The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1905-02-18

(sTLEs<4. go forth! Death in |
~ ga the home-Death |
~ " the elimination of
~ II -Ss sin! For 'ssin
s%TI5TA when it is finished
SSe5g,lb1J bringeth fort
y 6@n~ DEATH"
I&9~ What strange,
mysterious inHu-
onoaisi+ubicb steals upon the soul some-
times, bringing vague dread and rear VI
some impending trouble or trageas'
while vet the coming tragedy rtrouple
Il unforeseen and unknown? Why the
unexplained depression of spirits Wh1le
vet all is sunshine about and no cloud
of the coming storm is visible upon Ire
horizon? Like the omlnous calm that
comes as the silent prelude to the angry
:empest in the tropics, so IN human eA-
perience the storm of distress and sof-
row which sometimes sweeps IN upon
the life is preceded by an ominoUs CAIN
leading to inner forebodings.
So it was with Mother Eve on the
morning Of our story. The DAY was
filled with the beauty and gladness# Oh
nature. The song of birds was heard
inviting a glad response from her heart,
and the sunlight bursting in through
the doorway, sought by it's brightness 70
turn her thoughts upward. But the
happy mother of that happy home could
not dispel the cloud that brooded ike an
ill-omen over her heart. Not since
those blissfuI days in the garden Wnen,
ere the temptation and fall, mysterI-
Gus dread had touched her heart while
vet unknown to her Satan was plot
ting her ruin, had such feeling come
upon her. She was conscious of the de-
| preston almost with her first waking
thoughts, and the dark look on the brow
of her son Cain as he left the house On
| his way to the fields drove the arrows OF
apprehension more sharply into her
| soul.
Once. long before, she recalled haV-
| ing seen such a look upon Gains face.
It was upon the occasion of one of their
days of worship and sacrifice. Father
Adam had made the Offering of the lamb
| as God had instructed him to do, and
for the first time ewas telling to the two
boys-for they were then old enough to
hear the story-of the first lamb God
| had slain in order that he might pro-
vide garments to clothe himself and
their mother.
Abel listened with reVerent. earnest
attention, but his elder twin brother,
with apparent Indifference, played with
/ the pebbles at his feet, and when his
| father paused in his story, blurted out:
Il don't see why the skins were any
better clothing than the garments you
made for yourselves"
/ Before Adam could reply to the irrev-
erent taunt, Abel, whose heartWas stirred
by the story Of God and Gods care, in
! CURED:
But, father, if such garments were
needed, why. did not God provide them
when He created you.
i A painful silence followed. Could be
i tell the sad. dark side to his life? Gould
he reveal the tragic secret Of his life
/ and the life of Mother Eve? It was q
subject which had not been referred tc
/ since the expulsion from the garden
But the question Of Abel came as rev
/ eIation to the father heart, and he saw
that he must make plain to his boys how
God had created man in His own image
sinIess and pure, and how, by disobedi
ence. man had fallen from that state
into one of sin. At last he looked III
with tear-dimmed eyes, and with fal
tering voice he went on and told all tn.
long, sad story.
Cain. impressed momentarily by th'
solemnity of the occasion, even though
the story itself did not seem to affec
him. kept silent for time after hi
father ceased speaking. and then impa
tiently exclaimed:
THAT was a small thing for God Il
make SO mucn fuss about, and Idon't Sc.
how it concerns me, anyway
Father Adam turned in sharp re
buke upon Cain for his irreyerenee al;
willfuI refusal to receive and under
stand Gods dealings with man.
Meanwhile, Mother Eve and Abe
were holding earnest converse, Abe
asking questions and his mother ex
planning these strange mysteries inso
far as she could The father noted thi
as he was speaking. and he eonclade
his rebuke by pointing to Abel. and say
ing:
/ well, might you follow the exampl
of your brother there, and seek wit
him to understand these mysteries!"
At that moment Neither Eve locke
I'D and her quick eye noted the darl
!, awful frown which for a momen
rested on the face Of Cain as he she
a an angry glance towards his brothe,
q But it was quickly gone, and th
mother thought no more Of 1t. In far
she had quite forgotten II until thu
morning when she noted the same eV
lines distorting his face. She Watche
: him disappear in the distance Will
). the anxious dread and underlined tel
t ror cIutched at her heart. She trie
: to think what it could mean.
The day before Abel had left wit
his foeks for pastlrage at some dli
aDee from home, and had RENAME
= 9Th them all night, as was often b
4 custom. Before starting he mentione
!, the fact that it was the purpose OF h
heart TO make an offering to the Lol
!. of the frstlings Of his flock and bot
mother and father had commends