' * " " "
CHAPTER XIII.
Mnrguorjlo judged It best to tell Mrs.
Arlanil nil the story of her long period
of mental foigotfulnoss , and received
in roiuvrt 'Hovfrai interesting details
concerning the fMirlshlp br this hate-
fill unknown Arthur Phillips , who , It
appeared , used to bring her flower * ,
nnil tnlco her out for walks , nnd for
whom she used to watch with intonao
cnRerncHR day nftcr day.
"I saeii you niore'n once holding him
round the nock , nnd crying lit to
brcuk yotir heart ; and ho always fioem-
cd fond of you , too that hu did , nnd
gcntlo with you as n woman would bo. "
"Mrs. Acland , " almost whispered
Mnrguorlte , her cheeks burning v.'ltli
slmmo , "wlint wan ho like ? Do you
remember ? "
"Oh , my dear , I nln't 110 hand at do-
Bcrlblng the quality. 1 couldn't toll
you. Not right-down handsome , but
looked a real gentleman. "
"A real gentleman ? Yes , I Bhoitld
think HO ! " tiho answered In n tone oi
bitter contempt. " .Mrs. Acland thla IH
very horrible for mo to hoar , b.it It IH
necessary. Toll mo this nuu uaod
to como and ace mo every ilay ? "
"Whenever your uncle weren't there ,
my dear ; and when It got to be dusk ,
he'd tnko you out for a walk along
the Bhoio , and you'd bo as pleased as
plcaKod could be. You'd come a-ruu-
nlng to mo , your pretty face all aglow ,
and your liandn strolohod out , with
'Oh , dear Mrs. Acland , do please let
Sarah dress me he's a-going to take
mo walklnV Wo had no bright days
nor running nor jumping when your
uncle wan about. No , indeed ! Wo WIIB
IIR mum ns a IIIOURO then ; and S.irah ,
nho tited to say , 'See how frightened
the poor thing in of him. ' Wo wan both
fond of you , that wo wan ; an' ho , too
thin fine Mr Phillips. 'Mind you
take care' ' of nor , Mrs. Acland , ' he'd
liay.'an' I'll make It worth your while ! '
Marguerite's eyes Instinctively wan
dered to the table , where her sumptu
ous morning's Instalment of flowers
was ranged in a largo bowl , lied and
yellow roses ! A strange coincidence.
For a moment the wild Idea cru&acd
her mind that the unknown sender of
these flowers might bo her husband.
Red and yellow roses at once lost thol.r
charm. She turned away from them
with a gesture of disgust , v
"Oh , Mrs. Acland , " she exclaimed ,
"you don't know how dreadfully miser
able I am ! I don't know what to do.
Wns any one over In such a dreadful
position neither married nor single ! "
"Ay , nnd with a sweetheart qt ypur
own , to I'll be bound , " said Mrs. Ac-
land sympathetically.
The sudden Hush upon the girl's face
answered her.
"Dear , dear , I do feel sorry for you ,
poor child ! " said the woman , whoso
pity exasperated Marguerite *
"MrBttAqland , " she ashedabruptly ,
"ahoujd you know thls ji
again U.volli'saw Ijliu ? "
"That I shtaldj-'n.'dar.
altered Ntrangoly , " was the encourag
ing reply.
"That'fl right. I will just write down
your description of him to toll rny law
yer. Where did you lay that marriage
certificate ? 1 shall want to Jiow him
that , too. "
"Now , my dear , " salt ! Mrs. Acland ,
"here's what 1 can't help thinking' ! !
lo likely of more use to you than that
mnrrlngo eortlflcnto ; nnd I took nnd
copied that off n letter Mr. Phillips
wrote. Ho wrote It nnd left It by acci
dent on the table while he took yon
out walking ; nnd when he c.imo In , I
BIUV ho was In n line inking nt the
thought of my having FOCII it. " She
laid n piece of paper before Marguer
ite's eyes. "IX Brandon , Esq. , High
Lees , Grrat Woodenham , Hunts. "
Mnrgueilic looked steadfastly nt the
nddress.
