M (few-. 4 (-
The Sioux County Journal,
VOLUME VIII.
HAIWISOX, NEBRASKA THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 189(.
NUMBER 40.
TALM AGE'S SERMON.
THE WASHINGTON PREACHER ON
THE DRAMA OF LIFE.
It A pprira that People Ceed to Go to
. the Theater In the Dave of Job
A Unique Peroration Vindicating
Sbakeepeare of Infidelity.
Canaea of Failure.
Bt. Dr. Taluiage in tbii discourse sets
forth the causes of failure in life, drawing
on a Biblical reference to the theater for
startling illustration. Hia teit wai Job
xxvli., Zl, "Men shall clap their handa at
him and aball hiss biui out of hia place."
Thin allusion seems to be dramatic. The
Bible more than once make auch allu
sions. Paul say. "We are made a the
ater or spectacle to angels and to men."
It la evident from the text that aome of
the habita of theater goers were known in
Job's time, because he deacritx-i an actor
hissed off the stage. The iuiieronator
cornea on the boards and, either through
lack of study of the part be la to take or
lnaptnes or other Incapacity, the audi
ence la offended and ei presses its disap
probation and disgust by hissing. "Men
hall clap their hands at him and ahall
hiss hi in out of bis pluce."
The Actors of Life.
My text suggests that each one of us la
pat on the stage of this world to take
some part. What hardship and suffering
and discipline great actors have under
gone year after year that they might be
perfected In their parts you hare often
read. But we, put on the stage of this
life to represent charity and faith and hu
mility and helpfulness what little pre
paration we have made, although we hare
three galleries of spectators, earth and
heaven and hell! Have we not been more
attentive to the part taken by others than
to the part taken by ourselves, and, while
we needed to lie looking at borne and con
centrating on our own duty, we have been
criticising the other performers, and say
ing, "that was too high," or "too low," or
"too feeble," or "to extravagant," or "too
tame," or "too demonstrative," while we
ourselves were making a dead failure and
preparing to be ignominious biased off
the stage? Kach one is assigned a place,
no supernumeraries hanging around the
drama of life to take this or that or the
other part, as they may be called upon.
No one can take our place. We can take
no other place. Neither can we put off
our character; no change of apparel can
make us any one else than that which
we eternally are.
Many make a failure of their part In
the drama of life through dissipation.
They have enough Intellectual equipment
and good address and geniality unbound
ed. But they have a wine closet that
contains all the forces for their social and
business and normal overthrow. So far
back as the year D.V.), King Edgar of
England made a law that the drinking
cups should have pins fastened at a cer
tain point in the side, so that the Indulgor
might be reminded to stop before he got
to the bottom. But there are no pins pro
jecting from the sides of the modern wine
cup or beer mug, and the first point at
which millions stop is at the gravity bot
tom of their own grave. Dr. Sax of
France has discovered something which
all drinkers ought to know. He mm
found out that alcohol in every shape,
whether of wine or brandy or beer, con
tains parasitic life called bncillus potu
nianine. By a powerful microscope these
living tbinxs are discovered, and when
you take strong drink you take them into
the stomach and then Into your blood,
and, getting into the crimson cunnls of
life, they go Into every tissue of your
body, and your entire organism is taken
possession of by these noxious infinitesi
mals. When in delirium tremens, a man
sees every form of reptilian life, it seems
It Is ouly these parasites of the brain In
exaggerated size. It Is not a hallucina
tion that the victim is suffering from. He
only sees in the room what is actually
crawling and rioting in his own brain.
Every time you take strong drink you
swallow these maggots, and every time
the imbiber of alcohol in any ahape feels
vertigo or rheumatism or nausea It Is ouly
the Jubilee of these maggots. Effort are
being mads for the discovery of some
germicide that can kill the parasites of al
coholism, but the only thing that will ever
extirpate them is abstinence frt'mi alcohol
and teetotal abstinence, to which I would
before God swear all these young men
and old.
Danger of Mronn Drink.
