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About The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 22, 1902)
H By JOHN R. JMJMGK, I Author nf "Mysterlou* Mr. How»rJ,” ”TU ! Dark Stranger.” "Charlie Allenitala'a Double.” Etc. Copyright, 18P7, by Rob»»t Boshis's Son*. All right* roaerred. CHAPTER II. The Storm Hursts. There was a cloud hanging over the distant mountain peak, and occasion ally the low muttering of far-off thun der could be heard, but it did not dis turb the young pleasure seekers, who had come out from Fresno, California, to have a good time. One tall, grace ful girl whose golden hair and deep blue eye3 would have attracted any be holder, was standing in the shadow of a tree, whither she had wandered alone. She took very little interest in the sports of her youthful companions, no more youthful, however, than her self. As she strolled under the shades of the plne9 her pale blue parasol half concealed a face that was exquisite in !lts loveliness. “Oh. Laura, why are you alone?” asked a pretty, dark-eyed girl leaning on the arm of her lover as she passed. “There are plenty of young fellows who would be glad to take Paul’s plare. Shall I tell them they can?” “Thank you, Nellie; I do not want them,” while a faint smile flitted over At this moment another couple passed where the three stood, their faces half hidden behind a pink em brella. Nellie, smiling, said: “There goes Clarence and Nellie Bush. People say they are to be mar ried in the spring and start for the Klondike.” Laura sighed and her little friend went on. The gaze of Laura Kean was now riveted on Clarence Berry and Ethel Bush. The rumor that they were going to that strange, far-off northern country awakened in her mind a new Interest in them. Ethel Bush was one of her dearest friends, and Clarence and Paul had been boys together. fAs Clarence and Ethel sat in the shade of a tree, they built anew their air castles amid the glaciers and ice bergs of the frozen north. “I hope I don't intrude,” said a sweet, silver-like voice, and, looking up. they beheld their friend Laura Kean standing near, a smile on her pretty face. “My excuse for coming is to discuss your intended journey to the Klondike. I have heard you are going in the early spring.” “We have so decided,” Clarence Berry answered. “And if agreeable I have decided to accompany you.” Ethel Bush was delighted, and de clared if they could find a preacher in Alaska the wedding would be cele brated in the frozen north. The three sat on the green and planned and talked with increasing enthusiasm, and Laura, with her pretty face beaming with happiness, arose, left the lovers to themselves, while she strolled down the grove, that her mind might con p- jure up her lover’s joy and surprise at meeting her in those faraway re gions. Unconsciously she strolled deep into the wood and was lost to the sight of her friends, when a footstep near 1 caused her to start in surprise if not alarm. Before her stood a young man of twenty-eight, with a palo cast of countenance and keen blue eye. He was of a figure that might have been called handsome, but to Laura Kean he was repulsive. She gave him a glance and gasped: “Mr. Lackland!” Theodore Lackland had followed Laura to this picnic and Into this wood with a set purpose in his heart. He was wealthy, a young man of good family and reputed ability, but a man of firm and fixed purposes. To accom plish an end he would go to almost any limit. He had known Paul Miller long before he set off for the Klondike and hated him because he loved Laura Kean. Why should this beautiful girl, the only woman whom he had ever loved, prefer this rude, penniless coun try boy to himself? Mr. j^acKianu ianea to realize wnai so many have In this life—that it is the soul that attracts and not the face and figure. There is no freemasonry so subtle as the freemasonry of the soul. JflL “I am pleased to see you happy. Miss Kean,” he said. “There has always been something wrong with me, and while others are happy I am sad." "Surely it is a morbid fancy,” said Laura. The light was dying out in her eyes. She made one quick down ward look at the path, as if wishing to pass him. He observed her glance and said: “No, no, Laura, wait a moment; I have something of great importance to say to you, which I must say now. E “I have Just been told that you have decided to go to Alaska in the ■prlng." He looked earnestly into the girl’s glowing face, and added, with deliberation: h “Laura, there arc reasons why you ghould not undertake such a Journey.” “What reasons?” "A milllcc natural obstacles are in the way.” “If Ethel Bush can go. why not I?” He did not answer