"You nro right , Mrs. Acland , " she
paid , with repressed excitement In her
tones "this Is the very thing I have
wanted. " And oven ns HIO gazed nt
the paper her resolution wns taken.
She was all alone ; there was no one to
hinder her , no one to object. She
would take the train nnd go and visit
these scenes of her childhood.
" 1 believe , " she murmured , "If once
I stood there and saw the place before
mo , I should remember all about it"
CHAPTER XIV.
It was a beautiful autumn day. The
Virginia creeper on the little wayside
station of Great Woodonham , n mass
of scarlet and gold , nulled ovcry now
and then In the HuM breeze. The
distances molted In blue mist ; the dew
Htlll lay In heavy beads on the long
grass of the banks and ditches , as Mar
guerite stopped from the London train
nnd looked about her with wondering ,
observant eyes.
She formed a very fair picture ns she
stood there , In a nent , well-fitting gray
ox > \i
wsftftvHw ' - 'xvrri
&siiji
jF' P
"MIND YOU TAKE CARE OF HER , MRS. ACLAND. " HE'D SAY.
which , to say truth , ho did , though
I've always regretted I listened in him
over since , an' it's laid heavy on my
conscience ' , my dear. "
'Marguerite wrung her hands. Oh ,
to bo a man n man , that she might bo
revenged on the base wretch who took
advantage of her helpless innocence' !
"You must bo able to give me some
Iflea of what he looked like , " she cried
"fcomothlng more definite than your
opinion that ho was a gentleman ! "
"Well , I'll tell you this much ho was
a tall man. slender and not much
color. "
"Was ho dark or fair ? "
'Fair" promptly.
"Tall and fair and blackhearted ! "
murmured Marguerite. "Ob , how I
hate him ! Do you say ho used to
bring mo flowers , Mrs. Ackland ? "
"My dear , the most beautiful ! You
was so fond of Howors. I remember
now the sorts ho used to bring you
always red and yellow roses and heaps
of fern. "
morning dress , and white straw sailor-
hat trimmed with a knot of white rib
bons. Even the solitary porter forgot
himself in admiration of her pretty
face and charming figure. Marguerite
did not see him ; she wns gazing nt
the hoard on which the name of the
station was painted In largo black lot-
lets.
"Great Woodenham for High Lees
and Clarlsdale. " She had not grasped
the fact that she was coming so near
to Clarlsdale. Why , she was within
a few miles of 13crnard , and of hr le
gal adviser , Mr. Martlneau ! Suppose
bhe wore to meet thorn ! Her checks
burned at the thought. Turning , she
beckoned to the admiring porter.
"In which direction Is Clarlsdalo
from hero ? " she asked.
"About five miles west o' thla , mlw : ;
but there ain't no village to speak of
only Lord Umfravllle's place. "
"Oh and which Is the way to High
Lees ? "
"Right out the other way , miss-
rather better 'n three mile , miss. "
"Does Mr. Uramlon still live there ? "
"Yes , miss ; but his house Is two mile
good beyond the village. It's a long
tramp , miss. "
"Oh , I am n good walker ! I sup
pose , when I get to the village , any
one would direct me to Mr. Uran-
don's ? " , , ,
"Oh , yes. miss. " '
"Thon will you toll me the nearest
way to the village ? "
Ho gave the necessary direction , and
with n bright "Thank you , " she started
off.
Marguerite walked onIn , a state of
mind strangely divided between exhil
aration and fear. The fresh , pure air.
the blue sky , the waving trees , nnd ,
above all , the Sense of enterprise and
daring , werp delightful to her. Dut
presently , to her astonishment , she
found that the old habitual terror of
her uncle walcreeplng oVer her1. ' Slio
i began t # realUe t&at lit was 'scarcely
prudent to trust herself afono-to'the
; 'tender "mercies ot the man who had
already adopted such measures to be
rid of her. She began to think that
Hho was foolhardy ; but , being thus far
on the journey , nothing would have
Induced her to turn back. She walk
ed on briskly , secure In the thought
that every step was taking b"r further
from Clnrlsdale , nnd that there rcnlly
wn no chnnco of her being seen. At )
to Mr. Brandon , she did not want to
nee him ; she wanted to see Cathie ; and
her remembrance of the back entrance
to the house was so vivid that she felt
certain that she could accomplish her
object. Anyhow , she was In for It
the Issue must bo left to fate.
