salvation of the
world. " And so he died upon his
knees. Then there have been others
whose names have been known only
M81 1
' '
, i j , , i i i I II
In their own family or neighborhood
and hero and there you think of one. .
What unction they had in prayer :
What power they had in exhortation !
If they walked into a homo every mem
ber of It felt a holy thrill , and If they
walked into a prayer- meeting the dull
ness and stolidity Instantly vanished.
One of them would wake up a whole
church. One of them would sometimes
electrify a whoio city.
But the most wonderful one of that
characterization the world ever saw or
heard or felt was a peasant in the far
east , wearing a plain blouse like an in
verted wheat sack , with three open
ings , one for the neck , and the other
two for the arms. Hio father a wheel
wright and house-builder , and given to
various carpentry. His mother at first
under suspicion because of the circum
stances of his nativity , and he chased
by a Herodic mania out of his native
land , to live awhile under the shadows
of the sphinx and Pyramid of GIzeh ,
afterward confounding the LL.D. 's of
Jerusalem , then stopping the parox
ysm of tenrpest and of madman. Hi3
path strewn with slain dropsies and
catalepsies and ophthalmias , transfig
ured on one mountain , preaching on
another mountain , dying on another
mountain , and ascending from another
mountain the greatest , the loveliest ,
the mightiest , the kindest , the most
self-sacrificing , most beautiful being
whose feet ever touched the earth. Tell
us , ye deserts who heard our Savior's
prayer ; tell us , ye seas that drenched
him with your surf ; tell us , ye multi
tudes who heard him preach on deck ,
on beach , on hillside ; tell us , Golgotha
who heard the stroke of the hammer
on the spikeheads , and the dying groan
in that midnight that dropped on mid-
noon , did anyone like Jesus have this
passion for souls ?
A stranger desired to purchase a
farm , but the owner would not sell it
would only let it. The stranger hired
it by lease for only one crop , but he
sowed acorns , and to mature that crop
three hundred years were necessary.
That was a practical deception , but I
deceive you not when I tell you that the
crop of the soul takes hold of unend
ing ages.
I see the author of my text seated in
the house of Gaius , who entertained
him at Corinth , not far from the over
hanging fortress of Acro-Corinthus ,
and meditating on the longevity of the
soul , and getting more and more agi
tated about its value and the awful risk
some of his kindred were running con
cerning it , and he writes this letter
containing the text , which Chryso-
stem adm yed so much he had it read
to him twice a week , and among other
things he says those daring and startling
*
ling words of my text : "I could wish
that myself were accursed from Christ
for my brethren , my kinsmen , accord
ing to the flesh. "
Now , the object of this sermon is
to stir at least one-fourth of you to
an ambition for that which my text
presents in blazing vocabulary , namely ,
a passion for souls. To prove that it
is possible to have much of that spir
it , I bring the consecration of 2,090 foreign -
#
eign missionaries. It is usually esti
mated that there are at least 3,000 mis
sionaries. I make a liberal allowance ,
and admit there may be ten bad mis
sionaries out of the 3,000 , but I do not
believe there is one. All English and
American merchants leave Bombay ,
Calcutta , Amoy , and Pekin as soon as
they make their fortunes. Why ? Be
cause no European or American in his
senses would stay in that climate af
ter monetary inducements have ceased.
Now , the missionaries there are put
down on the barest necessities , and
most of them do not lay up one dollar
in twenty years. Why , then , do they
stay in those lands of intolerable heat ,
and cobras , and raging fevers , the ther
mometer sometimes playing at ISO and
140 degrees of oppressiveness , twelve
thousand miles from home , because of
'
the unhealthy climate and the prevail
ing immoralities of those regions com
pelled to send their children to Eng
land , or Scotland , or America , prob
ably never to see them again ? O ,
Blessed Christ ! Can it be anything
but a passion for souls ? It is easy to
understand all this frequent deprecia
tion of foreign missionaries when you
know that they are all opposed to the
opium traffic , and that interferes with
commerce ; and then the missionaries
are moral , and that is an offense to
many of the merchants not all of
them , but many of them who , absent
from all home restraint , are so im
moral that we can make only faint al
lusion to the monstrosity of their
abominations. Ch. I would like to be at
the gate of heaven when those mission
aries go in , to see how they will have
the pick of coronets , and thrones , and
mansions on the best streets of heaven.
We who have had easy pulpits and
loving congregations , entering heaven ,
will , in my opinion , have to take our
turn and wait for the Christian work
ers who , amid physical sufferings and
mental privation and environment of
squalor , have done their work ; and on
the principle that in proportion as one
has been self-sacrificing and suffering
for Christ's sake on earth will be their
celestial preferment.
