Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-08-16

tin out that loyin' soul ! 0, Lord Lord
Lord
Hes been good boy she went OF
in curious tone, as if the mighty ca
of the inexorable God she had half be
lieved in was become now reality tt
her, and she was pouring arguments
unavailing though they might be, int
it-Hhe's been good boy never any
bad habits, never any little mean ac
tions. There's Abby Weaver, know
but look at the face of the girl he',
married. 0 Lord, love is the same
behind homely face an a handsome
one. But while you keep on maxim
folks that think roses is prettier thar
potatoes, an pearls than oysters the
love that looks out of a pretty face
will hold the longest an the strongest
He WANT to blame. Abby was good
girl, but you made this other one az
pretty as picture. He want tC
blame, Lord, he want to blame. Don't
drown him for that. 1t amt right tc
drown him for that. OLord Lord
Lord ~
She sat there shrieking on in strain
ed, weak voice, half in prayer, halt
in expestulation. The wind rose higher
and higher, and the sea thundered
louder and longer. A new terror seized
her. If her husband should. recover
from the bad turn which she suspected
he had had, and attempt to cross that
bridge now, he would be killed too. God
knew what new rents might be in it.
When her sitting room clock changed
out nine, above the roar of the storm,
she went into fury of despair.
Down she sank ON those old rheu-
matte knees that had not bent at
her bidding for the last five years.
and prayed as she had never done be-
fore.
Inthe midst Of her agony a great calm
fell suddenly overi it.
II will go an light the lamp myself, y
she said in an awed voice, sam He
will 60 with me Slowly Sarah Reed
arose on her feet that had not borne her
weight for five years. Every move
ment was excruciating torture, but she
paid no heed to it; she seemed to feel
it and yet be outside Of it. She realiz-
ed, as it were, the separateness of her
soul and her spiritual agony from all
bodily pain.
She walked across the floor, went
out into the entry, and groped her way
up the narrow stairs leading to the tow
er. She dragged herself up the steep
steps with terrible determination. She
slid apart the slide at the top, and a
blaze Of light almost blinded her. The
lamp a0aslx
Sarah Reed might have floated down
those stairs, upborne on angels wings,
for all she knew. Somehow, she was
back in her sitting room, on her knees.
Her husband found her there, a half
hour later, when be staggered, as pale
as death, and drenched to the skin into
the room.
''Good Lord, Sarah, who lit the lamp?n
his first words were.
1.-THE angel of the Lord she
answered, solemnly raising her gray
head.
II he'd turn over thar on the road,
bout mile out of Rye. I've Jest come
to an got home. Seemed to me l should
die when l thought of William. The
bridge is pretty well broke up, but l
hung on to the side. An Lord when
saw that light burnin' could ha' come
over on cobweb. Who came to light
it, Sarah %
'The angel of the Lord" she said
again. 'Don't you ever say it amt 50,
Jackson don't you ever dare to try to
make me stop thinking it's SO. I've been
askin' the Lord all these years for some
thing to show me that he was anywhar,
an He has give it to me. / crawled up
them stains
" Yolt went up them stairs, Sarah ?r
eyes; went up to light the lamp, an
it was Lit. The Lord he'd been thar. It's
true about Him."
The pale old man went up to his
kneeling wife and kissed her tenderly.
"Don't you believe his angel lit it P''
she asked, looking at him with anxious
intensity.
"Yes, Sarah, 1 do," replied Jack
son Reed. The thought was steadi-
ly recurring to his half-dazed brain,
"Abby Weaver, Abby Weaver lit
the lamp; but Sarah-Sarah need not
know.'
The next morning Sarah Reed,
looking out of her window, saw a
little pure white rose on the bush, be-
meath it.
"Yes, | meant to have told you
it had budded,' said her husband,
when she exclaimed, 81 found it
thar yesterday. Thar's another one,
too.''
1t was lovely clear morning. Abby
Weaver, looking out of her window, saw
William Barstow pass by on his way to
the light house to tell the old folks of his
safety.