She felt the longing for certainty
greater than ever. Como what might' ,
she must ascertain who and what was
Arthur Phillips , and whether he was
living or dead. A letter from Hernard
lay In her pocket a letter full of Lady
Mildred.
"Tills Is such an Ideal house , " ho
wrote. "Mine shall bo managed just
the flnmo. You should know Lady
Mildred In fact , you must know her.
She could teach you so much , espe
cially us regards dress she under
stands the art to perfection ; nnd , when
you see her , you must take hints ;
though of pourso your style and hers
nro very different , " etc.
The letter hurt Marguerite's feelings ,
though of course she owned bitterly to
herself Hint 11 wns true. Sbo wns abso
lutely Ignorant of everything which
llermird Sclwyn's wife should know.
She paused ngnlnst a stllo lending Into
n cornfield , and wat down n minute to
rest , for she had walked a couple of
miles at n very rapid lato. As she
sat , she hoard the galloping of horses
behind her on the road , nnd the sound
of laughter and voices. Urged bynn
itnpulso she hardly understood , she
climbed over the stllo , and paused on
the other side , hidden by the bodge ,
to HCC the riders go by. Just ns they
reached thnt part of the road they
slackened to a foot-pave , nnd she could
both sec and hoar distinctly. There
were thice young men and two girls ,
all well mounted and In high spirits.
They wore nil looking behind them.
"No sign of them ! " cried one of the
Indies.
"My dear Miss Talbot , you won't see
them again this morning ; they arc off
as usual. Perhaps Lady Mildred Is
showing him the short cut to the
Homo Farm again ! " There was evi
dently a joke here. They all burst out
laughing.
"Solwyn is awfully hard hit , isn't
he ? " said ono of the men.
"It will bo n line thing for the Um-
fravlllo estates , " remarked another ,
and then the voices became Indistinct
ns the party passed on down the lane.
Marguerite stood still. Of course she
had known It all before , but It seemed
notwithstanding to come upon her
with n sudden shock. She bowed her
head on the stile , and gave way to her
trouble for a time. She d. not know
bow long she stood there ; she only
knew that what roused her wns the
sound of more horses' feet. She stnrt-
ed nnd shivered , but It was too late to
move. Holding on by the rough wood
for support , she saw them ride slowly
past saw Lady Mlldreus pale , proud
face , noted the downward curve of her
expressive mouth , saw Bernard riding
close ah , so close ! but could not
catch the low words that ho was
speaking. So they passed , and It
seemed to Marguerite as If the life nnd
gladness of the sunny day passed with
thorn. Sbo waited till the last echo
of horses' feet had died nway In the
distance , nnd then climbed resolutely
back Into the lane and continued her
Journey. She did not care for twenty
Daniel Brandons now. Nothing , sbo
thought , could ever stir her emotions
again love and fear were dead to
gether.
"I have lived and loved , " she said to
herself , "and now It is all over. Oth
ers have had harder things to boar. J
can bear this. "
To bo continued.
TAKES A ROOM
On tli Top Floor of u Hotel to Aiolil
the Nolxu nt Home.
A sad-faced man with Iron gray hair
and a tired manner walked Into a hotel ,
bowed to the clerk who greeted
him , by name , and took the key held
out to him. "High ? " he asked.
"Top , " answered the clerk with a
smile. The man wrote his name in the
register and followed It with that of n
popular summer town near New York.
As ho-walked to the elevator , the clerk
turned to a man leaning on the coun
ter. "So long as the Fourth of July
continues to bo celebrated and that
man lives , " he said , "this hotel will
never bo without ono guest on the na
tional holiday. While everybody clso
Is hurrying out of town , ho is making
his way for this hotel from his country
placo. Ho lives near a small town
which has lately become the center of
a fashionable country house district.
Ho Is the father of several children nnd'
n man of wealth. But he suffers from
nerves. The Fourth of July Is too
much for them. Ho says that the fire
works got Into working order twenty-
four hours abend of time In the country
and ho cannot stand the nervous wear
and tear. Nor does he want to Inter
fere with the pleasure of people who
like to hear noise and smell powder.
