Xf IXTate of " 5
Hf 1 Three Lions t
H | J H' RIDER HAGGARD L
Blf CHAPTER II. ( CONTISUED. )
K > \ "So we went down to the beautiful
V/3\ > spot that I have described , to wash. I
Kf § "was the first to reach it , which I 'did
Kiby ' scrambling down the ferny bank.
B'if 'Then I turned round , and started back
m I with a yell , as well I might , for from al-
K f most beneath my feet there came a
L\ most awful snarl.
B I "I had lit down almost upon the back
H ( § of the lioness , who had been sleeping
Hti on the slab where we stood to dry our-
K f 4 selves after bathing. With a snarl and
L \ a growl , before I could do anything ,
B "before I could even cock my rifle , she
H J | .had bounded right across the crystal
HlW pool , and vanished over the opposite
HT "bank. It was all done in an instant , asP
Pp quick as thought.
W Ef "She had been sleeping on the slab ,
V | and oh , horror ! what was that sleep-
1 , ing beside her ? It was the torn rem-
H % V iiant of poor Jim-Jim , lying on a patch
I V t ° blood-stained rock !
\ CHAPTER III.
Kf "Poor Jim-Jim ! We buried what was
Hfe\ - left of him , which was not very much ,
BT [ i in an old bread-bag , and though
Vff f whilst he lived his virtues ware not
V ' great , now that he was gone we could
Pf * Iiave wept over him. Indeed , Harry did
K -weep outright ; while I registered a
B quiet little vow of my own account that
H | I would let daylight into that lioness
K' { J "before I was forty-eight hours older ,
H [ f if by any means it could be done.
B [ i "Well , we buried him , and there he
B ; lies where lions will not trouble him
B' ' j any more. So there is an end of the
TP Look of Jim-Jim.
HU "The great question that now re-
HkA mained was , how to circumvent his
Bl murderess. I knew that she would re-
F'/ ' turn as soon as she was hungry again ,
K" but I did not know when she would
K | be hungry. She had left so little of
( I \ Jim-Jim behind her that I could scarce-
Br\ ' ly expect to see her the next night ,
K \ unless she had cubs. Still , I felt that
K > ' it would not be wise to miss the chance
K ) * • ' of her coming , so we set about to
W j make preparations for her reception.
BfeThe first thing we did was to strength-
Bv/ en the bush wall of the skerm by
Ht J dragging a large quantity of the tops
BfeV of thorn-trees together and laying one
Tl \ on the other in such a fashion that the
Ht ' thorns pointed outward. This , after
fek our experience of the fate of Jim-Jim ,
HK seemed a very necessary precaution ,
Kr\ ) since if where one sheep can jump an-
H ) ) other can follow , as the Kafirs say ,
Bf-S' how much more is it the case where
Hjj an animal so active and so vigorous
Hr ? as the lion is concerned ! And now
B \ came the further question , how were
HL\ we to beguile the lioness to return ?
Hj Lions are animals that have a strange
B/c- knack when not
/ - ' of appearing they are
m r wanted and keeping studiously out of
B/J / the way when their presence is re-
H\ quired.
Hv\ "Harry , who , as I have said , was an
fy eminently practical boy , suggested to
V Pharaoh that he should go and sit
K outside the skerm in the moonlight as
H\ a sort of a bait , assuring him that he
Bt would have nothing to fear as we
K , would certainly kill the lioness before
B she killed him. Pharaoh , however ,
Y j strangely enough , did not seem to take
V / to this suggestion. Indeed , he walked
B ( away , much put cut with Harry for
K. liaving made it.
B { "It gave me an idea , however.
B " 'Well ! ' I said , 'there is that ox. He
V must die sooner or later , so we may as
B , -well utilize him. '
Lr "Now , about thirty yards to the left
H [ of our skerm , if one stood facing down
BPyy the hill toward the river , was the stump
mf \ of a tree that had been destroyed by
H | ( " lightning many years before , standing
B j ) equidistantly between , but a little in
B , front of , two clumps of bush , which
§ 1 were severally some fifteen paces from
IK I it.
