The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-04-13

my bare limbs in those pellucid waters and
watched the flashing of silvery fin and
scale as the trout darted under bank or
stone, and lain on my back in some shady
place looking up at snowy fleets, touched
with pink and rose, sailing on an inverted
ocean. And TO think of all that nowl 1t
was as the vision of Dives when, raising
his eyes from his place Of torment. he be-
held the felicity Of Lazarus. Peace brooded
like guardian spirit over Kilgour and The
Elms, amid their quiet encircling hills, and
The affectionate souls there were the blither
because they thought | was happy and
prosperous. Would no sympathetic spirit
tell them Of E1g condition. But their igno-
rance was par. OF my punishment. had
once been ll paradise, too, and fell by rebel
lion. As we make our beds so must we lie.
In the midst of my dream remem bered
that my pipes and some other things cher
ishei were with Tahal and my mare. But
luckily all the relicso of past happiness were
not lost. UndoIng the folds of my dress, l
drew forth my mothers Bible, and with it
the two white roses (now sadly withered
and crushed) that Isabel had given me.
The roses put carefully back with as
tender caress as il they were sentient
beings capable of feeling affection.
When / should have ceased from trou-
bling, they would be found next my heart,
evidence Of az least one faith kept 10 the bit
ter end; and, who knew, some good angel
might whisper TO Isabel in a dream that
far off and in his last dire extremity some
body's thoughts had gone .orth to her.
And sometimes in the pe cleaning
when the mind roams, she i.llght think, in
spite Of the grandeur and happiness that
were sure to be her lot, of one whose lonely
grave she could never know, and whose
love was no more than a guess to her.
Futile and boyish, yet strangely comforting
reflections.
The Bible opened at random and, loi
there lay before me the wondrous story of
job:
And now my soul is poured out upon me;
the days of aflliction have taken hold upon
me.
So my dim eyes read. But knew the
moving drama by heart; long ago amid
happy domestic scenes it had been learned
by my mothers side. And 1 thrilled eeri-
ly at the thought that it was in this
scorched land where was now lying, un-
der these very skies that were burning my
life out, that job had groaned in bitterness
of spirit.
All mankind are one in distress, the jew
and the Gentle, the civilized and the bar
barian. Immediately there WAS established
amystic brotherhood between me and the
man of u. Uhcounted ages had rolled by
since he had suffered. In the interval
things of vast and vital moment had come
and gone and been forgotten, but the TRACE
dy OF the race went on. With n trifling
outward difference, "A mere matter of time
and circumstance, Jobs case was mine.
Well, his Affections were over long ago;
mine also would soon end. And so, moral
izing and turning the leaves, i came to the
gracious promise:
There shall be tabernacle for n shadow In
the daytime from the heat and for place Of
refuge and for a covert from storm and rain.
And again:
Then shall the lame man leap as an hart and
the tongue of the dumb sing, for In the wilder
ness shall waters break out and streams in the
desert.
And yet ogaini
When thou passest through the waters.
will be with thee. and through the rivers they
shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest
through the fire. thou shalt not be burned, nei-
ther shall the flame kindle upon thee.
And once more;
The Lord viii be refuge In time Of trouble.