The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1878-07-25
believe there's any judgment day, do


members" answered the trapper, "for
I've never ben in the settlements least
wise, I've never studied the habits Of the
creturs, and I dare say they differ, bein'
good and bad, and I've seed some that
was sartinly vagabonds. No, / don't
know much about CT Il rch-members but
I sartinly believe, yis, know, there is q
day when the Lord shall ledge the livln'
and the dead and the honest trapper
shall stand on one side and the vagabond
that pliers his skins and steals his traps
shall stand on the other. This is what
the Book says, and it sartinly seems
reasonable, for the deeds that he did on
the arth be Of two sorts, and the folks
that do 'em be of two kinds, and atween
the two the Lord, eff he notes anything,
must make dividin' line.'
"And when do you think this judg-
ment is, John Norton ?" asked the gam
bier, as if he was actually enjoying the
crude but honest ideas of his companion.
The trapper hesitated moment before
he spoke, then he said
81 conceit that the Judgment be al
ways goin' on. It's court that never
| adjourns, and deserters and the knaves
and the disobedient in the regiment be
always ON trial. But I conceit that
there comes a day to every man, good
and bad, when the record OF his deeds
| be looked over from the start, and the
good and the bad counted up; and IN
that day he gifts the final Judgment,
whether it be for or agin him. And
now, boy" continued the old man SOL
emily, with a touch of infinite tender
ness in the vibrations of his voice, "ye
be nigh the Judgment day, yerself, and
the deeds ye have did, both the good
and the bad, will be passed in review. I"
I reckon there isn't much chance
for me if your view is sound, John Nor
ton." And for the first time his tone
lost it's cheerful recklessness.
"The court be court of marcy, and
the ledge looks upon 'em that comes up
| for trial AS ef he was their father"
"That ends it, old man." answered
the gambler. "My father never showed
me any mercy when l was boy. II he
had, l shouldn't have been here now. If
I did wrong deed I got it to the last
inch of the lash," and the words were
more intensely bitter because spoken so
quietly. >.%>
"The fathers Of 'arth be not like the
Father Of Heaven, for I have seed 'em
correct their children beyond reason, and
without marcy. They whipped in their
rage and not in their wisdom; they
whipped because they was strong, and
not because of their love: they whipped
when they should have forgiven, and got
what they arnt-the hatred of their
children. But the Father of Heaven be
different, boy. He knows the men be
weak as well as wicked. He knows that
half of 'em haven't had fair chance,
and SO He overlooks much; and when
He can't overlook it, conceit He sorter
forgives in lump. Yis, He subtracts
all He can from the evil we have did,
boy, and eff that isn't enough to satisfy
His feelin's toward a man that might
have been different eff he'd had fair
chance, He jest wipes the whole row Of
fgur's clean out at the askin'."
SAT the asking? e said the gambler;
" that's mighty quick game. Did you
ever pray, John Norton?''
"Sartin', sartin', I be prayin' man, !"
said the trapper, stnrdi1y.
SAT the asking ?" murmured the gam
bier, softly.
"Sartin', boy" answered the trapper;
"that's the line the trail takes, we can
depend on it; and it will bring ye to the
end of the great clearin' in peace"
"It's quick deal" said the gambler,
| RI Golf ,1i4or1r, c,. -,
of the incongruity of his speech to his
thoughts. ''Tt's qaick deal, but can
see that it might end as he says, if the
feeling was right"
| For moment nothing was said The
trapper stood looking steadfastly at the
young man on the moss, as he lay with
his quiet face turned up to the sky, to
whose color had already come the first
| shade of the awful Wilderness. @
Up the mountain rifle cracked.
Neither stirred. A red squirrel ran out
on the limb, twenty feet above the gam
bler's head, and shook the silence into
fragments with his chattering; then sat
gazing with startled eyes at the two men
underneath. ~s<% 70 "+a t@'~+
"Can you pray, old man p asked the
gambler, quietly. D. "a - "a a. y
"Sartinly," answered the trapper
Can you pray inswords % asked the
gambler, again. .... g sy~ e,.y
For moment the trapper hesitated.
Then he said: 1T can't say that [ can.
No, sartinly, can't say that L could I'M
dertake it with reasonable chance OF
gittin' through; leastwise, it wouldn't be
i'll a way to help man any,"
SIS there any way, old man, in which
we can go partners?'' asked the gam
bier, the vocabulary of whose profess
sion still chung to him in the solemn
counseling.
81 was thinkin' Of that" answered
the trapper; "yis, was thinkin' eff we
couldn't sorter iine works and each help
the other by doing his own part him
self. VS. continued the old man, after
a moments reflection, "the plans
good un-ye pray for yerself and I'll
pray for myself-and II I can git in any
thing that seems likely to do ye sarvice
We can count on it as We can a grooved