"Here was the very place to tie the
Wl -ox ; and , accordingly a little before
| .sunset the poor animal was led forth
& * * ly Pharaoh and made fast there , little
i "knowing , poor brute , for what pur-
s5 pose ; and we commenced * our long
ft vigil , this time without a fire , for
jjL , our object was to attract the lioness and
fe \ not to scare her.
ilfc ' "For hour after hour we waited ,
Wx keeping ourselves awake by pinching
| | > -each other it is , by the way , remark-
pi able what a difference in the force of
F > ' .pinches requisite to the occasion ex-
v asts in the mind -of pincher and pinchee
> P but no lioness came. The moon
1 waxed and the moon waned , and then
ji .at last the moon went down , and dark-
j ? ness swallowed up the world , but no
# > > lion came to swallow us up. We wait-
f/ -ed till dawn , because we did not dare to
RCf go to sleep , and then az Jast we took
P such a broken rest as we could get
v | "That morning we went out shoot-
Jl in = not cecause "vve wanted to , for
HPr we were too depressed and tired , but
K [ because we had no more meat For
K \ three hours or more we wandered about
'
E in the boiling sun looking for some-
Ht thing to kill , but with , absolutely no
P results. For some unknown reason
Hr \ "the game .had grown very scarce about
H\ the spot , though when I was there two
H years before every sort of lay e game
b& except rhinoceros and elephant was
BR particularly abundant The lions , of
Hf j whom there were many , alone remain-
[ f < cd , and 1 fancy that it was the fact of
Hp Y the game they live on having tem-
Hf \ porarily migrated that made them so
WL'tM daring and ferocious. As a general
Hhk , -rule , a lion is an amiable animal
BpA 'enough if he is left alone , but a hungry
j V * lion is almost as dangerous as a hungry
A man. One hears a great many differ-
I m I ent opinions expressed as to wh' ether
M 1 or no the lion is remarkable for his
yr " courage , but the TRSult of my experi-
Br * ence is that - verymudi dej ends upon
. * * " * < * i • > v • * * * ' _
- * * • - 1V !
B ' -
> * * > • * .j | i ii 'is- J5j 5i §
u . _ , , , in i * * sS
: r.
the state of his stomach. A hungry
lion will not stick at a trifle , whereas
| a full one will flee at a very small res
buke.
"Well , we hunted all about , and
nothing could we see , not even a duck
or a bush buck ; and at last thoroughly
tired i and out of temper we started on
our way back to camp , passing over the
brow of a steepish hill to do so. Just
as we got over the ridge I froze up like
a J pointer dog , for there about six hundred -
dred yards to my left , his beautiful
curved ( horns outlined against the soft
blue sky , I saw a noble koodoo bull
( Strepsiceros kudu ) . Even at that distance -
tance ( . , for as you know , my eyes are very
keen , I could distinctly see the white
stripes upon its sides when the light
fell ; upon it , and its large and pointed
ears | twitch as the flies worried it.
"So far so good ; but how were we to
get at it ? It was ridiculous to risk a
j shot at that great distance , and' yet
both the ground and the wind lay very
ill for stalking. It seemed to me that
the only chance would be to make a
detour of at least a mile or more , and
come up on the other sitfe of the koo
doo. I called Harry to my side and
explained \ to him what I thought would
be the best course , when suddenly ,
without any delay , the koodoo saved
us any further trouble by suddenly
starting off down the hill like a leap
ing : rocket Perhaps a hyena or a
leopard a tiger as we call it there
had suddenly appeared ; at any rate ,
off it went , running slightly toward us ,
|
and I never saw a buck go faster. As
j
for ] Harry , he stood watching the beautiful -
tiful animal's course. Presently it
vanished behind a patch of bush , to
emerge \ a few seconds later about five
hundred paces from us , on a stretch
of ' comparatively level ground that was
strewn ' with bowlders. On it went ,
taking the bowlders in its path in a
succession ' of great bounds that were
beautiful to behold. As it did so , I
happened to look round at Harry , and
perceived : to my astonishment that he
had got his rifle to his shoulder.
