The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-05-23

Hear my prayer, for thy dear Sons sake"
"Amen." said q low voice, and, looking
up, the Deacon saw that his prayer had
had another than q divine listener. Edgar
Murray walking homeward on the bound
anytime had heard the flow of the Deacon's
petition; and as he stood there, bare-head-
ed, the Amen had welled up from his heart
almost before he was aware of it.
"Can q man go nowhere to be alone ?"
exclaimed the Deacon. "Must he be fol-
lowed and spied upon under his own trees
and on his own ground?"
That instictive animosity was dominant
in a moment, though the prayer had
scarcely died upon his lips.
Il beg your pardon, sir" said Edgar,
humbly. II did not mean to intrude; but
l have just come from the house, and Hugh
tells me there is a shade, at least, of hope.
Agnes has fallen asleep. She may be better
when she awakes."
The shade of hope was not an hallucina-
ton. Very slowly, very TREMENDOUSLY, al
most imperceptibly, the young girl passed
into the several stages of convalescence.
So gradual was her improvement that it
was measured by weeks. From day to day
no change was apparent; but from week to
week a slight progress was visible, and,
after awhile, pale but beautiful, she re-
sumed her place in the household INT took
up one by one her old tasks. Like a lily,
like a wild rose, like a bit of mignonette,
she frightened and sweetened the place
where she dwelt. Hers the mission which
no woman need despise to make people
happy, to charm away their sullen moods,
and to diffuse pleasantness wherever she
appeared.
Only with her father she had lost her
old magic. His smiles grew infrequent and
his temper more capricious and uncertain
than ever.
II don't know what to think of Deacon
Cameron" said the pastor, Mr.. Denbigh,
who for thirty years had labored in the
Hillside church. He was talking conf
dentially with his wife. HE is becoming
more cranky and crotchetty every day. 1
did hope that the illness of his child would
have wrought q change; but, if so, it is a
change for the worse. / am informed that
he forbids young Murray to enter his door;
and when l asked him to increase his sub
scription to our Domestic Board, he treated
Inc as though l were begging for myself.
Adversely hardens q man when it does not
refine him.
at may be-" said the pastors gentle wife,
that God is striving with the Deacon.
There is good in him, l am sure. 1 think
he is not at peace with God, or with him
otll JuoO LOhs 4lS lC 10 IL lhC NlOuR
about Agnes, and he is, therefore, not COM
Portable. Perhaps, dear, we have not prayed
for him as we ought"
The plain fact was that the Deacon was
exceedingly uncomfortable in his mind.
He had offered agenuine prayer and pledg-
ed an honest vow, fully meaning to keep
his word, while in his heart had been a
vague idea of Precipitation, as he knelt be-
meath the oak. When Agnes had first be-
gun to grow stronger, his resolution had
been firm to fulfill his word; but as she
had crept onward to health, it had loosened
its hold upon him. Could a miracle AVE
been performed, and the maiden lave
arisen from her couch, at one triumphant
bound, from death to life, he would AVE
been awed and overwhelmed and in haste
to make good his word to the Almighty.
The comparative slowness of her restora-
ton had given time to his nature to assert
itself, and he was really more ~ill-tempered
cr~oss-grained and churlish than he had
been before. Even to Agnes he was some
times harsh; the more so that, under her
soft exterior and winsomc ways, the slender
girl had an underlying subsoil of granite,
not unlike his own character and far irmer
thar the fabric of which her gentle mother
was made.