Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1900-09-09

l difficult to indicate the extent of the shock which this interruption measured. 1t was so unexpected, so entirely con- trary to any thought of any person present. that 1t offered no room for argument or. for the time being, of re sistance.
 The sermon had come to close The Rev. Henry Maxwell had turned the half of the big Bible over upon his manuscripts and was about to sitsdown as the quartet prepared to rise and sing the closing selection.
 All for Jesus. all for Jesus
 All my beings ransomed powers
 when the entire congregation was star tied by the sound of mans voice It came from the rear of the church, from one of the seats under the gallery. The next moment the figure of man came out of the shadow there and walked down the middle aisle.
 Before the startled congregation real ized what was being done the man had reached the open space in front of the pulpit and had turned about, facing the people.
 'I ve been wondering since came n here --they were the words he used under the gallery. and he repeated them --ssif it would be just the thing to say word at the close oe this service. I'm not drunk, and m not crazy. and F m perfectly harmless. But if 1 die, as there is every likelihood l shall in few days, want the satisfaction of thinking that I said my say in place like this. before just this sort of a crowd. "
 Henry Maxwell had not taken his seat, and he now remained standing, leaning on his pulpit. looking down at the stranger. 1t WAS the man who had come to his house Friday morning, the same dusty. worn, shabby looking young man. He held his faded hat in his two hands It seemed to be ia vorite gesture. He had not been shaved, and his hair was rough and tangled. It was doubtful if any one like this had ever confronted the First chHreh within the sanctuary. It was tolerably familiar with this sort of humanity out on the street. around the railroad shops. wan dering up and down the avenue, but 1t had never dreamed of such an incident as this so near.
 There was nothing offensive in the man $ manner or tone He was not ex- cited, and he spoke in low but dis tinct voice Henry Maxwell was con scious, even as he stood there smitten into dumb as5onishment at the event, that somehow the man 8 action remind ed him of person he had once seen walking and talking in his sleep.
 No one in She church made any mo- tion to stop the stranger or in any way interrupt him. Perhaps the first shock of his sudden appearance deePened into genuine perple9ity concerning what was best to do However that may be, he went on as if he had no thought of interruption and no thought of the un- usual clement he had introduced into the dpcorum of the First church service, and all the while he was speaking Henry Maxwell leaned over the pulpit. his face growing more white and sad every moment. Bat he made no move ment to stop him, and the people sit sr2itten iato hreathless silence One other face, that of Rachel Winslow, from the choir seats. stared. white and intent, down at the shabby figure with the faded hat. Her face was striking at any time. Under the pressure of the present unheard of incident 1t was as personally distinct as if it had been framed in fire.
 ''I'm not an ordinary tramp, though i don't know of any teaching of Jesus that makes one kind of 8 tramp less worth saving than another. Do you P He put the question as naturally as. if the whole congregation had been a small private Bible class He paused just 8 moment and coughed painfully. Then he went on.
 II lost my job ten months ago I am a printer by trade. he new linotype machines are beautiful specimens of invention. but l know six men who have killed themselves inside of the year just on account of those machines Of course I don blame the newspapers for getting the machines. Meanwhile what can a man do2 I know I never learned but the one trade. and that 8 all can do I've tramped all over the country trying to find something. There are good many others like me. I'm not complaining, am T Just stating facts. But I was wondering, as I sat there under the gallery, if what yon call following Jesus is the same thing as what he taught.
 'sNhat did he mean when he said, Follow me?' The minister said here the man turned about and looked up at the pulpit-s'taat it was necessary for the disciple of Jesus to follow his steps, and he said the steps were obedienee, faith. love and imitation. But I did not hear him tan just what he meant that to mean. especially the last step. What lo Christians mean by following the steps of Jesus? I've tramped