immediately, hut itood at the side of the path carelessly kicking the leaves with the toe of his boot. At last he answered: "Laura, if your love had been a great love, you must have read my se cret, just as I have read yours.” In a low tone ho continued: “Long ago I knew that you loved, or thought you loved Paul Miller. I saw it before he 41d—even before you realized it.” w The red glow covered her cheeks UK more deeply than before. She w as si lent, and he was tramping nervously backward and forward. Then he went on rapidly In a tone of Irritation, "l.aura. I understand you. It is not for a rude man like this Alaskan miner to do so.” Then in an eager voire he said: “Dearest, I bring you a love undreamed of among such low crea tures.” “Low creatures!" she hissed, almost breathlessly. His cheeks quivered; his lips trem bled; his voice swelled, while his nervous fingers were riveted to his palm. He approached her and took her hand. She seemed benumbed by the feeling. She stood as one trans fixed, a slow paralysis of surprise tak ing hold of her faculties. But at his touch her senses regained their mas tery. She flung away his hand. Her breast heaved. In a voice charged with indignation she said: "So this is what you mean! I un derstand you at last!” Theodore Lackland fell back apace. “Laura, hear me—hear me again.” But she had found her voice at last. "Sir. you have outraged my feelings as much as if I was at this moment raut Miner s wire: Theodore Lackland fe\t his self-con trol rapidly slipping away, and in the height of his passion said: “You shall never marry Paul Miller, Laura Kean! I swear it! I hold your fate and his In my hand, and have more ways of crushing you than you imagine. Be sensible; recall your in sulting words, and do not throw your self away on that Impecunious ne’er do-well—a hulking brute, made for a pick-ax and shovel-” “Enough!” she cried. “I would rather marry a plow-boy than such a ‘gentleman’ as you!” Face to face, eye to eye, with pant ing breath and scornful looks, there they stood for one moment; then Lau ra, without a word, swung about and walked away to where her friends were preparing to return to town. The features of Theodore Lackland underwent a frightful change. The gathering thunder cloud was not more black than his face. He raised his clenched fist to heaven and cursed his rival, heedless of the rolling thunder and on-coming storm. “It is a long way to the Klondike,” he finally muttered, w'hile the smile of a devil flitted over his face; “but. great as the distance is, he will feel my power, and so shall she.” A heavy peal of thunder and the fall ing of rain roused him to the fact that the little excursion had all gone, leav ing him alone in the wood and storm. He hurried to where his horse and buggy were, and, leaping in, drove furiously to town. He took the train that night to San Francisco and spent a whole day in consultation with two ill-favored looking men. In a few weeks Laura had forgotten the unpleasant scene with the wealthy Mr. Lackland. She was busy prepar ing for the journey in the spring. It was the last of February, and on the next day Laura was to draw her money from the savings bank and put it in the hands of a friend to secure her a passage and outfit for the Klon dike. Late in the afternoon she saw a great crow'd of men on the street talking in an excited manner, and a moment later Mr. O’Bourno, the butch er, came running toward her, wringing his hands. "What is the matter, Mr. O’Bourne?” she asked. “We are ruined, Miss Kean; we are ruined. The savings bank has failed; can’t pay a cent!” She grew' dizzy and clutched at the door for support. Quickly all her bright dreams of surprising her lover vanished. Mrs. Miller consoled her with the assurance that the loss would be made up by the great fortune Paul was tak ing from the Klondike. A few days later she learned that the bank had been wrecked by Mr. Tom Harris, the cashier, speculating on San Francisco Board of Trade. Later came the whis per that Harris had fled to avoid ar rest, but before going had confessed his' crime, and said that he was in duced by Mr. Lackland to speculate. He went on the wrong side of the market and was ruined. me evening post orougui i>aura a letter. It was addressed in the well beloved hand of Paul Miller. But there was something in the chirog raphy to alarm her. It was in a scrawl ing, feeble hand, and with many mis givings she broke the seal and glanced at the contents. Then, with face ashen white, she shrieked: “Wounded, robbed, ruined!" and fell senseless to the floor. Ethel Bush, learning of her friend's trouble, hastened to see Laura, who sank so rapidly