America is a fruitful country, aud we
raise large crops of wheat and corn and
oats, but the largest crop We raise in this
country is the crop of drunkards. With
. sickle made out of the sharp edges of the
broken glass of bottle and demijohn they
are cut down, and there nre whole
swathes of them, whole, windrows of
them, and It takes nil the hospitals and
penitentiaries and graveyards and ceme
teries to hold this harvest of hell. Some
of you are going down under this evil,
and the never dying worm of alcoholism
has wound around you one of Its coils,
ami by next New Year's day it will have
another coil around you, and It will after
awhile put a coil around your tongue, and
a coll around j our brain, and a coil around
your lung, and a coll around your foot,
and a roll around your heart, ami some
day this never dying worm will with one
spring tighten all the rolls at once, and in
the hist twist of that awful convolution
you will cry out, "Oh, my God!" and be
gone. The greatest of dramatists In the
tragedy of "The Tempest" sends stagger
ing across the stage Hteyhano, the drunk
en butler; but across tin stage of human
life strong drink sends kingly and queenly
and princely natures staggering forward
against the footlights of conspiculty and
then staggering back Into failure till the
work! Is Impatient for their disappear
ance, and human and diabolic voices join
In hissing them off the itage.
Many also make a failure In the drama
of life through indolence. The are al
ways making calculations bow little the
ran do for the compensations they get.
There are nor las Ministers, lawyers,
doctors, merchants, artists and farmers
than have ever hern counted upon. The
community U full of laggards and shirk
ers. I can tell it from the way they crawl
along the street, from their tardiness In
meeting engagements, from the lethargies
that seem to hang to the foot when they
lift it, to the band when they put it out,
to the words when they speak.
Ont of Place.
Two young men m a store. In the morn
ing the one goes to his post the last min
ute or one minute behind. The other is
ten minutes before the time and has his
hat and coat hung up and la at his post
waiting for duty. The one Is ever and
anon in the afternoon looking at hia
watch to see if It is not most time to shut
up. The other stays half an hour after
he might go, and when asked why, says
be wanted to look over some entries he
had made to be sure he was right, or to
put up some goods that had been left out
of place. The one Is very touchy about
doing work not exactly belonging to him.
The other is glad to help the other clerks
in their work. The first will be a pro
longed nothing, and be will be poorer at
UO years of age than at 20. The other
will be a merchant prince. Indolence is
the cause of more failures In all occupa
tions than you have ever suspected. Peo
ple are too lary to do what they can do,
and want to undertake that which they
cannot do. In the drama of life they
don't want to be a common soldier, car
rying a balberd across the stage, or a fal
coner, or a mere attendant, and so they
lounge about the scenes till they shall be
called to be something great. After
awhile, by some accident of prosperity
or circumstances, they get into the place
for which they have no qualification. And
very soon, if the man be a merchant, he
is going around asking his creditors to
compromise tor 10 centa on the dollar.
Or, if a clergyman, he is making tirades
against the Ingratitude of churches. Or,
if an attorney, by unskillful management
he loses a case by which widows and or
phans are robbed of their portion. Or, If
a physician, he by malpractice gives his
patint rapid transit from this world to
the'uext. Our incompetent friend would
have made a passable horse doctor, but
be wanted to be professor of anatomy in
a university. He could have sold enough
confectionery to have supjiorted his fam
ily, but he wanted to have a sugar refin
ery like the liavemeyers. "He could have
mended shoos, but he wanted to amend
the constitution of the United States. To
ward the end of life these people are out
of patience, out of money, out of friends,
out of everything. They go to the poor
house, or keep out of it by running in debt
to all the grocery and dry goods stores
that will trust them. People begin to
wonder when the curtain will drop on the
scene. After awhile, leaving nothing but
their compliments to pay doctor, under
taker and Gabriel firubb, the gravedigger,
they disappear. Exeunt! Hissed off the
stage.
A Moral Nuisance,
Others fail in the drnma of life through
demonstrated selfishness. They make all
the rivers empty into their sea, all the
roads of emolument end at their door, anl
they gather all the plumes of honor for
their brow. They help no one, encourage
no one, rescue no one. "How big a pile
of money can I get?" and "How much of
the world can I absorb?" are the chief
questions. They feel about the common
people as the Turks felt toward the Asupi,
or common soldiers, considering them of
no use except to fill up the ditches with
their dead bodies while the other troop
walked over them to take the fort. After
awhile this prince of worldly success is
sick. The only interest society has in his
illness Is the effect that his possible de
cease may have on the money markets.
