The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1897-03-12
HIS MIRACLE.
BY CARL SMITH.

The section fOreman's boy, red of
hair and freckled of face, offered q"
show him the way to the church. but
he declined the proifered courtesy, pre-
fcrrin@ to walk up the rai.rCad tIIcI,
until he should get tired of the jauut.
when he would stop at a cattle q ard
and rest, and then return in tine for
dinner Church going had been an un-
known quantity with him in the city.
where there were great cathcdrals i'm
half a dozen different parts of the
own. and ne hardly saw the occasion
for departing from custom simply he
cause his exile in the little country
town was 50 uninterestingIy cvcntlc~S.
lie started with a swinging, athletic
club stride up the line of gravel, there
fore, and the section forcman's boy.
palpably StaTchy and awkward III his
Sunday clothes. went hurrying down
he street from the station, his red hair
crimsonly signaling his approach 10
the little frame church while ne was vet
great distance away.
Kennedy was the new telegraph OV-
.r&tor. He was an aspiring fellow and
m intelligent one, and some day he
hoped to be a trick dispatcher. and pos
~ibly. after reasonable lapse of me, the
uperintcudent of telegraph. lie spent
fhc long and lonesome nights N real
NC on social economies. and he knew
more about The history of strange and
peculiar things associated with govern
rucnt than almost anybody whose mann.
ar fame * now suggested to mind. He
was the chief tclegraphcr Of his df-
IL L e.. D..
which met in the city 30 miles away. ami
he was the man who made the best
speeches on Tuesday nights when
,ndg" proceedings had got a. far along
aS the good of the order" Tho othcr@
of the division thought highly of him,
and usually they sent him as their
lodge delegate to the sessions of tHr
international convention. He could
argue spIendidly and ire said he was an
agnostic.
rs he walked up the track this Sun
day morning the Sabbath feeling
seemed TO rise up as though to offend
against his reasoning and reasonable
agnOSticiSm. Across the fields came
the meIIowness of church bell, and
seeming far. far, far away. its sound
Was the sweeter for the distance. Over
to the right Il farmers wagon Wa
creeping along the section line road
as the sleek brown horses dragged the
family toward the place of worship IN
the town. Around the curve ahead of
him there rose quiet rumblin@, and,
locking to see what unexpected train
was bearing down upon him. he re
oeived the hail of Michael Doolan. fore
man of Section 43, several miles up the
parallel line of rails. who, with his
men and their women and children.
was whirring along in the direction OF
The little parish church toward which
the redheaded boy had sped several
minutes before. The men were on Il
hand car. to which a little fat had been
attached, and this fiat accommodated
the women and children
Il suppose it's ali right for them,
Kennedy murmured, a the twin cars
disappeared around the other bend of
the curve, but that isn't for me- Re
ligion is a good enough thing an in
IiSpenSabIe thing. indeed. but it hasn't
got around to me yet. and it never Will.
It's rood. handy thing to have for the
purpose of swearing people in courts
and impreSsing ignorant persons whose
characters require some sort of ballast
of mysticism. not only for their own
comfort. but for the safety of the
public. Such people. without n weight
CT anchorage of some kind. would rat
tie around annoyingly and even harIn-
fully to others. / wish | could believe
they do. Doubtless il is a comforting
thing to Toe as they are. but
And ne closed his statement of Opin-
ion by picking up n stone and throw
ing it. at a rabbit.
He walked to the cattleguard, and.
resting, returned, and found he had
vastly miscalcnlated distance and time,
and that it was still very early in the
day. He looked about and saw the hand
ear on a siding. and it suggested some
thing to him. Kennedy prided himself
on being Il liberal sort of person. and
The thought came to him that ii would
be a fair and reasonable thing for him
10 drop into the little church. inst to
show that he had really no feeling
against religion. He found the white
Iiaimted structure with the cross over
its queer little cupola, and. entering
tsok the rcarmost seat. The services
were nearly closing. He looked forv ard,
yout worshipers. at the priest in vest
ments, which-although KennedE did
not know it--he had brought at great
labor from the city, for he parish was
TOO poor TO support a resident pastor.
He noted that the worshipers seemed to
consider every movement of the be
rowned man as to some especial import,
and genufiected and crossed themselves
nd murmured uuintelligible utter
Inccs, which he took for prayers. 1t
was very interesting. and in his heart
he wished that reason might show him
how to be as happily satisfied with the
priests teachings as were these.
IF miracle could be enacted in
those old days. why should not one be
.-erformcd now? ," he inquired inwardiy.
''Oh. no. 1t IS all opposed To sense and
science. Faith for he had arrived
in time to hear enough of the sermon TO