The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 18??-1882, 1881-10-07
The trapper hesitated moment be-
o-o l. o,.Nlxn kha.. Ho oa.I.

II
giment be always on trial. But / con
ceit there comes day to every man
good aud bad, when the record of hi
deeds be looked over from the start
and the good and bad counted up; ant
in that day he gets the final jedgmen
whether it be for or against him. An(
now, boy continued the old man
sOlemnly, with a touch of infinite ten
derness in the vibrations of his voice
.ye be nigh the Judgment day yourself
and the deeds ye have did, both th'
good and the bad, will be passed in re
view
Il reckon there isn't much chanct
for me if your view is sound Ant
for the first time his tone lost its cheer
full recklessness.
''The court be court of mercy; and
the judge looks upon 'em that comes
up for trial as if he was their father.
That ends it, answered the gambler
My father never showed me any mercy
when 1 was boy. If he had,
shouldn't have been here now. If ]
did wrong deed, 1 got it to the last
inch of the lash,' and the words were
more intensely bitter because spoken
80 quietly.
"The fathers of the 'arth boy, be not
like the Father of Heaven, for have
seed 'em correct their children beyond
reason, and without mercy. They
whipped in their rage, and not in their
wisdom; they whipped because they
were strong, and not because of their
love; they whipped when they 'arnt-
the hatred of their children. But the
Father of Heaven be different. boy.
He knows that men be weak as well
as wicked. He knows that half of 'em
haven't had a fair chance and so he
overlooks much; and when he can't
overlook it, conceit He sOrter for
gives in lump. Yes. He substracts
all He can from the evil we have did,
boy, and if that isn't enough to satisfy
His feelin's toward man that might
have been different eff hen only had a
fair start, He just wipes the whole row
of figures out at the askjn'."
"At the asking?" said the gambler,
''that's a mighty quick game. Did you
ever prayp"
"Sartin, I be a prayin' man." said
the trapper, sturdily.
For a moment the trapper hesitated
Then he said: "I can't say that can,
No, 1 sartinly can't say that 1 could
undertake it with any reasonable
chance of gettin' through; leastwise it
wouldn't be in way to help a man
any,"
'Is there any way in which we could
go partners ?" asked the gambler.
81 was thinkin' of that" answered
the trapper, "yis, 1 was thinkin' ef we
couldn't sorter jine works, and each
help the other by doin' his own part
himself. Yes" continued the old man,
after a moments reflection, ''the plan
is a good one-ye pray for yerself, and
III pray for myself-and ef 1 can get
in anything that seems likely to do ye
service, ye can count on it as ye can on
a grooved BARREL"
'And now, boy said the trapper with
a sweetly solemn enthusiasm, such as
faith might give to supplicating
saint, now, my boy, remember the
Lord is Lord of the woods as well as
of the cities, and that He heareth the
prayin' of the hunter under the pines,
as well as the preacher in the pulpit,
and that when sins be heavy and
death nigh, His ear and heart is open.
The trapper knelt on the moss at
the gamblers feet. lie clasped the
fingers of his great hands until they
were interlaced and lifted his wrinkled
face upward. He said not word, but
the strongly chiseled lips, scanned with
age, moved and twitched now and then,
and as the silent prayer went on, two
great tears left the protection of the
closed lids and rolled down his rugged
cheek.
The gambler also closed his eyes,
then his hands quietly stole one into
the other, and avoiding the bloody
stain, rested on his breast; and thus
the old man who had lived beyond the
limit of mans day, and the young one,
cut down at the threshold Of mature
life-the one kneeling on the MOSES,
with his face turned toward the same
sky, without word or uttered speech
prayed to the Divine Mercy which be-
yond the sky saw the two men under
meath the pines, and met, we may not
doubt, with needed answer the silent,
up-going prayer.
The two opened their eyes nearly at
the same instant. They looked for a
moment at each other, and then the
gambler feebly lifted his hand, and
put it into the broad hand Of the trap
per. Not a word was said. No word
was needed. Sometimes men under
stand each other better than by talk
ing. Then the gambler picked the
diamond stud from the spot where it
rested, slipped the solitary ring from
his finger, and said, as he handed them
to the trapper:
"There's a girl that will like these.
You will find her picture inside my
vest, when you bury me. Her address
is inside the picture case. Will you
take them to herr"
"She shall have them from my own
hand," answered the trapper, gravely
"You needn't disturb the picture,
said the gambler, ats just as well per.
haps, to let it lie where it is; it's been
there eight years."
| For several minutes there was 81
lence. The trapper took the gambler's
hand, as il it had been the hand of his
own boy. Indeed, perhaps the youue
man had found his father at last; fol
surely it isn't flesh that makes father
hood. Once the young man moved al
II he would rise. Had he been able h,
would have died with his arms arount
the old mans neck. As it was, hi