New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-13

The L. I'd wants you at TIE .dug1Go ud ~
words it seen ed to me that somewhere, long ago,
had read them before and tnaI ' IL 70 Vou the
Lord speaks not to me. You must 20, Jo. ~ ,e
/ cannot" / was trying in dazed wav =, ,1h 81.
member when and where. and who II was wneh
nv unclcs voice broke the silence VIII ch had lasted
Johnnie said he--and I knew what was as
coming alter quite we'll JOHNNIE ~ rs He took
the sight from my eyes that you mlghc reau i'i'
me ssage. You must 60; l cannot ,v,tbont Won.
Won are too iii TO leave"
iOa am not too i'll to obey the voice OF the
Lord" h. answered.
But dare not CO. uncle" i said
"Wbv not ?" he asked, looking surprised
al don't know said |, feeling very m ,sas
ashamed for indeed / could not tell what was
air z Tbs ~, eo NV lsds answered nv uncle de-
cidedly; 1T is only the devil trying 10 keep you
away" pleaded 81 cannot
he back now before night"
~ Never mind" said he, "you can sleep there
and come home tomorrow can see 70 NV 81
S sor nv sins II in sickness and in
bed can bear loneliness for His sake. surely you
can in your lusty health with GOOD morse DC
'" All the time spoke knew was struggling
vainlv against my destiny, and was SUR. 20. as
though it in picture that IA r lem toward
shGuu Ford where The trail crossed the creek
and wound on toward the mountains; n ons and
gave up resisting my uncles persu'''OA''
we' Uu' ~ ;Ifn littl. gray. that was very fond
nj in spite of his tricks. To-Day ne was III ~. Gne
Of his wavward moods. ana s ,nSSs Ford. That
did not add much to my CONF =" nv own
be sure. IL took me some tme 10 49,, ~ at,ht he
smddenly started away at o suly sling. with his
ears back. straight for the fora 49,. oo,,d
The trail to Gomorrah Cullen was one ;n c wStb
not bear. even in the DAYTIME 10 oegin WIN,
Won had to cross Smiling Ford. and that wa Rsa a
place that always gave me an unpleasant seno o
ton Three years ago an ; On 9e had s" started
Saloon and cross road store there. The place pc
came a den of iniouity. and was freauehue ny
the worst Of tRe must say its career Of sin
was not long-liv'd. Eighteen months aiIer az ~
had been started, the Indians swept down on -
one Christmas night when they knew tney
they massacred every man ana woman oney
fonnd and then rode of rejoicing in the vengeance
they had taken for some wrong whicn never
understood. a.. .,r.1
Now the spot had reverted 70 It's oripntal
loneliness, and nothing remained 10 marx .ne
stain it had made upon the eartn excepu nS.s
round graveyard full Oh Shall "ni'e
The rest of the way was little better, for u
Law for miles through burnt forest, ana tnere
was nothing on which the eye couid resi- ous
black stems of trees with twisted skeletons OF
brancbes here and there Not a Leaf not q
flower, not a green thing was to DC seen - 4.
was a desolation worse than the widest 1eserti
IL was a desolation made of Gods garden oy uhe
wanton recklessness and wichedness OF man. "a
Things did not improve las you pasoceeoeSa a
either The burnt forest soon narrowed UP pc
tween two spurs of the great chain, till on
either hand rose the mighty walls OF the Golden
Canon 1t had received its grand name lew
and the Jew had started his saloon on the
direct road to it. Now all was deserted, ana
the abandoned claims only made the place more
lonely than il was before. The bare Walls OF
rock grew sleeper and closer every mile you
went. tin at last the canon split into three WHO
torSuous gulches, one of which was Gomorrah
1t had an evil name with everybody, ana was
known nv vague report as the haunt of the
worst characters in the neighborhood FROM u1le
to time when some poor fellow was broke ne
disappeared. Then people began 70 WHISPER l on me
had taken to Gomorrah Gulch, ana every ONO
knew he was a lost SOUL
All these things came into my mind, as, after
ride of over twenty miles ] Turned INTO sr tne
was closing in upon the wild rocks and backened
stems. The effect upon me was terribly de-
pressing. j began to hope should not ind me
place even at the risk of O twenty mile ride
back in the dark But bad not gone far when
/ came to a place where the floor of the gulch
fattened out bit and there | Immediately
saw the low roof OF dug-out rising out oil the
earth.
/ turned my horse into the corral hard by,
and took some time about IT, for II wanted OIL
my courage to knock at the door, ana s, Pa ;d
there was answer, so l opened the door and
went in All was dark except for the END OF
tallow candle that atckered II oo' lie; 10y
empty except for a human figure that lay stretched
uneasly upon one of the hunks. saw IN
had seen enough of sickness TO know that SO
] went up to him and lay my hand upon his
shoulder to let him know was come lie gave
a horrid scream Of pair as did so, which froze
h1ood and then bpQHn curS1uQ me IN
words that make me shudder still. He was soon
exhausted, and then told him who was;
and Sc sent t" for you to pray for me- But they
won't cheat the devil that way. He'll have
them at last, just as he will me See what they
did.
saw his collar-bone and shoulder were smashed
and terribly confused, as though he had been
struck by some heavy weapon.
But | didn't tell them. after ALL he went
on. Black Jem felt in my pockets while
gravel and said he would know where I
and swore he would break every bone OF me, one
by one, as lay here helpless, till told him
where had found it.; but only cursed him. and
then he did that Ha hal but did not tell
then. London Joe would not let him go on.
They quarrclled bit, but at last they both went
out, and / thought you were Black Jem come
himl he shall never know where the gold is.
Ha hal he shall never know where lies the
richest gravel in all the range But you shall,
by thunderl You shall know where TO find it
because you came to me. You'll find IT." he went
on in Wild peal OF laughter" you'll find IL In
that old devil Porteus'
| With another volley Of oaths he fell back ex-
hausted. Then a convulsive shudder shook him,
and knew he was dead
The first thing l remember doing after had
q little recovered the horror that seized me at
that terrible death-bed, was to pick up volume
that lay on the floor. Hardly knowing whit
( did looked to see its name. The title page was
gone, but turning on l saw IL was Porteus' Ser
mons, and l must have put it in my pocket for
that where l found it afterward
Then l knew little enough what was about
/ was appalled, by the scene i had Just wit
messed, at the tale of iniquity it told me- and,
above all, that l had let soul so foul slip into
eternity without single attempt TO cleanse it,
That was what oppressed most. / seemed
| TO have betrayed the first trust God bad given