The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-11-27
his companion had the force Of an interroga-


'It ought to-" replied the stranger, in
answer TO the look. "Children after the
flesh n ay not be children, but children of
the spirit and the soul remain ours forever
The man said this with dignity.
i've built somethin' on that idea" re-
"What you've built will stand" said the
other sententiously.
For perhaps a minute nothing more was
said. Both men sat with grave faces looking
steadily off across the lake at the mountain,
which lifted its green slope up from the
other side. Perhaps they were looking be-
yond the mountain. Most OF us do occa,
sionally. Then the man said, somewhat
timidly, as if feeling his way:
ibid you ever lose wife, John Norton?"
81 never married." responded the trap
per.
"You are strong yet" suggested the man,
and he looked at the stalwart frame OF the
tra2per; No.. c-,
good 80 miles. reckon, yesterday" returned
the trapper.
You must be very strong" returned his
companion, and he looked at the broad pro-
portions of the trapper and then he glanced
at his own feeble body, adding, 81 am not
| very strong myself / have a good many
| pains l suffer good deal. 1 don't know
why should stay"-the man paused at this
! point. He had been talking as man talks
( who Is trying to bring the conversation
round TO a certain point and is not
making a success of it. At last he said, as
If he would get over the difficulty with one
| dash
"What is dying, John Norton?
"Its going out of the body, as | conceit,
answered the trapper.
us it anything else," answered the man,
| meditatingly.
"Sartinly," replied the trapper; ''it's goin'
| into body"
The body then" continued the man, sis
a sort of house in which we live, is ii
/ not?'
That's the way it looks to me-" answered
| the trapper.
when the house gets old and unfit to
live in, have we a right to open the door and
go out seeking a new and better one, John
NortonP'
''The Lord who gave us the house, alone
knows when it is unfit; leastwise, no hand
but His should open the door, as conceit,"
answered the trapper
John Norton" and the man spoke
earnestly, 'listen. Look at this body; it is
worn out Its remsining strength only in.
creases my pain. 1t affects my mind. Even
the gifts of the Lord are no benefit. The
beauty OF the day, the glory Of the night, the
loveliness of the earth and the splendor of
the heavens are not apprehended. My eyes
are dim, so that can not see. My hearing
easily. A little toll in the day fills the night
with suffering. l am well, but my body is
sick The tenant is noble and more needy
than ever, for need finer and higher things
than once did; but the house has become
howell. Why should 1 stay in it?' and he
put the question to the trapper with force,
almost imperiously.
Perhaps 1t was the sudden earnestness of
the man; perhaps it was the influence of the
facts he had stated on his mind which caused
him TO remain silent; whatever was the
cause, the trapper made no reply, but re-
. manned looking steadfastly at his guest.
Then again spoke the man.
What is life? Residence in one spot?
No; it is movement. Why should we sane
tify a spot and say we must stay there for
ever?-say it is wicked to leave IL? Why
keep the soul pent, when it would move up
and move on? Are the activities of the body
and the soul one and the same? Certainly
not. If the activities OF the body fail, why
should the activities of the soul come TO a
halt? Why should the higher be made slaye
to the lower? Why should the immortal
wait the pleasure Of that which dies? The
body was given ms as blessing. 1t has
Ceased to be such-ceased to be such by no
fault Of mine but by the working OF laws
inherent in its own weakness. 1t has not
only ceased to be a blessing; il is curse.
Why should | stay in II, John Norton? Why
should I not open the door to-night-the
door of my prison, remember-and go out
of my captivity into the wide liberties OF the
freed spirits that move in bodies that never
die?r
The man was speaking, not only with
earnestness, but even with passionate utter
ance now. His eyes glowed. His face light
ed. And when he spoke of going out OF the
prison into the wide Liberties he swept his
hand into the air with gesture OF mighty
significance.
Again the trapper remained silent, and
again the man resumed
You SAID, John Norton, you have no
wife. l had one-I mean. nave one; but
she is not here. For forty years We lived
together-lived together in love- God gave
US children. l WIS not lacking means. My
fortune was abundant. Our home WAS all q
home could be. We lived and labored to-
gether. We performed DUTY. We gave to-.
the poor. But what have nowP Wy wife
! is gone; my children are gone; my home is
gone; my fortune Is gone; my strength
is gone. l have no one to love on this side
have nothing to do. There is no reason
| why / should stay. 1 shall open the door.
/ shall open 1t tonight. / shall go out and
! find new strength, and new duties, and my
old loves. The finding of the three will be
| in heaven"
For moment nothing was said. The two
men sat looking steadfastly across the water
at the mountain which lifted its green slope
on the other side = looking beyond the
mountain as we'll The new world lay be-
yond the mountain. The new world? The
old, old world, we should rather say--the
old, perfect world-old, without age and as
| perfect as God. The two men sat looking into
Unlocking as the young never look. Why
should they? Their time to look has not
| come.
At length the trapper said:
at may be ye are right, friend; but arter
my way of thinkin' there be some things not
! given for mortals to fix; the time that man
| is to be born, and the time that he is to die,
| is not within the reach Of his orderin'. /
have knowed them that was born too late,
and baye knowed them that was born TOO
'arly. And I've seed many die, and the
same might be said OF their ayin'; leastwise
| II seems so to me. But the Lord be WISE and
man be ignorant; aud He alone knows when
| Il Ia hast Tor thu trail q and uhathar IL ha