After awhile he dies. Great newspaper
capitals announce how he started with
nothing and ended with everything. Al
though for sake of appearance sonic peo
ple put handkerchiefs to the eye, there in
not one genuine li-ar shed. The heirs sit
up all night when he lies in slate, discuss
ing what the old fellow has probably done
with his money. It takes all the livery
stables within two miles to furnish funer
al equipages, and all the mourning stores
are kept busy in selling weeds of grief.
The stone cutters send in proposals for
a monument. The minister at the obse
quies reads of the resurrection, which
makes the hearers fear that If the un
scrupulous financier does come up In the
general rising, he will try to get a "cor
ner" on tombstones and graveyard fences.
All good men are glad that the moral nui
sance has been removed. The Wall street
speculators are glad because there Is more
room for themselves. The heirs are glad
because they get possession of the long
delayed Inheritance. Dropping every
feather of all his plumes, every certificate
of all his stock, every bond of all his In
vestments, every dollar of all his for
tune, he departs, anil all the rolling of
"Dead March" In "Haul," and all the
pageantry of his interment, aud all the ex
quisiteness ot sarcophagus, anil all the
extravagance of ppllnphology, cannot hide
the fact that my text has come again to
tremendous fulfillment, "Men shall clap
their hands at him and shall hiss him out
of his place."
You see the chipping comes before the
hiss. The world cheers before it damns.
So it is said the deadly asp tickles before
It stings. Going up, Is he? Hurrah!
Stand back and let his galloping horse
dash by, a whirlwind of plated harness
and tinkling headgear and arched neck.
1 'rink deep of his madeira and cognac.
Boast of how well you know him. All
hats art as he passes. Bask for days and
years in the sunlight of his prosperity.
Going down, la hei Pretend to be near
sighted so that you cannot see him as he
walk past. When man ask you if you
know him, halt and hesitate as though
you were trying to call up a dim memory
and say, "Well, y-e-s, yes, I believe I once
did know him, but have not seen him for
a long while." Cross a different ferry
from the one where you nsed to meet him
lest be ask for financial help. When you
started life, be spoke a good word for
you at the bank. Talk down hia credit
dow that hia fortunes are collapsing. He
put hie name on two of your note. Tell
him that you have changed your mind
about sock things, and that yon never
indorse. After awhile his matters eeaae
to a dead halt, and an assignment or ana
pension or sheriff sale takes place. You
say: "He ought to have stopped sooner.
Just as I expected. He made too big a
splash in the world. Glad the balloon has
burst. Ha, ha!" Applause when be
went up, sibilant derision when he came
down. "Men shall clap their hand at
him and hiss him out of bis place." So,
high up amid the crags, the eagle flutters
dust into the eyes of the roebuck, which
then, with eye blinded, goes tumbling
over the precipice, the great antler craeV
log on the rock.
Consecrated to God.
Now, compare aome of these goings oat
of life with the departure of men and
women who in the drama of life take the
part that God assigned them and then
went away honored of men and applaud
ed of the Lord Almighty. It is about flfty
year ago that in a comparatively assail
apartment of the city a newly married
pair set up a home. The first guest in
vited to that residence was the Lord
Jesus Christ, and the Bible given the
bride on the day of her espousal was the
guide of that household. Day of sun
shine were followed by day of shadow.
Did you ever know a home that for fifty
year had no vicissitude? The young
woman who left her father's house for her
young husband's home started out with a
paternal lenediction and good advice she
will never forget. Her mother said to
her the day before the marriage: "Now,
my child, you are going away from u. Of
course, as long as your father and I live
you will feel that you can come to os at
any time. But your borne will be else
where. From long experience I find It Is
best to serve God. It is very bright with
you now, my child, and you may think you
can get along without religion, but the
day will come when you will want God,
and my advice is, establish a family altar,
and, If need be, conduct the worship your
self." The counsel was taken, and that
young wife consecrated every room in the
house to God.
