Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1898-06-25
NUMBER so

doubling as to which direction he had
better take. He had his hat lifted high
enough so you could see he had an in
telligent forehead He had stout
chest; he had a robust development.
Splendid young man. Cultured young
man. Honored young man. Why did
he stop there while so many were going
up and down? The fact is that every
man has good angel and bad an
gel contending for the mastery of his
spirit. And there was good angel
and bad angel struggling with that
young mans soul at the corner Of the
street.
Come with me, said the good an
gel, at will take you home. I will
spread my wing over your pathway. l
will lovingly escort you all through
life will bless every cup you drink
out of, every couch you rest on, every
doorway you enter. I will consecrate
your tears when you weep, your sweat
when you toll, and at the last / will
hand over your grave into the hand of
the bright angel Of Christian resur-
rection. In answer to your fathers Pc
tition and your mothers prayer I have
been sent of the Lord out of heaven to
be your guardian spirit Come with
me, said the good angel in voice of
unearthly symphony. TWAS music like
that which drops from lutte Of heaven
when seraph breathes on 1t. mo,
no. said the bad angel, come with
me. / have something better to offer.
The wines I pour are from chalices of
bewitching carousal. The dance lead
is over floor tessellated with unrestrain-
ed indulgences There is no God to
frown on the temples Of sin where I
worship. The skies are Italian The
paths I tread are through meadows
daisied and primrosed. Come with
me-" The young man hesitated at
time when hesitation was ruin, and the
bad angel smote the good angel until it
departed, spreading wings through the
starlight upward and away. until
door flashed open in the sky and forever
the wings vanished. That was the turn
ing point in that young mans history,
for, the good angel flown, he hesitated
no longer, but started on a pathway
which is beautiful at the opening, but
blasted at the last.
The bad angel, leading the way,
opened gate after gate, and at each gate
the road became rougher and the sky
more lurid, and, what was peculiar, as
the gate slammed shut it came to with
jar that indicated that it would never
open. Passed each portal, there was
grinding of locks and showing OF
bolts, and the scenery on either side the
road changed from gardens to deserts,
and the June air became cutting De-
cember blast, and the bright wings Of
the bad angel turned to sackcloth, and
the eyes of light became hollow with
hopeless grief, and the fountains that
at the start had tossed wine, poured
forth bubbling tears and foaming blood,
and on the right side of the road there
was serpent, and the man said to the
bad angel, "What is that serpent?' and
the answer was "That is the serpent
of singing re,norse. On the left side
of the road there was lion, and the
man asked the bad angel "What Is that
lion?' and the answer was. "That Is
the lion of all devouring despair" A
vulture flew through the sky, and the
man asked the bad angel, what is
that vulture?' and the answer was,
''That is the yulture waiting for the
carcasses of the slain And then the
man began to try to pull off Of him the
folds of something that had wound him
round and round, and he said to the bad
angel, "What is 1t that twists me In
this awful convolution?' and the an
swer was, "That is the worm that never
dies" and then the man said to the bad
angel: "What does all this mean? I
trusted in what you said at the corner
of the street that night. TRUSTED 1t all,
and why have you thus deceived me?"
Then the last deception fell off the
charmer, and it said: II was sent forth
from the pit to destroy your soul I
watched my chance for many a long
year. When you hesitated that nightson
the street, I gained my triumph. Now
you are here. Ha, hal You are here.
Come, now, let us fill these two chalises
of fire and drink together to darkness
and woe and death. Hail, hail" Oh,
young man, will the good angel sent
forth by Christ or the bad angel sent
forth by sin get the victory over your
soul? Their wings are interlocked this
moment above you, contending for your
destiny, as above the Apennines eagle
and condor fight midsky. This hour
may decide your destiny. God help you
To hesitate is to die.
-. -s.~-