Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1879-12-25

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Bound tor home, mani" answered the
Rev. Joseph Dyer, "Whcre else should a
man be going, this time oil the year, but
home to the old folks and Thanksgiv'
ing2"
"Do you always feel in mood to be
thankful, then, on the set day?"
"To be sure | do, Jack; why not
There's always enough to be grateful
for; the Bible wouldn't say, In everything
give thanks, if there was not something
in all things to be thankful for"
81 don't know about that; there ar,
things in every mans hte for which he
can't be thankful, You cannot expect
any man, for instance, to be grateful that
he has sinncd?"
A certain thrill in the tone and little
quivcrof the eyelid told Mr.. Dyers keen
ear and eye more than Jonn Carter meant
to tell
''I think man sometimes ought to be
more thankful for his sin than for his
goodness. Jack. don't mean for the
sin as 4 SIM but for its use to his moral
life, if he receives the lesson rightly. How
on earth are you going to feel any sympa.
thy for sinners If you have never tallen?'
Only God incarnate could do that.
"But think OF the suffering SIN entails
on the sinner himself; could you be thank.
fulto have a dreadful wound inflicted on
you?"
John Dyer looked at his friend agalu
with eyes pitiful and penetrating both.
"My dear fellow, I've seen a man heart.
lily glad of a wound that made him help.
less, simply because it kept him out OF
temptations; and II sinner whose con-
science torments him because of sin will
never commit such another"
Here was Mr.. Carters station, and as
he left tAc car he wrung his friends hand
with unnecessary icrvOr
Poor Jack! y said Mr.. Dyer to himself,
little knowing how much he had done to
help the weary hurdan.bcmer.
1t chancad, us we tools say, that the
next week an acquaintance came into
John Carriers Office; aman about his age;
not friend, but Il person whom he con.
stantly met as buslSncSS men do meet each
other Mr.. Pierce was ordinarily norid,
prosperous man; to-day he was CHASTITY
pale and looked twenty years Older than
usual.
"Carter?' said he, hoarsely, lean /
speak to you moment in privatcr'
John Carter turned the key in his office
door; his clerk had gone home to dinner.
Nobody will disturb us, Pierce; what
is itp"
Mr.. Pierce grOaned and turned his head
away, then he rcsolutely faced Mr.. Carter,
OTIS no use! must tell. Carter,
want ten thousand dollars. have lcen
rascal; have speculated With money
that didn't belong to me and lost it, to-
morrow the girls guardian will send for
it. She is to be married, | don't know
why came to you; bnt did! want to
borrow this money, and save my wife and
children from disgrace, and myself from
prison"
"You shall have it," said John Carter.
1t alm0s. seemed to him ray of heavenly
light this chance to help another man, an
other sinner.
81 don't ask without security; have
made OuJa mortgage on my house in -th
street. If | borrowed anywhere but at
our bank it would be told against ne;
borrowing there would be worse"
"You shall have it IN an h1m," was
Mr.. Carriers answer. Pi'rce sat down in
chair and looked at him with his heart
in his eyes, but he could not speak, the
sudden relief ovcrpowercl hm.
"Stay here till draw it, Mr., Carter
SAID, and before the hour had passed the
money was in jacob Pierce's pocket.
81 cant thank you, he said.
/ GNIlnn't t,tr' ~ tng,uur,l Mr. fnrtn,
smiling.
The year passed slowly and with 1t
went much OF John Cartcr's misery. He felt
like a man on desert island who has sud-
denly found compauonship in the survivor
of another wreck. He met Mr.. Pierce con.
tinually, and u hearty hund-shakc or IL
cordial word always passed uctwcen them;
the borrower, strange to say, felt no scrv-
ltrde to the lender, no dreadful weight Of
debt; there was something i'll Mr.. Car.
ter's whole air and manner that set Pierce
at his ease; he felt as sure that his secret
was safe as in his own bosom. The uncOn-
cious atmosphere of character is one OF
the influences we make little account Of,
yet it is weighty Is gravtatlon, and incv-
liable as life.
1t was the day before Thanksgiving
again, and there came to John Carter In
his office note and inclosurc to this eff
feet:
"DEAR CARTER: have been lucky in
the recent rise in real estate. and you will
find herein certificate Of deposit in oul
bank to the amount of your 'oan and in.
terest. want you to kno, that though
| never preien led to be Il Christian, you
have preached me the best sermon even
heard and pretty near converted me. God
bless you! j. PIERCE.
John laid his head on his desk In 4
strange, sweet, yet bitter ama2ement
Could 1t be? lie, the sinner, an example
for and of Christi Suddenly there swept
across his mind, as with breath of pow
er divine, the devotion and aspiration oi
David after his fall, the work Of Peter
who denied his Lord; the itcnder forgive
ness held out with patient love to Thomas
He seemed to hear the same dear graciou,
voice saying to him: "Reach hither tiny
finger and behold my hand, raach hithel
thy hand and thrust it into my side, and
be not iaithless, but believing
"The blood of Christ Ccanseth troM al
SIM"
And, like Thomas, his whole hcart
burned within him and his white lips
whispered, "My Lord, and my God.
The next day. as his children were cluS
tering about him in the sunny parlor, and
his wife, with the baby in her arms crow
ing and trying to reach the roses in hel
hair, stood looking on, far lovier and
faircr than in her beautiful girlhood, there
was ring at the door, and the servant
brought in a basket Of exquisite flower:
directed to Mrs. Carter, and on the card
was written: "a thousand thanks tc
help your Thanksgiving!"
1t was pleasant mystery only to Sarah
John Carter knew the hand writing well
and the words Mr.. Dyer had said to him
year ago flashed into his mind,
| Yes; to-day he could be thankful even
for his sin; it was forgiven of God, his
grateful heart well knew. and but for that
experience would he ever have rescued
Jacob Pierce so willingly, so joyfully, from
the depths where he had falIenp Could
man who never strayed have had such
intelligent pity for another wandererP Oh
would he himself have known through any
other teaching the bitterness and sinful
ness ofsin; have appreciated its wages;
Or valued its weight of degredationp
1t is true his soul was SCARED, but scars
mean warning as well as shame, He fel
sure now that no earthly temptation would
charm him again; that for all his life the