Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-11-17
NcALPlNE.
A TALE OF THE NO arHwEsr.

the driving rain; lonesome, because | well
knew that in all probability, outside of our
little cabin, there was not human being
within three miles of US.
sWhat terrible nightr' I exclaimed
to my husband, as close the door and re-
turn to my sewing by the little table be-
fore the fire. ''McAlpine will have
rough trip if he returns tonight; hope
he did not leave the settlement before the
storm set in"
at is not likely that he did; this storm
was raging down river by o'clock; too
early for start at this season of the year,"
replied John, as he turned page in his
book and continued his reading.
Eleven months before my story opens,
John and 1 were sitting in this same little
room, one dark, stormy evening, shortly
after my arrival in this new country, when
a sudden loud 'rat-tat-tat' at the door.
which opens into the room, caused John,
even, to give nervous start, while l
sprang to my feet in sudden alarm as l
exclaimed, ''Who can it be on such night,
| and here%
Thoughts of Indians flashed quickly to
| my mind, for it was during the time of
the Riel uprising, and all settlers were
more or less uneasy; but as quickly flashed
the second thought that Indians do not
stop to knock when bent on murder and
plumber.
But John had recovered from his mo-
mentary surprise, and had opened the
door.
Jupiter what night. Wasn't look
| ing for me, was your" sounds the abrupt
greeting in CHEEKY voice.
| "George McAlpine-b all that's holy"
responds John. Gust the chap we're glad
to see :" and he almost pulls into the room
short, slender man, in rubber coat and
''sou'wester," whom he introduces to me as
"McAlpine."
When hat and coat had been deposited
in an outer room, saw that our visitor
was young man of about twenty-six years
of age, dark, with small but very express
i've eyes; very ordinary, good-looking-
enough young fellow, remarkable only for
his size-or rather, want of size-for he
was below medium height, but quick and
wry. His mind was quickly read in his
| piercing black eyes, which twinkled with
merriment, or flashed with ans er-looked
with tender pity or unutterable scorn in
unison with each change of sentiment in
their owner.
"They told me at the store" he SAID,
when the first greetings were over, shat
| Mason's wife and little one had come; so
borrowed lantern from fellow who was
too busy with game of ante and bot
tie of whisky to see what [ was doing, and
came right over to get acquainted with
you and the boy"
Turning to Ted, my two-year-old boy,
his face assumed an expression of tender
ness and yearning as he coaxed the little
one" to sit upon his knee. Then drawing
his chair to the fire in company with John
and me. he made himself the life of the
little circle.
Jokes, anecdotes and stories followed
one and then another Of the little group !;
but McAlpines stories showed oftenest his
own character and strong feeling below
the surface of his light-hearted manner.
After he had kept us laughing for some
time his stories changed, and he told of
various cases of poverty and of suffering in
some settlement further toward the foot
hills of the Rockies. His voice and ex-
preston were so full of sympathy as he
drew his verbal picture that no one could
doubt how earnestly and deeply he felt for
the people he talked of. Suddenly his
eyes flashed, and a look of anger came
upon his face.
"I'll bet you couldn't guess in week
| the kind of parson they had in that God
forsaken place. When some of us went to
him to see if he wouldn't have collection
| taken for these families some Sunday, he
said he was sorry, but he could do nothing !;
the people did not belong to his church,
| and he did not feel that it was his duty to
interfere his time belonged to his church
work
"Church work /" cried McAlpine. "Good
| Heavens, man, it was Christ's work. Is a
man to refuse to do Gods work because it
lies little outside the church door"
| / can see him yet the scorn mingling
with anger, the flash of his eyes as he tells
of the narrow-minded parson. Could he
only have had the power, how willingly
would he have disestablished the church,
and wiped all weak-minded Wears from
off the face of the earth.
"a short time before this had heard
the same parson berate his people after
service, because they did not do more TO
| glorify God. You come to Gods house,
said he, and see the floors bare, the
seats uncushioned, the walls implanted,
and yet you seem to think it is good
enough. You think nothing too good
for your own houses, but for Gods
house you give as little as you can. You
should make Gods house beautiful, that
strangers may know how we glorify Him.
If you are Christians, you will deny your
selves and give to the glory of Cod The
people looked at each other in guilty way,
as though they had done some wrong. Not
one of them there whose house contained
an article not demanded by necessity
| Their floors were bare, their cupboards
nearly so. Yet they shared their plain
| fare with these poorer ones l speak of, and
tant neighbor. | say those people whom
he berated were doing more to glorify God
than he would do. l believe God thinks
more of scanty meal shared with a poorer
neighbor than He does of stained-glass
window" and as he spoke his anger died
| away in laugh.
| NV hat strange man" say to John,
when at last McAlpine declares he "must
go tell Scott he borrowed his lantern" and
We are left alone.
"a mixture of high temper and gentle
ness" replied John. "a few dislike him,
and will not see any good in him, while
others will hardly believe he could do
wrong. A Scotchman, he is stubbornly set
in his dislilies, and in such cases turns
only the right side of his nature to view
But suffering or helplessness call forth all
his sympathy, and throw the best light on
his character. He can nurse sick COM
rade as tenderly as a woman, as | have
good cause to remember, and many set
| tier can say the same"
! Through the winter and following sum-
mer, McAlpine was our constant ands
almost only visitor.
In this sparsely settled and lonely part
of the country, neighbors rarely ex-
changed visits, unless in case of sickness or
trouble, then they ''took time to go to
the aid of the afflicted ones.
McAlpine was Ted's playmate and
Johns companion. Upon him Ted de-
pended for all his toys.
81 don't see how You can have the pa
| Ill 81, I'll,