The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-10-24
AS IN A GLASS DARKLY.

says the old book, and the young CALVIN
istic student drew his yet unblotted
foolscap towards him, and prepared to
enlighten mankind on one of the most
perplexing problems of this perplexing
world. With the concordance on one
side and the commentary on the other,
it presented few difficulties to him.
II was his "trial" sermon he was pre-.
pairing and las he marshaled his "proofs"
of Gods arbitrary dealing with the chill
dren of men, there was just small alloy
of human pride in his religious enthu-
siasn as he saw in fancy the grave and
reverend elders of the little chapel nod
ing their heads in solemn approval Of
one who was sound in the faith,
Study came hard to him. though, for
he sprang from a race all unused to
book-learping, and the cottage kitchen
where he sat looked more a place for la
Dor with the hands than with the head +,
yet just now it was quiet enough. The
only other inmates were an elderly wo
man, who sat in the sbadowed corner Of
the firesiie, and young girl who leaned
against the easement and gazed out
wearIly.
II was a melancholy scene on which
she looked. The March wind swept over
the NOrthumbrian fell, while the sky
over head was dark, and the shadow of
appro Iching night lay on all the broad
exp ,nse of coarse gray-green turf, un-
broken save by tufts OF yet unbudding
furze or withered bracken. Only in the
faint otraaly pf
fingered, and a ragged fir tree or two
stood out against the light. Once or
twice sh9 turned and glinced into the
room behind and her eyes fingered visit
fully on the bowed head of the would-be
preacher, hen she turned to the window
again with sigh.
"Ah dear, ah dear, one could only be
young once, and life was 80 short, why
would be not speak the words that were
ever trembling on his lips, or showing
themselves an open secret within his
dark eyes to the girl who loved him."
The pain of his silence made her
wicked 100, made her hate the creed to
which he clung, the profession he had
chosen, nay, at times the very God he
served.
The girls nature was attuned to love
and beauty. The murmur of the wind
through the trees, the bleat of the lambs
in spring, the song of the lark, and the
flowers that sprang even on the broad
and rugged fell, brought her hints of
Heaven and of her father there, but none
helped her to interpret them, and, be-
cause the long and gloomy sermons, and
the dreary metrical psalms gave her no
enjoyment, she was taught to believe
that covenant blessings" whatever
they might be, had been denied her.
Wildly rebellous was she at times, and
her moods puzzled the grave ascetic
student not little, and checked the
words he longed to speak. What sort
OF helpmate would such wayward
creature make for one who had the care
Of many souls, and whose greatest am
bition was to go forth to heather race
and preach God willing to pardon
chosen fewp Sometimes his love seemed
temptation of the devil himself, and
he tried to fight it down. Still, even
though his studious preoccupatlon to-
night, his nerves thrilled every time the
girl's eyes rested on him, and once when
he raised his own, and her gaze met his
for an instant, he flushed through all
sunburn, yet, without a word, turned
again to his work. The flush that dyed
his cheek was answered by an added
paleness on that Of Gladys Lyall.
A mans blush means much; a wo-
mans still more; a girls means little,
hut when the hearts throb draws all the
life current to itself. and leaves the fair
cheek pale, he who runs may read.
She was strangely beautiful crea-
ture, the young orphan niece Widow
Dodd had taken to her home ,and man,
though twice minister, might be par
doned IL he found his eyes tangled in
that wealth of chestnut hair, or felt bis
pulses beat the faster If his voice made
the color come and go in that wild-rose
face, or the wonderful limpid eyes sink
beneath his own.
The cottage home had another inmate,
and even now the widows younger and
favorlte son came stridiDg up the path.
Her favorite, though, alas! Jim's bois-
ferrous. full-blooded humanity was all
uncurbed by the religion she had tried to
force on him ever since, a little chap in
petticoats, he had been taught the short
or catechism at her knee, with the Oft
used "tLwse" lying ready for application
should his memory need incentive. New
er from his birth bad the gentler Robert
given her one moment Of spiritual anx-
iety; yet, even in her prayers, she had
to confess the prodigal infinitely nearer
to her heart. Generous, passionate, au-
dacious, Jim's savage manhood forced a
something Of surrender from every wo-
man he came near, from his mother,
downward-and, in her worst moods,
Gladys found sort of relief 10 his unre-
generate contempt for all restraint.
Woman-lIke too, there were times when,
In the pride of her beauty, she enjoyed
playing off a too demonstrativs ad-
mirer against on; all too little 90 to sat
isfy her
Now, as Jim came in whistling a roll
licking tune, she turned toward him
with smile. Here, at all events, was a
break in the evenings monotonous SOL
smDity, and here was one who did not
think these dreary books better worth
looking at than at her own bOnny self.
Poor lassie, playing with hell-fre and
feeling wsrme1 by the sparks II set q.
glowing
That smile fired Jim, and before she
knew what he was doing, he bad her in
his arms.
"Hi-sweetheart, glad to see me back, +,
are your II I'D guessed you were watch
in and wearyin', the Black Bull would
have lost sight of me good hour back, /"
he said, and his hot lips and foul breath
touched her pure maiden mouth. With
a cry OF pain she freed herself, and her
look OF mingled humiliation and appeal
WAS turned to Robert,
~ co~ari no% dare you touch