St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1905-03-11

| of the careful husDandman, had Sc
lected the best of his fruits and grains
! and with self-confident, self-satisfiel
air he brought them and placed them
| upon the altar.
Abel, with humble heart and faith
reaching up in obedience towards God
brought his precious lamb and as its
life blood flowed he bowed in repent.
| ant grief at the thought of sin which
made such sacrifice necessary.
While thus bowed before the altar
on which the lamb rested the fire OF
Gods presence came down and con-
sumed the sacrifice. and Cain, standing
with proud, unbending head before his
altar, noted the evidence of Gods ac-
ceptance Of Abel's offering, while his
own Offering remained undisturbed and
Inaccepted.
And he was very wroth, and his
countenance fell
And the voice Of God came to Cain
and said: #
why art thou wroth? and why is
thy countenance fallen? If thou vert
innocent and sinless, q thank offering
of thy fruits would have been accepted
as token Of thy dependence as a
creature, butas thou art sinners sim
offering is necessary, by the bringing
of which thou wouldst have met with
acceptance, even as was the case with
Abel, thy brother"
On his return home that night Cain
had made no mention of the incidents
OF the day and his mother, noting his
sullen demeanor, kept silence and next
morning watched him depart with that
awful frown upon his face. And her
heart was sore troubled. All, mother.
to-day shalt thou drink the bitter cup
which thy disobedience back in the
garden hath poured for thee!
Toward noon, unable to stand the
pressure of that vague terror which
filled her heart, she started from the
house. She knew not why she went.
She noticed not whittier she went, but
irresistibly her feet were drawn to-
wards the distant fields where Abel's
focks peacefully fed. A deathlike still
ness brooded over the spot, save for
the occasional bleating of little suck
ling lamb as it sought it's mothers
side, or the twitter of some mother
bird as she fed her young in the tree
top. No herdsman's CHEEKY call as he
talked to his sheep! no tail form NOV
ing about in loving care among his
sheep!
The mothers heart stood still. She
tried to cry out in the agony Of her
heart: "Abel! Abel!!" But the
words would not come, and she half
ran, half stumbled on. What was that
dark form lying on the green sward,
from which the sheep seemed to draw
with dread away? She had never seen
one lie so cold and still before. Those
eyes, staring wildly up towards
heaven! The agony of that white
face! The gaping wound in the side!
The ground all crimson with the life's
blood! With horror unspeakable the
mother drew back, and slowly upon
her dazed senses there broke the one
word God had spoken back in the gar
den-DEATH! And this was death!
This was sins fruitage! Death!
DEATH!
But mother love quickly asserted it.
self, and with one wild, heart-broken
cry of anguish, Mother Eve threw her.
self upon the form of her beloved boy.
We may not intrude on the sacred scene.
The hours spent there with her precious
dead no eye but Gods saw, and none
but His tender ear heard. And there,
late in the night, while the stars kept
their silent watch overhead and the
moons gentle beams guided his feet,
Adam found her, and mingled his tears
with hers, and felt the heart throb OF
her anguish.
But what of Cain? While the bereft |
parents keep watch by the side Of their
dead boy, he is well on his way to the
land of Nod, whittier he turned his steps |
after his interview with God. But how |
changed he is. Gods mark upon his |
brow has fastened there forever the |
hideous and vengeful face which glow
cred over his innocent and defenseless
brother, as he drove the sharp-pointed
flint knife again and again into his
side His mad rage spent, his
Jealous hate satiated, still that face in
all it's horrible, misshapen frenzy was
fixed for all time. 1t was sign set by
God, lest any finding him should kill
him.
BY the early morning light the tender
hands of that sorrowing father and
mother laid the dear form Of their boy,
Abel, to rest by the side of the altar
where but so shortly before he had
stood an humble and accepted wor-
shipper. By faith he had offered more
excellent sacrifice than Cain, and it was
hat faith that gave him abundant en-
rance to the presence of God. And by
aith the parents, as they wendell their
way home silently, knew that thei1
|arling was safe with God.
But Cain, in the land Of Nod, spoke
vii of that way of faith which he knew
lot, and forgot God, and the latter end
# that man was worse than the first.
The Limit.
A young lady nursing and talking to
. pet dog on an electric car had asked
ho condnctor tn sfnn at a certain Dninf |