The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1901-05-25

are ueau. lney Will weep hot one iSai
at your burial.
l had a friend in the west-a rare
friend. He was one of the first to well
come me to my new home. To fine per-
sonal appearance he added a generos-
ity. frankness and ardor of nature that
made me love him like a brother. But
| saw evil people gathering around
him. They came up from the saloons,
from the gambling hells. They piled
him with a thousand arts. They seized
upon his social nature, and he could
not stand the charm. They drove him
on the rocks, like a ship, full winged,
shivering on the breakers. / used TO
admonish him. 1 would say: "Now,
1 wish you would quit those bad habits
and become a Christian" "Oh," he
would reply, 81 would like to, but l
have gone so far l don't think there is
any way back" In his moments of re-
p~entance he would go home and take
his little girl of eight years and en-
brace her convulsively and cover her
with adornments and strew around her
pictures and toys and everything that
could make her happy, and then, as
though bounded by an evil spirit, he
would go out to the inflaming cup, and
the house of shame, like a fool to the
correction of the stocks.
I was summoned to his deathbed. l
fastened. l entered the room. Ifound
him, to my surprise, lying in full every
day dress on the top of the couch. |
put out my hand. He grasped it ex-
citedly and said: "Sit down, Mr.. Tai
mage, right there" l sat down. He
said: Last night I saw my mother,
who has been dead for 20 years, and she
sat just where you sit now. 1t was no
dream. 1 was wide awake. There was
no delusion in the matter. l saw her
just as plainly as l see you. Wife, |
wish you would take these strings off
me. There are strings spun all around
my body. wish you would take them
off me-" saw it was delirium. "Oh,"
replied the wife, my dear, there is
nothing there, there is nothing there"
He went OF and said: "Just where you
sit, Mr.. Talmage, my mother sat. She
said to me: Henry, I do wish you
would do better l got out of bed, put
- II al Odlo utI anu Sdlu. NlOlu-
er, want to do better. Won't you help
me to do better. Won't you help me-"
No mistake about it, no delusion. /
saw her-the cap and apron and the
spectacles, just as she used to look 20
years ago. But 1 do wish you would
take these strings away. They annoy
me so! l can hardly talk. Won't you
take them away?" I knelt down and
prayed, conscious of the fact that he
did not realize what I was saying.
got up. said: "Good-by. Hope you
will be better soon" He said: "Good-
by, good-by."
That night his soul went up to the
God who gave it. Arrangements were
made for the obsequies. Some said:
Don't bring him in the church; he is
too dissolute." "Oh." l said, "bring
him. He was a good friend of mine
while he was alive, and l shall stand
by him now that he is dead. Bring him
to the church."
AS l sat in the pulpit and saw his
body coming up through the aisle
felt as if l could weep tears of blood,
l told the people that day: "This man
had his virtues, and a good many of
them. He had his faults, and a good
many of them. But if there is a man
in this audience who is without sin
let him Isl the first stone at this cot.
fin lid" On one side the pulpit sat
that little child, rosy, sweet faced, as
beautiful as any child that sat at your
table this morning, l warrant YOU. She
looked up wistfully, not knowing the
full sorrow of an orphan child.
Oh, her countenance haunts me to,
day, like some sweet face looking up
on us through a horrid dream. On the
other side of the pulpit were the mel
who had destroyed him. There they
sat, hard visaged, some of them pale
from exhausting disease, some of then
flushed until it seemed as if the fire.
of iniquity famed through the cheel
and cracked the lips. They were thu
men who had bound him hand and foot
They had kindled the fires. They ha(
poured the NORWOOD and gall int
: that orphans cup. Did they weep
No. Did they sigh repentingiy? No
Did they say: what a pity that sucl
. IL man Snould bC Sldln. NO, 10
not one bloated hand was lifted t,
wipe away a tear from a bloated cheek
=. They sat and looked at the coffin lik'
vultures gazing at the carcass of
lamb whose heart they had ripped out
| cried in their ears as plainly as
a could: There are a God and a judg
d ment day" Did they tremble? Oh
| no, no. They went back from tn
a house of God, and that night, thong.
their victim lay in lakewood cemetery
y I was told that they blasphemed, an
they drank, and they gambled, an
5 there was not one less customer in a
S the houses of iniquity. This destroye
e man was a Samson in physica
strength, but Delilah sheared him, an
the Philistines of evil companionshi
dug his eyes out and threw him into til
e prison of evil habits. But in the hou
'e of his death he rose up and took hol
'e of the two pillared curses of Go
o against drunkenness and uncleanl
i. ness and threw himself forward unit
re down upon him and his companion
id there came the thunder of an etern.