Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1895-05-02

the cstrangcd, terrified look i'll
Marion's dying eyes. His dead babes
/ came with strange rcproach in their
appealing chances, and asked why
they were only born to fade; ana
Lillian looked Upon MIN with her sweet
and loving gaze, and asked dumbly for
! the lover Of her youth and the chill
drcn who were never born And
! Lillian must know all, he thought.
with agony. But the look in the eyes
/ Of the betrayed was present through
! all, and chat look was like an anchor
to stay his Shuddering soul upon.
| The voices Of the choir rose upon the
/ mighty pinions of the anthem. and
/ rascd his heart somewhat of its sore
i burden. Hide thy face from my sins,
/ and blot out all my miSdeeds," they
/ sung in strains that seemed to issue
! from the depths of broken hearts. The
! sweet and SorroWful music sunk INFO
his soul with healing balm: "A pure
! toned soprano repeated the phrase in
/ soul-Subduing melody, and a solemn
peace fell upon him in spite of those
VISIONARY chances turned so accuSingly
toward him.
And now it is time for him to ascend
the pulpit and he rose from his Stall
with his accustomed air of quiet rev.
crence, and walked up the choir. As
he went, his eye fell upon that symbol
of solemn humbug-for he did not be-
| lieve in it; lie had worn it and alb
| stained from wine only for the sake
Of influence scrap of blue ribbon
which was attached to his surplice,
and he took it off and cast it on the
pavement beneath his feet. He had
done with all fripperies and unrealitieS
now: his soul stood ut last. stripped Of
all pretcnse, in the awful presence of
his Maker.
Save THAT his face was very pale, and
| there were purple SHADOWS about ms
mouth, there was nothing unusual III
ms manner as lie aSccLucu Inc steps
To the pulpit amid the rolling har-
MONIES ol unc hymn, i'll when Inc vast
! cungrpyat lon joined, ana looked round
upon the Iamlnar spectacle OF the muI-
tltuuc OF faces. There he stood, one
sinful man in the presence OF many
sinful men, crrlng and weak ANA
weary, ana all unworthy of the garDI
he wore, yet The ambassador Of high
Heaven, and charged with Il divine
nessaGc-a solitary figure on an awful
cminencc.
1t was Il beautiful, an inspiring, and
to him Il familiar scene, winch offered
ilScll to his gaze. Immediately be-
Meath and around him, shut in by the
dark, rich cavity of the choir, were
the white robes of the choriSterS, in
lcrspcrSed with the bright silk hoods
OF uhe clergy, and The gay and rich!
summer dresses of ladies, just relieved
10y Il Spl'nkling of black coats. All
down the nave spread Il dark, dimly
seen mass of human beings, varied by
the glow of Il soldiers coat or thel
brightness of a woman'S dress catch
ing the broad afternoon light, which,
streaming through the great west
window, fell in broken ways of many
colored glory here and there, or enter
ing though the clear aisle windows,
shed Il diff fused Wilderness over all
ON either side OF the choir, aisle and
trnnsept presented the same aspect of
maSSed humanity: some long, dusty
rods of golden light fell athwart the
Shadowy choir, and turned Il black oak
crockett or frcttcd pinnacle to gold;
and from all that vast mass of stand
ing worShipcrS rose the mighty surge
of Il pcnitcntal hymn, and rolled in
solemn. far-sprcading pillows around
the sinful man who stood Il witness
between earth and heaven upon the
solitary height.
But the deans stcadfast. forward
gaze saw nothing of the spectacle be-
fore him. spectacle so wont to In
spirit him to his loftieSt flights; he was
not even conscious to those haunting.
accusing chances from the past: was
conscious, for those few brief moments
in which he strove to nerve himself to
an effort beyond his strength. of moth
ing but the presence of the Maker
against whom he had sinned, and
saw only the sorrowful glance when
has gazed from the Cross all down the
ages upon the deeds of sinful men.
His soul stood. stripped and shrudder-
ing with the shame Of its uncovered
sin. in the searching light of the
awful glance from which the first sim
ncr vanly tried to hide.
TO Re Continued.