The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-06-06

mother used to make them. Her tin
cruller box was never empty. and how
good they were the older they were the
nellower and better they were. ] re-
member she used to make me boy and
a mouse every time she fried crullers and
always two P's for my letters, and she
put caraway seed all over mine. won-
der how she did 1t That mince pie was
good. think will take another piece.
1t hain't cost anything and it makes me
think of old times"
And so the miserly old man sat and ate
until his usual bedtime came, when he
lit his candle, for he never would have
gas, and went to bed.
Scarcely had he got warm and COM
Portable when he saw standing by his
bedside stranger whose face was care
fully turned away, and who wore long,
loose garment of some unknown fashion,
and instinctively Peter Perkins put his
hand under his pillow after his revolver,
thinking of robbers, but the stranger said
il. a low voice. which yet hao such au-s
thority in it that the wretched man dared
not disobey
Arise, dress yourself, and follow
me-
As in a dream the little miser followed
but they went SO swiftly that he coull
not see where they were going, until at
last the stranger said +:
"0pen your eyes and tell me what
you see."
Peter Perkins stood and gazed with
his wizened face pale and frightened
He seemed to be in vast place, so vast
that it appeared to be visible illimitable
space. There was no beginning nor end
to anywhere. and yet he was there in the
midst Of this infinity Of distance, and be-
fore him upon nothing stood great tables
upon which was piled heterogeneous
collection of everything imaginable, and
while he was trying to understand this
confusion, he noticed that there had ap-
peared, rank on rank and file on file, lin
itless, countless numbers of cherubim and
seIaphim, and in the midst of this throng
sat upon crystal throne Christ, the be-
nign, the loving, the pitiful, and his fea-
lures seemed to exude sweetness and
mercy from every lineament, and his
smile was ineffably tender
The cherubim and seraphim sang
/" Glory. glory, to God in the highest and
on earth peace ana good will to men,"
and as Peter Perkins watched this beau
tifnI countenance he saw its expression
change. Sometimes it became that of a
little child, sweet and infantine, again it
was tender and pitiful, then it looked as
it must have done when he said, "Come
to me, all We weary and heavy laden"
then it wac filled full OF sorrow and mers
ciful goodness, and then it grew stern and
awful.
Then Peter Perkins noticed that there
was throng ever increasing and reaching
far below them so that the end of them
was far out of sight, and these people
came singly tothe foot Of the Savior and
there laid a gift which was instantly ia
ken by the angels and laid upon pair Of
scales, which did not measure by the
weight of the gift itself, but the motive
which lay like living heart inside Of
ii.
Then Peter Perkins saw that all who
had not yet offered their gifts had bur-
den to carry, large or small, and he sud-
denly became aware that the burden fas-
tened upon his own back was enormous
and was very heavy But he turned to
the stranger and said "when will it be
my turn %
when all Of these shall have passed"
And he had to stand there with the
great unknown weight upon his shoulders
for long hours, or days, or years, he did
not know which, while all these people
came by.
He noticed man who staggered by
and laid heavy weight of gold chalices
and church candlesticks and other en-
blems at his feet, and Peter Perkins saw
with surprise that they few up in the
balance as if of air. Another offered a
church, which was as SO much paper,
and then poor old woman in rags stag
gered along with a cup of cold water as
her only offering. This sent the scales
down, down, as if it weighed ton, and
then pale, thin man came and offered
only tear. This, too, weighed heavier
than gold. Sometimes an old broken
toy, or some old, worn garments, or even
crust of bread was laid at his feet, and
these, too, were very heavy on those
wonderful scales
Peter Perkins noticed, too, that those
whose gifts were light disappeared from
view, and he watched until he saw them
fall into space and fade away in distance,
while the angels sent pitying glances af-
ter them.
Suddenly the Saviour said:
Now, Peter Perkins, what gift have
you brought to the Lord on this his
birthday"
"Oh! am willing to give you all l
have, but this bundle upon my back was
not intended for you, but for the poor.
If you win let me go back ! will return
with something more worthy of you"
But what have you in that bundle p
Only some -four, and meal, and sugar,
and ham, and rice, which are not quite
fresh and good, but thought they would
do for the poor -
And have you never heard of my
words, when said: 1nasmuch as ye do
it unto the least of these, my children,
We do If unto me- p Look, that cup of
water was given by sick and suffering
woman to one who suffered worse. That
holy tear was given from pure heart
that had nothing else to offer, but you,
out Of your abundance, offer only that
which is unfit for food, and in offering
that to the unfortunate poor you have
offered it to me-
81 did not knowl Oh, please let me
go back and / will do differently 49,
Alas you have lived your life, and
you must, like all that throng you have
spcn take your deeds with Won fo s,lead