The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-05-15
CHAPTER II.

CHAf lEh IL.
The children all cried out in surprise
and hurried into the next room. But
before relating what happened there
we will follow Mr.. Hardy into the ex-
perience he had just after falling
asleep upon the lounge by the open fire.
1t seemed to him that he stepped at
once from the room where he lay into
a. place such as he had never seen be-
fore, where the one great idea tha.
filled his entire thought was the idea
of the present moment. Spread out
before him, as if reproduced by pho
nograph and a magic lantern COM
bined, was the moving panorama of
the entire world. He thought he saw
into every home. every public place of
business. every saloon and place of
amusement, every shop and every
farm, every place Of industry, amuse-
ment and vice upon the face of the
globe. And he thought he could hear
the worlds conversation, catch its sobs
Of suffering-nay, even catch the mean
ing of unspoken thoughts of the heart.
With that absurd rapidity peculiar to
certain dreams he fancied that over
every city on the globe was placed a
glass cover through which he could
look and through which the sounds of
the city's industry came to him. But
he thought that he ascertained that by
lifting off one of these covers he could
hear with greater distinctness the
thoughts Of the inhabitants and see all
they were doing and suffering with the
most minute exactness. He looked fol
the place of bis own town, Barton
There it lay In its geographical spot or
the globe, and he thought that, moved
by an impulse he could not resist. be
lifted off the cover and bent down tc
see and hear.
The first thing he saw was his min
ister's home. 1t was just after the
Sunday evening service, the one which
Mr.. Hardy had thought so dull. Mr.
Jones was talking over the evening
with his wife.
''My DEAR" he said, 81 feel about dis
couraged. OF what use is all our pray
ing and longing for the Holy Spirit
when our own church members are 81
cold and unspiritual that all his inf1u
ence is destroyed? And, you know,
made a special plea to all the member!
to come out tonight, and only a hand
full there! l feel like giving up th,
struggle. You know I could make /,
better living in literary work, and tn,
children could be better cared fo
then"
"But, John. it was bad night to ge
| out You must remember that"
But only 30 out of a church mem
bership of 400 most Of them livin.
near by! 1t doesn't seem just right t,
| me-"
"Mr. Hardy was there! Did you Sc,
himY'
Eyes; after service l went and spok,
to him, and he treated me very coldly
| And yet he is the most wealthy and il
some ways the most gifted churcl
member we have. He could do grea
things for the good Of this communit,
if"-
Suddenly Mr.. Hardy thought tn,
minister changed into the Sunda,
school superintendent, and be wa
walking down the street thinking abou
his classes in the school, and Mr.. Har
| dy thought he could hear the superin
tendent's thoughts. as If his ear wer
at a phonograph.
"Its too bad! That class of boys
wanted Mr.. Hardy to take left th
school because no one could be foun
to teach them. And now Bob Wilso
has got into trouble and been arreste
for petty thieving. 1t will be a terribl
blow to his poor mother. Oh. why Is
that men like Mr.. Hardy cannot
made to see the Importance of work 1
the Sunday school? With his know
edge Of chemistry and geology he coul
have reached that class Of boys and ir
vited them to his home, up into his LAT
| oratory and exercised an influence owe
them they would never outgrow. OF
It's a strange thing to me that men G
such possibilities do not realize thei
powerv'
The superintendent passed alon
shaking his head sorrowfuIly. and Nj
Hardy, who seemed guided by som
power he could not resist and con
PEELED to listen whether he liked it {
not, next found himself looking int
one Of the railroad shop tenement
where the man Scoville was lyin;
awaiting amputation Of both feet afte
the terrible accident. Scoville's viii
lay upon a ragged lounge, while Mr.
Hardy's cook kneeled by her side an
in her native Swedish tongue tried ,
comfort the poor woman. So it wG
true that these two were sisters. TT
man was still conscious and sufferir
> unspeakably. The railroad surgeon ha
been sent for, but had not arrive
Three or four men and their wives ha
come in to do what they could. M
Burns, the foreman. was among ther
: One of the men spoke In a whisper
him:
D Have you been to see Mr.. Hardy?"
Eyes, but he was at church. lie
word about the accident"
AT church! So even the devil som