" 'You foolish boy ! ' I ejaculated ,
'surely you are not going to' and just
at : that moment the rifle went off.
"And then I think I saw what was
in its way one of the most wonderful
things I ever remember in my hunt
ing : experiece. The koodoo was at that
moment in the air , clearing a pile of
stones with its.head. . .
All in an instant the legs stretched
themselves out in a spasmodic fashion ,
and \ it' lit on them and they doubled up
beneath it Down went the noble buck ,
down on its forelegs tucked up underneath -
neath it , standing on its horns , its
hind-legs high in the air , and then over
it went and lay still.
" 'Great heavens ! ' I said , 'Why ,
you've hit him ! He's dead. '
"As for Harry , he said nothing , but
merely looked scared , as well he might.
A man , let alone a boy , might have
fired a thousand such shots without
ever ' touching the object ; which , mind
you : , was springing and bounding over
rocks quite five hundred yards away ;
and ' here this lad taking a snap shot ,
and merely allowing for elevation by
instinct , for he did not put up his
sights had knocked the bull over as
dead as a door-nail. Well , I made no
further remark , the occasion was too
solemn for talking , but merely led the
way to where the koodoo lay. There
he was , beautiful and quite still ; and
there , high up , about half way down
his neck , was a neat round hole. The
bullet had severed the spinal marrow ,
passing right through the vertebrae
and away on the other side.
"It was already evening when , hav
ing cut as much of the best meat as we
could carry from the bull , and tied a
.
red handkerchief and some tufts of
grass to his spiral horns , which , by the
way , must have been nearly five feet
in length , in the hope of keeping the
jackals and aasvogels ( vultures ) from
him , we finally got back to camp , to '
find Pharaoh , who was getting rather
anxious at our absence , ready to greet
us with the pleasing intelligence that I
nnnther ox was sick. But even this •
dreadful bit of intelligence could not
dash Harry's spirits ; the fact of the
matter being that , incredible as it may
appear , I do verily believe that in his
heart of hearts he set down the death
of that koodoo to the credit of his
own skill. Now , though the lad was a
tidy shot enough , this of course was
ridiculous , and I told him so very plain
ly.
"By the time that we had finished our
supper of koodoo steaks ( which would
have been better if the koodoo had
been a little j-ounger ) , it was time to get
ready for Jim-Jim's murderess again.
All the afternoon Pharaoh told us the
unfortunate ox had been walking round
and round in a circle as cattle in the
last stage of red-water generallj' do.
Now it had come to a standstill , and
was swaying to and fro with his head
hanging down. So we tied him up to
the stump of the tree as on the previ
ous nght , knowing that if the lioness
did not kill him he would be dead by
morning. Indeed I was afraid that he
would be of but little use as ? . bait ,
for a lion is a sportsman-like animal ,
and unless he is very hungry generally
prefers to kill his own dinner , though
when once killed he will come back to
it again and again.
"Then we repeated our experience
of the previous night , sitting there hour
after hour , till at last Harry went fast
asleep , and even I , though I am accus
tomed to this sort of thing , could
scarcely keep my eyes open. Indeed I
was just dropping off , when suddenly
Pharaoh gave me a shove.
" 'Listen ! ' he whispered.
"I was all awake in a.second , and
listening with all my ear3. From the
clump of Tsrush to the right of the
lightning-shattered stump to which the
ox was tied came a faint crackling
noiee. Presently it was repeated.
Something was moving there , faintly
and quietly enough , but still moving
perceptibly , for in the Intense stillness
&L
of the night any sound seemed loud.
"I woke up Harry , who instantly
said , 'Where is she ? where is she ? ' and
began to point his rifle about in a fash
ion i that was more dangerous to us and
the \ oxen than to any possible lioness.