under the double blow that she was confined to her bed. Ethel tried to console her. "Don’t worry, dear. We shall soon be with Paul, and if I find him I will nurse him back to health, and Clar ence will defend him if he is attacked until he Is able to defend himself." “Will you take a message to him from me, Ethel?" “Yes, dear, a thousand." “Warn him, Ethel; warn him!" “Of whom or w'hat shall I warn him, dear?" “Of Theodore Lackland. He is our evil genius." “I fear ycu wrong Mr. Lackland.” “No, no; he threatened me last au tumn when we were up the valley to the picnic. I forgot it at the time, but it is all very fresii and vivid to my mind now.” Ethel remained with her for over two hours and spoke encouragingly, then left, urging her to recover her strength and spirits in time for the wedding. For downright luck and pluck the bridal trip of Clarence Berry was with out parallel. On the day he and sweet Ethel Bush were married they were poor In everything but lurk, pluck and faith in their future. Their wordly possessions consisted of just enough to pay their passage to San Franrisco, thenee to Juneau, and on to Forty Mile Camp, and provide themselves with the necessary stores for a year. On the 15th they were married at the pretty little church in Fresno, and their friends in great numbers gath ered about them to congratulate them and bid them a tearful adieu. Next day the bride and groom took their departure for San Francisco. Laura imprinted a kiss on the young bride's lips and whispered: “Give it to him! Oh, l wish I could go with you!” They went to San Francisco, where they met the remainder of their party bound for the Klondike. Among the party was a tall young fellow named Dick Ronald, from Seattle, who from his height soon acquired the soubri quet of Long Dick. There were half a dozen other men. some young and some middle-aged, but Ethel was the only lady in the party bound for the frozen north. The voyage and journey to Juneau was made without any unusual discom fort, but from that on it became peril ous and every mile marked with dan ger. They engaged some Indians as guides and an Esquimaux with the euphonious name of Umstich, which Long Dick translated for convenience into “Hemstitch.” Umstitch was engaged as a sort of general superintendent of the dogs and sleds, of which they had several to convey themselves and packs across the bleak, white deserts, the dog being the only animal capable of making those journeys in all weather. The accommodations for the young bride were poor, but Clarence did the very best he could for her. They car ried a stove and tent, and every night the latter was pitched in some spot where the snow was hard. Beds of boughs were made, and Ethel was wrapped in furs until there was little chance for her to suffer from cold. She rode all the way from Juneau to the mining camp well muffled in bear skin robes and furs, strapped on a sled or boat as the case might be, and while this method of travel was mnch better than walking, the uncertainty of her position made it anything but comfortable. CHAPTER Ml. Paul s Discovery. It is essential at this point in our story to return to the Klondike. It is again night, and the little camp on the densely wooded stream is wild with excitement and confusion. Men were hurrying to and fro and giving utterance to angry exclamations. Among the most excited was our old friend Gid Myers. Gid had a rope in his hand, and was gesticulating wildly toward a cabin that had been erected on the banks of the stream, around which stood four or five men with rifles in their hands. No wonder the gold-diggers were ex cited. A terrible crime had been com mitted in their little community. It was the first that had ever been known on the Klondike, and these hardy frontiersmen fekt like wreaking vengeance upon the perpetrators. "I tell ye, boys, we ought to make a holy example o’ that precious rascal in yonder shanty. We have found gold here by the million o' dollars, an’ when we thought we had an honest com munity four thieves pounce upon us, rob one o’ us, an’ almost kill him. Now let’s hang the feller Crack Lash wounded.” “Wait, boys,” cautioned Glum Rals ton, who had listened to the harrangue of Gid Myers. “This chap what got a little more lead in his skin than he ealkerlated on ain’t goin’ t’ git away. I tell ye that robbery w’arn’t done by accident. It warn’t planned in a min nit neither-” “Now yer shoutin’, comrade,” put in a grizzled veteran. (To be continued.) DAMAGE DONE BY LOCUSTS. Seventeen-Year Specimens Have Be gun Their Work. The 17-year locusts are beginning to show what real damage they can do. When they first appeared in num