Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-12-28

as well as inward obedience to them? We
need the letter Of the law"
eyes, friend" replied Deliverance, her
thoughts turned in a new direction; "but
| what dost thou think of Government that
upholds the selling of innocent children to
pay debt? Surely thee remembered lit
tie Daniel and Provided Sothwicke who so
narrowly escaped being sold to slavery in
Barbados last year. Such Government
cannot prosper.
at is true" said Christopher, "that our
Government is earthly and for that reason
faulty: but we must bear in mind that
Government is for the mass. 1t may rem
der Justice in the aggregate, and yet some
times trespass on individual rights. Such
failings we must wink at if Justice be at the
bottom"
NAY but the Lord will not wink at in
justice and cruelty, wherever perpetrated,"
persisted Deliverence, her color deepening
with her increasing earnestness. Besides,
this Government that thee upholdest is in
consistent with itself. Dost thou not re-
member that clause of the charter in which
it is provided that all in the plantation
shall enjoy equal justice and law? Dost
thou think that the Government has re-
1
the saints and children of the Lord ~
"The Government only protects the
Lords fold against the ravenous wolves
that seek to devour it," replied Christie
pher. Think you that old Dame Jones
malignant touch and power of bringing
down curses on her fellow men came from
the Lord? She was but a handmade of
Satan, and deserved to forfeit her life for
! blasphemies."
NAY" answered Deliverance softly
"she was verify a martyr, and was led by
the spirit of the Lord, and so denied the
works Of the devil. Should the Lord call
me, i would follow in her footsteps, and
seal my testimony with my blood"
She rose in the rapture of her enthusi-
asm and stood looking off at the purple
hills, which loomed hazy and unsubstan-
tial in the distance Her pure upturned
face looked like that of saint in the soft
shadows of the leafy porch, and one could
almost fancy that tender aureole lighted
up her sunny head. Christopher let his
troubled gaze rest on her almost trans
lated beauty, and unconsciously the deep
lines of thought which furrowed his ample
forehead smoothed themselves out. He
rose slowly and stood very close to her,
with one hand resting lightly on her
sleeve.
"Come, Deliverance," he said, 'be my
saint and my life, and reveal the truth,
whatever it may be, through the trans
parency of your purity and holiness"
A look of deep pain swept over the girls
brow. She drew away from him and be-
gan to pluck at the vine aimlessly.
sETf cannot ho fria11 CbrictoDbar 7
have told thee many times that it cannot
be. 1t is not meet that two be yoked IN
equally"
"But you surely cannot do such wrong
as to let a fellow-creature tall for lack of
sympathy" he cried and there was
great passion in his voice. 81 shall go mad
if you will not listen to me-"
'Nay, but that is no salvation which
comes from mere frail mortal. That will
not save thee in the last great day. Only
take heed to that heavenly light, the Son
within thee, and kiss Him before His
wrath be kindled against thee; for verify
the night cometh when you shall fall to
your own Master"
The night was darkening down upon
them fast. One quivering red beam shot
through the thick leaves and rested for
moment on Deliverance'5 pure face; then
the sun sank, leaving stretch of golden
sky, which cast a soft glow over the top of
the hills. The advancing twilight lent
force to the figure that Deliverance had
used. Christopher Burden shivered invol-
unfairly and drew his cape around him
then with hasty farewell he strobe off
down the darkening road. Deliverance
watched him until he had disappeared,
and then went slowly in to prepare the
evening meal of rye and pudding and milk
for the tired father and brother who had
worked all day in the fields. She was
silent during tea, and supplied the wants
of the hungry men with a preoccupied
air.
The Sabbath, with its peculiar hush and
peace, had dawned upon the Puritan vii
lage, wherein every man and beast had
laid aside all work; and now the sun was
dropping low in the west, and faint pur-
pie shadows were spreading their flmy
mantles over the eastern hills. Deliver
ance Sothwicke came lightly across the
fields, with her Bible in her hands She
hummed a good old hymn-tune softly as
she walked, and now and then stopped to
draw long, deep breath of the fragrant
air. She had come from gathering of
the Friends, and her thoughts were busy
with the subject of the meeting. She
walked more and more slowly until, COM
| ing to low stone wall, she sat down and
| opened her Bible to the theme of the
afternoon service. 1t was that beautiful
passage in Isaiah, beginning, "All we like
sheep have gone astray.D This one clause
she read, and then, with one finger mark
ing the place, sat gazing off into infinite
distance She was in one of these rarely
! happy moods which come only on an au-
tumn afternoon, when everything is
| hushed for the very fullest of its content,
when the year has reached that rounded
| perfection which is q harbinger of its
swift decline. Some sheep were feeding
| near by, and Deliverance watched them in
a tender reverie, through which, like an
undertone, run the words; "All we like
sheep have gone astray."
There was sudden footstep in the
grass, and silly sheep scurried away across
/ the field like a summer cloud. Deliver
ance looked up and saw Christopher Bur-
| den before her.
"What is it that so fixes your thoughts"
he asked throwing himself down at her
feet. She pointed silently to the sacred
text, and, following the index of her finger,
he read aloud, "All we like sheep have
gone astray."
There was a deep silence for several
moments. Then Christopher said in low
voice:
"Some who wander long come safely to
the fold at last"
1t was rather his tone than his words
that made the girl look at him with
sudden and breathless intentness. Then
she laid small, trembling hand on his
arm.
at is true, Christopher" she said.
"Yes, verify" said he, adopting her
fashion of speech; 'the Lord has discov-
cred my error to me, Deliveranee. l have