The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-11-15
CHAPTER nj
PURITAN LAW.

A wear passed by-.a year laden with
happiness to Dorothea. She and her
husband have made happy home In
Hillary cabin. The settlement had now
grown to such an extent that their farm
had become quite valuable.
Egbert was away part of the time look
ing after his land, which lay some three
miles inland, but as was natural the
greater part of his time was passed at
home.
With his own hands aud with the help OF
others he cleared several acres of ground
about the home, and in another year the
rich black loan would have heavy crop.
Dorothea had her g,rden, in which
yeeetab grew, with here and there O
bed of flowers. Climbing vines had also
been planted at each side of the cabin
door and, before fall, had spread their
luxuriance over the side and around it
with their green leaves.
But the minister had not been idle.
The scene he had witnessed the evening
efter Dorothea's wedding could never be
banished from his mind. 1t had ranked
in his bosom like some poisonous weed
spreading its fbrous roots and feeding
upon his heart. He was now thoroughly
convinced of Dorothea's evil, and wa,
restrained from proceeding against hel
ONLY by the position which her husband
gave her. But at length even this did
not protect her, and he gave notice one
Sunday morning, after preaching. that
the next day Mistress Dorothea Inghram
would be asked to appear before the Off
GERS Of the church to answer TO the charge
of withcraft.
The announcement created great ex-
citement, and many were the friends
who we're indignant, but Mr.. Granville
had consulted with the deacons of the
church and it was the r opinion that
Dorothea had best be put on trial. II
she were innocent she would he cleared.
If guilty, it was best to have her guilt
known.
The rest of the day was one of intense,
though repressed. excitement, and th
people gathered totne afternoon preaching
with the expectation of hearing some-
thing more with regard to the all-absorb-
ing subject. But they were disappointed.
Mr.. Granville came behind the tall,
Puritan pulpit, and, after the hyhn and
the prayer and the reading of chapter
of the Scriptures, announced his text:
Il am He that blotteth out thy trans
gressions as a cloud; and as a dark
cloud thy sins"
The plain board meeting house stood
at the end of the one long village street.
and was surrounded by forest trees. The
oak and the maple, the birch and the
hickory beat their branches on its roof.
In front grew the wild hawberry, which,
in its season, was loaded down with
bright. red berries, and IN the rear were
the graves which marked the saints who
had gone to heaven.
It was a strange sermon, and so i'm
pressed the listeners. The subject SEEM
| ed to have nothing TO do with the great
fact which was filling the minds OF the
congregation. MIR. Granville preached
as he had never preached before, and the
| people listened with wondering awe. Was
| this the decrepit man who had wearied
| them with his platitudes about Gods
| Judgment and foreordinaton? Was this
the man whom they had grown to look
upon as stern and unforbiddinR-who
preached rather an unforgiving God than
God Of sinners?
The minister said: Beloved, the
clouds are an emblem of sin. They float
above US in Gods air and are so dark
that they hide the sun from US. They
come from earth, they riss from the
| DrOoh, tue IlFe[, tue oceau, hho Ao A4A
sees them rise. And yet, when they leave
Us and rise to that clear space which be-
longs to God, they stand out in clear re-
lief aud are beyond our reach. They
float in Gods air and hide from us the
sun.
so with our sins. They come from
US and ofttimes we know not Of them even
as they are rising. But when once they
have gone upward, they gather and we
see the black cloud between us and God.
They form on earth, in our hearts, but
] when they have risen, NO mans hand can