The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1901-06-22
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II JOHN
t. T. HADD0N'S
r. RESURRECTION
II An Easter Storu
Blu WILLIS B. HAWKINS.
- Copyright, 1900, by w. B. Hawkins.
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Copyright, 1900, by w. B. Hawkins.
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John HaddOn sat with his face be-
tween his hands, looking into the dying
fire through ragged wound in the side
of his rusty stove. y chill wind walled
dismally oyer the top of the crumbing
chimney. \ loose clapboar4 raped
against the side of the house with Il
mellow, uncanny night sound; The
desolation of his surroundings harin6-
nized with Johns mood, so that when
n swaying tree grated against the caves
with groan like that of n tormcntcd
soul it almost pleased him.
IA faint tickcring il the west and
the .grulf rumbling of distant thunder
told of a coming storm. John stepped
to the window and pecrcd out. Heavy
clouds We're rushing across the face OF
the wasting moon. The wind Kissed
over the jagged edge of Il broken pane
and n few great drops were blown
against the glass. Then as quverin@
flare of lightning gildcd the slender
white splre of the little church across
ILt way bollIl ultNltb IL ~ UNI VI Wis
gust and returned to his scat by the
stove, for whatever stood for Chris.
tianity was thorn in his flesh,
John Haddon was not an unlcalncd
man. In his hoyhood his stcrnly piouS
parents had fondly hoped that he
might some day be Il great preacher of
the gospel to which their faith was riv
etcd. Accordingly they had held him
firmly to the strictcst discipline of the
church and had provided him With
such knowledge as seemed necessary
to a successful pulpit career. But when
death had removed these directing
hands John had turned from the
church to the groggcry, and his rapid
passage through the several degrees
of sociablity, conyiviality and de
bauchcry had been marked by an ever
increasing hatred of the religion with
which his boyhood had been gorgcd.
At the tavern where he and his cronicS
passed most of their time the mere
mention of religion was enough to
draw from him Il violent storm of
abuse of the church and all protesting
bClcNtIS, % lIlclll WIS lc plI tN l'lS-
ing what he called the narrow bigotry
of the Christians that he never even
thought of concealing his own.
On this Saturday night the choir,
which had been augmented by many
childrens voices for the morrow's Eas-
ter service, was having its last rehears-
al in the little church. Now and then
the swelling volume of the chorus
reached johns ear.
"NonSenSe" he muttcred, and his
mind went off on its favorite theme.
Bigoted as he was, it delighted him to
think that the Christian religion was
absurd; that it contained all the i'm
possibilities of other religions and
many more besides; that its founder
was the most fabulous of all tabled
creatures, and that its Scriptures fell to
ashes of fiction whenever the light of
reason was turned on them.
AS he sat by his stove nursing these
hateful thoughts the doors of the
church were opened and tlocl; of chill
drcn stood in the light, looking out in
dismay on the driving storm. At sight
Of this John grinncd-thc same nissan
thropic grin that had darkcned his face
when lightning the summer before had
torn the stceplc of the church and spar