Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-22
CHAPTER III.

JOSIAH BURNHAM'S CURIOUS CONDUCT
That my friend Hawsley's love of Egyp.
tology was genuine, the library in which we
sat bore proof Not only did it contain
many books and exhibits left BY the late
Bayard, but the present master had added
to both, and, besides, prided himself on the
possession of editions of the Bible lacking
in the richest theological libraries in Amer
lea. He owned Bibles printed about Ia
from the presses of Gutenberg and Faust,
the Bible of Luther, the polyglOt Bible Of
Plantin, that of Aldus Manutius, and the
like. Lastly he took down from the shell
two volumes of a modern aspect, and said
banteringly:
Here, have reserved this for the flower
of the collection. 1t is one of the crown dia.
monds among my treasures"
"You don't call that a crown diamond,'
said, "that reprint of the last century,"
Exactly so, my dear Pardee, and with
perfect justice. In the first place, although
printed in English, it was once the property
of Frederick the Great. who delgned to
ornament one of the two volumes with
marginal notes, more witty, to be sure, than
reverential, as might be expected from the
friend ofVoltaire."
To me the holy books seemed to have
been shockiDgly desecrated by the fippan
monarch, and did not care to peruse his
marginal notes. Hawsley stood with one
of the volumes in his hand when Josiah
Burnham raped and came in. His visage
was more repellenJ to me than it had been a
year before; and his singular behavior i'm
pressed me, vaguely though curiously, at
the time. His eyes tell on the book, and,
with q shiver and recoil. he seemed about
to quit the ROOM With a manifest effort he
delivered the errand which had brought
him, and then started to withdraw.
"How are you, Josiah?" asked.
pretty well," and his tone was almost
aggressive.
"You don't remember me?"
''Yes do. You preached to me about the
money that was mineP
"The money that belongs to Mary, the
widow by betrothal of your dead Wife's son.
thought you might have given il to her
ere this"
mo, 1 haven't, and, what's more,
won't So you may lecture me if you like,
and you may preach Christmas sermons
with me in the text if you care to, but the
law is with me-"
Josiah. let us leave law-human and
divine-out of the case, and conside. the
moral question whether you have done right
by your dead wife"
''Who says done wrong to my dead
wiie?" he savagely interrupted.
Let your own conscience decide for vou. !"
I said, seeing that had affected him. She
was your best frIend-no doubt. Wives are
usually their husbands best friends. Have
you been true to her in this matter? In
this world so full of heartlessness and
hypocrisy, how trifling it is to find some
friend as faithful in days of adversely as in
days Of prosperity. David had such friend
in Hushai. The Jews had such friend in
Mordecai, who never forgot their cause.
Paul had such friend in Onesiphorus, who
visited him in Jail. Christ had such in the
Marys, who adhered to Him on the cross.
Why, you don't have to look far in the
Bible to find some good examples OF fidelity
between friend and friend" and carelessly
turned the pages of Hawsley's cherished
copy, which had lain on the table.
Il don't want scripture quoted to nj"