The record-union., 1897-12-09

the slightest sound or make the faint
est resistance. Still the hand descend
ed and still I grew less, less, until at
last he took me up in his hand-a tiny
creature, mere atom.
Il shrank from his touch, as though
it polluted me. But it was no use. TAX
ing two plates of glass from the micro
scope he carefully placed me between
them, leaving me plenty of breathing
room and sufficient space to move my
limbs. When he had secured me in this
position he replaced the glasses in .le
instrument, and I found myself i'm
prisoned, as it were, in a crystal cell.
"A minute afterward l was bathed
in flood of the most brilliant light that
I have ever seen. l was dazzled and
almost blinded by it. 1t was concen-
trated full upon me, reflected on to me
from all sides. Gradually my eyes be-
came accustomed to the glare and l
could see the eyes of Satan-I knew him
now, beyond shadow Of doubt-fixed
relentlessly upon me.
"* l was in total darkness. I
did not know where to go. / was lost.
For a long time 1 stood leaning against
the door which had just been closed
upon me in deep thought.
Then suddenly / fell upon my knees
and thanked God that l was not in
heaven,
AN AWFUL ANTITHESIS.
Il had just passed through a fear
full ordeal 1t had been terrible 10
have the eyes of Satan fixed upon me,
searching out my motives-the secret
springs of my actions, and examining
every sinful thought; it had been ago
ny to see things-the mere memory OF
which brought burning bushes to my
cheek and made my ears tingle-ex-
posed IN all their ugliness and nasti-
ness and nakedness, upon that white
paper, as on CHASTITY pillory, with
the finger of scorn pointed cruelty and
mockingly at them!
This was bitter. But to have the
eyes of God fixed upon me, to have the
thoughts of my heart examined and
analyzed by perfectly pure and holy
Being, who loathed sin and was Him
self absolutely sinless! TO be among
beings who were free from the slight
est taint of sin! To be the object OF
! loathing, To feel that every one
shrank from me as from a moral leper!
, Oh! 1 could not have endured that!
My punishment was great. But that
punishment would have been greater
than l could have borne! He'll was
! terrible. Heaven would have been in
| fnitely worse!
And so thanked God that was no
in heaven!
| INTO THE CELL OF MIRRORS.
"'This chamber said one, in a sterT
voice, is the Apodyterium, or undress
ing room, where you must undress be.
fore entering the Cell of Mirrors, il
which you will be left for a time in sol
| itary confinement
! Reluctantly I divested myself of my
clothing. Remove that mask from
your face said the same harsh voice
| i have no mask, l replied in surprise
and yet while the words We're still or
my lips l suddenly felt that 1 was
telling lie and that my face was COW
cred with a mask. In great confusion
/ lifted my hand and swept from my
face a filmy gauzy substance, fnel
than a spiders web. You are not ye
must strip off every vesture of de-
ceit, every shred of hypocrisy. every
particle of cant, every rag Of unreal
ity, every veStige of untruth"
The process was a long and difficult
one, and extremely painful. But al
last it was completed. 1 was led
| across the Apodyterium, the wall COW
cred with those strange foreign char
acters rose through the ceiling, 1 was
thrust beyond it, and the next instant
| it again descended and enclosed me in
a brilliantly lighted cell about ten feet
square, of which the ceiling, walls and
| floors We're mirrors.
Then there fell from my ears, as Il
| We're, scales. and l saw that l was
naked. SO all my life 1 had deceived
myself. But il was my own fault. AS
! the old saying is, There are none sc
blind as those who don't want to see.
/ saw at last-saw myself as / was
stripped of all pretence and all ex-
cuses How ugly and vile / was! Ny
| face was stamped with an expression OF
utter meanness and low cunning My
whole body was misshapen, deformed
| frightfully ugly. / tried to close my
eyes, but could not; and wherever
looked there was my own image in al
its horrible deformity staring me IN the
| face and seeming to say to me:
This is you; a correct likeness o1
! you. You are uglyi'
! Il remained in that cell for a Ions
/ time 1t seemed to me an eternity
/ When they came to release me they
found me sitting crouched and COVER
| ing in a corner, with horror stricker
! countenance, staring vacantly at tha
hideous monster in front of me!
'Fooli' cried a voice, amid a burst o,
wild laughter Are you frightened O
your own shadow?
Il made no answer, but broke into 6
peal of maniacal laughter as they lee
me from the cell. The echoes caugh
up the sound and flung it back a hun
dred times. with infinite mockery."-
| New York Herald.
| An Omitted Incident.
| ssStaadv bOv,'' The annie upOn th.