2' S 8tA
A a.
'
ti'r
. a
. 4tCMFA ° M *
I
NTEfhJtiTIONAL PRESSASSOCIATION.
© Y PERMISSION OF
RANG. H WALLY & CO. .
( CHAPTER IL-CONTINUED ) .
She hesitated a moment ; her glance
fell upon the corner of a letter projecting -
ing from the pocket of his torn and
dusty uniform , , that might give her his
address ; she leaned forward and took
it gently out. The address was , "Will-
i ! am Cavendish , Esquire , The Admiralty -
, ty , wlliteliau ; " the seal was unbroken.
The truth broke in on her Instantly ;
she called to the coachman and the carriage -
riage stopped.
"Home' " she cried , imperatively ; the
horses were wheeled round. "Drive
fast ! " she added , and they quickened
their pace.
In a few minutes they stopped in
front of No. 23 Bedford square. Dick
opened his eyes.
' "Are you there ? " he asked ; "I have a
letter- "
"Yes , " she said , ; gently , "r know ; it
shall be delivered at once ; but now you
must come in with me , "
He obeyed , moving slowly and with
pain ; she did.not offer him help from
i herself or her servants , for which tie
was dimly grateful. In the hall stood
the colonel , bland as ever , and looking
as if he saw nothing unusual in Dick's
appearance or costume. Camilla hastily -
tily explained the case , Dick standing
by silently the while , giving his whole
attention to controlling any expression
of the pain in his head , which was becoming -
coming more and more severe.
I "Perhaps , " said the colonel , "Capt.
Estcourt will do me the honor of making -
ing use of my room in which to rest
from the fatigue of his gallant struggle
against superior numbers ? "
Dick followed him upstairs , but
stopped short at the top of the first
t flight.
"I have a letter to deliver , " lie repeated -
peated in a tone of helpless obstinacy ;
"It will be too late. "
I
"If you will intrust it to me , " replied
the colonel , "I will send it directly ; the
carriage is still at the door. "
They reached a room upon the floor
above , where M. de Montaut left his
r , guest in charge of a valet and returned
I downstairs with the letter in his hand.
At the drawing-room door be found Camilla -
milla waiting for him.
"You would be doing me a favor , "
she said , "by taking that letter yourselr
to its address. "
He looked at her as if he were about
to ask a question , but apparently
changed his mind , and bowed instead.
"Your wish is in itself a reason more
than sufficient , " he said , as though half
In answer to his own thought ; and he
went on down to the front door , and
stepped into the carriage with something -
thing like a crafty smile upon his handsome -
some face. .
A quarter of an hour after his departure -
parture Dick made his appearance ! 11
the drawing-room , where he found Camilla -
milla alone. At first she was surprised
and pleased to see him looking so little -
tle the worse for his injuries ; but she
soon perceived by the nervous excitement -
ment of his manner and the brightness
of his eyes that he was by no means out
of the wood yet. He expressed his gratitude -
itude for her timely rescue , and his ad-
miratlon of the skill and courage with
which she had brought under control
so excited and disorderly a crowd. She
laughed , and put the matter lightly on
one side.
"It is my brother-in-law come back , "
she said , in a tone of perfectly counterfeited -
feited unconcern.
Dick looked fixedly at her ! In his eyes
were dumb reproach and the sadness of
an unspoken farewell ; about his mouth
gathered the lines of resolution , and ,
for a moment , the curve of bitterness.
! She flushed , and all her mannez
changed instantly. "Don't misunderstand -
stand me , " she cried impulsively. "I
know what-you have done , and loyalty
can never fail of sympathy from me ! "
The colonel's step was heard ascending -
ing the stairs ; she heard Dick stiffen
himself to bear the news of his unwelcome -
come fortune , and felt , with a quick
. sense of surprise at her own weakness ,
that she was too much interested to
stay and see him face the ordeal. She
made some incoherentexcuse and as the
door opened she passed the colonel hurriedly -
riedly and ran toward her own room
breathless and confused. But she was
stayed in mid-course by a cry from M.
de Montaut and the sound of a Bell
ringing violently downstairs. She
turned half round ; the colonel came out
on to the stairs.
