The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1872-12-26
= lErsm Hearth and Home.l
The Hoosier School Master.
ny EDwARD EoGLEsTon.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE STRUGGLE IN THE DARK.

.
II was long. lonesome. fearful nigh,
thst the school master passsd lyins
with nerves on edge and eyes wids
open In that c0miDstless bed 10 the
''furdest corner" Of the loft OF Pets
Jones' house, shiveriDg with coli,
while the light snow that was fallJAs
ssfted in upon the ragged patch-vesk
quilt that covered him. Nsrves shae-
tered by sleeplessnesa imagins many
thisgs. and for the first hour Ralph
Sslt sure that Pete wruId cut his throat
bsfore morning. Aud you, friend CAL
low, Who have blunted your palate BY
swallowing the Cayenns pepper Of the
penny. .dreadfuls. or OF certain sort Of
sunday school books. you wish me 70
msbe this night exciting by . han0
to-hand contest between Ralph and .
rsbber. You would like It bstter II
fhers were trap-door. There's noth-
Ing 90 convenisDt - . asteap-sioog un-
lsss II be subterraneau passage. And
you'd Hike something Of that sbft .iart
here. It's % pleasant to have ones
hair staDd on end. you know. whom
oos II sase from danger to ones eli.
Hut you want eeels indtvtAsai hair
to bristle with such Struggle IN the
Dark" you can buy trsp-d0oss and
subterranean passages dirt cheap ct
the next newsstand. But II was, In
deed. . real and terrible struggle In
the DARK" that Ralph fought out u
Pete Jones'. A
When he had vanquished his fears ~
psrsonal violence BY reminding himself
that II would be folly for Jones to
commit murder in his own house, ths
question OF Bud aud Hannah took the
sppermost place 10 his thoughts. And
o the image Of Hannah spelliug
against the master came up to him, %
the memory Of the walk, the talk, the
box elder tree. and all the rest took
possession of him, II seemed TO Ralph
that bis very life depended upon his
securing her 1--we. He would shut his
teeth like the Jaws of 8 buii-dog. aud
ali Buds muscle should not prevail
ovsr hisFSsDlution spd bis stsasegerns.
Il ssss sasy to- peEsnads hlnaslf
that this was right. Hannah ought
not 10 throw herself away On cBa1
n ans. Men ofsume culture always
play their coDceit Oh against their,
To n man OF literary
habits II always see,ns TO he = great
boon that he confers on woman when
he gives her his love. Reasoning
thus. Rsiph had fixed bis resolution,
and IL The nsgbt had been shortsr,s or
sleep possible. the color OF his life
might have been changed. WY
Bot sometime along N the tedious
hours came the memory OF hk child.
hood. the words Of his mot her. the old
Bible stories. the aspiration after mo-
biiity Of spirit, the solemn resoIu-
tions to be true to bis .conscisnce.
Thsse sngsls OF the memofyi sssne
back before tbs animal, the
boll-toGgedness, had set, ~ vogkees
pf plastsr say. He remembered the
story Of David and Nathan, and it
Desmsd to him that, with all his abili-
lies and ambitions and prospects, was
about to rob Bud Of the one ewe-lamb,
The only thing he had to rejoice in in
bis life. In getting Hannah, he would
make himself unworthy OF Hannsh.
And then there came to him . vision
Df the supreme value Of . true charac-
ter; how 1t was better than success,
better than to be loved, better than
heaven. And how near hs hAd been
70 missing It And how certain. hs
vas, when these Thoughts shou.d fAdss.
70 miss II He WAS ~ one fighting for
! prize who fssls bis strength falling
and 10 sure Of defeat. ssttsH iii =
This vasthe real. awful struggle
10 the Dark. ~ A hurnan soul nghtine
with heaven IN saghs, sbut esrtstu ios1
clipping Inevitably Into hell! It. WAS
Ghe sa,ne old battle. The Image of
God fought with the Imags u che
Devil. II .was the came light that
Paul described 20 dramatically when
be represented the Spirit . eou tend
Ing With the Flssh. Paul also called
tbis dreadful something the Old Adam.
md I supposs Darwin wosta+ cssi ~
lhs remains ofsbe Wild bsast. but
call It what you VIII. II ~ the hattie
that svsfy wsii-eniowed soul must
tight at soms goint.e Aud 10. Ralph u
seemed that ths Anal svictory OF the
Evil, the OldsAdsm, the Flesh, the
Wild Beast, the Devil. was certain. ]
For, ~as not THE pare, unconscious
face 6f Hannah On the Devils sits Z.
Aud % the battle had just q wall BE-
givss ub Il epcS, fdtiG nl& - lgss@t7
lh&sh6. / 4fEtAflHl
But TO Ralph, lying there, ip 90
ssiIl fia1hsf@ 8ith shiAeOnacience -
wide-awake = II Il were the Day, Of
Dssoas, thsrs se0s4ed sosretbsne - tsr-
.itisls tbis svssthsow ~ (hs ssatss -
.urs which Ne knew 70 Nj i0svttabie ae