Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-09-27

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ana when anvona asked him 10 take seeIs-
thing. he said "Non wish the peculiar "a
tonstlon that meant no. His converse
tlon was always as pure as II his sisters
had been listening. He went
TO no place OF amusement where
he would be ashamed to die. He never
bet or gambled, even at church tair !
When he was at the clearinghouse, at.
ter he had got all the artistic develop
lnent he could possibly receive from the
chrome on the wall, he began TO study
that which would help him to promotion
study penmanship, study biographies OF
successful men; or went forth TO places
of innocent amusement or to Young
MEMS Christian associations, and was not
ashamed to be found at O church prayer
meeting. He rose from position
10 position, and from one salary TO
another salary.
Only i've " ars in town aud yet he has
rented his own house or suite Of rooms,
not very large, but home large enough
\ 10 Its happiness 10 be type OF heaven.
In the morning as the old father with
handkerchief In hand comes crying down
stairs TO the table there are four persons,
one for each side: the young man, and
opposite TO him the best blessing that a,
God Of infinite goodness can bestow,
namely,
GOOD WIFE,
and on another side the high chair filed
with dimpled and rollicking glee, that
makes the grandfather opposite smile out
side, while he has broken heart within.
Well, as / said, II was Sabbath, and
Nicholas and his father, knowing that
there Is no place so appropriate for
troubled soul as the house Of God, find
their way to church. 1t Is communion
day, and what is the old mans surprise
TO see his son pass down the aisle with
one OF the silver chalices, showing him to
be church official. The fact was
life honored God, and God had honored
him. When the first wave Of city tempta-
ton struck him he had felt the need Of
divine guidance and divine protection,
and IN prayer had sought regenerated
heart, and had obtained that mightiest OF
all armor, that mightiest of all pro-
lection, that mightiest of all rein
forcements, the multipotent and omnipo-
tent grace of God, and you might as well
throw thistle down against Gibraltar,
expecting 10 destroy 1t, as with all the
combined temptations OF earth and hell,
try to overthrow young man who can
truthfully say: "God is my refuge and
strength
Come, let us measure Nicholas around
the head. As many inches Of brain as any
other intelligent man. Let us measure
him around the heart II is SO large 1t
takes In all the earth and all the heavens.
Measure him around the purse. He has
more resources than nine-tenths Of those
who on that Monday, September 20, came
in on any of the railroads from North or
South, or East or West.
But that Sabbath afternoon while in the
back room, Nicholas and his father are
talking over any attempt at the reclama-
ton OF Edward, there is ringing of the
door bell and a man with the uniform of
policeman stands there, and man with
some embarrassment and some hating,
and in a roundabout way, says that
IN FIGHT
In some low haunt of the city Edward had
been hurt. lie says to Nicholas: az
heard that he was some relation of yours,
and thought you ought to know It,"
"Hurt? Is he badly hurt?n
"Yes, very badly hurt"
sis the wound mortal?n
eyes, it is mortal. To tell you the |
whole truth, sir" says the policeman,
"although can hardly bear to tell you,
he is deadn
"Deadl" cries Nicholas. And by this |
time the whole family are in the hallway. |
The father says: "Just as / feareds 1t |
will kill his mother when she hears OF it. |
Oh, my son, my sonl Would to God
had died for thee Oh, my son, my sonl"
"Wash off the wounds" says Nicholas,
"and bring him right here to my house,
and let there be all respect and gentleness
shown him. 1t is the last we can do for |
him.
Oh, what obsequiesl The next door
neighbors hardly knew what was going |
on; but Nicholas and the father and
mother knew. Out of the Christian and |
beautiful home OF the one brother is car |
ried the dissolute brother. No word of |
blame uttered. No harsh things said. On |
bank OF camellias is spelled out the |
word Brother" Had the prodigal been
true and pure and noble in life and hon
orable IN death he could not have been
carried forth with more tenderness, or
slept In more beautiful casket, or been
deposited In q more beautiful graden Of
the dead. Amid the loosened turf the
brothers who left the country for city
lie I'VE years before, now part forever.
The last scene Of the Attn act of an awful
tragedy Of human life is ended,
what made the difference between these
two young men7 Religion. The one
depended ON himself, the other depended
on God. They started from the same
home, had che same opportunities of edu-
cation, arrived in the city on the same
day, and II there was any difference,
Edward
HAD THE ADVANTAGE,
for he was brighter and quicker, ard all
the nSikhbors prophesied greater success
for him than for Nicholas. But, behold
an d wonder at the tremendous secret.
V otces come up out of this audience and
sy; "Did you know these brothers?n
Yes, knew them we'll" Did you know
heir parents?" dyes, Intimately
what WIS the city, what die street, what
was the last names Of these young menp
You have excited our curiosity; now
tell us all,
will. Nothing in these characters is
fictitious except the names. They are in