Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1895-02-28
THE MORAL OF 1T.

pCriCnCCd bmrrOS. who, desiring a
break IN thcir journey toward the
desert, had withdrawn during tho
night and found restful scclusion in
the dense pino oak brush on tho
nciShborinE hillside
Thus it came about that the ruddy
light of CalkinS' campfire again at
tractcd us. The conversation took "a
wide range at first, but approached
" focus when one of the party, the
old lady with tho black mits, refer
red to the generally prevailing
drought. She mentioned in this con,
nection recent newspaper report of
church meeting in some arid sec
ton of tho northwest. where general
prayers for rain were offered with
such Immediate effect that tho con.
grcgation, who were unprovidcd with
umbrellas, wcro drenched on their
way home.
"Purclya coincidence, hippantly
suggested MantOn, u recent imDorta-
ton from the rtfctC east.
IL regard it as u most striking H.
lustration of the efficacy Of all sin.
core and earnest prayer, rcproving-
~ remarked tho old lady with tho
mitS
what do YOU say, Mr. Calkins?"
inquired MantOn unabaShCd I'm
sure vuu II agree with me- "
Our host stirred up the fire before
l,,,
right, ma ann he at length replied,
ignoring Manton "Thcro's nothin
prayer won't do if YOU re in earnest
and pray hard enough, and don t
pray for too much nor too little, and
stop right there But YOU can handi
cap Il good, strong, willin prayer,
Same as You can anything else, and its
bound to balk and mako trouble"
i fear do not grasp your mean
ing, MIR. Calkins, said tho old lady
with the mitS, laying down her knit
ting and regarding Calkins with a
look of puzzled inquiry.
'P'r'aps | wasn't very clear,
ma am, but | had in mind n queer
experience of my own in the arrest
prayer line some years ago, way up
north III Trinity, which'n illustrate
my mCanin BETTER any explanation
can give. Calkins settled himself
again out of the line of the SHARKS
and smoke, which his late attention
10 the fire had provoked, and began
1t WAS III the winter of 1875. and
was clrryin mail from German s.
over to the Brown Bear and Round
out CampS-;tnd made the round trip
once - week on SnOWShOcS When
was at German :, which was four
days III the week, | stopped with Il
Frcnchman named Prot, who work
ed drift claim on tho river. We
bunlird in Il shake cabin. back of the
hotel corral, and got along middlin
we'll for the first month we was to-
gothcr. EvCnin : we ii generally turn
up at the hotel, and after Sittin by
the fire with the rest in the saloon
for awhile we'd finally drop into old
man Germans private parlor and
listen To kittic German playin on tho
parlOr organ. awayS liked music,
but hadn't no faculty at producin
it, so Id just sit and liSton while
Kittied play, and Prot, who had n
big, throaty voice, would now and
then sing to kittie's accompaniment.
This was all we'll enough at first,
but after two or three weeks | found
1T dull and unintcrCStin, just Sittin
there on tho cold, slippery, black
halrcl0th sofa, with never word
nora chance for one with Kittic, who
seemed all took up with Prot and
the music, and only'd speak to me
when Sho wanted another stick on
the fire. Then, after awhile, | stop.
ped gOin into the parlOr and would
sit in the saloon until bedtime, feel,
in mad all through to hear Prot
singin and Kittic playin away for
dear life 10 keep up with him on the
gaSpin old organ in the next room
Then | grew bitter, because | knew
that while naturally Kittie liked me
best of the two ut the same time
she was worldly minded like her fu.
tner, tho old man German, and felt
Prot was better match on account
of his river claim, while | WASH t
much account, from ready money
point of view Then of course had
a fallin ont with Prot about nOtinn
i'll partiC lar on the surface, aS | can
recollrct of. | did pretty much all
the QuaTrchn, | III free 10 allow, for
Plrot SDll nDthip hDt inst ln,1pb nl
in way that made mo madden, and
moved out of the shake GA bin to an
old adobe higher up the hill
Next day | started of before sun
up on my regular trip with the mail
for Brown Bear and R0undout. M.
ways got the best start could, so s
TO get we'll up tho range while the
crust WAS hard, and before the sun
had been up long enough to mellow
things up and make 1t awkward for
mo for WASH t very handy even vat
with them long Norwegian snow
shoes. | never stopped on tho trip
for nothin, hciualways more anxious
to get through than to rest, but this
partiC lar mOrnin I'm tcllin of I'd
started ont fCclin languid and dis
piritCd, and by the time Ia struck
the summit l felt sort of dead beat
out. Ny feet was cold and cramprd
from too tight huCklin of the shoes,
and altogether made up my mind
TO sit down for II minute or two and
ppt mi lp3 tpppthar oD,in hnfora I