"I regret to say , " he began , with exasperating - '
asperating politeness and deliberation ,
"that disappointment at the news of
which I was the unwilling bearer has
prostrated our gallant friend with an
attack of fever. What professional en-
thuslasm ! " he continued , with a half
smile. "One may doubt whether my
lords have this time favored the better
man. "
She looked as if two might doubt that ,
but answered nothing , and the colonel
returned to his patient.
CHAPTER III.
rt : . 1 v
_ _ , s ,
HE SURGEON
who was called in ,
without delay , to
attend to Dick's injuries -
juries pronounced
them to be slight in
themselves ; but for
the feverish condition -
tion to which they
had given rise
lie prescribed immediate -
mediate rest and
quiet. He looked a
tittle doubtfully at each of his listeners -
ers in turn as he said this :
"You mean , " inquired Camilla , that
i 'he must not be moved for the present ? "
' .Well- was the reply , "of course it
BYfENRVJV WBOi.7
might be managed , but it is a risk , and
if you could , without too much inconvenience -
venience , keep him for a couple of
nights at any rate- "
"Oh ! " cried the colonel , interrupting ,
"do not think twice about it ; convenience -
ience is nothing in a case of urgency ,
and Capt. Estcourt is a valued friend
of ours. "
The surgeon looked relieved , and
went away promising to return the
same evening.
Camilla for herself approved the arrangement -
rangement made by her brother-in-law ,
but she was at the same time surprised
at it. IIe had not only spoken of Dick ,
with whom he was in' no way intimate ,
as "a valued friend"-that was , perhaps -
haps , only a piece of his habitual po-
liteness-but lie had also readily entered -
tered into a plan which did in fact involve -
volve a considerable inconvenience , and
this was by no means so usual a thing
for him. At least , he always had a
personal motive for such acts , and she
was at a loss to see an adequate on
here ; for the difficulty , which he had
thus brought upon himself was no slight
one. The patient had been taken from
the drawing-room into a , spare-room
adjoining it on the same floor , and
separated from it only by a partition
wall of slight construction , through
which the sound of conversation was by
no means inaudible. Now , it happened
by ill fortune that on this very evening
matters were to be spoken of In that
drawing-room which must not be overheard -
heard by any living ear. The meeting
was one which could not be postponed ,
and no other room in the house was
suitable for it , for it was to be in appearance -
pearance a merely social gathering.
And all this the colonel knew as well
as she did.
As they sat at dinner she alluded to
the question while the servants were
absent from the room.
"Yes , " replied I1f. de Montaut , "it is
unfortunate , but. it would be inhuman
to move our poor friend ; his safety may ,
depend on his remaining quiet. "
"On his remaining quiet ! " said Ca-
milla. "Our safety will certainly depend
on that , if he does overhear us.
"Eh bien , then we will remain quiet.
"It will be his duty to inform against
us , ' 'she replied.
"As an officer , true , " said her companion -
ion , cooly ; "but on this occasion the
gallant captain will not fulfill that duty ,
for he has another more imperative. "
She looked at him in doubt.
"The duty , I mean , of a loyal cheva-
lier"
"I know him better ! " was the exclamation -
ation on her lips , but she checked it ,
and hesitated for an answer.
"In reality , " he said , "we need fear
no such complication. I have just recollected -
lected that the doctor said he intended
to give his patient a composing draught
at an early hour this evening , so he will
hear no treason after all. "
"You are sure ? " she asked ; "sure , I
mean , that he will give It , and that it
will be effectual ? "
"I will see to it myself , if you wish , "
he replied ; "but I am surprised to find
you so apprehensive for our security.
You used to think no risk too great to
run for the good cause. "
"In that , " she said , hotly , "I shall
never change ; it is not that I am lukewarm -
warm , as you will see tonight ! "
He bowed , and rose from the table to
open the door for her. Before they had
been In the half-an
drawing-room - hour
the surgeon returned. He brought with
him the sleeping draught.
"That is a good idea of yours , " said
Camilla , as he produced it.
