Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-03-10
ROB McGREGOR.
BY MARTHA McCULLOCH WILLIAMS.

Walton stood facing the congregation,
his eyes shining with ineffable fire.
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. It 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 glance at her
across the dim lit breadth of the house,
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, but then l
sorter reckon you been under somethin
like conviction ever since yistiddy," !"
Teddy said in torturing whisper. Jack
did not raise his head, but closed his
hand over that of his tormentor in a
grip 30 fierce and full Of meaning as to
silence even Teddy, the irrepressible,
though he was aching to add, "Be John
Drowned ef ever I thought Of ole Top
knot as er holy missionary, but eft Jack
Talbot gifts any religion this whet l jest
knew it oughter bs 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 its 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 transfig-
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: 20 God! o God! o God!
Mercy! Do have mercy on er lost an
dyia sinnerl Lord, dear Lord, I know
I arm er sinner, but it amt all my fault
Nobody couldn't help it ef they olerked
in Topmark's sto'."
Miss Winfold sat, with bowed head,
sobbing audibly: Nina, at her elbow,
was upright aud open eyed in the con.
sciousness 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, breathing statue, without
life save in the eyes. They showed dark
or than ever and full of smoldering
light. Even the minister felt them burn
upon his face as he stood pleading so
earnestly, 80 tenderly, that those 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:
| 80 brothers, will you meet me;
o brothers, will you meet me;
o brothers, will you meet me
On Caanan's happy shore"
His voice was harshly strong except
in the head register. There it became q
clarion, sweet and full of silver. In the
rising throng hundred throats caught
up the old camp meeting tune and
swelled it to o food. 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
a tempest of sobs, of groans, Of heart
broken, penitent exclamations from the
crowd of kneeling figures about the
altar.
Teddy was among them. He had been
indeed the first to answer the call for
penitents. He had rushed up the aisle
and flung himself prone in the clean
straw at Brother Milliken s feet, shrek.
| ing out his fear of the wrath to come.
Miss Winfold, too, half rose, as though
she would 60 forward. but Nina had
plucked her sleeve, saying, with vigor-
Gus shakes of the head: "Aghl Agh!
Alice, you mustn't do that. You know
mommer won't like it. it'll make
you so conspicuous. "
Mrs. Talbot gave Nina what she
meant for a severe look. In Alice's ear
she said, "Do whatever your heart
prompts, dear child" But the momen-
tary softness had passed, aud Miss Win
fold was herself, placid and calculating
as ever. She dropped her eyes modestly
and said, with delicate confusion:
II do love God an want to serve him,
Mrs. Talbot, but-but maybe it is best
to wait little while longer, you know.
It seems to me one ought to-to be very
sure about anything so solemn. y
so oo-ee! Lookl Look! Teddy! He's
professed. Hear him shoutin" Nina
cried, craning her neck for a better
view of the altar STIR By this every
body was standing, aud at least half
the more Jealous among Bethel MEM
bers were up among the penitcnts, pray
ing, counseling, consoling. They made
an indeterminate throng i'll the open
square before the pulpit. Teddy had
sprung upright in the middle OF it, wav-