Who is that young women on the
worst street in Washington , New York ,
cr London , Bible in hand , and a little
package in which are small % ials of
medicines , and another bundle in which
are biscuits ? How dare she risk her
self among those "roughs , " and where
is she going ? She is one of the queens
of heaven , hunting up the sick and
hungry , and before night she will have
read Christ's "Let not your heart be
troubled" in eight or ten places , and
counted cut from those vials the right
number of drops to case pain , and giv
en feed to a family that would other
wise have had nothing to eat today ,
and taken the measure of a dead child
that she may prepare fcr It a shrcud ,
her every act cf kindness for the body
s
mkiummtA\imtmttHtKUuuitmmmmtmu i mi B
accompanied with a benediction for tha B
soul. You see nothing but the filthy /
street along which nho walks and the 4
rlckoty stairs up which she climbs , but
she Is accompanied by an M
unseen cohort of angels with"i
drawn swords to defend her , \ Hand
for S
and with garlands twisted
all and down H
her victories , up
the tencment-hoii30 dl3trlct3. I tell H
not much excitement H
you there was so
when Anne Boleyn , on her way to her
coronation , found the Thames stirred OB
, with brilliant BB
by fifty gilded barges
flags , in which hung small bolls , rung M
by each motion of the wind , noblemen BJ
standing in scarlet , and wharf spread BJ
with cloth of gold , and all the gateways BI
surmounted by huzzahlug admirers. BJ
and the streets hung with crimson vcl- j BJ
sound- ] BB
vet , and trumpets and cannons
ing the jubilee , and Anne , dressed In BJ
surcoat of silver tissue , and brow , BJ
gleaming with a circlet of rubies , and OBJ
amid fountains that pored Rhenish BBJ
wine , passed on to Westminster Hall ,
and rode in on a caprlsoned palfry. its
hoofs clattering the classic floor , and , BB
Into Westminster BB
dismounting , passed
Abbey , and between the choir and high JBBI
altar ? was crowned queen , amid organs M
and choirs chanting the Te Deums I H
say , there was not much In all that BJ
glory which dazzles the eyes of his- PBJ
tory when it is compared with the j M
heavenly reception which that minis- j l
tering spirit of the back alley shall re- f H
ceive when she goes up to coronation. / j P
In this world God never does hia BBJ
best. He can hang on the horizon . H
grantTer mornings than have ever yet sBBJ
been kindled , and rainbow the sky with BJ
richer colors than have ever been BJ
arched , and attune the oceans to more BJ
majestic doxologies than have over yet BJ
been attuned ; but as near as I can tell/ | BBJ
and I speak It reverently , heaven is
the place where God has done his best. Pfl
He can build no greater joys , lift n H
mightier splendors , roll no loftier anthems - H
thems , march no more imposing processions - [
cessions , build no greater palaces , and E
spread out and interjoin and wave no BBJ
more transporting magnificence. I M
think heaven is the best heaven God
can construct , and it is all yours for H
the serious asking. How do you like P B
the offer ? Do you really think it is WM
worth accepting ? If so , pray for it. BJH
Get not up from that p w where you I B
are sitting , nor move one inch ' M
from where you are standing , B
"before you get a full title M
for it , written in the blood of the Son | H
of God , who would have all men come H
to life present and life everlasting. I PB
you have been in military life you B
know what soldiers call the "long roll. " JH
AH the drums beat it because the ene- PJ
my is approaching , and all the troops .JBJ
must immediately get into line. What jH
scurrying around the camp and putting PJ
of the arms through the straps of the H
knapsack , and saying "Good-bye" to B
comrades you. may never meet again ; B
Some of you Germans or Frenchmen jfl
may have heard that long roll just before -
fore Sedan. Some of you Italians may M
have heard that long roll just before B
Bergamo. Some of you Northern and * PJ
Southern men may have heard it just
before the Battle of theWilderness. . ( fl
You know its stirring and solemn * \ P
meaning ; and. so I sound the long roll B
today. I beat thi3 old' Gospel drum M
that has for centuries been calling B
thousands to take their places in line BB
for this battle , on one side of which M
are all the forces beatific and on the
other side all the forces demoniac. Here PJ
the long roll-call : "Who is on the M
Lord's side ? " "Quit yourselves like jfl
men. " In solemn column march for PJ
God , and happiness , and heaven. So M
glad am I that I do not have to "wish M
myself accursed , " and throw away my PJ
heaven that you may win. your heaven , B
but that we may have a whole convention - B
tion of heavens heaven added to heaven - M
en , heaven built on heaven and while B
I dwell upon the theme I begin" to experience - B
rience in my own poor self that which
I take to something like a passion M
[ or souls. And now unto God the only B
wise , the only good , the only great , fl
be glory foreverL Amen ! fl
FLASHES OF FUN. fl
He My life without you will be a fl
lonely one. The Heiress But think B
! lGw uiisy you wiTT have to be. Life. PJ
He Have you any reason for doubt- PJ
ing what I say ? SheYes. . I have. Ho fl
What is it ? She. I don't believe you. P
Puck. P
Tourist ( presenting his opened Baed PJ
3ker to the- coachman ) Here , driver , I .fl
ivant to see the first fonr pages. Flie- 'fl
jende Biaetten ' _ fl
"It's all overJ" As the woman utPfl
tered these- words she dropped to the B
loor. The baby had spilled the ink. fl
West Union Gazette.
"Let's go shopping to-day , Tess. " "I fl
: an't , Bessr I've lots of things to buy fl
: o-day. Tie nothing to do to-morrow ; fl
[ 'II go thea. " New York Sun. P
"Is Miss Cahoots in ? " inquired the H
waller. "That depends on you. Are fl
rez Misther Jones ? " said Bridget. H
' " " ' ' " * H
'Yes. "She's gon' out. Harper3
Bazar. fl
Canny Is Miss Wilbur at home ? B
Korafc No , sorr. Canny Well , go upstairs - ' B
stairs and ask her when she will be at * H
lorne. Norah ( going ) Yis , scrr. Har- , B
3ers * Bazar. PH
Sunday School Teacher What is the aPJ
cading doctrine of Christianity ? Tha afl
Laundrynian Kid throw stone jB
; mashee riass no can catchee forAfl
jlvum. "Puck. Pfl
"What office are you after thEs PH
time ? " "None at ail. " "Then , what B
ire you running for ? " "Because I don't T fl
ant to be conspicuous ! " Atlanta Pfl
Constitution. H
"Jokey Ig in hard luck ? " "Y\rhat's the H
natter ? " "He has lost that last year'3 r * 4 H
: rep of foptball jokes which he Intend- ' tB
? d working off on his editor. " Phila- M
Iclphia North American. APJ
Some American travelers stopping H
at Halifax agreed to make no pur- H
ceases In the city at stores where APfl
United States coney was refused. H
• P B
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