"To Colonel de Montaut belongs the
credit of suggesting it , " was the reply.
"Really ? " she said ; "I should not have
suspected that. "
The colonel looked a little confused.
Within five minutes of the doctor's
departure the bell rang twice in rapid
succession , and.three gentlemen were
ushered into the drawing-room , where
Madame de Montaut was waiting to receive -
ceive them. A conversation on the most
general subjects at once began , but
there was an air' ' of expectation in the
manner of all , and when the colonel
entered every one turned to him as
though with an unspoken inquiry.
He greeted the two newcomers , and
turned to Madame de Montaut. "I
think we may begin now , " he said.
She looked at him and raised her
eyebrows interrogatively. He nodded to
signify that Dick has fast asleep , and
sat down at a small table , laying a
bundle of papers upon it.
"My friends , " he said , "I have summoned -
moned you to-night to propose a fresh
attempt. "
He looked at the faces around him
and observed that Camilla was similarly -
ly occupied. His hearers showed by
their looks that they perfectly understood -
stood his meaning , but were either reserved -
served or unenthusiastic in the matter.
"ir. Carnac ; he continued , with
grave politeness , bowing to the elderly
gentleman who sat nearest to him , "it
is from you that we have learned to expect -
pect a critical judgment. Are you not
of opinion that the time has come for
renewed activity ? "
"It has come again and again , " replied -
plied the person addressed , "but always -
ways without result. "
"No doubt , " said the colonel ; "but
that has been solely due to a want of
forethought and energy , which must
not occur again. "
"Yes , indeed ! " exclaimed a short gentleman -
tleman , with a beard , who was evidently -
dently an Englishman ; "there have
been good enough plans laid , but no
one fit to be trusted with their execu-
tion. "
The third of the visitors turned upon
the speaker.
"You will pardon me , " he said , with
some acrimony , "if I differ entirely ; It
is , in my opinion , the stay-at-homes
who are to blame , in devising impossible -
ble methods of which they take the
credit and others the danger ! "
"Gentlemen , " said the colonel , in a
soothing tone , "you are both right , but
you both speak only according to your
own experience. You , Mr. Holmes , deserved -
served success , but your subordinates
failed you. You ; M. le Comte , followed
.
instructions with a courage aid
loyalty which would have secured a
triumph if your directors had not made
a cruel mistake in their calculations.
These two fatal forms of error must be
avoided. We must think and act with
equal certainty , and all will be well. "
Mr. Holmes shook his head in sulky
silence. The Comte de Rabodanges exclaimed -
claimed , fiercely , "It is too much to.ex-
pect ; the cat does not offer her paw a
second time ! "
During this altercation 'Camilla had
sat sljent , but with growing impatience ;
her eyes flashed and her cheeks were
fiery-red. The colonel , always ready to
turn the force of others to account for
his own purpose , hastened to give the
final impulse to her pent-up Indigna-
tion. He looked at her , and raised his
shoulders and eyebrows in a gesture of
resignation.
"You ! " she cried ; "you too despair at
the eleventh hour ? What do these
doubts and recriminations mean ? D [
none of you any more remember the
greatness of the cause you serve ?
Have you begun to forget the emperor -
or ? "
As the lightning of this word flashed
upon them her hearers starti'd violent-
ly.
"Ali ! " she went on , with quickening
breath , "there , is magic in the name'
It is perhaps because you whisper it
so seldom that it has ceased of late to
stir you ; let us be bolder in speech and
braver in action ! "
"Madame , " replied Ai. Carnac , deprecatingly -
catingly , and with a bow of genuine admiration -
miration , "your enthusiasm is heroic ,
but it is not prudent ; the boldness that
you preach is likely to bring discomfiture -
ture upon us all. "
"Discomfiture ! " she cried with ringing
scorn. "What , then , does the timidity
you practice bring upon the emperor ?
Are we to preserve our own freedom at
the price of his captivity , and amid the
luxury of a great capital to shut our
eyes to the misery of his exile on a lonely -
ly rock unfit for human habitation ? "
There was an awkward silence. After
a moment's pause she went on again in
a more pleading tone.