Y'ears passed on and there were In that
home hilarities, but tbey were good and
healthful, and sorrows, but they were
comforted. Marriage as bright a orange
blossoms could make them, and burials
In which all hearts were riven. They
have a family lot in the cemetery, but all
the place ia Illuminated with stories of
resurrection and reunion. The children
of the household that lived have grown
up. and they are all Christians, the father
and mother leading the way and the chil
dren following. What care the mother
took of wardrobe and education, charac
ter and manners! How bard she some
times worked! When the head of the
household was unfortunate in business,
he sewed until her finger were numb
and bleeding at the tips. And what close
calculation of economies and what in
genuity in refitting the garments of the
elder children for the younger, anVl only
God kept account of that mother's side
aches and headaches and heartache and
the tremulous prayers by the side of the
sick child's cradle and by the couch of
this one fully grown. The neighbors often
noticed how tired she looked, and old ac
quaintances hardly knew her in the street.
But without complaint she waited and
toiled and endured and accomplished all
these years. The children are out in the
world an honor to themselves and their
parents. After awhile the mother's last
sickness comes. Children and grandchil
dren, summoned from afar, come softly
into the room one by one, for she is too
w eak to see more than one at a time. She
runs her dying fingers iovingly through
their hair aud tells them not to cry, and
t lint she Is going now, but they will meet
r i it :i i n in a little while in a better world,
and then kUnes them good-by and says
to each, "God bless and keep you, my
dear child." The day of the obsequies
comes, and the olficinting clergyman tells
the story of wifely and motherly endur
ance, and many hearts on earth and in
heaven echo the sentiment, and as she is
carried oft" the stage of this mortal life
there are cries of "Faithful unto death,"
"She hath done what she could," while
overpowering all the voices of earth and
lieu ren is the plaudit of the God who
watched her from first to last, saying,
"Well done, good and faithful servant;
thou hast been faithful over a few things,
I will make thee ruler over many things;
enter thou into the joy of thy I,ord!"
The Choice.
But what Is-came of the father of that
household? He started an n young man
in business and had a small income, ami
having got a little ahead sickness in the
family swept It all away. He went
through all the business panics of forty
years, met many losses, and suffered
many betrayals, but kept right on trust
ing in God, whether business was good
or poor, setting his children a good exam
ple, and giving them the best of counsel,
and never a prayer did he offer tor all
those years but they were mentioned in
it. He is old now and realizes it cannot
be long before he must quit all these
scenes. But he is going to leave his chil
dren an inheritance of prayer and Chris
tian principles which all the defalcations
of earth can never touch, and as he goes
out of the world the church of God blesses
him and the poor ring his doorbell to see
if he is any better, and his grave Is sur
rounded by a multitude who went on foot
and stood there before the procession of
carriages came up, and some say, "There
will b no one to take bis place," and
others say, "Who will pity me now?" and
others remark, "He Shall be held In ever
lasting remembrance." And as the drama
nf his life closes, all the vociferation and
bravo and encores that ever shook the
amphitheaters of earthly spectacle were
tame and feeble compared with the long,
loud thunders of approval that shall break
from the cloud of witnesses In the piled
up gallery of the heaven. Choose y be
tween the life that ahall close by being
hissed off the stsge and the life that shall
close amid acclamation supernal and
srchsngellc.
Astronomers calculate that tbe sur
face of tbe earth contains 81.025,u2S
square mils, of which 2S.S14.U1 are
water and 7,811,504 are land, the water
thus covering about seven-tenth of
tbe earth's surface.
UP the long and slanting bill
slope a man's figure went slow
ly, plodding onward after a
sturdy black mare and turning up the
ground between two tall rows of corn,
which at times bid blm completely from
view. The shoulders under the straw
hat proclaimed bim young and manly,
and tbe steadiness with whlcn he went
forward and bis short stop at the top
of the slope bespoke him a man of pur
pose. Then came galloping through tbe
white dust of the road below a lanky
boy on a roan horse, In whose reins
was the racing blood of generations.
Clear and flutelike came tb call, ''Mar
lon; oh, Marlon!"
Marion, handsome Marion, came lei
surely up to the rails. He did not ex
pect any letters and was not excite L
However, the boy knew hia uowh was
worth attention and burst out Impet
uously, "Yer won't be so cool when ye
have heerd It, either. Beck Bailey s
man Is dead."