bers in parts of Maryland a few weeks ago the farmers charged them with but very little damage; now the resi dents’ tune has changed, and all about you can hear them saying: "The lo custs are ruining my shade and fruit trees.” According to the farmers, the greatest damage being done by the locusts is to the limns of trees. After the locust emerges from the ground it at once makes for the body of the tree, and sticks upon it until ready to emerge from its shell, which is exactly the shape of the insect, legs and all. The shell breaks lengthwise of the locust, from the middle of the back to the head. Out of this opening the locust comes forth as white as a sheet It immediately begins to crawl to the trunk of a tree. It is not long be fore it begins to get darker in color, I until within a few hours it becomes almost black, with the exception of the body and the eyes, which remain a reddish brown. As soon as they turn dark they proceed to the extreme ends of the trees where they do the damage. The female’s sting kills the branches. Chickens, dogs and spar rows are making short work of the insects when they come in contact with them. The crops In the fields have not suffered as yet. Birds Fly and Sing. Besides the skylark a number ol other birds sing as they fly. Among these are the titlark, woodlark, watei peppet, sedge warbler, willow warbler i and whiu chat REAL TARIFF ISSl'E HOW THE COMING CAMPAIGN MUST BE FOUGHT. Leading Republican Journal Declares Tariff Revision Is Unavoidable— Meaning of Ex-Secretary Vilas’ Let ter to Chairman Warden. Ex Secretary Vilas' letter to Chair man Warden may or may not he a per fectly spontaneous utterance. Possibly Judge Griggs, manager of the Demo cratic congressional campaign, may have had something to do with this dramatic reappearance on the politi cal scene of a loading Democrat of the old school, and we may perhaps expect to hear these voices from the past at regular intervals—as part of the tight for recognition. This, however, is of minor importance. Despite the wrig gling of the Bryan faction, the issues of this year's campaign for control of the house will certainly ho the trusts and the tariff. This letter from Mr. Vilas is symptomatic, and Mr. Bab cock will not miss its significance. There Is no great difference between the position taken by the ex secretary and the famous Cleveland message on tariff reform. Mr. Cleveland de nounced the tariff as “the communism of pelf;” Mr. Vilas demands ‘ the over throw of the grand, centra! governing conspiracy of protection." There were few trusts in the eighties, but even then Mr. Cleveland. In almost the same language as Mr. Vilas employs to-day. warned the people against the “con federacies of protection” and the con spiracies against popular liberty and popular opportunity. Recognizing the ability and political effectiveness of Mr. Vilas' “keynote” epistle, the question arises as to how the Republican congressional com mittee ought to meet it. There is an issue between the two great parties here, beyond all question, but what form and sh$pe shall it be given? The Republican party cannot and must not enter a genera! denial, and either ex pressly or by implication assert the sacredness of high protection as ex emplified by the Dingley act. It must admit the need of revision all along the line. It must place Itself squarely on “the Buffalo platform." The Democrats, to be consistent, must advocate a revenue tariff pure and simple, free trade being out of the question. They will have to descend to particulars and tell the people ex actly what they propose to do and how they propose to demolish “the grand central conspiracy.” Will they, If re turned to power, reduce the duties hor izontally 50 pe:1 cent? Will they with draw protection from trust-controlled industries and leave the present rates of duty where combination is still weak? Glittering generalities will not answer; the voters will demand def inite suggestions and businesslike statements. And the Republicans must meet this demand for definiteness and certainty. They will naturally deny that protec tion is robbery, "a false and deceitful name,” a conspiracy, etc., but they must admit that the system has been misapplied and abused. Certain sched ules, as Mr. McKinley said, are no longer needed either for revenue or for legitimate protection; they must be lowered, repealed or so "employed," by means of reciprocity, as to increase our foreign trade. In short, tariff revision is unavoid able. Shall it be undertaken by the friends or opponents of protectfon? This is the real, the immediate tariff issue. The fanatical and militant high-protectionists in the Republican party must be sent to the rear.