"Let us for an instant look back ,
she said earnestly , "upon the splendor
of his past career , and then consider to
what the rancor of his enemies has
brought him. The man of action , for
whose deeds Europe was not wide
enough , confined within a circuit of a
dozen miles ! The man of genius refused -
fused even the companionship' his
best-loved books ! The commander of
armies with but a pair of lackeys at his
call ; the maker and dethroner of kings
denied his royal title ! Do you not
know , she cried , and her voice rang
deep again with anger , "do you not
know that his house is but a moldering
jail , and his allowance a prisoner's pittance -
tance ? Himself the most magnificently
generous of men , he has been driven by
sordid necessity to melt his plate ; lie
suffers in health , he is in danger. He-
just heaven-from ! the inspiration of
whose life we drew the spirit that animates -
mates our own ! "
"Well , spoken ! " cried the colonel ,
skillfully following up the advantage
she had gained for him ; "well spoken !
And all that we then had shall soon be
ours again ; is it not worth one more
effort my friends ? "
"It is , indeed , " murmured M. Carnac ,
with a sigh. The Comte de Rabodanges
grumbled , "If only it were the last. "
Mr. Holmes settled himself in his chair.
"Well , " he said , bluntly , "let's hear
your plan , if you've got one. "
The colonel untied his bundle of
papers and spread them out upon the
table in front of him.
( To US CONTINUf.D. )
ACCIDENTALLY HANGED.
A Philadelphia Child Meets with a Curious
Mishap-Str.tngled by tier .
Hanging' from a hole in the wicker
coach in which she had been sleeping ,
Mrs. Jeremiah J. Buck yesterday evening -
ing found her 16-month-old daughter ,
Jessie , dead , but with the warmth of
life still lingering in her tiny body , says
the Philadelphia Record. Mrs. Buck
lives with her husband at No. 2664 Tioga
street , and it was when her husband
had returned from his work that the
mother went to awaken the child and
discovered the accident. Her screams
quickly brought assistance , and an investigation -
vestigation disclosed the fact that the
baby's death was the result of one of
the most peculiar accidents on record.
The little one had been placed in the
old coach during the afternoon to take
a nap. The coach was in the second
story front room , and for some time had
been the baby's sleeping place. It was
about six o'clock when Mr. Buck returned -
turned home from his work and asked
for Jessie. Mrs. Buck completed her
preparations for supper and went upstairs -
stairs to waken the child. To her surprise -
prise the coach seemed empty , and she
called Jessie , thinking she had gone to
hide , as she had done before. Receiving
no reply she looked closer , and in the
dim light saw what seemed to be a bundle -
dle protruding from a hole in the wickerwork -
erwork at one end of the coach. The
now frightened mother hastily procured
a light and to her terror found that
what she supposed was a bundle was
the naked body of her baby girl , hanging -
ing by her arm pits. Her clothing , bundled -
dled up about her head , had evidently
smothered her , while preventing the entire -
tire body from slipping through the
hole. The child had probably been restless -
less in her sleep and had gradually
worked her body through , the broken
wickerwork until stopped by the cloth-
ing. The little one's arms were stretched
above her head and she had evidently
been prevented from making an outcry
that could be heard. Snatching the still
warm body in her arms Mrs. Buck ran
screaming down stairs. Neighbors sent
for Dr. Schwartz , and the little one's
body was bathed in mustard water.
Artificial respiration was also tried , but
all efforts were useless. The child was
dead. Jessie was a very pretty , golden-
haired girl , the pet of the neighborhood ,
and her tragic death created quite a
sensation.
It Was "Elevator Inca"
A woman who made her initial attempt -
tempt recently to ride a wheel was discouraged -
couraged to find that her knees seemed
stiff and very quickly tired of the effort
to work the pedals. Speaking to her
physician about it , he told her she was
undoubtedly affected with what is
known as "elevator ] : nee. " This was a
hitherto unknown malady to her , but it
has been referred to before in public
prints , and is a recognized affection not
uncommon with those whose life in a
'lift apartment house almost does
away with the use of those knee muscles
exercised in going up and down stairs.