He bad the gratification of seeing
Marlon grow pale to bis lips.
"What killed 'im?"
"The doctors air callln' It blood rd
en," returned the boy. "Say, Marion,
they're glttln' thar hot fut. I seen Tom
Pence hltchln' up and Cunnel Will lies
been thar high an' dry seuee the turn
kum."
Still Marlon did not speak, but the
boy saw tits lips tremble.
"Run along, Pete, with the mail.
Folks'U all be waiting," he said, and
Teter, disappointed at nothing more
definite, dug his heels Into tbe colt and
dashed away.
Then the man unhitched Dolly and,
mounted on her bare back, rode down
the lane Into the sunlit woods, on, on,
without path or guide post, deep Into
the woods until he was sure he was for
enough from human beings to be safe.
And then, with a shout Jubilnnt euougn
to frighten the black mare, he threw
back his head and laughed, a sonorous
peal that astonished himself. He kuaw
ho was happy and he had come awaj
here to fight the Impetuous demons of
newly aroused passion aud eagerness
until he could subline them enough to
txi decorous before the world. For he
had loved Beck Bailey when she was
a slip of a girl, and as a young woman,
and when she had married another he
bad come away here In the woods to
fight out his hatred and misery and re
bellion. Nature, dear mother, had
calmed him and he even became resign
ed. But Beck Bailey's man was dead,
and she was free, and the heart of the
man went after her as a bird after the
home nest. Beck! slim, sweet Been,
with her laughing, mocking mouth ami
wonderful, changful eyes! She should
be bis for what cared he for Tom
Pence and even Colonel Will, the old.
bowing, smirking beau. He would go
down with the country side and see
Beck at the "berryln'," but not before,
oh, no! he could wait awhile now.
The "berryln' " was a great affair.
The Baileys' house hail been thronged
for days, and Beck kept up by a con
tinual state of excitement. It was all
grist to her mill, for slit; loved "som--thlu'
goln' on," and In this case was al
most wild, besides, with a sense of
freedom and relief. Iter new black
clothes made her look "mighty peart,"
as the women tut Id, and she was the
adored ami center idol of everyone, pet
ted and condoled with, cried over and
appealed to for advice ami assistance
In planning the great funeral.
Never hnd quiet Edward Bailey made
such a stir In the world as now, when,
quieter than ever, lie lay In state in his
black coffin, one "with solid handles."
The traditional ceremonies were nil
gone through with, the weeping, wnil
j Ing, t he dolorous hymning of quavering
I voices, the sermon, long ami full of ou
I logy, the farewell to the dead, at which
I Becky fainted dramatically Into her
father's arms, ami the slow walk to the
graviard near, a long procession of the
country people following. It was all
over and as nightfall came on the crowd
dispersed, wondering what "Beck
wild do Jlst at fust, an' who'd git er."
For not one had missed Tom Pence nt
tbe "berryln' " with his pleasant, jo
vial face and smiling eyes, nor Marlon
Moore, silent and watchful, nor the
"ole Gunnel mussln' aroun'." They had
all ben to "berryln's" before and they
all knew Becky Bailey. It was only
four years since she set the country
mad with her beaux and her fun and
her daring escapades. And now she
was, a widow, rich, handsomer than
ever. "An' ef the ole Nick hain't let
' loose In these palrits, I'm a coon,"
said her own uncle In tbe bosom of
his family.
In four weeks some one met Beck
out riding with the "Gunnel." The
news went like wildfire. Aunt Dllsay
went over to see Deck. She found ber
In her white dress, lying In ham
mock reading a nor.
"Whatever air you doln', Beck?" she
said.
"What I please and plum enjoyin'
it," said Becky.
"Yeh able to be lazy," sighed Aunt
Dlraey, "but I wouldn't go ridin Jest
ylt."
Beck's handsome eyes smiled. "I
wud," she said, "do Jlst exactly what
I pleased. I'm rich an' I'm free, an'
I'm goln' to enjoy life, an' yer can
save yerselves a power by shettin' up."
"Then," said Aunt Dilsey, "she curl
ed up Hke a young cat an' I cudn't get
another word out'n her."
