St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-02-19

voice and Johns answer Only little
bridge to cross, and We should he a
home then | would tell wife all abOu
the meeting. aud ask her help in Sc
lecting some suitable object on " hon
to begin my Christian endeavors. On
| ~ little bridge! but how should
know that Matte would suddenly
plunge and rear, tossing Us both like
snow balls against the hard railing
But she had not been sharp-shod in
season, and the labOriOus effort o.
keeping her springing trOt without
slipping had fretted her in the first
place, and the sudden upstarting of a
man on the bridge had frightened the
nervous creature beyond centrol, and
the next moment she dashed home
without either master or man, for both
were PROSTATE on the bridge.
Bnt John was only stunned, it APP
peared, for in few moments he was
carrying nue. in his strong arms to my
own house and my own room. The
doctor was called, and my injuries
proving only slight, in "A few days !
felt able to go out again. But wife
acted strangely evidently something
was on her mind and she dreaded to
tell, but to my repeated request,
N'Please send for john she at length
said tearfully: "Poor John ! for once
he could rot come, send we ever so
urgently he tainted away the other
night just outside your chamber door,
and is now lying at the point of death.
The doctor said you were hardly able
To go out yet, so cautioned me against
telling yon; but oh, my dear" she
added, ''he 40 wanted to see the minis
ter last night when he became con-
scious, that some one went for him in
the night, and he told of having stood
in the chapeI that night of the meet
ing. and how on the way home he
wanted you dreadfully to SAY a guide
word for his puir soul as he expressed
it, and DR.. Willard thinks he is a
Christian, and fully prepared to die"
But ] waited to hear no more, as
dashing from the room, regardless of
needed caution, / sped with wondrous
strides tn the side street where John
lay in his lowly bed. All God be pit
iful, saw it all now. The man who
sat by my side that night was longing
for the pearls was thinking of east
ing, as il were, before swine. My gOl-
ded opportunity was close at hand,
and ], too blind to see, too deaf to
hear-had even been more solicitors
concerning the needs of my fine horse
than for the needs of this mans i'm
mortal soul.
But | was at his bedside. There he
lay his head thrown back on the pill
low, his lips pallid, and the eyes closed
Dead - thought, and with mighty
regret too great for endurance | called
aloud, ooh, John come back 7" As if
impossible to hear my voice and not
respond with prompt respect, the pale
lips murmured feebly, "Aye--aye-
mastcr-r; an III try, sir-r."
And he did come back, my faithful
JOhn-came back To be the same dear
old comfort lie had been for ten long
years. But ] had missed the golden
opportunity" of claiming him as my
first convert. when, alas sit might
have been. But now l never look
around among my neighbors to dis
cover, if possible, who most needs a
word in season, and wife never has
had to help choose "A suitable person
on whom to bestow my Outstanding
endeavors | always try the person
nearest me. and never find opportunity
lacking for constantly eXerting a
Christians influence. And Jealous
and true in his great Masters service,
among the most useful and valued
members of our pleasant little church,
ranks-my man john Mrs. Harriet
A. Cheever, in Advance.