TA LMAGE S ER 0.
"FIVE PICTURES"THE SUBJECT
OF A THRILLING DISCOURSE.
"Behold I See the heavens Opened"-
Acte vU 150.00-Delivered at Academy
of Mualcuw York , Sunday , Sept.
. 15 , 1895.
t
1
TEPHEN HAD
been preaching a
rousing s e r m o n ,
hand the people
could not stand It.
They resolved to do
as men sometimes
would like to do in
this day , if they
dared , with some
plain preacher of
rghteousness- !
him. The only way to silence this man
was to knock the breath out of him.
So they rushed Stephen out of the gates
of the city , and with curse , and whoop ,
and bellow , they brought him to the
cliff , as was the custom when they
wanted to take away life by stoning ,
Having brought him to the edge of the
cliff , they pushed him off. After he had
fallen they came and looked down , and
seeing that he was not yet dead , they
began to drop stones upon him , stone
after stone. Amid this horrible rain of
missiles , Stephen clambers up on his
knees and folds his hands , .while the
blood drips from his temples ; and then ,
looking up , he makes two prayers-one
for himself .and one for his murders.
"Lord Jesus , receive my spirit ; " that
was for himself. "Lord , lay not this
sin to their charge ; " that was for his
murderers , Then , from pain and loss
of blood , he swooned away and fell
asleep.
I want to show you to-day five pict-
ures.
Stephen gazing into heaven. Stephen
looking at Christ. Stephen stoned. Stephen -
phen in his dying prayer. Stephen
asleep.
First , look at Stephen gazing into
heaven. Before you take a leap you
want to' know where you are going to
land. Before you climb a ladder you
want to know to what point the ladder
reaches. And it was right that Stephen ,
within a few moments of , heaven ,
should be gazing into it. We would all
do well to be found in the same posture.
There is enough in heaven to keep us
gazing. A man of large wealth may
have statuary in the hall , and paintings
in the sitting-room , and works of art in
all parts ofothe house , but he has the
chief pictures in the art gallery , and
there hour after hour you walk with
catalogue and glass and ever-increas-
ing admiration. Well , heaven is the
gallery where God has gathered the
chief treasures of his realm. The whole
universe is his palace. In this ) owe ?
room where we stop there are many
adornments ; tessellated floor of
amethyst , and on the winding cloud-
stairs are stretched out canvas on
which commingle azure , and purple ,
and saffron , and gold. But heaven is
the gallery in which the chief glories
are gathered. There are the brightest
robes. There are the richest crowns.
There are the highest exhilarations. St.
John says of it : "The kings of the earth
shall bring their honor and glory into
it" And I see the procession forming ,
and in the line come all empires , and
the stars spring up into an arch for the
hosts to march under. They keep step
to the sound of earthquake and the
pitch of the avalanche from the mountains -
tains , and the flag they bear is the
flame of a consuming world , and all
heaven turns out with harps and trumpets -
pets and myriad-voiced acclamation of
angelic dominions to welcome them in ,
and so the kings of the earth bring their
honor and glory into it. Do you wonder
that good people often stand , like Stephen -
phen , looking into heaven ? We have
many friends their.
There is not a man here so isolated
in life but there is some one in heaven
with whom he once shook hands. As
a man gets older , the number of his
celestial acquaintances very rapidly
multiplies. We have not had one
glimpse of them since the night we
kissed them good-bye , and they went
away ; but still we stand gazing at
heaven. As when some of our friends
go across the sea , we stand on the dock ,
or on the steam-tug , and watch them ,
and after awhile the hulk of the vessel
disappears , and then there is only a
patch of sail on the sky , and soon that
is gone , and they are all out of sight ,
and yet we stand looking in the same
direction ; so when our friends go away
from us into the future world we keep
looking down through the Narrows , and
gazing and gazing as though we expected -
pected that they would come out and
stand on some cloud , and give us one
glimpse of their blissful and transfigured -
figured faces.