—Chi cago Record-Herald. SETTLING CANADIAN LANDS. Chicago Tribune Calls Attention to New Situation. Director of the Mint Roberts, who has returned to Washington from a visit to Iowa, says that in that state and other western states there is a rage for land speculation. There is hardly a crossroads community in Iowa, says Mr. Roberts, which has not organized a syndicate to operate in lands in the Dakotas or Canada. To this speculative fever Mr. Roberts as cribes the movement of money from the east to the west in advance of the time when money is usually sent lor the purpose of moving the crops. Rack of this speculative activity in lands—an activity which has often been disastrous—lies the price of wheat. There is a good demand for that cereal, which promises to con tinue. The Dakota lands which are being sought after produce good wheat. So does the land in the Can adian northwest. The price of land in the Dakotas is low compared with the price of lands£n Iowa. The price of the fine Canadian government lands is extremely low. Hence the surprising rush of farmers to the Canadian north west. Iowa farmers sell their farms at a high figure and go north, many of them crossing the international boun dary line. It is estimated that 25,000 acres of Canadian lands are sold to Americans every day. If sales are kept up at this rate and the lands pur chased are brought under cultivation it will not be so long before Canada will be raising 250,000 000 bushels of wheat a year instead of the 80,000,000 bushels raised now. As the volume of Canadian wheat in creases the reciprocity sentiment in the northwest will increase. Mr. Rob erts was struck by the present strength of that sentiment and the de sire of the milling interests of Min neapolis and St. Paul to secure recip rocity with Canada, so the Canadian wheat lands may supply grist for theii mills. At present none of the Cana dian wheat is made Into flour in the United States. It all goes to England, to English millers. As it Is thrown upon the n' 'rket there as fast as it ran be shipped the price of competing American wheat is much more seri ously affected than it would he if the duty on Canadian wheat were removed and considerable of it entered this country to be held here till the foreign demand warranted its shipment. Reciprocity with Cuba is the burn ing question of the moment. Recip rocity with Canada is a question which will come to the front soon and stay there until it is disposed of. There will be bitter opposition, largely petty and selfish in its nature, to freer trade relations with Canada, but such rela tions will be of great value to the United States. Next to Great Britain and Germany the dominion is the larg est purchaser of American products. It will bo a still larger purchaser in the event of reciprocity—Chicago Trf bune. McKinley and reciprocity. No Nearer Free-Trade Than When He Framed the Tariff Act. President McKinley was, as he said himself, in favor of reciprocity that would "afford new markets for our surplus agricultural and manufactured products, without loss to the Ameri can laborer of a single day’s work that he might otherwise procure.” In hir last speech he declared in favor of “sensible trade arrangements which will not interrupt our home produc tion." That does not sound much like free trade. President McKinley has been grossly misrepresented on this reciprocity question. The efforts ot the Democrats to try and make use of President McKinley’s utterances to make it appear that he favored any step toward free trade will only react on the Democrats. Mr. McKinley did not even assert anywhere that the duty in any case is now too high. What he did say was that if “perchance” there should be any surplus duty then he was in favor of using it for reciprocity purposes, a statement with which every sensible man should agree. But he did no* say anywhere or to any person that there were surplus duties. In some cases, however, there may lie surplus duties, as. for instance, in the case of hides. In that event the duty on hides should be used for rec iprocity purposes, as President Mc Kinley suggested, and it would be fool ish to abandon that duty in favor of South American countries, which im pose duties on every dollar’s worth of goods we send to them, without secur ing something in return. A great mis take was made in taking off the duty on coffee instead of using it for recip rocity purposes. As a result, Brazil today discriminates against certain products of the United States and in favor of such products coming from other countries, because those coun tries have reduced their tariff on cof