Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-11-19

was not worth it, had been in prison.
was a wicked man. | must not blame
them. -
And again:
''Tbey would have come il they had
known. They would not have let me die
alone. I don't think she would have done
that. wonder where she Is? Nobody has
missed me-that is all. | must not mind.'
Growing weaker, he thought less and
prayed more. He prayed, at last, almost all
his time. When he did not pray, he slept
When he could not sleep, he prayed. He
addressed q ID with that sublime familiarity
Of his, which fell from his lips with no more
irreverence than the kiss OF a child falling
upon its mothers hand or neck.
The murderer, the felon, the outcast,
talked with the Almighty Holiness, as man
talketh with his friends. The deserted, dis
trusted, dying creature believed himself to
be trusted by the Being who had bestowed
on him the awful gift of life.
He thought, while his thoughts remained
his own, most tenderiy and longingly Of those
for whom he had given his life. He remem-
bered how many keen cares OF their own
they had to carry, how many CHASTITY deeds
and sights to do and bear. It was not strange
that nc should not be missed. Who was he:
"A disgraced, unfamiliar man, among their
kin and neighbOrhOOd. Why should they
think of him: he said.
Yet he was glad that he could remember
them. He wished his living or his dying
tients had said to him, looks that healing eyes
had turned on him, little signs of human
love and leaning, came back to him as he lay
there, and stood around his bed, like people,
in the dark hut.
8. Theg Iored rae.v he said: Lord. as true
as I'm alive, they did! Pm glad lived long
enough to save life, to sGre iJei I'm much
obliged to You for that! 1 wish there was
something else l could do for them.
Lord, I'd be willing to die if it would help
IL. Il d aim
that way. toward sending them a Frost
&" No." he added, ''that amt reasonable.
4 frost and human life amt convertible
coin. He don't do unreasonable things. May
be I've lost my head already. But I'd be
glad to. That's all. l suppose 1 can dsk
You for frost. That's reason.
Lord God Of earth and Heaven, that
made the South and North, the pestience
and destruction, the sick and well, the living
and the dead. have mercy on Us miserable
sinners, Have mercy on the folks that pray
TO You, and on the folks that don't! Re
member the old graves, and the new ones,
and the graves that are to be opened II this
hellish heat goes on, and send Us blessed
frost, o 1 ord, rs an act Of hlfaqiJlty! And
il that amt the way to speak to You. re-
member haven't been a praying man long
enough to learn the language very well-and
that Pm pretty sick-but that l would be
glad to die-tO give them-a great, white,
holy frost. Lord, a frost. Lord, cool,
white, clean frost, for these poor devils that
have borne 80 much"
At midnight of that Saturday he doZed
and dreamed. He dreamed Of what he had
thought while Scip was sick; of what it was
like, to be holy; and sadly waking, thought
OF holy peOple-gOOd wCmeu and hOIest
men, who had never done deadly deed.
al can not be holy" thought Zeryiah
Hope: "but can pray for frost" So he
tried to pray for frost. But by that time he
- II ND n Ng-f1A
pitifuly, and he saw strange sights in the
little hut. 1t was as if he were not alone.
Yet no one had come in. She could not
come at midnight. Strange-hOw strange
Who was that who walked about the hut:
Who stood and looked at him: Who leaned
70 him: Who br0Oded over him: Who put
arms beneath him: Who looked at him, a
those look who love the sick too much TO
shrink from them:
a. don't know YoU," said Zerviah, in a
distinct voice. Presently he smiled. ''Yes,
I guess | do. see now. Pm not used 10
You. | never saw You before YOC are
Him I've heered abOut-GOd's SON. Gods
Son, You've taken great deal OF trouble to
come here after NE. Nobody else came.
You're the only one that has remembered
me. ,
a prisoner Of Tosl. Why, yes, They deserted
You. They let You die by Yourself. What
did You do il for: 1 don't know much about
theology. | am Lot an educated man. l
never prayed Till come south l
forget = What did YOH DO L for 20
A profound and solemn silence replied
WELL" said the SICK man, breaking i in
4 satisfied tone, A. il he had been answered,
81 wasn't worth ii but Pm glad You
came. / wish they had frost, poor things.
IOu won't 90 away: Well, Pm glad. Poor
things, Poor things. I'll take Your hand,
IL You've no objections"
After a little time, he added, in tone Of
unutteTahle tenderness and content:
"DsGr Lord :" anu said no more.
It was quiet night. The stars rode on
a IL there were no task but the tasks Of stars
in ali the universe. and no sorrow keener
than their sOrrOw, and no care other than
their motion and their shining The web Of
cloud iOatei like eXhaling breath between
them and the earth. Ii grew cooler before
the dawn The leaves of the palmetto over
Scip's grave seemed TO uncurl, and grow lax,
and soften. The dust still iew heavily, but
the wind rose
The sunday bells rang peacefully The
sick heard them, and the cpnyalescent and
the well. The diving listened 10 them before
they left On the faces Of she dead, too,
. there came the look Of those who hear.
I The bells tOlled, too, that sunday. They
tOllei almost all the afternoon. The young
I NOrtherner. DR.. Rename, WAS gOne-s reti-
+ cent. brave Young mAn-and the heroic teie-
graph operator. Saturday night they buried
wires, and spelled out, with shaking fingers,
the cries Of Calhoun 10 the wide, well
world.
By sunset, al the bells had done ringing
and done tOlling. There was clear sky,
with cool eolnrs- IL seemed almost cold
faint head. The dust slept IL was not yet
dark when 4 little party from the city rode
up, searching for the dreaTy place. They
had ridden fast DIR. Frank was with them,
and the lady, Marian Dare. She rode at
their head She hurried neryouSly on. She
was pale. and still weak. The chairman Of
the Relief Committee was with her, and the
subcommittee and others.
DR.. Dare pushed on through the swinging
door Of the hut She entered alone. They
Z wrist, and came no further, but removed
their hats and stood. She knelt beside the
bed, and put her hand upon his eyes God
is good, after all Let Us hope that they
knew her before they closed.
She came out, and tried 70 tell about IT,,
but broke down, and sob0ed before them
ait Is a martyrs DEATH" said the chief;
and added. sOlemnly, - Let Us pray"
He knelt, and theotheTs with him, between
the buried negro and the unburied nurse,
and thanked God for the knowledge and the
recollection Of the holy life which this mAu
had lived among them in their hour Of need
They buried him. as they must, and hur-
Eted hOmeWard 10 their living, comforting
one another for his memory a. they could
As for him, be rested, after her hand had
fallen on bis eyes lie who had known i
deeply the starvation Of sleeplesSness, slepl
well thai night
In the morning, when they ali awoke, thess
Of the s0rrOWing cry here, and those Of the
happy ciiy Wonder, when they took up lifl
aEAin with is returning sunrise-the sick ant
the well. the fire and the frttened. the lIg-
ing and the dead-the frost lay, cool, white,
blessed, GA his Eii1aLcfa SfHEr
Plelps, IN S-rilEfF'S M0Etals.
In the town Of Portage, n. Y, a maj
Was out hunting squirrels, recently, anC
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