"
" 'Hush up ! ' I whispered , savagely ;
and as I did so , with a low and hideous
growl { a flash of yellow light sped out of
the i clump of bush , past the ox , and
into i the corresponding clump upon the
other < side. The poor sick brute gave
a sort of grcan , and staggered round
and then began to tremble ; I could see
it j do so clearly in the moonlight , and I
felt ] like a brute for having exposed the
unfortunate animal to such terror as he
must undoubtedly be undergoing. The
lioness ] , for it was she , passed so quickly
that i we could not even distinguish her
movements i , much less shoot. Indeed
at j night it is absolutely useless to
attempt j to shoot unless the object is
very close and standing perfectly still ,
and j then the light is so deceptive and
it ; is so difficult to , see the foresight
that j the best shot will miss more often
than , he hits.
( Tons COXTIKUED. *
AUSTBO-HUNGAB1AN TARIFF.
Curious ' Arrangement Existing : Between
Two Branches.
Perhaps the statesmen who will
presently ] be wrestling with so much
fervor i with the tariff question may
with advantage to their own enlighten
ment i tear a leaf from the history of
the I tariff
Austro-Hungarian arrange
ment ] , which is one of the most peculiar
in i existence , says the New York Herald.
Not long ago , it will be remembered , a
strong ' protest against the existing
treaty I arose from the Hungarian side
of < the border Austria and Hungary
form 1 two independent states , both en
joying : home rule , but the common af
fairs : of the federation are dealt with
by common authorities and organs
regulated i by the constitution. The pro
portion ; in which each state has to con
tribute ' to the common expenses is set
tled ' by mutual agreement every ten
years : and there is no constitutional
provision for the treaty of commerce {
But in 1807 , when the Hungarian con
stitution ' was restored , it was resolved
by mutual consent to maintain the cus
toms union and the commercial and
economic ' unity which had existed un
der ' the absolutist regime. The treaty
thus concluded forms the subject , of
pending negotiations for the renewal of
the Ausgleich. As the privilege of the
Austro-Hungarian bank expires at the
same ' time as the customs and the com
mercial alliance , the question of the
Ausgleich is complicated by the necessity - .
sity of renewing the bank charter.
Should the customs and commercial
treaty be allowed to lapse the two
states ' would recover their economic
and fiscal liberty. If either of them
chose ' to do so it could surround itself
with custom houses and shut out the
products : of the other without affecting
the political constitution of the mon
archy ; , but of course such proceeding
would be a severe trial to the dual sys
tem. The existing treaty expires at
the end of this year. Neither country
is satisfied with it , but both are willing
to enter into negotiations for a new
agreement , and no doubt an amicable
settlement of some sort will be ar
ranged.
WHITE HOUSE ETIQUETTE.
Tlie Unwritten Laws "Which Govern the
President's Social Position.
When the President and his wiffc
drive out the President sits on the right
hand and his wife on the left , says
the Illustrated American. If there are
others in the carriage , whether ladies
or gentlemen , they must sit with their
backs to the horses. When Mrs. Cleveland -
land was first married she tried the experiment - '
periment .of placing her mother op- '
pusite the president and herself in the ' '
presidential landau , but the people ' '
laughed at it so immoderately and professed -
fessed to think Mrs. Folsom ( as she ]
was then ) to be the maid , that it was
speedily dropped. When the Presi
dent's wife drives alone she sits in the
right-hand corner the place of honor.
The lady of the white house cannot set
foot within those splendid houses in
Washington whose flagstaffs mark the
foreign embassy or legation. She could
not go without the President , and as an
embassy or legation is technically a
part of the country it represents the
President could not go so that she
never sees the inside of a diplomatic
house as long as she presides at the
executive mansion. The President dines
only at cabinet houses and his wife
cannot dine anywhere without him.
President Arthur dined with judges of
.
the Supreme court and with senators ;
but as he had no wife the whole system
was very much simplified for him. The
President's wife may , if she chooses ,
go to luncheons where there are no
gentlemen , or to teas , both being re
garded as strictly informal ; but the
danger of giving offense by accepting
one invitation and declining another is
so great that it is seldom or never
risked.
Traveled 8,000 allies in Vaia.
