Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1905-03-03

u [I<A when il is finished
SS3EI-j bringeth forth
= X 49, DEATH"
a. w at strange,
mysterious influ-
enceis il W ich steals upon the soul some
times bringing vague dread and fear or
some impending trouble or tragedy
while yet the coming tragedy or trouble
is unforeseen and unknown? why the
unexplained depression Of spirits while
yet all q sunshine about and no cloud
of the coming storm is visible upon life
horizon?
So Il was with Mother Eve on the
morning of our story. Not since
those blissful days in the garden when,
ere the temptation and fall, mysterl-
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 look upon Gains face.
II 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 he was telling TO the two
boys-for they were then old enough TO
hear the storv-of the first lamb God
had slain in ordsr 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 10 the irrev-
erent taunt Abel, whose heart was stirred
by the story Of God and Gods care, in
quired:
But, father. If such garments were
needed. why did not God provide them
when He created you"
A painful silence followed Could he
tell the sad. dark side 10 his life? Could
he reveal the tragic secret of his life
and the life of Mother Eve? Ii was a
subject which had not been referred to
since the expulsion from the garden.
But the question OF Abel came as rev.
elation TO the fathers heart and he saw
that he must make plain TO his boys how
God had created man in His own image,
sinless and pure, and how, by disobedi-
ence, man had fallen from that state
into one OF sin. At last he looked up
with tear-dimmed eyes, and with fall
tering voice he went on and told all the
long sad story.
Cain, impressed momentarily by the
the story itself did not seem 10 affect
him, kept silent for a time after his
father ceased speaking, and then impa-
tiently exclaimed:
That was a small thing for God to
make so much fuss about, and don't see
I ~
Father Adam turned in sharp re-
buke upon Cain for his irreverence AMI
willful refusal TO receive and under
stand Gods dealings with man.
Meanwhile, Mother Eve and Abel
were holding earnest converse, Abel
asking questions and his mother ex-
/ planning these strange mysteries inso-
| far as she could. The father noted this
as he was speaking. and he concluded
his rebuke by pointing TO Abel, and say
/ ing:
We'll. might you follow the example
OF your brother there, and seek with
/ him TO understand these mysteries!"
At that moment Mother Eve looked
up and her quick eve noted the dark.
awful frown which for a moment
/ rested on the face OF Cain as he shot
an angry glance towards his brother.
But IL was quickly gone. and the
mother thought no more of II. Ia fact
she had quite forgotten IL until that
morning when she noted the same evil
lines distorting his face She watched
him disappear in the distance while
the anxious dread and underlined ter
TOR clutched at her heart She tried
to think what IL could mean.
The day before Abel had left with
his focks for pasturage at some dis
aEce from home, and had remained
with them all night, as was often his
custom. Before starting he mentioned
the fact that It was the purpose OF his
heart to make an offering to the Lord
OF the frstlings OF his flock and both