fee, whereas we buy pretty much all of Brazil’s crop without imposing any duty whatever. Brazil gives the Ar gentine Republic a lower duty on flour than is given the United States in re turn for a reduction of the Argentine tariff on Brazilian coffee. And yet the United States imposes no duty on cof fee, and buys about twenty times as much from Brazil as does the Argen tine Republic. That shows the folly of the United States in not making use of the duty on coffee for reciprocal purposes. No such mistake should be made in the case of the duty on hides. The United States imported in the last fiscal year over $10,000,000 worth of hides from South American countries which admit nothing whatever from the United States free of duty. Undei President McKinley’s policy, if the duty on hides is a surplus one, it should be used for purposes of rec iprocity. If it is not a surplus duty it should lie retained. President McKin ley was no nearer the free trade theory in his policy at the time of his death than he was when he framed ajid helped put through congress the Mc Kinley tariff act.—Philadelphia Press. Barking Up the Wrong Tree. Certain political quidnunces in Washington have jumped to the con clusion that the four Republican con gressmen from Michigan who have failed of renomination have been re pudiated by their constituents because they opposed reciprocity with Cuba in the interest of the beet sugar indus try. The eastern newspapers have taken up the cry vociferously and point to the “straws In Michigan’’ as showing the way the politcal blizzard is setting throughout the West against the opponents of reciprocity. Ordinarily we would be pleased to join in the cry and point the moral to all those reactionaries who have re fused to recognize our duty to Cuba. But the truth, told in our dispatch from Lansing, Mich., knocks any spec ial significance out of the failure of Congressmen Aplin, Weeks, Shelden and H. C. Smith to secure renomina tions. They were beaten on personal grounds, and beet sugar or reciprocity had nothing to do with their discom' flture.—Chicago Record-Herald. Wise Words of Caution. The tariff has too many ramifica tions and is too far-reaching in its ef fect to be made the football of purely local judgment. It is true, there are not lacking "reformers” who feel that they are inspired with wisdom from above to lead the party through the wilderness, but it is noticeable that the reformers are seldom able to agree among themselves, and that their fol lowers are of uncertain number and allegiance. The few of them who get into a national convention are quickly lost to view in the vut expanse of na tional interests which tower above mere local environment.—Burlington Hawkeye. TIIE SUNDAY SCHOOL. LESSON VIII. AUG. 24; NUMBERS 13:26-14:4. __ - iT'*-. Report of the Spies—Golden Text, “Blessed Is That Man That Maketh the Lord His Trust," Psalms 40:4— Notes on the Lesson. . The Israelites had now spent about fif teen months In God's wilderness training school. In wise and wonderful ways Je hovah had been teaching them great les sons of trust, duty, worship, obedience, temperance, progress. Now comes an ex amination to test their minus and hearts, —an examination In which, alas! most of thorn failed. 1. Spying out the Land. A Test of Courage.—Num. 13: 1-25. Having reached Kadesh Harnea, the threshold of Canaan, the Israelites urged (Deut. 1:22) that ex plorers he sent on ahead; and God sanc tioned the plan (Num. 13:1), because, though He wants men to rely on His guidance. He wants them also to use their own eyes. Spying out Our Promised Land. Our life is like a wilderness Journey, full of hardships. God understands that we need the Inspiration of hope, and so He has set before us a Promised Isind. Part of it is in this life,—the satisfaction of duty done, the power it gives, the friend ships that spring from It, the approval of noble men. The best part of it Is in the next life, and the IJible is full of fore gleams of heaven. II. A Report of Facts.—Vs. 26-23. The spies were gone forty days (v. 25). We may imagine the first company, return ing from lower Palestine, making their report in the presence of an eager as sembly. 26. "And they came to Moses and to Aaron and to all the congregation to Ka desh and shewed them the fruit of the land." 27. “It lloweth with milk and honey, and this Is the fruit of it.” They wanted to appear Judicial, looking a little on the good side ami much on the bad side. Practical. Nothing is so dangerous as a half-truth. The worst enemies of Christianity nre those who condescend ingly praise its civilization, and then class Christ with Socrates. They accept Christ's fruits, but reject Him. 28. “Nevertheless . . . the cities are walled and very great. We saw the chil dren of Anuk there.” "A class of ban dits whose names inspired terror throughout the district—Ahlman, Sheshal, and Talmul. sons of Anak."