George Yeager eloped with his sis
ter-in-law , Mrs. Frank Yeager , two
years ago , from Camden , N. J. The
latter's husband suspected they had
gone west , and he 'started for that sec
tion. After a long search , in which he
obtained no trace of the couplo. he
went to Europe , thinking they might
have gone to Germany. He traveled
fully S,000 miles in his search , and
finally returned to Camden. While
walking down the street Tuesday he
came face to face with the pair , who
were walking along leisurelj' , and in
half an hour he had caused their ar
rest. They had been living there all
the time.
A millionaire of Los Angeles pre
sented-the : city with 3,000 acres of land ,
to be used for park Durposea ,
TALEAGE'S i SEEMON.
"FRIENDSHIP UNFAILING , "
LAST SUNDAY'S SUBJ 'l.
From tlio Italictrlug Text : "And She
Went and Came and .Glemied in the
Fields After the Keaners : and Her Uup
Was to Light. " Jtutti 2 : a.
ffff HE time that Ruth
. --jfi&f/Z and Naomi arrived
[ E p gi at Bethlehem is
' | s , _ _ „ _ . harvest time. It
fO SfSHMT was the custom
y $ < & % - : . : pii when a shea fel1
\ $ k * kSS from a load in the
s W&M harvest field for
* ' Sjji ' the reapers to rej
cfW &tOk fuse to gatner il
SvSJj up ; that was to bee
o le t for the poor
who might happen to come along that
way. If there were handfuls of grain
scattered across the field after the mam
harvest had been reaped , instead of
raking it , as farmers do new , it was ,
by the custom of the land , left in its
place , so that the poor coming along
that way might glean it , and get their
bread. But , you say , "What is the use
of all these harvest fields to Ruth and
Naomi ? Naomi is too old and feeble
to go out and toil in the sun ; and can
you expect that Ruth , the young and
the beautiful , should tan her cheeks
and blister her hands in the harvest
field ?
Boaz owns a large farm , and he goes
out to see the reapers gather in the
grain. Coming there , right behind the
swarthy , sun-browned reapers , he be
holds a beautiful woman gleaning a
woman more fit to bend to a harp or
sit upon a throne than to stoop among
the sheaves. Ah , that was an eventful
day !
It was love at first sight. Boaz
forms an attachment for the womanly
gleaner an attachment full of undy
ing interest to the church of God in all
ages ; while Ruth , with an ephah , or
nearly a bushel of barley , goes home
to Naomi to tell her of the successes
and adventures of the day. That Ruth ,
who left her native land of Moab in
darkness , and traveled through an un
dying affection for her mother-in-law ,
is in the harvest field of Boaz , is affi
anced to one of the best families in
Judah , and tecomes in after time the
ancestress of Jesus Christ , the Lord of
glory ! Out of so dark a night did
there ever dawn so bright a morn
ing ?
I learn , in the first place , from this
subject , how trouble develops charact
er. It was bereavement , poverty and
exile that developed , illustrated , and
announced to all ages the sublimity of
Ruth's character. That is a very un
fortunate man who has no trouble. It
was sorrow that made John Bunyan
the better dreamer , and Doctor Young
the better poet , and O'Connell the bet
ter orator , and Bishop Hall the better
preacher , and Havelock the better sol
dier , and Kitto the better encyclopae
dist , and Ruth the better daughter-in-
law.
I once asked an aged man in regard
to his pastor , who was a very brilliant
man , "Why is it that your pastor , so
very brilliant , seems to have so little
heart and tenderness in his sermons ? "
"Well , " he replied , "the reason is , our
pastor has never had any trouble.
When misfortune comes upon him his
style will be different. " After a while
the Lord took a child out of the pas
tor's house ; and though the preacher
was just as brilliant as he was before ,
oh , the warmth , the tenderness of his
discourses ! The fact is , that trouble
is a great educator. You see sometimes
a musician sit down at an instrument ,
and his execution is cold and formal ,
and unfeeling. The reason is that all
;
his life he has been prospered. But 1
let misfortune or bereavement co e to
that man , and he sits down to the in
strument , and you discover the pathos
in the first sweep of the keys.
