The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1874-03-26

very attractive to him new that it.
duration vas measured BY the de-
scending sun. And what . quickenel
Of conscience is the prospccs Of inn
mediate death! In these hours the
voice Of kike, reproving him for his
reckless living, rang in his memory
ceaselessly. He saw what distcrt-
ed failure he had made Of life; he
longcd for q chance to try it over
again. But unless help should come
from some unexpected quarter, he
must resign himself to his fate.
1t is barely possible that the crowd
might have become 30 demoraized
by waiting IS to have let Morton 60,
or n least to have handed him over
to the authorities, bad there not come
along ut that moment, Mr.. Mcllen,
the stern and ung~mmatical Metho-
dist preacher. Of whom Morton had
made so much sport in Wilkins's set
element. Having to preach 1t fifty
eight appointments ia four weeks, he
VAS somewhat itincrant, and was now
hastening to \ preaching place n0ar
by. One OF the crowd, seeing Mr..
Mellen, suggested that Morton had
orter be allowed to see . preacher
and git 'fxed up" afore he died.
Some of the others disagreed. They
warn't nothin' in the mex world too
bad fer hoss- thief, by jimeny hoe
cakes. They warn't stringin' men
up 10 send 'em to heaven. but to
t'other place.
Mellen was called in, however, and
at once recognized Morton as the un-
godly young man who had insulted
him and disturbed the worship of
God. He exhorted him to repent,
and to tell who was the owner Of the
horse, and to seek Saviour who was
ready TO forgive even the dying thief
upon the cross. In vain Morton pro-
tested his innocence. Mellen told
him that he could not escape, though
he advised the crowd to hand him
over to the sheriff. But Mellen's
additional testimony to Morton's bad
character had destroyed bis last
chance Of being given up to the
courts. As soon as Mr.. Mellen went
away, the arrangements for hanging
him at nightfall began to take def
mite shape, and a rope was hung over
limb, Ia full sight Of the condemned
man. Mr.. Mellen used with telling
effect at every one of the 6fty-eight
places upon his next round, the story
Of the sad end Of this hardened young
man. who had begun as scoffer, and
ended as an impenitent thief.
Morton sat IN sort Of stupor,
watching the sun descending toward
the horizon. He heard the rude
voices Of the mob about him. But
he thought of Patty and his mother.
While the mob was thus waiting
for night, and Morton waiting for
death, there passed upon the road an
elderly man. He was just going out
Of sight when Morton reused himself
enough to observe him. When he
had disappeared, Goodwin was
haunted with the notion that it must
be Mr.. Donaldson, the old Presby-
terian preacher, whose sermons he
had so often heard at the Scotch Set
tlement. Could it be that thoughts
of home and mother had suggested
Donaldson? At least, the faintest
hope was worth clutching at in a
time Of despair.
"Call him back" cried Morton.
"Won't somebody call that old man
back? he knows me"
Nobody was disposed to serve the
culprit. The leaders looked know
ingly the one at the other, and shrug-
ged their shoulders.
"If you don't call him back you
will be a set of murderers," cried the
despairing Goodwin.