The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1860-03-09

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with NiPPer his friend. I often overheard
him in long talks telling OF the doubts he
was tempted 10. Ambitions and capable,
and of truly .notle soul. that Instructive
'y sPurne.l MEANINGS and aspircd to great
ness, Tucker, 10y his temperament, was such
a one rs this
i have sin of fear that when I've srun
My last thread. shall pcrslio OF the shore
Last year read in the papers that J.
Tucker, Senator in the Georgia Legislature,
and Judge with prospects Of higher pro-
motion, committed suicide, leaving an af:
fecling note's1a,ing that lie was miserable
Was it my early friend or not?
Tucker was in the rhckest of that PRAYER
meeting. And M'Carty wept with those
who wept, anil r"joicrd with them that rc.
j"ired. AS entered that door, the sc.n-
dagucrrcoiyprd iIsefon my mind for ever
the persons, The position, the employ
mrrls.
But who IL this pcni,cn., The first, aconi-
z'ng as if allehi> bones were brukrn2 |
WAS slow in believing my eyes. II, among
I AL our young men, there WAS one most
wicked, had, in my own mind, set him
! down as William Denton. His scorn of
rie'y was wi'hrring. He was among the
trw';'';.t conld playa fIlIe-an inS,ru.
mc't Of dcvilish associations, according to
! my previous teaching. That very Sahta,l,
afternoon heard him ridculinp the scru
Piles ofs"sne who would not study ordinary.
LESSONS on THAT day; and he 'prnirssrd
to have mennrized his Crack grammar
with peculiar facility while cIass-rncc,iny
was going on near him the better day. the
better decd and:so on The prni,cnt 80
broken hearted was none other ,Lau Den.
? ION. The pains of hell 7gat 'hoIi'upon him.
He was poured out Ike waiter. His po>ure
vas iudescribal,lc, for. he neither kneel,.l
nor sal. nor lay down, tut writnvd. And
! rs | stood. lrh"ld miracle of grace! His
frame rclswrd, his E.re hearle,l, he rose
;>S'raii'I mp. ;in'l. 'o"kng as into heaven,
,:xrlai neil, I..>uS! Jesus! Jesus y The
| tone of'voice was suppressed. vet strangely
ernphatic-.h"ked with emotion. alone
heard il. From THAT DAT, bis t!ianrr w;Is
arparcn, to all. Soon he WAS u class leader
then a preacher. He graduated at Ran
dolph Macon College in :FS4l, and, full of
promise and polished for usefulness, returned
to South Carolina. arrived ut The cuiru.:
y few days after he had lett it, greatly to
my sorrow, for | wantc, to see his face again
Mysterious provi,lcnce! tasssson The news
came llr.l he was dead. I~reco llect my frl-
rings eighteen yeats ago. on real ing his last
three worlS. The obituary describing his
sickness. and resignation, and hope in death
aided that h;s last wnr,lsh.w were, Jesus
Jesus / jesus This coincidence, was know,
only TO myself So trn; is Jesus The first an.l
the last, Alpha an'l the Omega, Tie I~gin
Mug and the end Of our salvation
passed on round the room, no, 'irrever
emily butswonaering. iz. an older ami wiser
sinner once did, how these things could be
Grown persons had seen in the altar ut
old Bin"akes camp ground. but never It'll.
boys like myself. Sinners in tears Of peni
lienlial grief, and new converts In theirfirsl
1ioyH had seen fhere too. but their aDtece.
|'dpnts were unknown 10 me; and the con
,rast betweepxroht Of Christ and 'ig,Christ
had never @been so sharply presented
Religion had taken for granted as a mat
ter of course--all of Us must be converted
some day. But that perncouslyssyague
I idea;6f .od enough to be conyer'edsswas in
my way, asin has been in tifsswny of,h, U.S.
anIs. Who WAS to bs blamed Not my
dear parents: they only believed and talk
edas other people AndsaiIi6issspreachers talked
Eard believed about childhnnd and the
Church. A. Yet, WIS not old enough to
he 'onvcrtsd! No oss 10 particular was to
be blamed for this error; only the idea oI
the age and of the C,urch hail 30 far get
behi",i, almost out Of sight OF, the, idea
Christ. Six or seven years before, one Sun
dry aftsrnooay mother, slowly recovering
from sirknessswas lying upon her bed, and
feading to me out Of the biography or
religious lady. My heart was strangely i'm
pressed. If4t myself sinner, aud yet -on
I, ne score Of no particularly remembered
sins Taars csf,e and were wibsu awny
with the curtains behind WHICH hid my
head. WAS moved to pray--for wtth',
could not distinesly say.Sq Near the garden
Paiings was secret place; SO it, came 10
my mind. started there to PssE, The
spiri. that moved nis@so prayer wou'd
doubtless have helped me to frsS. Err
! we'd y, lite spot a mansggaat was standing
close by, and .sRoke 10 me. Some TAX
sprangsnp smind; wss:divetted' and hall
ashamed ,of ssts lpurpossis snd I went with
l. - .-aue..