The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1901-05-24

| al your pufidl
| had a friend in the west-a rare
! friend. lie was one of IN, first TO vel.
come me To my new home. TO fine per-
sonal appearance he added "A oencros-
| ity. frankness and ardor a. nature tina.
made me love him like a brother. Ru,
| saw evil people gathering AROUND
him. They came up from the saloons
from the gambling hel!S. They plifd
| him with a thousand arts. They scize3
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 ,n
admoniSh him. ! would say: Wv
/ | wish sou would quit those bad abits
and become a Christian" oh" he
would reply. Il would like to. but 7
/ have gone 80 far don't think there is
! any way back" In his moment, of re
| pentance he would go home and take
his little girl of eight years and EN-
brace her convulsively and cover her
with adornmcnts and strcw 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 inflamiug cup. and
| the house Of shame, like fool To the
/ correction of the stocks.
was summoned To his dcathbed. I
! FASTENED. entered the room. ] found
him. 10 my surprise. lying in full every
! day dress on the top Of the couch.
put out my hand. He graSpcd il ex-
citedly and said: "Sit down. Mr.. Tai
mage, right there" ! sat down. lie
said: Last night I saw ny mother,
who has been dead for % Nos-s and lie
sat just whore YOU sit now. II was no
| dream. | was wide awake. There was
no dcluSion in the matter. ! sax her
| just as plainly a | see You. Wife. !
wish You would take these string, of
me. There are strings spun \ II around
my body. | wish YOU woulG Take them
off me- | saw il was dclirtum. "Oh."
replied the wife. ''my dear. there i
nothing there. there il nothing there. .
He went on and said: "JuSt where YOU
sit. Mr.. Talmage. my mother SAT. She
said TO me: Henry. ! do wish YOU
would do better got o'it OF bed. put
my arms around her and said: Moth
Ell. want Ia do better. Won't YOU help
me To do better. Won't YOU II. IN me. -
No mistake about il. TO dclusion. I
saw her-the cap and apron and the
| spectaclcS, just as She used 10 look 20
years ago. But | do wish YOU would
take these strings away. They annoy
me so, | can hardly talk. Won't YOU
take them away?' / knelt down and
prayed. conscious of the fac, that he
did not realize what was saving. /
got up. ! said: "Good-by. hope YOU
will be better soon" He said: Good
by, Sood-by." g
That night his soul went up 10 the
God who gave it. Arrangements were
made for the obsequies. Some said:
Don't bring him in the church; he is
too absolute oh" ] said. bring
him. He was a good friend of mine
while he was alive. and l shall stand
by him now that he j. dead. nring aim
TO the church"
As | sat in the pulpit and saw his
body coming up through the aisle
felt as if | could weep tears of blood.
| 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 i a man
in this audience who is without sin.
let him east the first stone al this cof-
fin lid" On one side the pulpit sat
that little child. rosy. sweet faced. as
beautiful as any child that sat al your
table this morning. warrant YOU. She
looked up wistfully. not knowing the
full sorrows of an orphan child.
Oh, her countenance hauntS me to-
day. like some sweet face looking up
on us through horrid dream. On the
other side of the pulpit were the men
who had destroyed him. There they
sat. hard visaged. some of them pale
from eNhausting disease, some of them
flushed until il seemed as il the fires
of iniquity famed through the cheek
and cracked :he lips. They were the
men who had bound him hand and foot.
They had kindIed the fires. They had
poured the NORWOOD and gal! into
that orphans cup. Did they weep?
No. Did they sigh repentingly? No.
Did they say: What pity that such
"A brave man should be slain?" No. 30;
not one bloated hand was lifted TO
wipe away tear from bioated cheek.
They sat and looked at the coffin like
vultures gazing at the carcass Of
lamb whose heart they had ripped out.
| cried in their ears as plainly as l
could: There are a God and judg-
ment day" Did they tremble? Oh.
no. no. They went back from the
house of God, and that night, though
their victim lay in lakewood cemetery.
was told that they blasphemed, and
they drank, and they gambled, and
there was not one less customer in all
the houses of iniquity. This destroyed
man was Samson in physical
strength, but Delilah sheared him. and
the Philistines of evil companionship
dug his eyes out and threw him into the
prison of evil habits. But in the hour
of his death he rose up and took hold
of the two piilared curses of God
against drunkenness and uncleanli-
ness and threw himself forward until
down upon him and his companions
there came the thunders of an eternal
catastrophe.
Again. any amusement that gives