The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-04-09


out hand to them.
But in the pulpit Walnut Creek had
heard what stirred it to the liveliest GU
riosity concerning him. Yet Teddy Bar
ton said to Jack Talbot as they sat side
by side: II lay, yes, anything you got
the min ter name, ole Br'er Milliken
can tie one hand behind him an knock
the socks often this yere new fellow. He
amt no SLOUGH, ole Br'er Milliken.
Why, sometimes when 1 been listenin
bout er hour ter him preachin erbout
thar shall be no night thar, neither any
mo- weepin, an the Lamb er God WHIP
in erway all tears from er feller's eyes
why, I'm givin you straight goods
when l tell you I've most felt like
wanted ter 60 ter heaven myself"
'That was wonderful" Jack said
YEARLY, with touch of scorn under
meath. AS Teddy made to speak again
the other silenced him with an impera-
tive look. The opening hymn had been
sung. Brother Green had prayed with
fervor beyond common. Now Brother
Walton stood facing the congregation,
He held neither Bible nor hymnbook.
Without preface he began to repeat the
Twenty-third Psalm, and Jack heard
nothing more with any sense of COM
prehension. 1t all came back to him
the old happy days, Rob in her little
chair at his feet repeating after him the
inspired words. He shot q glance at her
80
then dropped his head upon the back of
the bench in front Of him, unable Ion
ger to endure other gaze
"My, you're hit early, out then !
sorter reckon you been under somethin
like conviction over since yistiddy,"
Teddy sail in torturing whisper. Jack
did =. 50 his head, but closed his
haul n~,r that of his tormentor in
grip so hcrco and full of meaning as to
silence even Teddy, the irrepressible,
though he was aching to add, "Be John
Drowned Ct ever thought of ole Top
knot as er holy missionary, but eff Jack
Talbot gifts any religion this whet jest
know it oughter be set ter the credit of
the sto."
Brother Walton took his listeners by
storm. Inside five minutes the whole
house hung upon his lips. Long before
he made an end there were bowed heads,
shaken forms, all about. He spoke as
rarely man spake, not Of law, but Of
love, Of God who so loved the world
he gave his only Son to suffer in its
stead and save it from it's transgres-
sions. The minister's voice, at first low
and clear and family tremulous, swell
ed to the call of trumpet, the thrill
of an organ peal. His face was transfg-
ured. The soul shone through, calling
unto other souls through the veil of the
flesh.
There was no passion, no ranting.
Save that his cheek famed, his eyes
grew twin blue fires, nothing in the
outer man spoke the force within. His
hearers were spell wrought Even Jack
sat upright, drawn out of his whelming
misery, though still too much domi.
mated by it for conscious comfort. Duly
he noted that Teddy was writhing and
moaning: 80 God! o Godl o Godi
Mercy! Do have mercy on er lost an
dyin sinnerl Lord, dear Lord, know
am er sinner, but it amt all my fault.
Nobody couldn't help it eff they olerked
in Topmark's sto'."
Miss Winfield sat, with bowed head,
sobbing audibly. Nina, at her elbow,
was upright and open eyed in the con-
seriousness Of salvation already secure.
Mrs. Talbot had lost sense Of every
thing, even her stricken favorite. Ce-
rintha Payne's face was seraphic; Rob,
at her side, q breathing statue, without
life save in the eyes. They showed dark
er than ever and full of smoldering
light. Even the minister felt them burn
upon his face as he stood plEling so
earnestly, SO tenderly. that Use for
whom Christ suffered and died should
not make his suffering of none effect.
His plea was not tedious. Less than
half an hour from his uprising he had
sunk to his knees, saying, half inaudi-
bly,, Brethren, sisters, let US pray"
AS with one impulse everybody knelt
with him in supplication utterly with
out words. The summer night stiffness
was broken only by the shrilling Of tree
toads, the sibilant clamor of katydids,
and, undervoicing them, the stamping
of many hoofs from the tethered beasts
in the grove.
Brother Green got up slowly and be.
gan to sing;
go brothers, will you meet me;
o brothers, will you meet me;
o brothers, will you meet me
On Caanan's happy shoreH"
His voice was harshly strong except
in the head register. There it became a
clarion, sweet and full Of silver. In the
rising throng hundred Threats caught
up the old camp meeting tune and
swelled it to flood. Some Of the voices
made discord, but it was overborne,
washed away, in the sweeping tide of
harmony that rang and rolled as though
it might reach the stars. Below the re-
verberant swelling of it the ear caught
q tempest of sobs, of groans, Of heart
broken, penitent EXPLANATIONS from the
crowd of kneeling figures about the
altar.
Teddy was among them. He had been
....ll ENga