So he hna como here on this day every
summer for the past four years , tak'jn
a room on the top floor where ho can
hear nothing and passed the night and
day as quietly as If It wore not the
day his family , friends nnd neighbors
nro celebrating. " Now York Sun.
Cnullo lIliinlictH.
Nothing Is nicer for blankets for the
crndlo than Bwnnsdown flannel. It
comes In two widths , 27 nnd SO inches.
The wldo width Is less expensive -and
more satisfactory.
TALMAGK'S SERMON.
"CHRISTIANITY AS A DELU
SION" THE SUBJECT.
from tint T i t , K/uldt xxl , ! Mit * I'ollou * !
"III ! ' Mililn UN Arro\M lHlit | , Hit
C'llllMllll'lllltll Ilimgllli Mo I.OollUll III
the I.lxrr. "
( Copyright I860 by Louis Klopscb. )
Two modes of divination by which
the king of Babylon proposed to Jlnd
out the will of God : Ilo look n bundle
of arrows , put them together , mixed
them together , then pulled forth ono ,
and by the inscription on It decided
what city ho should first tiHsault. Then
nn animal wns slnln , anil by the light
er or dnrker color of the liver , the
brighter or darker prospect of success
was Inferred. That Is the meaning of
the text , "Ho made his arrows bright ,
he consulted with linages , bo looked In
the liver. " Stupid delusion ! And yet
all the ugc have boon filled with de
lusions. It seems as If the world loves
to ho hoodwinked , the delusion
of the text only n specimen of the
vast number of deceits practiced upon
the human race. In the latter part of
the lust century Johanna Southcote
came forlh pretending to have divine
power , made prophecies , had chapels
built In her honor , and one hundred
thousand dlsclpleo came forward to
follow her. About five years before
the birth of Christ , Apollonlus was
born , and ho came forth , and after five
years being speechless , according to
tradition , ho healed the sick , nnd raised
the dead , nnd preached virtue , and , ac
cording to the myth , having deceased ,
was brought to resurrection. The Del
phic Oracle deceived vast multitudes of
people ; the Pythoness seated in the
temple of Apollo uttering n crazy jargon
gen from which the people guessed
their individual or national fortunes
or misfortunes. The utternnces wore
of such n nature that you could rend
them any way you wanted to read
them. A general coming forth to battle
consulted the Delphic Oracle , and he
wanted to find out whether bo was
going to bo safe in the battle , or killed
in battle , nnd the answer came forth
from the Delphic Oracle In such words
that If you put the comma before the
word "never" It means ono thing , and
If you put the comma after the word
"never" It means another thing just
opposite. The message from the Del
phic Oracle to the general was , "Go
forth , returned never In battle ah alt
thou perish. " If he was killed , that
wns according to the Delphic Oracle ;
If ho came homo safely , that was ac
cording to the Delphic Oracle.
So the ancient auguries deceived the
people. The priests of those auguries ,
by the flight of birds , or by the in
tonation of thunder , or by the inside
appearance of slnln animals , told the
fortunes or misfortunes of individuals
or nations. The sibyls deceived the
people. The sibyls wore supposed to
be Inspired women who lived in caves
and who wrote the sibylline books aft
erward purchased by Tarquln the
Proud. So late ns the year 182D , n
man arose In Now York , pretending to
be a divine being , nnd plnyed his part
so well that wealthy merchants be
came his disciples and threw their for
tunes Into his keeping. And so In nil
nges there have been necromancies , in
cantations , witchcrafts , sorceries , rnag-
Jcal arts , enchantments , divinations
nnd delusions. The one of the text
wns only a specimen of thnt which
has been occurring in all ages of the
world. None of three delusions ac
complished any good. They deceived ,
they pauperized the people , they were
as cruel ns they were absurd. They
opened no hospitals , they healed no
wouno.3 , they wiped away no tears ,
thev emancipated no serfdom.
