The San Francisco call., 1906-05-27

game Touch his hand-there is no re-
turning pressure. Speak to him-he does
not answer. When dd that ever happen
before? When did he ever until now
meet you without nearly hand-grip!
When did he ever fail 10 reply?
"A new thing has happened to him. He
cannot stir hand or foot He cannot
speak He is dead. He isn't there any
more He has gone,
Gone where? you ASK. will tell you.
He has gone to be judged. He has gone
where the boo of his life will be open
ed. where his account will be read, when
he will see at last what he has ben and
done from the beginning, where he viii
be paid his wages,
Some time. perhaps very soon, this will
happen to you. They will touch your
hand and will let it fall. limp, cold
thing, They will speak TO you and get
no answer. You will be dead. You will
have gone. like him, to get your wages.
You will try not to believe this, to run
away from the fact, but it's there, born
with you. You can't escape it, .
More than that-some of you-are very
nearly dead, already,
''fou don't believe it? Deny it If you
can. you who sink into the apathy Of
drunkenness and lie in a torpor and drag
yourselves out as from a grave. Deny
1t, il you can, you who whip jaded pas
sion till 1t fails to respond.
You are dead. 1 tell you, nine-tenths
dead and death is creeping over you like
paralysis to take the other tenth
Why are you taking your wages before
| the time. the wages of sin which is
death? Can you not wait for your hell?
Must you have il now?''
Breathless silence held the vast compa-
| ny. They were getting what they want
ed. That's right. Go ahead they
seemed to say. He could not make il out
too strong for them Frank Henley's
words came back to him They are
great wide-open mouths and stomachs.''
Even their religion must ''go down like
a buzz-saw," as the cowboy demanded of
his dram.
| Very well, they should have ii. fright
eousness and-judgment to come" He
would cause them TO tremble. as Paul
caused Felix. More fervid grew his
words. louder rang his voice. then sank
to winning tenderness, as he urged them
to consider ''the gift of God" as opposed
to the wages of sim; besought them to
/ lay hold upon it-for 1t was eternal life.
as surely as the other was death.
| While the stir of satisfaction was yet
| perceptible throughout the throng the
committee performed their final and by
no means least important function. They
quickly whipped of their hats and pre-
serted them to each individual present.
moving rapidly from group to group.
Here you be" said Bill, pressing silver
and gold and paper into the parsor' )
hand Seventy y-three dollars and two
bits he said. shaking the hand and its
contents You done it up brown, .parson,
that's what you did If Charley amt sit
tin on cloud with harp ard crown.
singin 'Halielujah. 'taint our fault. Yer
jaw panned out when you opened il. ]
hope you'll be on hand to plant me
when my time comes"
| He darted away to his place in the
procession already moving circumspectly
away. At the foot of the hill they broke
ranks and separated. some to return to
work, some to talk over what they had
seen and heard, some to liquor" But
there was no dancing that afternoon and
evening, and there was very little card
| playing.
The undertaker drove Vaughan to the
church and entered with him. to make
sure that his assistants had left every
thing in order. Nothing had been done:
the trestIe on which Inc coffin had rested
still stood below the platform. the chairs