Misfortunes and trials are great ed
ucators. A young doctor comes into
a sick room where there is a dying
child. Perhaps he is very rough in
his prescription , and very rough in his
manner , and rough in the feeling of
the pulse , and rough in his answer to
the mother's anxious question ; but
years roll on , and there has been one
dead in his own house ; and now he
comes into the sick room , and with
tearful eye he looks at the dying child ,
and he says , "Oh , how this reminds
me of my Charlie ! " Trouble , the great
educator. Sorrow I see its touch in
the grandest painting ; I hear its trem
or in the sweetest song ; I feel its
power in the mightiest argument
Grecian mythology said that the
foundation , of Hippocrene was struck
out by the foot of the winged horse
Pegasus. I have often noticed in life
that the brightest and most beautiful
fountains of Christian comfort and
spiritual life have been struck out by
the iron shod hoof of disaster and
calamitI see Daniel's courage best
by the flash of Nebuchadnezzar's fur
nace. I see Paul's prowess best when
I find him on the foundering ship
under the glare of the lightning in the
breakers of Melita , God crowns his
children amid the howling of wild
beasts and the chopping of blood-
splashed guillotine and the crackling
fires of martyrdom. It took the per
secutions of Marcus Aurelius to de
velop Polycarp and Justin Martyr. It
took all the hostilities against Scotch
Covenanters and the fury of Lord
Claverhouse to develop James Renwick
and Andrew Melville , and James Mc-
Kail , the glorious martyrs of Scotch
history. It took the stormy sea , and
the December blast , and the desolate
New England coast , and the warwhoop
of savages to show forth the prowess
of the Pilgrim Fathers.
When amid the storms they sang ,
And the stars heard , and the sea ;
And the sounding aisles of the dim
wood
Rang to the anthems of the free.
* O w
Life often seems to be a mere game ,
where the successful player pulls down
all the other , men into his own lap.
Let suspicion arise about v. man's
character , and he becomes lik'j a bank
in a panic , and all the imputations rush
on him and break down in a day that
character which in due time would
have had strength to defend itself.
There are reputations that have been
half a century in building , which go
down under one push , as a vast temple
is consumed by the touch of a sulphur
ous match. A hog can uproot a cen-
j tury plant.
In this world , so full of heartlessness -
ness and hypocrisy , how thrilling it is
to find some friend as faithful in days
of adversity as in days of prosperity ?
David had such a friend in Hushai ;
the Jews had such a friend in Morde-
cai , who never forgot their cause ; Paul
had such a friend in Onesiphorus , who
visited him in jail ; Christ had such in
the Marys , who adhered to Him on the
Cross ; Naomi had such a one in Ruth ,
who cried out , "Entreajt me not to leave
thee , or to return from following after
thee , for whither thou goest , I will go ;
and whither thou lodgest I will lodge ;
thy people shall be my people , and thy
God my God ; where thou diest will I
die , and there will I be buried ; the
Lord do so to me , and more also , if
aught but death part thee and me. "
Again , I learn from this subject that
paths which open in hardship and dark
ness often come out in places of joy.
When Ruth started from Moab toward
Jerusalem , to go along with her moth
er-in-law , I suppose the people said :
"Oh , what a foolish creature to go away
from her father's house , to go off with
a poor old woman toward the land of
Judah ! They won't live to get across
the desert. They will be drowned in
the sea , or the jackals of the wilder
ness will destroy them. " It was a very
dark nrorning when Ruth started off
with Naomi : but behold her in my
text in the harvest field of Boaz , to
be affianced to one of the lords of the
land , and become one of the grand
mothers of Jesus Christ , the Lord of
glory. And so it often is that a path
which often starts very darkly ends
very brightly.
When you started out for heaven , oh ,
how dark was the hour of conviction
bow Sinai thundered , and devils tor
mented , and the darkness thickened !
All the sins of your life pounced upon
you , and it was the darkest hour you
ever saw when you first found out your
sins. After awhile you went into the
harvest field of God's mercy : you be
gan to glean in the fields of divine
promise , and you had more sheaves
than you could carry , as the voice of
God addressed you , saying : "Blessed
is the man whose transgressions are
forgiven and whose sins are covered. "
A very dark starting in conviction , a
very bright ending in the pardon and
the hope and the triumph of the Gos
pel !