While you long to join their companionship -
panionship , and the years and the days
go with such tedium that they break
your heart , and the vipers of pain , and
sorrow , and bereavement keep gnawing
at your vitals , you will stand , like Stephen -
phen , gazing into heaven. You wonder
if they have changed since you saw
them last. You wonder if they would
recognize your face now , so changed
has it been with trouble. You wonder
if , amid the myriad delights they have ,
they care as much for you as they used
to when they gave you a helping hand
and put their shoulder under your bur-
dens. You wonder if they look any
elder ; and sometimes in the evening -
tide , when the house is all quiet , you
wonder if you should call them by their
first name if they would not answer ;
and perhaps sometimes you do make
the experiment , and when no one but
God and yourself are there you distinctly -
ly call their names , and listen , and sit
gazing into heaven.
Pass on now , and see Stephen looking -
ing upon Christ. My text says he saw
the Son of Man at the right hand of
God. Just how Christ looked in this
J
1
world , just how he looks in heaven , we
cannot say. The painters of the different -
ent ages have tried to imagine the
features of Christ , and put them upon
canvas ; but we will have to wait instil
with our own eyes we see him and with
our own ears we can hear him. And
.
yet there is a way of seeing him and
hearing him now. I have to tell you
that unless 3'ou see and hear Christ on
earth , you will never see and hear him
in heaven.
Look ! There he is ! Behold the Lamb
of God ! Can you not see him ? Then
pray to God to take the scales off your
eyes. Look that way-try to look that
way. His voice comes down to you this
day-comes down to the blindest , to the
deafest couI , saying , "Look unto me ,
all ye ends of the earth , and be ye
saved , for I am God , and there is none
else. " Proclamation of universal emancipation -
cipation for all slaves. Tell me , ye
who know most of the world's history ,
what other king ever asked the abandoned -
doned , and the forlorn , and the wretched -
ed , and the outcast to come and sit beside -
side him ? Oh , wonderful invitation !
You can take it to-clay , and stand at the
head of the darkest alley in all this
city , and say , "Come ! Clothes for your
rags , salve for your sores , a throne for
your eternal reigning. " A Christ that
talks like that and acts like that , and
pardons like that-do you wonder that
Stephen stood looking at him ? I hope
to spend eternity doing the same thing.
I must see him ; I must look upon that
face once clouded with my sin , but now
radiant with my pardon. I want to
touch that hand that knocked off my
shackles. I want to hear the voice that
pronounced my deliverance. Behold
him , little children ; for if you live to
three-score years and ten , you will see
none so fair. Behold him , ye aged
ones ; for he only can shine through
'the dimness of your failing eyesight.
Behold him , earth. Behold him , heaven.
What a moment when all the nations of
the saved shall gather around Christ !
All faces that way. All thrones that
way , gazing on Jesus.
His worth if all the nations knew
Sure the whole earth would love him ,
too.
, I pass on now , and look at Stephen
stoned. The world has always wanted
to get rid of good men. Their very life
is an assault upon wickedness. Out
with Stephen through the gates of the
city. Down with him over the preci-
pices. Let every man come up and drop
a stone upon his head. But 'these men
did not so much kill Stephen as they
killed themselves. Every stone rebounded -
bounded upon them. While these murderers -
derers were transfixed by the scorn of
all good men , Stephen lives in the admiration -
miration of all Christendom. Stephen
stoned , but Stephen alive. So all good
men must be pelted. "All who will live
godly in Christ Jesus must suffer' per-
secution. " It is no eulogy of a man to
say that everybody likes him. Show
me any one vrho is doing all his duty testate
state or church , and I will show you
scores of men who utterly abhor him.
If all men speak well of you , it is because -
cause you are either a laggard or a dolt.
