The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-03-19

spoke the simple truth ana nOnOr OF
man who, knowing his duty, would fol-
low it to the verge of doom, and never
dream that he had done any thing out
of the common. At the moment of my
discovery she had looked up at him
with the ghost of a smile, the first [ had
seen on her poor face, and which had
been, perhaps, after all, the clue that
had led me to the truth. cit is the little
sister, l inwardlv cried. "He has
searched for her every where; he has
found her at last, and he will take her
home. Thanks be to GOdr' It did not
occur to me then to wonder why, of all
places in the world, he had brought
her to fashionable city church, where
she was sure to be the object of plying
looks and remarks, and of something
still harder to bear, for I had noticed
that the other occupants of the pew
they sat in had gradually slipped away,
leaving them alone, though so much
space could lily be spared, as the
church was filled to OVERLOOKING, and
many were standing for want of seats.
Had he hoped that the service of that
particular morning might touch some
lost chord in that poor heart that
would have the power to set the hOrri-
bic discord of her life in tuneP
Could any influence pierce that
scared and sOddened exterior. I asked
myself doubtfullv. But the heavens
are higher than the earth and the
thoughts of God are not like our
thoughts.
Lift up your head, 0 We gates, and
be We lift up We everlasting doors, and
the king of glory shall come in. -
chanted the choir; the thunder of the
organ shook the aisles, and glancing
toward the little sister l saw her, quite
dropped forward now, her forehead
resting on the back Of the pew in front
Of her, under the control of some
strong emotion, for she was trembling
like an aspen leaf. Who knows but
with that CXultant strain some cOntrite
sigh Of this bruised reed might not also
have been waited up even to the foot
of the great white throne itself, and
have there found acceptance? The
remainder of the service passed like q
dream. There was a mist before nv
eyes through which I seemed only to
see a remote and solitary farm house,
and by its lonely fireside father and a
mother, waiting, while along the snow
covered country roads a brother and
sister were going home. After the
bcnediction, in the diversion caused by
people stopping to speak to each other,
/ lost sight of the strangers. [ caught
a glimpse Of them as the people poured
into the vestibule, but on gaining the
street they melted into the crowd and
L saw them no more.
In the latter part of last August that
ever was ] spent a few days in the
country, finishing my visit by a hur-
ried drive across the country to catch
the express for the city due at l. at
nine o'clock in the evening. 1t was
late in the forenoon, and we were still
some miles srOm l. when on pass
ing a farm house the horses became
frightened at Il dog that lay in the mid
die Of the road, and sweryed aside so
violently that the carriage pole snapped
in two like a reed, the driver was
thrown from the seat, and a moment of
terror and confusion followed impOssi-
bic to describe. But further disaster
was averted by the temperance on
the scene of a tall man, who seized the
horses head, drew them with strong
hand back into the road, and by strOk-
ing them and speaking in a quiet tone,
succeeded in allaying in a measure
their unreasOning terror. The driver,
who was not much hurt, picked him
self out of the dust, and while the
stranger held the horses, helped me to
alight from the carriage. My first
thought was to tha& the man for his
timely assistance, but Judge of my sur
prise when, on turning to do so, rec
ognized my whilom enigma of Christ
mas morning. There was no installing
him; | should have known him if l had
met him at the world end, and in the
excitement of the moment | forgot
every thing but the subject which his
unexpected appearance had revived
with all its first interest in my recol-
lection.
IL am so glad to meet YOU again. I
said impulsively, offering my hand,
which, of course, he could not take.
How is the little sister?''
"She is very well, thank you," was
the quiet reply. There was not a shade
of surprise in his deep, even tone. The
question was natural one, coming
from one who, though unknown to
himself, was doubtless an old friend of
the family, and, therefore, privileged
| in the use of interrogation points. He
scarcely glanced at me as he spoke.
| The driver had, meanwhile, been busy
unfastening the traces, and the horses,
/ finding themselves freed from the
wreck, made one more mad plunge for
| liberty. but were promptly checked by
! the strong hand and voice that had at
/ first arrested them.
Il shall have to ask YOU to 90 up to
| the house alone, ma am, said he. 1T
will take both of us, - nodding toward
| the driver, ''to get these horses into the
stable. You'll find my wife up there,
and she will make you comfortable"
He moved off toward the stable as he
spoke, and somewhat shaken by the
accident as l was, / turned to follow
/ his directions. a wooden gate in a
| hedgerow that bordcrcd the road
| opened on grassy yard with narrow
path running exactly through the mid
| die, and bounded ON its two longest
sides by rows of currant bushes no less
! aggressive i'm their late summer LEAKAGE
| Of rusty green than in their earlier
glory of emeraldS and rubies, for your
/ true, old-faShioned currant bush is
nothing if not sclf-asscrtive. A ser
mon might be written upon it.
l walked toward the house, an old
/ fashioned, two-storied structure, with
! a hospitable looking porch running
across the front wondering a little
what my reception would be, but a
| pleasant-faced woman soon resolved
my doubts by coming to the door and
cordially inviting me in. The room |
| entered was a large, low-ceilinged,
! square room, with three windows
| looking upon an uneven grass plot,
! where clumps of rose bushes and lilac
were growing, and Stanchions for
| clotheS-Gncs stood at different degrees
/ apart and eyed each other like SUSPECT
/ Gus ghosts ON parade. The windows
were all open, and the evening wind
/ camc in, bringing the various sounds
of field and farm-yard mingled