The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-04-12

couian pe zone Tor less than two hundred
and nifty dollars. Of course it was entirely
OUT OF the questionable had only wondered
Wnat IL would cost-that was all.
.. gun NO sleep. He wished he hadn't spoken
VIII nay ABOUT his soul-next time he would
mlna MS own business. He wished he hadn't
eMpioyed Lay. He wished the meeting for
consideration Of the needs of the impenitent
had never taken place. 'No man can come
to me except the Father which sent me draw
hlm"-he wished he had remembered that
passage and quoted it at the meeting-it was
no light matter to interfere with the Al
mighty's plans.
''Ble sed are the merciful for they shall OBJ
tain mercy" Hah! Could that CARPENTER
be in the room, dsarranging his train of
thought with ch-such-tantalizing texts?
They had kept him awake, and at his time
OF life restless night was a serious matter.
Suppose
Very early the next morning the village
doctor, returning from a patients bedside,
met the deacon with face which suggested
to him 1.-THE doctor was pious and imaeina-
tive) Abraham on Mount Moriah.0 The
village butcher, more practical, hailed the
good man, and Informed him that he was in
time for eood steak, but the deacon shook
ms head In agony, and passed ON. He neared
the carpenters house, stopped, tottered, and
looked over his shoulder as if intending to
run; at length he made his way behind the
house, where Hay was chopping fre-wood.
The carpenter saw him and turned pale-he
feared the deacon had found cheaper labor
and had come to give him warning.
George" said the deacon, Give been do
ing heap of thinkin' bout what we talked
of yesterday. Pve come to say that il you
like I'll lend you three hundred dollars for as
long as yev mind to, without note, securi
ty, or interest, you to spend ez much of it ez
We need to dress ye. an yer hull family in
Sunday clothes; and to put the balance in the
Savin's Bank, at interest, to go on doing the
same when necessary. An all of We go to
chulch when We feel so disposed. AM eff no.
body else's pew door opens, yer always well
come to mine. And may the Lord''-the
deacon finished the sentence to himself
shave mercy on my SOUL" Then he said
aloud:
"Thats ALL"
The carpenter at the beginning of the dea-
cons speech, had dropped his axe to the i'm
minent danger of one OF his feet. AS the dea
con continued, the carpenter dropped his
head to one side, raised one eyeb row inquir-
ingly, and awaited the conditions. But when
the deacon said "That's ALL" George Hay
seized the deacon's hard old hand, gave it a
grasp which brought agonizing tears to its
NeucIdDle OWHeT, anu tACldiluous
deacon, Gods people are retormin' p
The deacon staggered litttle-he had not
thought of it in that light before.
deacon, that money'll do more good than
all the prayin' We ever done. Excuse mel
must tell Mary" and the carpenter dashed
into the house. Had Mrs. Hay respected the
dramatic proprieties, she would have made
the deacon neat speech; but the truth is,
she regarded him from behind the window
blind, and wiped her eyes with the corner of
her apron, seeing which, the deacon abruptly
started for home, making less use of his cane
than he had done in any day for years.
1t is grievous to relate, but the truth is
! mighty,-that within a fortnight the good
deacon repented of his generous action at
least fifty times. He would die in the poor
house if he were so extravagant again. Three
hundred dollars was more than a cow-Shed-
lumber, shingles, nails, labor and all-would
cost. Suppose Hay should take the money
and go west? Suppose he should take to
drinking, and spend it all for liquor? One
suspicion after another tortured the poor man
until he grew thin and nervous. But, on the
second Sunday, having satisfied himself that
Hay was in town, sober, the day before, that
he had been to the city and brought back bun
dies and that he 1.-THE doacon) had seldom
been in the street without meeting one of
Hays children with a paper of hooks and
eyes, or spool of thread, the deacon station
ed himself in one of his own front windows,
and brought his spectacles to bear on Hay's
door, little distance off, The first bell had
rung, apparently hours before, yet no one APP
peared-could it be that he had basely sneak
ed to the city at night, and pawned every
thing? No-the door opened-there they
came. 1t couldn't be-yes, it was-well he
never imagined Hay and his wife were so fine
a lOoEipr oO1Ipla rHnov md bo
deacon, forgetting his cane, hobbled hurried
| ly to church. entered his pew, and left the
door wide open. He waited long, it seemed
to him, but they did not come He looked
around impatiently, and there, oh, JOY and
wonder! the President of the Pawkin Saw
| ings' Institution had invited the whole family
| into his pew! Just then the congregation
rose to sing the hymn commencing,
ttFrom all that dwell below the skies
Let the Creators praise arise;'
and the deacon in his excitement, distanced
| the choir, and the organ, and the congrega-
| ton, and almost brought the entire musical
| service to standstill.
The-deacon had intended to watch closely
| for Hays conversion, but something wonder
| full prevented-it was reported everywhere
| that the deacon himself had been converted,
| and all who now saw the deacon fully believ.
ed the report. He was even heard to say
that, as there seemed to be some doubt as to
whether faith and works was the saving vir-
tue, he intended thereafter to practice both.
He no longer mentioned the poor house as
his prospective dwelling, but is heard to say
that in his Fathers house are many man.
sjons, and that he is laying up his treasure in
heaven, as fast as possible, and hopes he may
get it all on the way there, before his heart is
called for. At the post Office, the tin-shop,
and the rum shop, the deacon's conversion is
| constantly discussed, and the men of all de-
grees now express belief in the mighty pow
er of the Spirit from on high. Other money
ed men have been smitten and changed, and
the pastor of the Pawkin Center church daily
thanks the Lord for such revival as he new
or heard of before -Cfbr;sf;nn TI,,;on