The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1901-09-28
VII


James had come to be known along the
lower Platte country, was preaching in
a sod school houee. when the air dark.
ened with the plague shadow. 1t is
told, to this day, how he lifted his
hands to cry out against the iniquities
of which the visible punishment was
failing, and how he held every soul OF
the anxious congregation for an hour,
listening to the tale OF their sins. while
the grasshoppers ate up their grain.
Then he strobe ten miles to his next
appointment, with the whirring swarms
rising up before him and dropping back
to their work behind with a sound like
myriads Of imp reapers, saving the
stalks with infinitessimal sythes.
Sometimes pitchy smoke rolled over a
field, from fires set to fight back the
invaders. Long trenches had been dug
along many green acres, but though
frequently these were filled with squirm-
ing masses, there seemed no thinning
OF the invading hosts ahead. Amid the
smells of pitchy smoke, burning rags.
and stranger odors from the smeared
trenches, the old man walked. with the
spirit of contest rising in his veins.
at is the voice Of the Lord God unto
your Pharaoh, which is Mammon.-Let
my people co." was the burden of bis
preaching that night in lean to- which
rustled with the devouring wave reach
ing its thatch of morning glory vines.
TO you all in this broad inheritance,
the green and gold of harvest have been
but the gold and green OF eagles and
bank notes. This lie Gods scourge
upon Mammon. Let my people co.
Ali must suffer as all have been blessed.
And all must repent before it is ever
lastingly too late. Even as the myriad
mouths eat up the fruit Of your hands,
so the myriad seconds OF earthly life are
consuming your probation here. And
il this destruction pains you, reflect
upon the pains OF that eternal devour-
ing of the worm which dieth not. Lis
ten, then and in the pause the vine
stalks fell from the caves listen, before
your day of consuming vengeance come,
and you gather up your feet in death,
hear the voice that cries unto Mammon,
Let my people co."
In the days of gathering want that
followed, while whittier faces and gloom
Ter eyes turned upon the Jeremiahs of
the veteran preacher there was no
softening of the message" James
Matthiason as little thought Of sparing
the hearts of his flock as OF sparing the
flesh of his children, and not one small
Mstthiason but hushed Laughter when
his travel-worn figure darkened his own
door. Men have conquered empires
with no more of fixed purpose. and be
was supreme in his own.
There were twelve Matthiasons when
the plague came. and John and James.
on borrowed horses, galloped up and
down the little wheat field they had
planted. dragging long rope over the
heads of grain. A cloud of swarming
green and brown rose before the drag
ging rope. and fell again behind it, with
livelier gusto upon The milky grains.
There goes schoolin', down them
crunchin' jaws" John muttered, sullen.
ly. flnging off from his wet horse and
turning bis eyes away from the little
field. But everywhere the wriggling
plain seemed to culver into nauseous
life, until the boy threw his head up
ward, and took one long look at the
urspotted light of the summer sky.
Then he walked home to his mother