Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-04-18

twice, and was prepared to repeat them in
an off hand manner, with quite the air Of
giving utterance to something entirely his
own. As he began he noticed that the eyes
of the doctors niece were fixed upon him as
though in anticipation of keen enjoyment.
He is going to get into muddle," they
seemed to say; ''my attention will add to his
embarrassment, and am going to be very
nice and attentive"
Halsey spoke fuently and sew her air Of
amused superiority fade into one, of. blank
wonder, which said palmer than any words,
81 have made a mistaken estimate Of this
young mans abilities; he is not such ninny
as he looks"
After speaking for twenty minutes, Halsey
apologized for occupying so much time, gave
out another hymn and called upon the dea-
con and Brother Slocumbe to fill the remain
ing minutes with prayer and exhortation.
At the close Of the meeting the doctor
shook hands with him, with genuine appro-
baton. "The Lord has committed great
talent to your trust, my son." he said to him
in the dusk, as Halsey helped him into his
conveyance. "Go not out to the battle In
your own strength. Remember the admon.
ition of the King of Israel, Let not him that
girdeth on his harness, boast himself as he
that putteth it off," His niece was shyer than
she had been before the meeting. Evidently
she was impressed with Halsey's superior
abilities, and the young mans heart swelled
with elation. AS he returned to the house
the Misses Pearce were just leaving with their
smoky lantern, and he could do no less than
offer to see them home. The way was long
and it was pitchy dark when he returned,
but the eldest Miss Pearce had insisted on his
availing himself of her lantern. ''You can
give it to me at church tomorrow" she
said, "and you will rurely fall into
the brook without it," AS there really
seemed some probability of this. Halsey took
the lantern, at the same time reproaching
himself for his politeness. The deacon had
told him so much Of the plain and simple
minded character of his hearers that he de-
termincd to avoid all flights Of oratory, and
to give his audience sermon as full of COM
mon sense as could be found in his collection.
A lecture by the Rev. Robert Collyer
struck him as most likely to be popular. 1t
abounded in incidents of country boys COM
ing to high positions by unremitting toll and
determination. He read the lecture well,
with much Of the hearty manner in which it
was originally delivered, for he was capital
actor in amateur theatricals, and was accus-
toned to amuse his friends by giving ''psr
sonations" Of the different public men with
whom he was familiar. While in the full
fight of successful oratory, while he felt that
every eye in the house was fixed upon him,
and that perhaps no one present had ever
heard more effective speaking, his eye
which ran before his tongue, discov-
cred danger in the path. Mr..
Collyer spoke Of his own early e1-
periences, Of the cottage in Yorkshire with
its floor SO white that you might have eaten
your dinner from it, with no harm to any
thing but the floor; and Halsey in his
anxiety to escape this trap fell into worse
one, for skipping the description of his Eng
lish childhood, he launched inconsiderately
into particulars Of his thirst for study and
reading as youth, how "The Pilgrims
Progress" and one or two other books were
the constant companions Of the forge. Hal
sey's white and shapely hands hardly carried
out the assertion that he had been trained to
a blacksmith's trade; but his hearers did not
stop to consider this. They accepted what
he said as true, and listeded to the brave,
earnest words with kindling enthusiasm.
Halsey finished his sermon in an agony Of
apprehension. He wiped away the beads Of
perspi7ation from his forehead, and during
the singing Of the last hymn regarded the
congregation furtively from behind his
expecting in some faces
at least ito read scorn and denup-s
TnsreHu ,tr---- rz5cre--'Gas.
a look Of pleased surprise and ad-
on every countenance. He
turned slowly to the right, where the choir
sat. There, too, an open eyed and open
mouthed delight was everywhere displayed.
There was one face, however, which he could
not see, though he would have given much to
have known its expression. The doctors
niece sat at the cabinet organ, with her back
toward him-a 1.-the, willowy figure, using
the pedals with vigor and the stops with a
freedom and grace which betokened more
skill than was usual with the organist Of
country choir. Her auburn hair was knotted
in loose abundant mass on her delicate
neck. Her bonnet was a dainty creation,
with decidedly Partisan air, and her hands,
though ringless, were exquisitely modelled.
"Take her to the city," Halsey thought, "and
no one would detect her country training"
Then came swift conviction that this was
no rural maiden; everything combined to in
dicate the influence of the city. Yes, he was
in danger of detection, and it was from this
quarter that he must guard against it.
After the close Of service the superin-
tendent of the Sabbath school was intro
uo1c fa1 fn foly
the Bible class He found himself con-
fronted by three seats full of whispering and
giggling young misses, who relapsed into ap-
parently awe struck silence upon his intro
duction. Prominent among them were the
two Misses Pearce, and Halsey remarked in
considerably: ~ have brought your lantern,
as you suggested. 1t is behind the outer
door" His announcement was greeted by
violent blush on the part Of the older Miss
Pearce, and giggle from her sister, which
started subdued litter throughout the en-
tire class. Halsey dimly perceived that Miss
Pearce looked upon his attendance upon her
the night before as a romantic secret, which
his too public return of the lantern had
thoughtlessly divulged. After the opening
hymn the doctors niece left the organ and
took her seat before him. The look Of sur
prise and shy appreciation which he had
thought he had discovered in her face the
night before, had given place to o
puzzled doubt, a grave wonder which
showed that something in the morn
ing's sermon had troubled her. Halsey's
glance fell before her earnest one-he
could not confront those questioning, truth
loving eyes, The lesson of the day told Of
the early inhabitants of Canaan. As they
read the text he asked himself what he knew
or could tell them of the Girgashites, the
Amalekites, the Pcrizzites, the Hittites, the
Amorites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. At
the close Of the reading the doctors niece
asked a question: "Thc Bible Dictionary says
that the descendants Of these tribes are the
Bedouin Arabs Will you tell us something
of your experience among them?'
"Who told you that have had any such
experiences" he asked, smiling, while a fear
of detection seemed to numb all his facul-
ties.
''In your very interesting talk at prayer
meeting last evening you described the Jeri-
cho road, and incidentally referred to the
Bedouins in way only possible to one who
had seen both"
massey pieuIucu Lhoie freely Ie
thought he could explain all satisfac-
torily, though it was certainly unfortun-
ate that he had given Mr.. Beecher's
description of the Jericho road in the words
of an eye witness "My Palestine tour was
a very meagcr onc," he apologized. ut was
only one of Cooks vacation tickets. 1 cannot
presume to any deep knowledge of the man.
ners and customs of the Orientals," and then
as he had recently read Bayard Taylor's