Tbe next Sunday nlgbt there were
ten saddle horses and buggies tied to
the posts aud the fence. Beck never
enjoyed anything so much in her life.
She treated everyone alike, gave them
cake and home-made wine, laughed.
Joked and turned them all out at 10
o'clock, Inviting them to call again.
But the next Sunday night there was
no Becky at borne, and she electrified
tbe small audience at the Methodist
church at the cross-roads by appearing
among them with a stripling cousin
of 17.
During these days Marlon Moore
never appeared at the Bailey house,
nor formed one of the young men, aye,
even the middle-aged and obi men,
who never failed to crowd about the
young widow whenever she rode into
the county town on Sunday afternoon.
Being the only man she missed, Beck
grew restive, and one October day,
when Marlou was clearing up a new
bit of ground for the spring tobacco,
she came riding down the lane toward
him, her black skirts flying, her cheeks
blazing and her tendrll-llke curls all
falling down from under her black
cap. He saw her coming, away off,
and he knew the errand on which she
came, and he had to steel his heart
against her to hold his vantage ground.
Handsome, stalwart, Drawny, he rest
ed on his ax calmly, though the blood
In his veins ran as riotous a course as
Is a brook's after a storm. How Beck
laughed as she drew up!
"I haven't been up here for years,"
she said. "Come over to the cliff, Mar
lon. I'll walk Black Nell."
"I must work, Beck," he said. "Life
Isn't play all around, ye know." '
"Which means ye won't," she smiled.
"But I know yer want to go, plum
bad! Ye' re play In' a losin' game, Mar
ion, fur I know by yer eye that ye're
Jest the same as ye were," and she
laughed tnntallzingly. "Don't thlnl
yer can fool me, Marion."
He threw his ax dowc with angry
vehemence and stood looking at her.
'I don't know whether ye're a witch
or what," he said, hoarsely. "I am
Jest the same, Beck, an' yer want to
look out. I can't stand foolin'."
"I won't marry ag'lu, I'm goln' to
enjoy I'fe," site mocked. "What's the
use of my mnrryln'? I've got money
and laud and years of good times
ahead o' me. What'd I git In ex
change?" Marlon never answered except by his
persistent gaze.
"Good-by," she said presently; "ye're
In too bad a humor. Ye're takin' life
too serious, Marlon. There's more'n
gray skies alxve my head. Give me
the blue ones." Then she galloped
away to the bluffs and Marlon's tem
ple of nature, high in the woods above
the river. He half faucled she would
come back his way; but ro. The after
noon wore away and no lithe, slim
figure on a black mare appeared on bis
horizon.
So she knew, and. since she knew,
she mocked him. Well, he had al
ways loved the brier rose. How could
he tame this untamable tignss, this
gucKser of men's secrets and mocker
of men's loves? Tim Intuitions of Mar
lou Moore were better than his knowl
edge or his reason. He guessed that
only a real, lasting affection would
ever make her more faithful, more
tender, more true than any other wom
anbut how, how, Indeed, was this to
come to her?"
The mad reports went flying hither
and thither. Becky was here, there,
everywhere. It was Colonel Will and
Tom Pence and Arthur Smedley aud
Henry Carroll. The widow's bonnet
was now never worn, and bows of
lavendar and elaborate black and
white toilets were sent for to Cincin
nati, and cooking and feasting and
fun went on In the Bailey house.
Thanksgiving came and Beck was the
queen of the Pence family ga:herln,r
that day.
One morning Marlon Moore was near
his favorite wood haunt, and stopped
to look over the fair valley and the
Infinite hills spread out before him,
like a beautiful winter picture. As
he stood quiet there fell from the great
tree bealde htm something rustling and
dark and green, a lovely piece of the
native mistletoe, with lui waxen ber
ries thick and plentiful A smile cause
to Marion's face. He had been sent
a token, and one he would accept
He would hesitate no longer. He
took his bunch of mistletoe and walked
away. He would become the wooer,
for nature, whom he trusted, had aent
him a token. He dressed himself with
care and rode his fine chestnut bora
up to the side gate in the bine, lead
ing to the cluster of cabins that long
ago have been the "quarters," but now
were turned to various uses. Becky,
wrapped in a gay shawl he well re
membered, was giving direction to
some men at work inside the nearest
building. It was Just sunset. Per
haps nothing In the world had eror
seemed so fair to Marion Mooro as
this saucy and careless creature, who
greeted him with a cool triumph which
he had expected and ignored. He ac
cepted her Invitation to supper and
walked by her aide to see the promis
ing colts in the barn lot. Then they
went into the bouse, and Marlon pro
ceeded to make himself comfortable
In a very matter of fact way. Ha
looked critically about, much to
Becky's astonishment
"Whatever air yer lookiu' about fur,
Marion?"