*
Admiral Farrngut , one of the most
admired men of the American navy ,
early became a victim of this Christian
delusion , and seated not long before
3ils death at Long Branch , he wns giv
ing some friends an account of his
arly life. He said : "My father wont
down In behalf of the United States
government to put an end to Aaron
Burr's rebellion. I wns a cabin boy
nnd went along with him. I could
gamble In every style of gambling. I
knew all the wickedness there was at
that time abroad. One day my father
cleared everybody out of the cabin
except myself and looked the door. He
said : 'David , what are you going to
do ? What are you going to bo ? ' 'Well , '
I said , 'father , I am going to follow the
sea. ' 'Follow the sen ! and bo a poor ,
miserable , drunken sailor , kicked nnd
cuffed about the world , and dlo of n
fever in n foreign hospital. ' 'Oh , no ! ' I
snld , 'father , I will not bo thnt. I will
trend the quarter-deck and command
ns you do. ' 'No , David , ' my father said ,
'no , David , a person tmu nns your
principles nnd your bad habits will
never trend the qunrtor-dock or com
mand. ' My father went out and shut
the door after him , and I said then :
I will change ; I will never swear
again ; I will never drink again ; I will
never gamble again. ' And.gentlemen.by
the help of God , I have kept those three
vows to this time. I &oon after that
became a Christian , nnd that decided
my fate for time and for eternity. "
Another captive of this , ; reat Chris
tian delusion. There goes 'Saul of Tar
sus on horseback at full gi-Uop. Whore
Is he going ? To destroy Christians.
He wants no better play spell than to
stand and watch the lints a ad coats of
the murderers who are massacring
God's children. There goo the same
man. This time ho is afoot Where is
ho going now ? Going on the road to
Ostln to die for Christ. They tried to
whip It out of him ; they tried to scare
it out of him ; they thought I hey would
give him enough of It by putting him
into a wlndowloss dungeon nild keeping
him on small diet , nnd denying him a
cloak , and condemning him us a crim
inal , nnd howling at him through the
street ; but they could not freeze It
out of him , and they could not sweat
It out of him , and they could not pound
It out of him , so they tried the surgery
of the sword , and one summer day in
On he was decapitated. Perhaps the
mightiest Intellect of the 0,000 years
of the world's existence hoodwinked ,
cheated , cajoled , duped by the Chris
tian religion.
Ah ! that Is the remarkable thing
about this delusion of Christianity It
overpowers the strongest Intellect.
Gather the critics , secular and relig
ious , of this century together , nnd put
n vote to them as to which Is the great
est book over written , and by largo ma
jority they will say "Paradise Lost. "
Who wrote "Parntllao Lost" ? < e of
the fools who believed In the Bible-
John Milton. Benjamin Franklin sur
rendered to this delusion.If you may
judge from the letter that ho wrote _ to
Thomas Paine , begging him to destroy
the "Age of XlcaFon" In manuscript ,
and never let It go'Into type ; and writIng -
Ing afterward. In bis old day * : "Of
this Jesus of Nazareth I have to say
thnt the system of morals ho loft , and
the religion he has given us are the
best things the wo.-ld has seen or Is
likely to see. " PaUIek'Henry , the
electric champion of liberty , was en-
filnved by this delusion , so that ho
says : "Tho book worth all other books
put together Is the Bible. " Benjamin
Rush , the leading physiologist and
anatomist of his tiny , the great med
ical scientist what did he say ? "The
only true and perfect religion is Chris
tianity. " Isaac Newton , the leading
philosopher of bis time what did
he say ? That man , surrendering to
this delusion of the Christian religion ,
cried out : "The subllme.it philosophy
on earth Is the philosophy of the gos
pel. " David Browstor , at the pronun
ciation of whoso name every scientist
the world over uncovers his head Da
vid Brewstcr saying , "Oh , this religion
has been a great light to mo a very
great light all my days. " President
Thlors , the great French statesman ,
acknowledging that be prayed when he
said : "I Invoke the Lord God , in whom
I am glad to believe. " David Living
stone , able to conquer the lion , able to
conquer the panther , able to conquer
the savage , yet conquered by this de
lusion , this hallucination , this great
swindle of the ages , so when they find
him dead they find him on his knees.
