Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-03-09

ing blows of the crop ceased; she was |
steadying the mare. The speed was ter
rife, so fast that the animal had no time
to refuse, no time to check and rise even.
lifting her legs close under her she
made flying hurdle-race leap and clear
ed, landing far over in the lane, so far
that she had not room to rise and take
the second fence-the ont. Frightened
as was, she tried it, made an awkward at
| tempt to buck over, breasted the barrier,
and landed heavily on the other side, her
rider unSerpeeth.
Good God." exclaimed Bob. He was
near enough to see that the fall was not a
mere spill; it was regular "crusher;"
| horse and rider lay quite still.
In an instant he had forgotten what
brought him where he vas; he forgot that
his wife moment before had been fleeing
| from him; he forgot his hatred for the
| man she was with. Pride, anger, the de-
sire for revenge were crowded out by
one thought-the fear that she might be
| hurt.
1t seemed as though his horse would
| never get across the field he was in, the
| one adjoining the lane. The animal
seemed to stand still. He dug his spurs
| into the beasts sides until his legs seemed
slashed him with his crop, he shook the
lines, he rose in the saddle involUntariiy,
in his mad haste to get ahead. He coax
| ed, he threatened, and finally settled back
| in despair. Would he never get across
the field? He felt sure his wife had been
badly hurt, fatally, perhaps. He saw her
mangled form, her forehead had been
gashed. Why had he spoken so harshly
to her? he forgot to blame her, and re-
membered the past only to reproech him
| self.
He was there at last. Leaping from his
| horse, he hurriedly climbed the two fences
of the lane and FASTENED over to the
PROSTATE form on the other side. The
| white mare had risen and stood near by,
cowed by the shock of the fall. Mint
burn was on his knees by the side of the
fallen rider. He rose as Bob approached.
| ITS bad fall" he said, heres my
| flask. I'll try to get a doctor and trap
of some kind at the station" and mount
| ing his horse he put off at full speed.
Bob scarcely heard him. He thought
of nothing but the woman before him.
He knelt at her side. How strange she
locked. Darling" he murmured, lifting
her head, 'are you hurtf"
| She was alive, she moved and half
opened her eyes.
Darling" he repeated, "speak to me;
are you hurt?
This time the eyes opened wide and
looked at him. Instead of the deep blue
| eyes of his wife he beheld q pair of pierre
| ing blacks. He started, looked again,
and recognized Miss Annie Minturn,
| Jacks younger sister.
Mr.. Bob BRANDON was not the happiest
man in the world during the remainder
of the autumn. He could have stood
with some degree of calmness MISS Min
turns timidity in his presence, but the
way she had at times of looking steadily
at him from q distance with mixed
amusement and pity seriously worked
| upon his nervous system. 1t was also
rather discoscerting to have Jack watch
him suspiciousiy whenever he was any
where near Miss Annie. He stood it as
long as he could, and finally declared his
determination to finish the season in Ire
land with the Greenly pack.
| Mrs. BRANDON enjoyed hunting during
the rest of the season more than ever be-
| fore. She supplied the Master of the
| Foxhounds with mount whenever she
| pleased, and was never forced to make
her threatened visit to mamma.
Great Influence of the Celebrated Scotch Re-
| former on Practical Morality.
| Blackwoo is Magazine.
| system of doctrine which is unreal or
fantastic must react injuriodsly, one
would fancy, upon the practical morality
of people. Morality in its theological
aspect" to borrow Prof. Huxley weighty
| words, s'ls obedience to the will of God"
The will of God, as disclosed to the Scott
ish Calvinist, involved it must be admit
taI hnr SIrrrr
That the Pope was anti-Christ, that
| bishops were servants of the devil, that
witches and warlocks were to be burnt
alive, that churches were TO be built like
| barns, that works of art were to be dis
| figured and defaced, that actors of plays
| were to be branded and banished, that
| persons who walked in tue fields or gath
| cred "groserts" in time of sermon were
| TO be communicated, that the Sabbath
was a season of penitential gloom, that
| dancing and other innocent pleasures
were a device of Satan, that a belief in
the real presence was idolatry, and that
| the idolater was to die the death-these
were some of the definitions of Gods will
to which the Scottish Calvinists, then and
later, proceeded to give effect. The de-
termination to live in accordance to Gods
will is deserving of all praise, but it is
obvious that the quality of the morality
must depend TO some extent on the con-
| cept1on that has been formed of what
that will requires, and it cannot, perhaps,
be said that in this sense the Refo-mers
had made any appreciabIe advance upon
the monk and the pardoner.
| No one doubts now that fanaticism, in
emperate zeal, cruel intolerance, icono-
| elastic excess, characterized the Reform
alton in Scotland. Is fanaticism good?
Are intemperance, intellectual barrow
ness, feocious invective, good? Are
these the legitimate fruits of moral and
intellectual revival? In this sense, again,
we have to ask ourselves, Was Knoxs way
best, or was Lethington's? Unless the
plea of urgent necessity is admitted,
there can be no question of what the
answer must be. For my own part, de-
cline to accept the plea. | see no reason
to doubt that the reformation (even in
ScotIand) might have been successfully
| conducted on other lines; that a real re-
form of abuses, moral and spiritual,
might have been brought about without
the sacrifice of intellectual breadth and
veracity, of moderation, of comprehen-
sion, of Christian charity.
| When we are told that Knox's Reforma-
ton was the cause of all that is "best and
| greatest ia the Scottish character, we
are tempted to ask whether in point
of fact the SCOT since Knoxs time has
risen to any high moral or spiritual level?
1t is probable that under any form of re-
Iigion or government the national caution
and the national shrewdness would have
led to material success and worldly pros
perity. But is it just to assest that the
severe and gloomy Puritanism of the
preachers has impressed upon the ma
tional conscience finer ideal of duty or
higher standard of purity? If this
could be truly asserted, then, indeed, the
narrowness, the fierceness, the bigotry
might be forgiven. That the life led by
''ths Scottish commons" since the Re-
formation has been, as rule, simple,
| frugal, and devout, would gladly believe;
but that it has been in many respects
manned and stunted life, wanting in
beauty and attractiveness and the in
stinctive refinement of more favored ma
tions, as well as hard, harrow and merci-
less in conduct, cannot, l am afraid, be
denied. Nor do sobriety, purity and
| cleanliness quite consist with certain un-
| pleasant returns which have been taken
| to show (rather unfairly, / believe) that
among the nations of Europe the coun-
| trynen and countrywomen of Knox are
| fba most intemDerate and the most IN