If a steamer makes rapid progress
through the waves , the water will boil
and foam all around it. Brave soldiers
of Jesus Christ will hear the carbines
click. When I see a man with voice ,
and money , and influence all on the
right side , and some caricature him ,
and some sneer at him , and some denounce -
nounce him , and men who pretend to
be actuated by right motives conspire to
cripple him , to cast him out , to destroy
him , I say "Stephen stoned. "
When I see a man in some great
moral ' or religious reform battling
against grog shops , exposing wickedness -
ness in high places , by active means
trying to purify the church and better
the world's estate , and I find that the
newspapers anathematize him , and
men , even good men , oppose him and
denounce him , because , though he does
good , he does not do it in their way , I
say , "Stephen stoned. " But you notice ,
my friends , that while they assaulted
Stephen they did not succeed really in
killing him. You may assault a good
man but you can not kill him. On the
day of his death , Stephen spoke before
a few people in the Sanhedrim ; this
Sabbath morning he addresses all
Christendom. Paul the Apostle stood
on Mars' hill addressing a handful of
philosophers who knew not so much
about science as a modern schoolgirl.
To-day he talks to all the millions of
Christendom about the wonders of
justification and the glories of resur-
rection. John Wesley was howled
down by the mob to whom he preached ,
and they threw bricks at him , and they
denounced him , and they jostled him ,
and they spat upon 'bim , and yet today -
day , in all lands , he is admitted to be
the great father of Methodism. Booth's '
bullet vacated the presidential chair :
but from that spot of coagulated blood
on the floor in the box of Ford's theater
there sprang up the new life of a na-
tion. Stephen stoned , but Stephen
alive.
Pass on now , and see Stephen in his
dying prayer. Hfs first thought was
not how the stones hurt his head , nor
what would become of his body. His
first thought was about his spirit.
"Lcrd Jesus , receive my spirit. " The
murderer standing on the trap-door ,
the black cap being drawn over his
head before execution , may grimace
about the future ; but you and I have
no shame in confessing some anxiety '
about where we are going to come out.
You are not all body. There is within 1
you a soul. I see it gleam from your
eyes to-day , and I see it irradiating your
countenance. Sometimes I am abashed
before an audience , not because I come
under your physical eye-sight , but because -
cause I realize the truth that I stand
before so many Immortal spirits. The
probability is that your body will at
least find a sepulchre in some of tha
cemeteries that surround this city.
There is no doubt but that your obsequies -
sequies will be decent and respectful ,
and you will be able to pillow your head
, ,
- - - - - -
p '
q % . ,
, ,
rf
I ender the mape , or the Norway spruce , )
blossoming fit' ,
or the cypress , or the , f
but this spirit about which Stephen
prayed , what direction will that take ? ,
What gttide will escort it. What gate
will open to receive It ? What cloud .
will be cleft for its pathway ? After
the light of our sun , t
it has got beyond .
will there be torches lighted for it the i . ,
rest of the way ?
travel through . r , .
to
Will the soul have
long deserts before it reaches the good s
land. If we should lose our pathway ,
will there be a castle at whose gate
we may ash the way to the city ? Oh , ,
this mysterious spirit within us ! It f , , . . .
has two wings , but it ! s in a cage now : ' , i
It is locked fast to keep it ; but let the l
door of this cage open the least , and " , , . i
that gael is off. Eagles wing could ;
not catch it. The lightnings are not I
swift enough to come up with it. When
the soul leaves the body It takes fifty ! '
worlds at a bound. And have I no anxiety -
iety about it ? Have you no anxiety , I
about it ? I
I do not care what you do with my ! . ,1
body when my soul is gone , or whether i r
you believe in cremation or inhumation. , ,
I shall sleep just as well in a wrapping ,
of sackcloth as in satin lined with (
1
eagle's down. But my soul-before I ,
close this discourse I will find out where 1
it will land. Thank God for the intImation - ' !
mation of my text , that when we die
Jesus takes us. That answers all , !
!
questions for me. What though they I
were massive bars between here and
the city of light , Jesus could remove I /
them. What though there were great I
Saharas of darkness , Jesus could 11-
lume them : What though I get weary r
on the way , Christ could lift me on his i I !
omnipotent shoulder. What though
there were chasms to cross , his hand ! J
t
could transport me. Then let Stephen's I
prayer be my dying litany : "Lord R ( i , f
Jesus , receive my spirit" It may be f
in that hour we will ho too feeble to ,
say a long prayer. It may be in that ! ,
hour we will not be able to say the
"Lord's Prayer , for it has seven petI- ,
tions. PerhaP we may be too feeble i' '
even to say the infant prayer our mothers - . ;
ers taught us , which John Quincy . ' ' {
Adams , 70 years of age , said every ( ?
