The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-03-20

YET! 0u uSeQ 10 Hclp uc. NO HiloIdhc
about it, no delusion. | saw her-the
cap and the apron and the spectacles,
just "a she used to look twenty years
ago, but do wish you would take these
strings away. They annoy me so. l
can hardly talk. Won't you take them
away?
knelt down and prayed, conscious OF
the fact that he did not realize what ]
was saying. gotup. l said: Good
by: l hope you will be better soon. He
said: "GOOdby, goodby." That night
his soul went to the God who gave 1t.
Arrangements were made for the obse-
quies. Some said: ''Don't bring him in
the church: he was too dissOlute." 20"
| said, 'bring him. He was a good
friend Of mine while he was alive, and |
shall stand by him now that he is dead.
Bring him to the church."
AS sat in the pulpit and saw his body
coming up through the aisle, felt as if
| could weep tears of blood. told the
people that day. This man had his
virtues and good many of them. But
il there is any man in this audience who
is without sin, let him cast the first
stone at this coffin lid" On one side OF
faced, as beautiful as any little child
that sat at our table this morning, not
knowing the full sorrows of an orphan
child. Oh, her countenance haunts me
to-day. like some sweet face looking up
on us through horrid dream. On the
other side of the pulpit were the men
who had destroyed him. There they
sat, hard-visages, some OF them pale
from eXhausting disease, some of them
flushed until it seemed as if the fires of
iniquity famed through the cheek and
cracked the lips. They were the men
who had done the work. They were
the men who had bound him hand and
foot. They had kindled the fires. They
had poured the worm-wood and gall
into the orphan $ cup. Did they
weep? Did they sigh-repentingly? No.
Did they say, what pity that such a
brave man should be slain?" No, no:
not one bloated hand was lifted to wipe
tear from bloated cheek. They sat
and looked at the coffin like vultures
gazing at the carcass of lamb whose
heart they had ripped out! | cried in
their ears as plainly as could, There
, is God and a Judgment day." Did
they tremble? o no, no. They went
back from the house of God, and that
night, though their victim lay in Oak
wood cemetery, l am told that they
blasphemed and they drank and they
gambled, and there was not one less
customer in all the houses of iniquity.
This destroyed man was Sampson in
physical strength, but Delilah sheared
him, and the Philistines of evil COM
partnership dug his eyesbut and threw
him into the prison of evil habits. But
in the hour of his death he rose up and
took hold of the two pillared curses Of
God against drunkenness and uncleanli
ness. and threw himself forward until
down upon him and his companins
there came the thunders of an eternal
catastrophe.
| saw maynard husband standing al
the death bed of his Christian wife, and
l saw her point to a ring on her finger
and heard her say to her husband, 'DC
you see that ring?" He replied, Yes
| see it WELL" said she, do yCu
remember who put it there?" Eyes,
said he, Il put it there" and all the
past seemed to rush upon him. By the
memory of that day when. in the pres
ence of men and angels, you promised
to be faithful in Joy and sorrow, and il
sickness and in health: by the memory
OF those pleasant hours when you sal
together in your new home talking O
q bright future: by the cradle and the
joyful hours when one life was spared
and another given: by that sickped
when the little one lifted up the hands
and called for help. and you knew ht
must die, and he put one arm around
each of your necks and brought vol
very near together in that dying kiss
by the little grave in Greenwood tina
you never think of without a rush o
tears: by the family Bible, where
amidst stores of heavenly love
is the brief but expressive record
of births and deaths: by tn,
neg lects of the past. and by the agonie.
of the future; by a Judgment day. wher
husbands and wives. parents and chill
dren, in immortal groups. will stand t.
be caught up in shining array, or Il
sink down into darkness: by all that
beg you, give to home your best afTec
tiOns.
All, my friends. there is an hour com
ing when our past life will probably pas
before us in review. 1t will be our las
hour. If from our death pillow we hay,
to look back and see life spent in sin
full amusement, there will be dart thai
will strike through our soul sharper
than the dagger with which Virginiu.
slew his child. The memory of the pas
will make us quake like Macbeth. The
iniquities and rioting through which We
have passed will come upon us, weirt
and skeleton as Meg Merrilles. Death
the old Shylock, will demand, and take
the remaining pound of flesh, and the
remaining drop of blood: and upon oul
last opportunity for repentance, and oul
last chance for heaven, the curtain will
forever drop.