Omaha daily bee., 1905-07-23

his grip on her more earnest faith How the work grew
and dtshcartcnns and finally utterly discouv-
aged ne gave AN up scttng the level Indian
and said he "hcre { stranded" II certainly
distressing story OF a human wreck dcrclict the
great sea of human yndeavor.
As we walked i'm toschcr leading the horse I told him
Jordan his faith and complete reliance the
last and of his deep anxiety for his family Arriving at
the arruugod with Mckee to send the suit took
him to my selected shirt and collar put the bible
in his hands and at his request left him alone tin the time
the funeral
Mac had made good progress i'm arranging ccro-
mony; the coffin already the ambulance
and the body being prepared burial went with
two ncSroos selected spot for temporary grave saw
to the digging and returned to help Mac In inviting the
officers BY everything seemed to be arranged and
the body placed in the center OF big reception room on
the first hoortho rough coffin covered by white sheet
About O'Clock the officers arrived and had fun
thirty forty being present
All being ready. knocked at the door and announced
to the parsou that ready As he into the
room with the bible under his arm the company stood
back along the walls leaving the center open for the
service. But the pnrson sight to behold lie was
arruyod In blue Jacket pants too short red In
dian with brass buttons white shirt with wide Byron
collar aud rough cowhidr shoes As glanced at him
he reminded me OF the gctup of Warren of the Boston
Thcatcr company jefferson Scattering Batkns, the
gentleman from Cranberry Center, almost par
alyacd foN fear would laugh Fortunately there
woman there; If there had been, she would
tainy have screamed. ne stood there beside the
coffin. turning the pages Mai Wright always fun
rum touched shoulder from behind and whis-
pcrcd say proc whcr, did you raise your parsonq" It
trying moment Opening at the fifteenth chapter
Of the cpise to the Corinthians h. commenced slowly
and mprcssivey to rcod the lesson of death and the
promise Of the resurrection. There instant atten-
ton ana solemn silence He read beautifully As he fin
ish,d this reading. he turned to the ialh psalm.
evident that he deeply moved by the words he
uttcring. As he TO the reading:
whittier shall ! 90 from thy spirit or whittier shall
l fee from thy presence?
" II ascoul up into heaven thou there; If make
my bed in hell behold thou art there
If | take the wings of the morning and dwell in the
uttermost parts of the thcre shall thy hand
lead me
At this last he turned from the reading ana
commenced slowly. and with great feeling to say that
seemed to him that these words must with solemn
meaning to that whole company. We have" said he
seemed consider for the last six months that
outside Of Gods jurisdiction We have dehed every
his commands, have basphemed continually against
him, this part his footsoo into per
feet hell and right in the midst of all this wickedness
and depravity he mas reached down and taken from
among us the only man who had claim on his proec
ton"
As he went speaking of the responsibility laid
each the sight of God his mind seemed to lift
gradually mists of disusc grow strong
just the fog lifting the wrole coast line, and
the situation present itself to him and
there the OF the dead and with that lesson
of consistent life and faith and trust pressing in upon
him the open bible before him, the of duty
neglected crowding in, until he seemed more than
eloquent As of western rivers during freshet
rising slowly the that feed IT flowing in
lifting the burdens that have been deposited for years
banks bringing the pressure from all directions
finally bursts its dam and whring its broadened
way life choed by the debris of years touched by
the awakening sensbiy of neglect fed by streams of
thought whose way back in that New Eng
home it's in the presence of death and
the open bible.
1t was solemn sight the old bending
coffin the dead the service he had
him. he turned from his appeal to
and prayed fcrvently for that wife and those little
children that would temper the wind to those shorn
in their bereavement and then remembering the
who stood about him, he pleaded that they
might visited by such sadness, stout heart
man himself vainly striving to keep back those
silent that would have 1t wns scene that not
one man there would forget as long as he lived
Every followed the body to the grave, stood with
uncovered while the pronounced The pcnedc
the house in order whore thc funeral
dissolved Many were the thanks of the officers the
old parson, many the invitations to become their
while he the fort Every man went his own
way thoughtful The parson returned to his labor in the
morning in the bayfield,.
Two weeks after we had the body Jordan dsnterred
Topeka, There, in his own lot in the ceme-
terry. loved keep the sod above it, it
rests peace after its fatcd journey.
That many years These years have brought
great all Of but the change to this part OF
country is marvellous. The fortihcatons are aban-
doned while below thrives with busy life. The
army melted back into civil life and these officers
are scattered over states The refugees
their homes and thrifty and prosperous The
locomotive with its plume dashng down the
valley rebel raiders startled the hay camp The
churches schools and colleges But what has
become of the parson in all these changes?
Some years after this incident happened to be in
Washington and there met Mckee As we talked over
our Fort days funeral experience to
and there from Mckee that the then
regularly preaching the little chapel at Gibson full of
usefulness with the respect of all about him And so who
of us shall dare say any life is failure until that
life work is completedH
sASsSesssssssssSssss sSss