I l
night when he put his head upon his d
pillow :
I
Now I lay me down to sleep ,
I pray the Lord mY soul to keep. 1 ,
I f
We may be too feeble to employ , i
either of these familiar forms ; but this !
prayer of Stephen is so short , is so con- I ,
else , is so earnest , is so comprehensive , !
we surely will be able to say that : 1 J
1
Lord Jesus , receive m } ' spirit. " Oh , ' i
r
is answered how
if that prayer sweet
it will be to die ! This world is clever
enough to us. Perhaps it has treated ! ,
us a great deal better than we deserve I' ' ! (
to be treated ; but if on the dying pillow
there shall break the light of that better - . I
ter world , we shall have not more re- 1 l
gret than about leaving a small , dark ,
damp house for one large , beautiful ,
and capacious. That dying minister fn i
Philadelphia , some years ago , beautifully -
it when in the last I
fully depicted , mo- i
meet , he threw up his hands and cried j ,
out : "I move into the light ! "
Pass on now , and I will show you ,
one more picture , and that is Stephen f , 1 i ,
asleep. With a pathos and simplicity . l .
peculiar to the Scriptures , the text ,
!
says of Stephen : He fell asleep. " ,
"Oh , " you say , "what a place that was i '
to sleep ! A hard rock under him , ! o
stones falling down upon him , the p
blood streaming , the mob 'howling. ' I
What a place it was to sleep ! " And
yet my text takes that symbol of slumber - , N
ber to describe his departure , so sweet
vi-as it , so contented was It so Peaci' ful 5 , ' ' ,
was ft. Stephen had lived a very laborious -
borious life. His chief 'work had been
to care for the poor. How many loaves } n
of bread he had distributed , how many
bare feet he had sandalled , how man Y
cots of sickness and distress he had
blessed with ministries of kindness and
love I do not know : yet from the way ,
he lived , and the way he preached , and i
the way he died , I know he was a laborious - ,
borious Christian. But that is all over ' '
now. He has pressed the cup to the
lass fainting lip. He has taken the last I
insult from his enemies. The last
l
stone to whose crushing weight he is
susceptible has been hurled. Stephen , ' ,
is dead ! The disciples come ! They
take him up ! They wash away the ;
blood from the wounds. They 1
straighten out the bruised limbs. They
brush back the tangled hair from the '
brow , and then they pass around to 1
look upon the calm countenance of him
who had lived for the poor and died
for the truth. Stephen asleep !
I have seen the sea driven with the
1
hurricane until the tangled foam
caught in the riggI , and wave rising a ,
above wave seemed as if about to storm 1
the heavens , and then I have seen the
tempest drop and the '
, waves crouch , t
and everything become smooth and '
burnished as though a camping place !
for the glories of heaven. So I have ( 1
seen a man , whose life has been tossed
and driven , coming down at last to an
)
infinite calm , in which there was a
hush of heaven's lullaby. Stephen i
asleep ! I ,
I say ; such an one. He fought all his i
days against poverty and against abuse.
They traduced his name. They rattled . I
at the door-knob while he was dying , . [ 1
with duns for debts he could not pay ;
yet the peace of God brooded over his
pillow , and while the world faded , I 1
heaven dawned ; and the deepening twilight -
light of earth's night was only the open- [ 1
ing twilight of heaven's A
morn. Not a '
sigh. Not a tear. Not a struggle , , i I
Hush ! Stephen
asleep. r
SHARP POINTS. ;
So many people are actuated by pure . . ,
cussedness. h
What we learn with pleasure we. r
never forget. "
Some people do nothing but talk en-
couraging1y. 1
Patience Is the road to advancement ! t ,
In all lines of life. . '
1 :
-
-
; -------.I ' ' ' - - f