So , very often in our worldly business -
ness or in our spiritual career , we start
off on a very dark path. We must go.
The flesh may shrink back , but there
is a voice within , or a voice from above ,
saying , "You must go ; " and we have
to drink the gall , and we have to carry
the cross , and we have to traverse the
desert and we are pounded and flailed
of misrepresentation and abuse , and
we have to urge our way through ten
thousand obstacles that have been slain
by our own right arm. We have to
ford the river , we have to climb the
mountain , we have to storm the castle ;
but , blessed be God , the day of rest and
reward will come. On the tip-top of
the captured battlements we will shout
the victory ; if not in this world , then
in that world where there is no sail
to drink , no burdens to cany , no bat
tles to fight How do I know it ? Know
it ! I know it because God says so :
"They shall hunger no more , neither
thirst any more , neither shall the sun
light on them , nor any heat , for the
Lamb which is in the midst of the
throne shall lead them to living foun
tains of water , and God shall wipe all
tears from their eyes. "
It was very hard for Noah to endure
the scoffing of the people in his day ,
while he was trying to build the ark ,
and was every morning quizzed about
his old boat that would never be of any
practical use ; but when the deluge
came , and the tops of the mountains
disappeared like the backs of sea mon
sters , and the elements , lashed up in
fury , clapped their hands over a
drowned world , then Noah in the ark
rejoiced in his own safety and in the
safety cf his family , and looked out
on the wreck of a ruined earth.
Christ , hounded of persecutors , de
nied a pillow , worse maltreated than
the thieves on either side of the cross ,
human hate smacking its lips in sat
isfaction after it had been draining his
last drop of blood , the sheeted dead
bursting from the sepulchres at his
crucifixion. Tell me , 0 Gethsemane
and Golgotha , were there ever darker
times than those ? Like the booming
of the midnight sea against the rock ,
the surges of Christ's anguish beat
against the gates of eternity , to be
echoed back by all the thrones of
heaven and all the dungeons of hell.
But the day of reward comes for
Christ ; all the pomp and dominion of
this world are to be hung on his
throne , crowned heads are to bow be
fore him on whose head are many
crowns , and all the celestial worship
is to come up at his feet , like the hum
ming of the forest , like the rushing of
the waters , like the thundering of the
seas , while all heaven , rising on their
thrones , beat time with their sceptres :
"Hallelujah , for the Lord God omnipo
tent reigneth. "
That song of love , now low and fa r ,
Ere long shall swell from star to star ;
I
That light , the breaking day which tips II
The goiden-splred Apocalypse. II
* * * tm
Madame de Stael did a world of work r I
In her time , and one day , while she was f I
seated amid Instruments of music , all of j
which she hqd mastered , and amid
manuscript bookB which she had writ- 11
ten , some one said to her : "How do '
you find time to attend to all these
things ? " "Oh , " she replied , "theso are
not the things I am proud of. My chief r
boast is in the fart that I have seventeen -
teen trades , by any one of which I could
make a livelihood if necessary. " And
if In secular spheres there Is so much
to be done , In spiritual work how vast
the field ! How many dying all around
about us without ono word of comfort ! I
We want more Abigails , more Han-
nahs , more Rebeccas , more Marys , moro
Deborahs consecrated body , mind and I
soul , to the Lord who bought them.
Once more I learn from my subject , M
the value of gleaning. I
Ruth going Into that harvest field I
might have said : "There is a straw. i
and there Is a straw , but what Is a f B
straw ? I can't get any barley for myself - i
self or my mother-in-law out of these
separate straws. " Not so said beautiful
Ruth. She gathered two straws , and H
she put them together , and more
straws , until she got enough to make
a sheaf. Putting that down , she went
and gathered more straws , until she H
had another sheaf , and another , and H
another , and another , and then she H
brought them altogether , and she
threshed them out , and she had an
ephah of barley , nigh a bushel. Oh ,
that we might all be gleaners ! H
Ellhu Burritt learned many things H
while toiling In a blacksmith's shop.
