Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1904-04-18


whole matter clear to me. A moment
iater' however, perceiving that was
sui IN doubt, he traced on the hook
something which took to be DIR"
A light broke upon me, and glanced
quickly at Mr.. Truesdell He was
handsome young man, tall and strong,
one or those athletic fellows who lose
nesh instead OF gaining it when they
give UP the active sports of college
days and are usually pale when in
health At this moment his face, clean
tut and smooth shaver, was very much
flushed. and there was a spot on each
ciieeH as red as paint. He had been i'll
during the week, and l had heard my
aunt tell him on Friday that he ought
10 go to bed and stay there. l knew
also that the First church had prepared
Its mind for vacant pulpit on Easter
Sunday as result of my aunts opin-
ion about Mr.. Truesdelrs case.
The principal local physician, DR.
Webster, had taken less serious
view, but on Saturday he had appeared
at our house accompanied by profess
slOnal brother from the neighboring
! city Of Graniteville. l had not heard
his name. Could it have been Ebenezer
Blair! If so, the situation was COM
prehensible DIR. Blair must have con-
Cured with my aunt in predicting dis
aster to the Rev. Mr.. Truesdell if he
should venture forth from the house on
Sunday. And now the wise ones of
our congregation were expecting a sen
sational fulfillment Of the prophecy.
1t is worse than bad form to turn
around in the First church of Willett's
Harbor during the sermon, yet l had
to do it. positively had to look at my
cousin, Nellie Stevens up in the choir.
There she sat on the organ stool bend
ing forward, with her hands out
stretched to either side Of the broad
seat, her chin well up, her eyes gleam-
ing, her whole aspect ideally express
sive of-something. But what the dick
ems was it? AS humble yet diligent
student of the human countenance l
might have ventured to say that she
looked defiant, proudly defiant. But
why?
My mind veered back to its original
point. Mr.. Truesdell must have said
something shocking, and Nellie was
defending him, mutely yet eloquently
defending him with the glow Of her
bright, brown eyes and the fine, firm.
resolute lips If Nellie were not my
very own cOusin--but let us return to
the subject. l had perceived during
the week that the Rev. Mr.. Truesdell
was appreciated by more than one
member of my Uncle Dick Stevens
household. My aunt thought well of
him, as l have already said, and what
Cousin Nellie thought or felt I'm sure
/ couldn't tell. l was never in love,
and even IL had been that experience
might rather have deceived than
helped me, for there is not another diff
ference in this world so wide as that
between a mans love and a woman's.
do not mean to intimate that Nellie
had solved the secret Of her hearts
destiny in six days Probably she had
gone no further than to hope that the
First church would accept Mr.. Trues-
dell as it's pastor. Surely she was TAX
ing the matter very seriously as she
sat there on the organ stool face to
face with the candidate over the heads
Of the congregation.
One glance at her was all that l
dared to take. Immediately I turned
to Mr.. Truesdell and gave heed to his
discourse. He had taken as his text
the familiar words, "Seeing we also
are comprised about with SO great
cloud Of witnesses" and had built up
a sermon from many simple parallels.
He called the evening and the morn
ing as his witnesses, the seed that Is
not quickened except it die, the flow
ers that close their eyes In the dark
ness and open them to greet the re-
turning sun. 1t was all very pictur-
esque and expressed with quaint pre-
cision savoring Of old times. What Of
Tense it could possibly have given l
was totally unable to understand, and
utter listening little while and striv-
ing to recall the earlier portions I was
driven back to the conclusion that it
was the state of Mr.. Truesdell's health
that had disturbed his hearers.
Undoubtedly the man was Ill and
growing worse. 1t became difficult for
him to control his voice. and l was
even of the opinion that he paused
sometimes for the mere purpose Of
collecting his wits.
"Thus speak the voices of nature
said he at last, land the spiritually
minded among men have ever listened.
In their own hearts also they have
heard and-and- They have spoken
remote from each other in time and
In place.
He paused and bent forward for a
moment. When he raised his head !
saw that there were tears in his eyes.
II regret" said he, speaking with a
great effort, that am unable to pro-
ceed."
He sank back upon the red cushioned
sofa, with its bulky, rolling arms of
mahogany, that had stood behind that
p,,Ipit fOr almost 81 century Inmptff-