Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1890-01-18
Sunday ReaaiHs,
EDITED BY REV. f. Il. LEEPER.
Thine Enemy.
BY RUTH ARGYLE.

the sheep are safely housed before
it breaks"
Eyes, my father; ! will go after
them right away" ~.
Off went the boy, whistling for his
dog, whose help he would need, and
who leaped about him with joyous
banks, delighted with the prospects of
a long tramp.
"Hi, Sachs, good dog! Well have
our hands full, for the creatures won't
like to leave their nice meal Of grass
so early"
Sachs barks in answer, as if to say,
Cali right, good master! I'll do
my best"
Up the narrow mountain-path they
went, climbing higher and higher
until the pasture was reached. Here,
there and everywhere all over the
mountain the goats were scattered,
but Sachs knew his business well and
soon he too was here, there and every
where, driving the unwilling Great
ures before him. When he had gath
cred them together about his masters
feet, two were missing-an old sheep
and a goat.
Leaving the dog to watch the ami
mails and keep them from straying,
Pietro started of by himself to hunt
the missing ones. He called frequent.
ly as he searched, but it was long be-
fore an answering bleat rewarded his
exertions.
Pietro had started the wanderers
toward the remainder of the flock,
when he caught sight of a sheep ly-
ing in a thicket at a little distance
from the place where he had halted.
Although in great haste to reach
home before the storm should break
upon them, he turned aside to see
what the trouble was. There was,
indeed, trouble enough. The poor
animal had broken one of its legs,
probably in trying to extricate itself
from the thicket into which it had
fallen from the ledge of rock which
overhung it.
Pietro knew the sheep to be a val
liable one, belonging to a neighbour
and also that this neighbor was his
own and his fathers bitter enemy
Long ago there had been a dispute
about some land which both had
laid claim to; and although Pietro'S
father, the more peacefully inclined OF
the two disputants, had withdrawn
from the contest, thus leaving the
land to lie untouched by either clai
mant, neighbor Hauser had never
forgiven him, because he had set his
heart upon possessing that particular
bit of ground. A constant series o.
petty prosecutions had followed; anC
only the day before, one of the Hau
ser children had set their great dog
upon a pet-chicken which belonged
TO Greta, Pietro's little sister, and as
he now recalled her tears and sobs o
grief over her dead pet, he turned
away from the injured sheep, mutter
ing to himself,
"Let it die, then, as did the poo
little chicken! pll not trouble t
save it,"
Yet as PietrO strobe away, he re
membered what the good pastor haC
said but the Sunday before:
eff thine enemy hunger, feed thol
him; if he suffer from thirst, Civ,
thou him to drink; if he be in sor
trouble, succor thou him; for in s.
doing thou shalt bring down upol
thyself a blessing from the God O
love and tender mercy, who is eve
watching thee, ever waiting to &C
cept of thine Offering"
Pietro paused as these words recur
red to his mind. Already the faith
full Sachs had gathered the flock tC
gether and was driving them home
ward. Pietro shouted to him to hun
ry onward with his charge, while h
himself turned yet again to wher
the poor suffering sheep lay awaitin
the result of his decision.
"'Forgive and thou too shalt b
forgivenv All! that is what m
mother said to Greta yesterday
Well, must try to get the shee
home; or cannot have peace whe
the storm shall have burst, thinkin
of it lying here being beaten t
DEATH"
With great care Pietro raised tn
poor creature, so that he could get {
the broken limb, which was bent b
meath the animals body. Havin
bound it up as well as he could wit