The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-11-14

Is no night, and I'm Thy Almighty arms
Is perfect safety. Let me not turn
back from Thy service; put me not ia
shame
The fair, pale light streaIhed on the
uptusned face, and struck irridesceni
sparkles from the quartz stone on the
road.
How many minutes passed? That
Ohio Kunst never knew. Only he
knew ere long that round him and
about his path q strange and beautiful
security seemed to fall. And slowly,
but whether il sounded I'm his ear OF
flesh or merely I'm his shaken heart he
could not tell-a still small voice
repeated, not once or twice, but al the
way along, words sweet, familiar,
l strong
"He shall give His angels charge
concerning thee"
Ohio Kunst got up upon the pony,
and rode on through the dark pine
forest, through this valley OF the
shadow (; rode steadily, looking neither
to the right hand nor to the left; fol
he knew that God was with him.
a new day was close at hand when
the pastor reached Rudolf's hut on t lie
other side of that black valley. And
Kunst. The mar Rudolf was better
nay, he had sent the "Herr Pastor y
no message.
The GOODNESS of a terror, now gone
by, swept over Ohio once more.
Whence, then, had come that message?
"A lad had brought it--a lad whose face
was not familiar to Ohio Kunst. AS
he lay In the charcoal-burner's hut that
night, tho simple faith Of Ohio Kunst
could find but n solution OF the mys-
terry. ..,.,
"God did it," he said, in his faithful
heart-"G God did it, to try me. My
cowardice is my shame,"
AS he rode homewards through the
forest in the glory of the full morning,
great Joy and great humility fell upon
the pastors soul.
The sunshine slanted down on him
through the high arches Of the pines,
I the frost-bitten air swept across his
face, the brilliant day gave the lie to
of shadow, but the light of day lightened
it's winding glades. Ohio Kunst came
out once more to the wooden bridge,
now in u blaze of sun, and beyond him,
but growing nearer minute by minute,
was u CLEAN of red roofs and o the
spire of his church; and now his own
hall door and now-Thekla.
But yet another strange thing hap
pened when he told his tale to Thekla.
For, she said, last night a nameless
terror OF impending danger had struck
thee, Ohio, for the lear of it came to
me. | could but pray, my Ohio; for
God is great, and His mercy is owe
all. And hath He not said, where
even W. IRE gathered together He
will be with them? And we were
together, though parted b~odily-we
were together in spirit and in truth"
But that night and all it's events
had passed outof Ohio Kunst's memory
years and years ago at least, memory
had shut it close into one of the hooks
and crannies which she keeps as a
stOrehouse for the past.
The bristles which did duty for hair
on Otho's Uranium had got much grey
mixed with them; Otho's ons and
daughters were grown up around him ;
and Thekla had gone before into the
rest which such as she believed re-
maineth for Gods people. Moreover,
Ohio Kunst had been taken from the
little village in the Hartz to Il large
town-a town SO large, that it held a
big prison.
Now, j. this prison q man lay dying,
and Ohio Kunst knelt beside him.
The chill grey of the prison walls
was not more grey than deaths shadow
on the dying face. 1t was q bad face,
and very drawn and weary-weary
with the weight of sin rather than
years. A~greater contrast to the round
fat face of the pastor could scarcely be.
The dying man had, in truth, little of
features; it was easy to see hat he
had got the latter from his mother,
who had been q Standardization.
Ohio Kunst had ministered to this
man for many weeks and now the
end was come. In all his simple
round of pastoral work, no failure-so
bitter had met him as this gaunt
human wreck. who even now met death
with a half cold sheer upon his blue
lips.
The pastor could only pray for him /;
Ohio Kunst knew not other refuge
but the God who il great. You see,
he was quite unlearned-only q simple
soul.
The dying man looked upon the
kneeling figure, and a gray sDasm
twisted his face.
Raise me up" he said hoarsely ;
and Ohio Kunst stood up and raised
him us he desired.
The sunken eyes looked into Otho's
spectacles.
"Herr Pastor, dOst thou know me- 2"
Aho pdoVoi ViouSh Io Wdo "uiiucf-
ing, and answered him gently by the
name which he bore in prison. But
reason shone clear in the dying eyes.
"Stoop"-his voice grew more
strained-''I will tell you my name"
And a. he uttered it Ohio Kunst
started for this man had once been
his rival, and, 81 it had seemed to
Ohio, afterwards even his enemy,
because Thekla had loved him best.
Something like II grin distorted the
grey face.
$50 Now you know me? Well, 1
cannot harm you now but once I had
killed you, only time and chance
played me false. Tell me-tell me -
the laboring breath was getting every
moment wearier of it's appointed task
tell me, / have often longed to
know, who were those that rode with
thee through the forest that night p
What ?-canst thou not remember the
night that a message was brought to
thee from Rudolf Heisch, the charcoal
burner?"
Out OF it's nook and Granny, Memory
was slowly bringing up that night
once more to Ohio Kunst. That night |!
yes it was in the first year of his mar
riage. Then remembrance flashed
quick and strong.
Who sent hat message 2"
Il did" said tho man who was facing
death. 1T was n trap-a snare--to
kill you; you, whom-Thek-she-"
The voice faltered and grew still, but
Ohio understood. "But"--with a
deem pantinp breath hefwean tho