The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-06-24
Of good cheer, had all the time canlser-

of good cheer, had all the time a canler-
worm gnawing at his heart.
At last he lifted his head and l saw
that the book he read in was Burtons
Melancholy" the little square book of
the earliest. imprint. which 50 many
count next to their Bibles.
Yet judged 1t TO be nightly insult
able reading for one so afflicted as he;
therefore, as the right of mine Office
was. l directed him to hay 1t aside and
turn to suitable passages of Scripture.
An6 in especial l counseled him to med
itate upon the mystical meaning or
certain verses in the Canticles and in
Ezekiel. upon which ! had preached
with great comfort to myself for one
year in my last pastoral charge.
was proceeding to eXpound some OF
these to him when he broke out upon
me in a way that was certainly not
well becoming of a man of his years and
profession.
Tut, tut" he said, 'ye are over much
given, Mr.. Bell. to speak upon matters
ye have small understanding Of find
more eggmeat in page of honest
Burton than in all the songs of King
employed himself better"
You speak as carnal man. ana
not as an elder. Sir James," | said to
him. for l was ever firm with him;
know you not that these things are to
be interpreted after the spirit?'
"Bido " Master Bell. til ye ken some
thing about It," said he; "till ye are q
man with n family and no comfort in
them-your home 4 perpetual brawl.
your sons either dogs that bite or ours
that snap-yOur wife perpetually peeV-
ish of countenance, acid of tongue
will You then bide it all meckly as n
stranger tyke that claps its tail be-
tween legs and scurries down the pub
lie way when other messans yelp? |
ken you ministers, specially the young
er sort of YOU, that have rolled Tests
and lndulgences' like sweet morsels,
under your tongues; ye would take it
upon you to prescribe for death wounds
from your experience of the arching
OF your own little fingers"
Now. during my life. which after all
has been but forty years, l have found
great benefit in knowing when to for
beag speech, and when to joke aside and
let the angry jaw so by. This l did
at this present knowing that like the
scent of rose-water and balm after n
shower in June, so the pleasant coun-
tenance of my friend would again be
turned upon me.
And SO ii proved, for in a little he
turned his eyes upon me, having shut
his book.
Il pyay you pardon me. good friend"
he said; my black choler hath infested
my heart, and my ill-temper's break out
most readily on them that l love the
nest"
With that he put forth his hand to
me, and, being of an easy heart, l took
it in mine, and was affected to tears.
So our friendship was made up of new,
and that never to be broken up any
more. He was silent a long season, but
at the last he found his speech.
Mr.. Bell" said he, 81 will be plain
with you, for plainness is best among
friends. 1 have too long let my heart
know its own bitterness. ! will no
longer make a stranger of you. 1t is
not my debts, as many think, that trou-
BILE me; for since these Englishmen,
clothweavers and merchants, Umph-
ray SDurway and his folk, have come
out of Yorkshire, they have put me in
a good and easy way of life. 1t is that
| have no comfort in my family. My
Wife loves me not, but cries out upon
me continually that | am hard to the
children. My eldest you have seen pur-
sue me to the death; and now my
younger to whom I had conveyed my
70 ha Il
Philip. is become even as the other.
And this is the more bitter to me, be-
cause that my heart and my hope were
set upon him. Now his brother, who is
the most debauched man in four coun-
ties, has SO infected John that of late
he has oftimes come home in drink
even as the other Tell me, ,(yas ever
man so driven by his own?"
Then | counseled him to try if there
was not yet some hope of winning his
heart.
Il viii come with you / said to en-
courage him, "and it may be that his
heart may be moved by my advice, es-
pecially after the miscarriage of his
evil enterprise upon the Lead Hills"
But Sir James shook his head
"T'he lad is too bitterly joined to his
idols. Once he took service in the Scots
regiment abroad, and I thought that
would settle him; but he was confined
in prison. and l got him delivered by
my influence with our ambassador at
the Hague. Then he was condemned
to death at Treves, and | provided
money wherewth he bribed his jailers
and SO made his escape. | have re-
ceived him into mine own house since
his return. And after all my care and
tenderness 1t is come to that pass of it.
that wnen ! go to my own fireside, /
know not whether / shall get my sup
per or musket shot in my wamer'
Providence may yet soften his
cart" l said, though indeed ! saw no
great prospect.
"Ay," replied Sir James, at may. I
thought that n good wife might do
that even better; but since I got Philip.
my son, married to n decent lass,
have just another mouth to feed. and It
makes no difference to his debauch-
cries"
Nevertheless" said I, II will come
to New Milns with you. Who knows
''' ''''' W. h'iy pc dplc W w SoIIc-
thing?"
well said. minister" said Sir James;
''ye were not greatly baud on the muir,
but, let me tell you, ye were deal
safer with a good sheltie under your
hip and the heather afore ye than
sleeping in your naked bed within my
house of the New Minis"
II have no fear in the path of duty"
said /. ..,l
ITO BE Continued.1
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