Abercrcmbie , the world-renowned philosopher - B
losopher , was a philosopher in Scotland - ' B
land , and he got his philosophy , or the H
chief part of it , while , as a physician. H
he was waiting for the door of the B
sick room to open. Yet how many M
there are in this day who say they are B
so busy they have no time for mental B
or spiritual improvement ; the great B
duties of life cross the field like strong H
reapers , and carry off all the hours. • BB
and there is only here and there a < fl
fragment left , that is not worth glean- ' B
ing. Ah , my friends , you could go , M
into the busiest day and busiest week of H
your life and find golden opportunities , i H
which , gathered , might at last make a H
whole sheaf for the Lord's garner. It H
is the stray opportunities and the H
stray privileges which , taken up and H
bound together and beaten out , will at H
last fill you with much joy. H
There are a few moments left worth H
the gleaning. Now , Ruth to the field ! H
May each one have a measure full and H
running over ! Oh , you gleaners , to the H
field ! And if there be in your household - H
hold an cged one or a sick relative that H
is not strong enough to come forth and B
toil in this field , then let Ruth take H
home to feeble Naomi this sheaf of B
gleaning : "He that goeth forth and B
weepeth , bearing precious seed , shall B
doubtless come again with rejoicing. B
bringing his sheaves with him. " May B
the Lord God of Ruth and Naomi be H
our portion forever ! B
ThcDragou-FIr. H
i One of the most useful of insects is. , Hewing
owing to the ignorance of the public , B
forever being killed. It is known as | H
the dragon-fly , the needle-case and the B
devil's darning-needle. Says a writer fl
of authority : In its larval state it B
subsists almost entirely on those small , B
squirming threads which can be seen M
darting about in any still water , and j B
which hatch out into sweet-singing B
mosquito. As soon as the dragoon-fly B
leaves its watery nursing-ground , and M
climbing some friendly reed , throws M
away the old shell and flies away , it is fl
helping man again. Its quarry now is B
the house-fly. Not long ago the writer |
saw one of these insects knocked down H
in a veranda , where it had been doing |
yeoman's service , and the children and H
women seemed delierhted although fl H
they shrank back from the poor.wound- H
ed dragon-fly. They all thought it had H
an awful sting at the end of its long j B
body ; a cruel injustice. When the- M
writer took the insect up there was M
general wonderment , which was increased - M
creased when a captured fly was offered - M
ed it and it ate greedily. The boys of |
the household will never harm a dra- m
gon-fiy again. H
Quite a Difference. |
All disciples of Izaak Walton will M
appreciate the story which is going the |
rounds , concerning Mr. Andrew Lang. H
the English critic and essayist An exchange - |
change publishes the anecdote which |
one of Mr. Lang's literary friends tells : H
It happened to me to spend a few day3 H
last summer In an English village. Having - |
ing noticed a pleasant river which H
seemed to promise excellent fishine. I 1
spoke -of it to my landlady. * , Oh yes. j H
sir , " she said , "there is very good fishing - M
ing here many people come here for jj fl
fishing. " "What kind of people com * |
here ? " I asked. "Literary gentlemen B
come here very often , sir. We had Mr. M
Andrew Lang staying here. " "Oh. M
really ! does he fish ? Is he a good fisherman - m
erman ? " "Yes , sir , he fishes beauti- ' |
fully. " "Really ! does he catch much ? " M
"Oh no , sir , he never catches anything , j g
but he fishes beautifully. " H
A Characteristic Iteplr. B
The incorruptibility of General Walker - |
er , late president of the Massachusett3 |
Institute of Technology , was above all j H
suspicion. A characteristic anecdote is H
told of him by J. J. Spencer in the * l
Review of Reviews : At one time.whea &HH
&
General Walker held a government pa- i N
sition , a place shared in a measure by IHi
another , he was approached with the f H
suggestion that , since the whole de- l l
partment was under their control , by '
B
working in harmony they could have H
whatever they desired. "I have no desires - H
sires , " said General Walker. "But. H
general , " said his coadjutor , "do you H
not see that we can push forward our " H
frisuds aZii. rslativsc into good places ? ' * H
"I have no friends , " was the rvply. * |