Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1900-11-18

seemed to break open the crust that had TOT years surrounded these two men and smut them off from divine eommnniea- 1ion' and they themselves were thor oaghly startled by the event.
 me bishop ceased, and at first he hllnseH dld not realize what had hap pened. Neither did the two men. Burns stlll sat with his head bowed between hls hands. The man leaning against the fence looked at the bishop with q face Tn which new emotions of awe, repent ance' astonishment and broken gleam or Joy struggled for expression.
 The bishop rose.
 Come, my brothersl God is good. You shall stay at the settlement tonight, and will make good my promise as to the work. /"
 The two men followed the bishop in silence. When they reached the settle ment, 1t was after O clock. The bishop let them ln and led them to a room. At the door he paused moment. His tall, commanding figure stood in the door way, and his Iale face, worn with his recent experiences, was illuminated with the divine glory.
 God bless yoe, my brothers he said, and, leaving them his benediction, he went away
 In the mcfning he almost dreaded to face the men. but the impression of the night had not worn away True to his promise the bishop secured work for them. The janitor at the settlement needed an assistant owing to the growth ot the work there. So Burns was given the place Iae bishop succeeded in get- ting his companion a posi ton as driver for firm of warehouse dray manufacs turers not far from the settlement.
 And the Holy Spirit. struggling in these two darkened, sinful men, began his marvellous work of regeneration.
 If was the afternoon following that morning when Burns was installed in his new position as assistant ianitor that he was cleaning off the front steps of the settlement when he paused 8 moment and stood up to look about him.
 The first thing he noticed was q beer sign just across the alley. He could al most touch it with his broom from where he stood. Over the street imme- diately opposite Were two large saloons, and a little farther down were thr6 more.
 Suddenly she door of the nearest sa- loon opened. and a man came out. At the same time two more went in. 4 strong odor of beer foated up 10 Burns as he stood on the steps of the settle ment. He clutched his broom handle tight and began to sweep again. He had one foot on the porch and another on the step just beloW. He took another step down. still sweeping. The sweat stood out on his forehead, although the day was frosty and the air chill The saloon door opened again, and three or four men came out A child went in with pail and came out a moment later with a quart of beer. The child went by on the sidewalk just below him, and the odor of the beer came up to him. He took another step down, still sweeping desperately. His fingers were purple as he clutched the handle of the broom.
 Then suddenly he pulled himself up one step and swept over the spot he had just cleaned. He then dragged himself by a tremendous effort back to the floor of the porch and went over into the cor. her of it farthest from the saloon and began to sweep there. 70 God, :" he cried eff the bishop would only come back'' The bishop had gone out with Dr Bruce somewhere, and there was no one about the settlement that he knew.
 He swept in the corner for two or three minutes. His face was drawn with the agony of the conflict. Gradu ally he edged out again toward the steps and began to go down them. He looked toward the sidewalk and saw that he had left one step unswept. The sight seemed to give him a reasonable excuse for going down there to finish his sweep ing. He was on the sidewalk now, sweeping the last step, with his face toward the settlement and his back turned partly on the saloon across the alley. He swept the step dozen times. The sweat rolled over his face and drop ped down at his feet. By degrees he felt that he was drawn over toward that end of the step nearest the saloon. He could smell the beer and rum now as the fumes rose around him. 1t was like the internal sulphur of the lowest he'll and yet it dragged him, as by giants hand nearer it's source
 He was down in the middle of the sidewalk now, still sweeping. He clear ed the space in front of the settlement and even went out into the gutter and swept that. He took off his hat and rub bed his sleeve over his face. His lips were palid, and his teeth ehattered. He trembled all over like a palsied man and staggered back and fort'a, as if he were already drunk. His soul shook within him.
 He had crossed over the little piece of stone Tagging that measured the width of the alley, and now he stood in front