William E. Gladstone , the strongest In
tellect in England , unable to resist thla
chimera , this fallacy , this delusion of
the Christian religion , wont to the
bouse of God every Sabbath , nnd often
nt the invitation of the rector read the
prayers to the people. If those mighty
Intellects arc overborne by this delu
sion , what chance is there for you and
for me ?
* * *
The cannibals in south sea , the bushmen -
men of Terra del Fuego , the wild men
of Australin , putting down the knives
of their cruelty , nnd clothing thorn-
selves In decent apparel nil under the
power of this delusion. Judson and
Doty and Abecl and Campbell and Wil
liams and the three thousand mission
aries of the cross turning their backs
on homo and civilization and comfort ,
and going out amid the squalor of
heathenism to relieve It , to save it , to
help It , tolling until they dropped Into
their graves , dying with no earthly
comfort about them , and going into
graves with no appropriate epitaph ,
when they might have lived in this
country , and lived for themselves , and
lived luxuriously , and been at last put
Into brilliant sepulchcrs. What a de
lusion !
Yea , this delusion of the Christian
religion shows Heelf in the fact that
it goes to those who nro in trouble.
Now , It is bad enough to cheat a man
vyhen he Is well nnd when he Is pros
perous ; but this religion comes to a
man when ho is sick , and says : "You
will bo well again after a while ; you
arc going into a land whore there are
no coughs and no pleurisies and no *
consumptions and no languishing ; take
courage and bear up. " Yes , this awful
chimera of the gospel comes to the
poor and it says to them : "You are
on your way to vast estates and to div
idends always declarable. " This delu
sion of Christianity comes to the bereit
nnd it tnlks of reunion before the
throne , and of the cessation of all ser
row. And then , to show that this de
lusion will stop at absolutely nothing ,
It goes to the dying bed and fills the
man with anticipations. How much
bettor it would be to have him die
without any more hope than swine and
rnto and snakca ! Shovel him under !
That is all. Nothing more left of him.
Ilo will never know anything again.
Shovel him under ! The soul is only a
superior part of the body , and when
the body disintegrates the soul disin
tegrates. Annihilation , vacancy , ever
lasting blank , obliteration ! Why not
present all that beautiful doctrine to
the dying , instead of coming with this
hoax , this swindle of the Christian re
ligion , and filling the dying man with
anticipations of another life , until
some In the last hour have clapped
their hands , and some have shouted ,
and some have sung , nnd some have
been so overwrought with Joy that
they could only look ecstatic. Palace
gates opening , they thought diamond
coronets flashing , hands beckoning ,
orchestras sounding. Little children
dying actually believing they saw their
departed parents , so that although the
little children had been so weak nnd
feeble and sick for weeks they could not
turn on their dying pillow , at the last ,
In a paroxysm of rapture uncontrolla
ble , they sprang to their feet and
shouted : "Mother , catch me ; I am
coming. "
* *
The strong conclusion of every rea
sonable man and woman Is that Chris
tianity , producing such grand results ,
cannot be a delusion. A He , a cheat ,
a swindle , a hallucination cannot
launch such a glory of the centuries.
Your logic and your common sense
convince you that a bad cause cannot
produce an Illustrious result ; out of
the womb of such a monster no such
angel can be born. There are many
who 'jegnn with thinking that thu 1
Christian religion was a stupid farce
whn have come to the conclusion that
It Is a reality. Why are you In the
Lord's house today ? Why did you
nlng this song ? Why did you bow
your bend In the opening prayer ? Why
did you bring your family with you ?
Why , when I tell you of the ending of
nil trials In the bosom of God , do there
stand tears In your eyes not tears of
grief , but tears of Joy such as stand In
the eyes of homesick children far away
at school when some ono talks to them
about going home ? Why Is It that you
can be so calmly submissive to the
death of your loved one , about whoso
departure you once were so angry and
so rebellious ? There Is something the
matter with you. All your friends
have found out there Is a great change.