"Seein' ef this house Is as comfort
able as mine," he made reply.
"Well, it plum is, Marion," she re
plied, forced into earnestness. "The
outlook is better with yer all, but this
house has more comforts."
"We could soon put some of 'em inter
mine," he replied musingly.
"We?"
"Yes, yer an' I."
"Yer takin' a deal fer granted, 'pears
ter me. I don't Intend ter leave here."
"Oh, well, we could live here. It Is
all one ter me, so it Is where ye're
llvin'."
"I'm bespoke yer askin' by two, Mar
lon. 'Pears like the men are all crazy."
"You're good temptation, Beck, but
no one else shall have ye," he said.
Her eyes grew luminous. "Well,
now, what would yer do ef yen beard
I was off on the marry with one '
the others?"
"Don't yer try it!"
She was up in arms in a minute.
"I'm not tellln' you anything, but yer
all air too heady with me, Marion. I
got an engagement to go to Cincinnati
to-morrow, an' ef I say the word what's
ter prevent me eomin' back married''"
Marion was quite white, but was
equally determined. "Ef yer go, of
course I'll know It's all up. I'll be
at the turn of the road at any time
set. That'll end it fer me, whichever
way. Lord, yer're a hard one! I won't
stay to supper. I'll never sit down
ter supper here 'less It's as master. .
What time'll yer go?"
She set her lips. "Noon!" was all
she replied.
He put on his coat and bat. "I wish
when I think o' some things I'd never
seen yer, little or big, girl or wldder,
but when I go out In the woods and
see the wild, sweet things runnin' 'riot
around I can't help lovln' yer. It Is
born in me."
Then he went out, having tossed to
her the fresh branch of mistletoe, aud
thus left her the memory of a day,
long ago, when they were little more
than children and he had taken hf-r
out to gather some of the weird, waxen
berried growth, and had kissed her,
the first kiss of love and desire she
had ever known, and the memory of
which had never left her.
The next day at noon Marion sat
grim and silent on his horse at tne
turn, lie held his slight whip In Lis
hand, but he grasped it like a waipon.
He could not keep one thought from
returning Itself again and again. He
could not let that man live who would
carry Becky Bailey away from him.
When he heard the sound of wheels
he got off from the restless horse he
rode,' fastened him, stood erect," and
braced himself for the ordeal. The
buggy came nearer. He drew an aw
ful breath as he recognized the horse.
It was Colonel Will's Flighty Dan,
famed through the country. It was
that old profligate, was It, who was
to win the brier rose? An awful sing
ing rhythm In his brain went saying:
"Kill him, kill bim, kill him!",, What
Marlon would have done he 'uevei'
knew, but the buggy stopped and
Becky, in nil her dark furs and flutter
ing feathers, came running toward
him, holding out her hands and cry
ing. "I don't want ter go to Cincinnati,
Marlon, an' we'll live In whichever
house yer like, for I've been flghtln'
my feelln's for you all the time,, an'
I won't give up ter no other one. Take
me home, Marion, an' I'm pluta tired
o' bolu' wild. I want ter live quleter'n
anyone."
The colonel drove Flighty Dan an
Into Cincinnati alone, and Becky went
with Marlon along the homeward road,
she riding the chestnut and trioIon
walking, and there was no wild bird
that had ever built nest In the wood
lands near that was as contented as
this wayward creature who had at last
been conquered by her best feelings,
Household Words.
Only One Worse.
Gloacchlno Itosslnl, who was a great
jester, was once seen embracing a
Spaniard with great effusion. Asked
the reason, he replied: 1
"Because without Spain we would ba
the last nation." , '
