The Redwood gazette., 1874-05-07

"Never got any dividends ON that 9th
er insurance you put me up to taking
partner-that 'gainss fire.risks in the mex
world, you know. Twill be tough /
there's any mistake-church does take ,
sight of money"
7Joseph," said the Squire, in scrrow
full tone, "I've always been afeared the,
didn't look enough into your evidence
when they took you into that church
How can . man expect to escape on thu
day of wrath if he's all the time grum
bling at the cost of his salvation? Mis-
take? If you don't know in your hear
the truth OF what you profess there's
mighty little hope for you, church or M
"Know in my heart!" cried Joe
"That's . pretty kind Of security. /,
that what I've been paying church due.
fort Better have known it in my hear
in the first place, and saved the money
What's the use of believing all thes.
knotty points if they don't make sur,
thing for . mani"
III your belief don't make you an.
better or happier, Joseph" rejoined tn,
Squire, YOU'D better look again and SO,
if you've got good hold Of it; thos,
that's got clear title don't find their in.
vestment as slow in making returns, Will.
those that find fault are generally the one'
that's made mistake"
Poor Joe! He thought he had settled
this whole matter; but now, if his part
ner was right, he was worse of than If he
hadn't begun. He believed in justifica,
ton by faith; now, wasn't his faith
strong-first class, he might say? To be
sure of being safe, hadn't he believed
everything that all the ministers had in.
sisted upon as essential? And what soas
faith, if it wasn't believingl He would
ask his partner; the old man had got him
into this scrape now he must see him
through.
"'Squire," }" said he, "isn't faith the same
thing as believing?'
"Well," said the Squire, adjusting his
glasses, and taking from the desk the lit
tie Testament upon which he admins
tered oaths, "that depends on how you
believe. Here's q verse on the subject
Thou believest in God; thou doest we'll
the devils also believe, and tremble.'"
Ugh! Joe shivered. He wasn't an aris.
tocrat but would any one fancy such
companionship as the Squire referred to
Here" said the Squire, turning the
leaves, Z" is another passage bearin' on the
subject. oh, generation of vipers, who
hath warned you to flee from the wrath
to come? Bring forth, therefore, fruit.
meet for repentance
Vipers! Joe uncomfortably wondered
who else the Squire was going to intro
duce into the brotherhood of faith.
"Now see what it says in another
place." continued the Squire, " Not
every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven,
but he that doeth the will of My Father
which is in helven.'"
"Yes," said Joe, grateful for hearing ol
no more horrible believers, but what 1,
His will but believing on Himf DOM
the Bible say that they that believe shall
be savedi"
"Joseph," said the Squire, when you
believed in my store, you put in you
time and money there. When you be
lieved in hosstradin' you devoted your
self to practicing it. When you believed
life insurance was q good thing you tool
out policies and paid for them, though
you haps complained of the Patagoniar
dividends. Now, if you do believe in
God, what have you done to prove it?"
| "I've paid over q hundred dollars q
year church Dues" said Joe, wrathfally
mot counting subscriptions to new bell
and new organ"
"That wasn't for God, Joseph" said
| the Squire; "'twas all for you. God
never'n thank you for running an asylum
! rol paup11s n TO work. You'll find In
the twenty-fift chapter of Matthew de
scription of those that's going into the
kingdom of heaven-they're the people
that give food and clothing to the needy,
and that visit the sick and prisoners
while those that don't do these things
don't 60 in, to put it mildly. He dom
say word about belief there, Joseph,
for He knows that giving away property
don't happen till . mans beliefs pretty
strong"
Joe felt troubled. Could it really b<
| that his internal insurance was going to
cost more money! Joe thought envious.
" Of Col. Bung, President Of the Bung
field Railroad Company-the Colonel
didn't believe in anything; so he saved
all his money, and Joe wished he had
some of the Colonel's courage.
Joe's meditations were interrupted bv
the entrance of Sam Ottrey, . poor fel
low who owed Joe some money. Jos
had lent Sam . hundred dollars, dis
counted 10 per cent for ninety days, anl
secured by chattel mortgage on SamI
horse and wagon. But Sam had beer
sick during most of the ninety days, and
when he went to Joe to beg . few day,
OF grace that exemplary business maj
insisted upon immediate payment
1twas easy to see by Sans hopeless ey,
aid strained features that he had no
come to pay-he was staring ruin in th,
foNo and Eo1f ~,
amount were millions instead of hors,
and wagon, his only means Of support
As for Joe, he had got that hundred dol
ars and horse and wagon mixed up in tn,
loddest way with what he and his partne
had been talking about. It was utterl,
unbusiness-like-he knew it-he tried 4
make business business and religion re
ligton, but he could not succeed. 10,
thought briskly; he determined to try .,
SSam," said he, : got the moneyr
"No."sam replied; aluck's SIN me
I've got to stand it 1 suppose"
"Sam," said Joe, "l'lf give YOU Ill tn,
time you need, at legal Interest,"
Sam was not such, q vonno man A ssn
tfmental people would select % trv ZOO
deeds upon. But he was human. an,
loved his wife and children, and the and
den relief he felt caused him to look q
couple Of entire strangers in his own eyel
hs partner looked up inquiringly yoe II
piled:
aI've got : dividend, 'squirs,-ons 9
| those We were talking about" ~ -
H0W's thati" asked The old ma
i - Tx