The Progress., 1889-02-23

| t@a's u eS. sir. Stay and fumbled
in my pockets for a scrap of paper
which ] kept inside my shirt 'sYou
fellows all had mothersp''
| There was a coarse, loud guffaw,
while one man exclaimed:
- Thet's reg'lar bald headed, pal
sled old bluff game, jedge, an I guess
it won't wash with this gang!''
| But just then a tall, broad-shoul-
dered man-a stranger-en entered the
saloon. He had heard my appeal and
had also heard the rough words OF the
miner who had last spoken.
"By the courts leave, said the new
arrival, II am an old regulator, judge,
and think the young fellow ought to
have his say, whatever it isl
Good" came from the lips of the
judge; - go on, my lad.
. | was going to say, judge, that /
have a little scrap OF paper here-not
much account, certainly, to any body
| but myself; but my dead mother
gave it to me- and I've treasured it
about ten years. It isn't Scripture,
but it's mighty near it, and I couldn't
say any thing more solemnly than
what l would say with my right hand
on that page torn from my mothers
hymn-book. Judge, am innocent! "
Gentlemen of the jury, what do
you say? Is the prisoner guilty or not
guiltye''
"Guilty!" came from score of
throats
Now, was not greatly afraid OF
death, though would have preferred
to live, and anyhow did not particular
ly fancy death by means of hempen
rope. lfelt that was hardly prepared
to die, for had of late given very little
thoughtto religion and to the teaching
OF my earlier life. So it was not any
morbid and false notion of religion
nor yet the promptings Of fear which
led me to make a last request of my
prosecutors.
ttJudge," said, II should like YOU
to grant me a last request before you
pass sentence. On this scrap of paper
there is a hymn, which I have a fancy
to hear sung before you begin business.
Jerry Davis, there, can play and
knows all the church tunes. I'd like
him to play and sing this one. And,
judge, ask the boys that don't want to
hear it to step outside, because I
shouldn't like to see them poking fun
at it. y
"Boys, you hear?". said the Judge,
md OF,
solute silence, while not a man left the
70 ON.
There was an old piano in that West
ern saloon, used for free-and- d-easys,
| noisy concerts and occasional dances,
though it is doubtful if sacred songs
had ever been played upon it during
its sojourn at that settlement.
Jerry Davis took the little torn
page, struck a chord or two, and then
commenced to sing in his rich tenor
voice:
There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Tmmanuel's veins,
And sinners plunged beneath that food
Lose all their guilty stains.
'The dying thief rejoced to see
That fountain in his day,
And there may,I though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away
4 Somehow, Jerry Davis voice weak
ened and he could not finish the hymn,
which must have been familiar to
many a hardened man in that strange
company AS for me- I was sobbing
vlolently-nots SO much moved by the
words of the hymn, as by the sadly
sweet memories which it brought to
me. There was absolute silence for
several minutes, when the stranger
who had spoken a word in my behalf
walked over to the piano where Davis
sat with his fingers listlessiy resting
on the keyboard. He took the torn
leaf, examined it critically and then
walked over to me. Taking nv hand
in his strong grip, he spoke in a loud,
if rather husky voice:
Judge he said, 81 feel certain
there is some mistake here, and [ ask
for a postponement Of the proceedings
for further Investigation. This lad is
my brother; my name is Phil Kimber-
". own the Kimberly claim over
the hill, and am pretty well known
along the Turtle Valley. =
It was indeed my Oldest brother,
whom I had not seen for sixteen years.
That hymn of my mothers had
somehow softened the feelings Of the
boys. for they willingly acceded to
Phil's Is request. Two days later I was
cleared Of all suspicion and became for
a time the most popular man in the
camp.
1t is almost needless to add that /
now treasure with more care than ever
the little scrap of paper upon which is
printed, in old-style type, my mothers
favorite hymn. - w. H. S. Atkinson. in
Detroit Free Press.
TO Get Rid of Warts.
removed a formidable wart from
my daughters hand by the application
OF simple lemon juice, which is an in
falIl Bile cllra fTha 1uo rt ,,oo,,;noa ,.,4 3