The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1902-01-17
CHAPTER XII.
A CONFERENCE AND HOW IT WAS INTER
RUPTED.

CONFERENCE AND HOW 1T WAS INTER
RUPTED.
Rosalind Valdai and Zenobie were
together in their sitting room, and
the former had been weeping. She
looked paler than when we saw heI
before, and her brow was heavy
Smiles no longer crept about the
dimples of her cheeks, and her eyes
had sad, mournful look. Her face
plainly showed that she had suffered
much.
"My dear mistress" urged the
faithful Zenobie, throwing her arms
about Rosalind's neck and drawing
her head upon her bosom, sweep
no more. Oh, there must be some
hope! Surely God will not suffer
such an unholy work to be done"
"Ah, Zenobie," returned the fair
maiden in fluttering, melancholy
tone, "where can l look for hope~
81 say in God. You have told me
we must look to him, and have be-
lieved you. Have you not always
been good to God?"
81 have been as good as I knew
how, though l have sinned."
"How sinned? Oh, my mistress,
if you have sinned, then who is
pure? Tell me"
eve all sin, Zenobie. It is our
nature"
$50 I have often heard, but |
hardly think you have sinned. What
have you done which you knew to
be wrong?"
Nothing, nothing"
"Then how have you sinned p
"Ah, Zenobie, we all do things
which we ought not to do. But yet
l mean to do as near right as l
can"
"Then leave the rest with God.
Oh, when poor mortals do as near
right as lies in their power. surely
they may leave the rest with God
without fear. And now. + God is
just, as you tell me, why should
he allow the wicked duke to triumph
over you? What justice would there
be in that when you are all good
ness and he is sin itself ?"
Rosalind was puzzled. She had
tried to, teach her attendant to love
and honor God, and she had SO far
succeeded that Zenobie understood
all the principles of Christianity
and embraced them gladly and JOY
fully. But now how should she
make this point understood? How
should she reconcile this apparent
injustice with Gods universal mer-
cy and justice?
"Can you not tell me?" the young
girl asked again. "Why should God
allow such thing? You say he is
all powerful and can do what he
wills"
"Zenobie," returned the maiden
after bordering for awhile, "you do
not look at the subject in a proper
light. God does not operate by pet
ty, individual decisions, as an en-
peror does. He sees that certain
laws are necessary for the good of
mankind, and not single law OF all
his code is there but is very good.
Last night your head ached, and
you suffered, and, of course, you had
violated some natural law. 1t was
your own fault. And so this suf-
fering which is now come upon me
is the result of violation of one of
Gods laws"
"Ah," cried Zenobie eagerly, "but
you are the one who suffers while
another violates the law. In my
case l did both and do not COM
plain"
sBut listen," pursued Rosalind,
with Frightening countenance, for
the true idea had come to her mind.
"It would not be just for person
to enjoy all the good Of a law and
leave Others to suffer all the evil.
God has established in us a social
nature, and through that part of
our nature come the sweetest of our
earthly enjoyments. Such law
the law of sociality-must be univer-
sal, and if men break that law they
must suffer, and the only just way
in which God could shield me from
suffering would be to release me
from the effects Of the law. Then !
should be a poor, lonesome outcast,
forced to live all my days alone like
a barren rock upon the top Of some
bleak mountain. But would rath-