And if some of you would give your
experience you would give It In schol
arly style , and others giving their c : -
perlenco would give It in broken sty ! ? ,
but the one experience would bo Just
as good as the other. Some of you
have read everything. You are scien
tific and you are scholarly , and yet If
I should ask you , "What Is the most
ccnslblo thing you over did ? " you
would say : "The most sensible thins
I over did was to give my heart to
God. "
But there may be others who have
not had early advantages , and If they
were asked to give their experience
they might rise and give such testi
mony as the man gave In a prayer
meeting when ho said : "On my way
hero tonight I met a man who asked
me whore I was going. I said , 'I nm
going to a prayer meeting. Ho said ,
'There are n good many religions , and
I think the most of them arc delu
sions ; as to the Christian religion , that
Is only a notion that is a mere notion ,
the Christian religion. ' I said to him :
"Stranger , you see that tavern over
there ? ' 'Yes , ' he said , 'I sec It. ' 'Don't
you see mo ? ' 'Yes , of course I see
you. " 'Now , the time was when every
body In this town knows if I had a
quarter of a dollar in my pocket I
could not pass that tavern without goIng -
Ing In and getting a drink ; all the
people of Jefferson could not keep mo
out of that place ; but God has changed
my heart , and the Lord Jesus Christ
has destroyed my thirst for strong
drink , and there Is my whole week's
wages , and I have no temptation to
go in there ; nnd , stranger , If this Is a
notion , I want to tell you It Is a mighty
powerful notion ; it is a notion that
has put clothes on my children's backs ,
and It Is a notion that has put good
food on our table , and It Is a notion
that has filled my mouth with thanks
giving to God. And , stranger , you had
better go along with me ; you might
get religion , too ; lots of people are
getting religion now. ' "
Well , we will soon understand it all.
Your life and mine will soon bo over.
Wo will soon come to the last bar of
the music , to the lact act of the trag
edy , to the last page of the book yea ,
to the last line and to the last word ,
and to you and to mo It will cither be
mldnoon or midnight !
TRICK CAMERA.
as n Wicker liuskot Used to
I'liotogriiiih 1'ort lllcittlons.
Now Orleans Times-Democrat : "A
traveling photo salesman showed mo a
very Ingenious trick camera the other
day , " said a local dealer. "It was a
box about six Inches square , set Inside
of what seemed to be an ordinary
wicker lunch basket. When desired
the box could be pushed down through
the basket , so that its top was on a
level with the wicker bottom. The
top of the box was also covered with
wicker , and the basket would then ap
pear to bo perfectly empty , the cam
era protruding meanwhile from the
under side. An upward push would
restore It to its original position and
the lens worked through a small hole
near the end. The contrivance was
evidently of foreign manufactures , and
the salesman told me It had been made
especially for nn agent who was sent
to take pictures of fortifications on the
French frontier. According to his
story , which Is a little romantic , but
which I have no reason to doubt , the
spy would saunter out , dressed as a
tourist and carrying the lunch basket
on his arm. When an oillcer came
along he would push down the box and
show him that the basket was perfectly -
ly empty. It never occurred to the
guards to turn the thing upside dewier
or It would have been promptly confis
cated. The present owner carries it
around ns n curio , and it is certainly
the oddest llttlo machine I over laid
eyes on. As far as I know , It Is the
only camera In the world that Is
mounted on a disappearing carriage. "
Photographs of r
Chicago Record : Postmaster Gor
don has presented to the Chicago posl-
ofllco a collection of photographs of
the postmasters of Chicago , accompn-
nlcd by a biographical sketch of each.
The only photograph missing Is that
of Jonathan Nash Balloy , Chicago's
first postmaster , who , na far as can bo
learned , never sat for a picture. The
'
pictures 'are thirteen by eleven Inches
in size , and , with the sketches , fill a
frame five and one-half by seventeen
feet. The art work Is sepia , and the
frame Is made of mahogany from the
old postofllce. The first postmaster of
Chicago wns appointed In 1831. In the
CS years since 22 men have filled
the place , including the present in
cumbent. A majority of them have
been military men , and .several promi
nently Identified with the newspaper
business.
Uwurf.
The smallest man who ever lived was
the dwarf Bebc , born in France in 1740.
Ho was just twenty Inches high and
eight potfnds 'Ip' weight when full
- " '
"
grown" .
'on ' God's outpouring.