—Watson. 23 "The Amalekites dwell In the land of the South.” The Israelites had al ready met the Amalekites, at Rephidim i Kx. 17:8-16), and God had shown that he could conquer them. “And the Hlt tites, and the Jebusltes, and the Ca naanltes." III. A Courageous Report.—V. 30. “And Caleb.” A Kenizzite, of Edom, but at tached to the tribe of Judah. "Stilled the people before Moses." Evidently they had burst out In a cry of despair and fear. “And said. Ia>t us go up at once, and possess It, for we are able to over come It." IV. A Cowardly Report.—Vs. 31-33. 31. "Hut the men that went up with him said. We he not able to go up against the people.” 32. "And they brought up an evil re port of the land. The land . . . cateth lip the Inhabitants, the people . . . are men of great stature." 33. "And there we saw the giants, and we were In our own sight as grasshop ers, and so we were In their sight.” No wonder: tnen are largely taken at their own estimation. V. A Cowardly People.—Vs. 1-4. 1. "And the people wept that night.” Well might they weep, but at their own lack of faith. 2. “Murmured against Moses.” Since lie had led them under God's directions, this was murmuring against God. "Would God we had died in this wilder ness!” God heard their prayer, and granted It by keeping them In the wil derness till their death. "I wish I were dead!” men often say; hut would they not he terror-stricken if they thought God would take them at their word? 3. "Wherefore hath tlie Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword? That our wives and our children should be a prey." It is harder to have faith for our dear ones than for ourselves. 4. "Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.” They knew Moses well enough to know that he would not remain their captain if they returned to Egypt or stayed In the desert contrary to God’s will. Neither is It possible to re tain Christ as our captain and also to make this world our home. Modern Applications. We sin like the Israelites when we fretfully ask. “ ‘Why doth the Lord bring me into this land’ of sickness, or poverty, or failure?" VI. The Penalty of Cowardice. Sud denly, as twice before in great crises (Lev. 10:2; Num. 11:1). the people were terrified by a dazzling light from the tab ernacle. Again, as on the occasion of the golden calf. Jehovah offered to destroy the people and make Moses the second Abraham of a now and nobler race. In a passage In which Meyer declares one of the grandest In the whole Bible. Moses rejected the alluring offer, and pleaded with God not to give the Egyptians and Oanaanltes a chance to deride the fail ure of his plans. Jehovah's decision shows how God can at the same time be merciful and just, for He answered Moses’ prayer, yet pun ished the people. The decree was that only Caleb and Joshua, and those twenty years old or younger (who probably had not joined the revolt), should ever see Canaan. For forty years, beginning with the Exodus.—a year for every day of the spies’ absence.—the Israelites were to live in the wilderness, till all the older gen eration had perished. To attest the ver dict. a plague raged among the people and slew the ten cowardly spies. Struck with a too-late repentance, the anxious nation determined to go forward, even against Moses’ protest and without the ark. But as they rushed through the pass that led northward, the forces of the region fell upon them and defeated th- m terribly. They learned that God s judgment was final. Lessons In Courage taught at Kadesh. 1. Cowardice Is constantly shutting men out of Canaans.—the Canaans of worldly success, or influence, honor, love, heaven. 2. It is a false and fruitless courage that Is not based on God. Even the Church snd individual Christians, when they take up Quarrels which God does not call on them to take up, or use weapons which God does not approve, find themselves promptly defeated. 3. There is a time for obedience, and If we let that time go by without obeying, the loss is Irreparable. This event should be a stern warning to us all (Heb. 4:11). Had Learned Wisdom. Visitor—Young man, I hope that when you are free you will turn over a new leaf. Convict—Sure I will. The lawyer I hire the next time will be a better one.—Chicago Daily News. A Matter of Form. Mrs. Hauskeep.—What have you got to-day in the shape of rhubarb? Green Grocer — Well, we’ve got some celery; that’s the nearest.—Phil adelphia Press. 4 1