Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-07-30

febemDleu HuuOB hehd o. ~. faul ]
The low brow and the leonine locks Of .
the 81. Paul were certainly not Luke's,
but what dreaty and prosAic world !
would this be II no latitude we're allowed |
10 the imagination Luke, on his part, |
when he first saw Miss Una, mentally |
quoted, :" Her eyes, like the angels Of !
the Lord, sang peace on earth, good
will toward men.'n He almost fan
cied himself blest, like the prophets of
old, with an angelic vision. How far
puffs Of golden hair and a white tulle
bonnet will 90 toward the making Of
an angel, Il Is vain 10 consider, or how
often dazzling purity Of complexion and
heavenly eyes are the masks OF impurity
and earthliness. II Is sufficient that
Miss Una Whiteheld's angelic aspect
was the outward and visible sign OF an
inward and spiritual grace, and what
Luke saw in her eyes came from the
abundance of her heart.
He felt like sitting at her feet TO be
taught, rather than joining with her 10
teach the benighted Ah Sins, Hop Wards
and Chin Wangs; and when one of the
teachers jocosely congratulated her up
on her celestial employment, Luke felt
an unregenerate inclination 10 strangle
him. For a man to venture upon such
pun in her presence seemed to him a
striking proof of total depraYity. How
her pupils could regard her with such
stolid Indifference while she talked 10
them was a profound mystery TO him.
He was convinced that If she should ut
ter such soft and persuasive accents TO
him he should fall down on his knees
! before her, H
The unhappy result Of the reverential
admiration with which she inspired him
was that his hands and legs became
more hopelessly unmanageable than
ever before, and he clutched so fran
tically at his long lock of hair that it
threatened to come out by the roots
| He blushed like a school-boy, and stam-
mered a few commonplaces which
seemed so insane as be remembered
them that he was almost driven to de-
spair.
1t was the very next day after his
meeting with Miss Whitefield that he
received the letter from Lupiry an
nouncing the decease of the turkeys, and
the consequent necessity of pOstponing
their wedding day. The letter seemed
to startle Luke-to act as a sort of moral
shower-bath. For the space of twenty
four hours he had been unconscious of
Lupiry's existence. He drew himself up
to his full height and walked across the
room several times with long, de-
termined strides.
" can't have it postponed, not for a
dayl" he said. 1--WE are far enough
apart now; in six months more"
And be firmly resolved to go no more
to the Chinese mission school.
He kept his resolvc-for the space OF
three weeks. During that time he had
entreated Lupiry to be married even il
it were in her old buff calico, and Luz
piry had steadfastly refused. He had
then resolved to improve Lupiry's mind
in the time that must intervene before
their wedding-day, and thus produce
some congeniality of taste between them
having a hidden consciousness all the
while that pouring water into a sieve
would be a more hopeful task.
And Lupiry, reading the improving
letters, sighed and wished that Luke S
hair curled like Seth Jones'. She had
observed that men with long straight
hair were always dull and prosy; and
the prospect Of leading the woman's
prayer-meeting and entertaining the
conference brethren lay heavy on hel
soul.
At the end of those three weeks Luke
had come to the conclusion that, consid
ering his unusual facility in acquiring
languages and the considerable com
mand of the Chinese language which hC
had already gained, together with the
scarcity of laborers in the vineyard, i
was his duty to spend his Thursday
evenings at the mission school. 4
temptations beset him there had he no
sufficient manhood to resist them, will
the divine aid which is never denied tC
the weakP
AT first he decided that his only safety
lay in avoiding the angelic vision alto
gether, and confined his attention strictly
to the stolid, almond-eyed Celestials
But before long he became disgustet
with his cowardice. Surely her com,
panionship was helpful and elevating
was he SC oontemptibly weak that he
could not enjoy it without being faith
less to LupiryP What an advantage hel
friendship would be to Lupiry, ignoran
and inexperienced as she was. Clearly
it was expedient that he and the angei,
vision should be friends. How far h,
, had been led toward this conclusion BY
reprOaohful look in the VISIONS Lowell
, eyes-as one would say ''What have
done that you should refuse to be friend
with meP''-it is unnecessary to in
quire. '1. 80
Luke did not think of doing so, al
though he knew that the human hear
is deceitful above all things. He dit
think that Providence had given him al
especial call to minister to the Chinese
he had become so absorbingly interested
in the language, and had come to re
gard Chin Wang, who brought hom
his washing, as man and brother. Blu
he was also dimly conscious that tn
feverish longing for Thursday nigh
which he felt in all the intervening weeI
was scarcely to be accounted for by hi
devotion to ''the heathen Chinee, 4" AMI
! he never went to the mission schoo
: without previously fortifying himself b,
! prayer and by writing one of the long
! improving letters to Lupiry.
, The Bishop suddenly felt a cal
to invite him to dinner, AM
! Luke-being compelled by polite
ness to accept the invitation, O
course-saw the angelic vision at tn
head of gloriied dinner table. Wha
: he ate Luke scarcely knew, and he wa
conscious of talking such drivel that h
7 wondered why the Bishop did not max
; arrangements for his immediate remova
' to an asylum for the idiotie. The di
vinity was calm and self-pOssessed, an
|. deeply interested in the Chinese ques
= ton, the condition of the Methods
4 church in the South, and other grav