Los Angeles herald., 1906-03-11

every fact Of life with ponderous seriousness. En-
tirely devoid of humor, he was firm believer IN
signs, omens, tokens and judgments. Though the
two men had grown up together and been friends
from boyhood spent upon their fathers adJon
ing FARMS their lives had been two very different
stories. Silas looking everything cheerily, had
married early and was the father of houseful of
children. His wife ruled him with rod of iron,
but he accepted her domination quite as matter
Of course and went merrily on his way. He had
never been very successful man, but he had
managed to hold the old homestead and feed and
clothe his family. This seemed entirely to sat
isfy him.
On the other hand to Nathan marriage had
always seemed an undertaking fraught with so
much danger that he had feared to embark upon
it, and although in his younger days his heart had
often burned within him when he contemplated
some charming damsel, these heart -burnings had
gone unknown to anyone but himself until some
one else had led the girl to the altar. So he was
set down as not marrying man. He was essen
TALLY cautious man, and through caution and
industry his means had grown until from being
well-to-do the people of Montgomery coun-
ty spoke of him as a rich old bachelor He was
a religious man, and with the vision of Dives in
his mind his wealth oppressed and frightened MIN
had the instinct for charity without the faculty
for it. And he was often held back from good
deeds by modesty which told him that his gifts
would be looked upon as "Alms to be seen of
men,
As usual, he had taken his friends bantering
words in hard earnest and was turning them over
in his mind. When the bell rang calling him in
to supper, he flung the stick which he had been
whiting into the middle of the potato patch
ana stood watching abstractedly where 1t fell.
Then, as if talking to it, he murmured, "Morti-
ficaton of the flesh" and started moving slowly
to the kitchen.
The next morning, when Nathan and Silas met
to compare notes, the former began, 'I been
thinking over what you said last night, Silas,
about me notifying my flesh, and it seems to me
like good idee."
Silas looked at him quizzically from beneath
bent brows, but Nathan went on, '1 wrasseled IN
prayer last night, and it was shown to me that it
want no more'n right fur me to maize some kind
O sacrifice fur the mercies that's been bestowed
upon me-"
"Well, do know, Nathan; burnt offerings air
a little out now"
"I don't mean nothin' like that; / mean some
sacrifice of myself; some"
His sentence was broken in upon by shrill voice
that called from Silas Bollender's kitchen door:
"Si. you'd better be gittin' about yore work IN.
std O. standn over there a-gassin' ali the morn
in I'm shore 1 don't have no time to stand
around" 4
An right Mollie," he called back to mis- wife,
and then, turning to Nathan he said, "Speakin'
of mortifyin' the flesh an making sacrifice Of
yoreself, why don't you git married?'
Nathan started.
"Then, you see," silas continued you'd be
shore to accomplish both Fur pure modification
of the flesh, don't know of nothin' more thor
ough-goin er. effectiver than wife; Also she is
vexation Of the sperrit.- Look at me an Mis-
Bollender fur instance. Do you think l need
hair shirt when I think I'm gittn overfed? No.
Mis- Bollender keeps me with meek an subdued
sperrit. You raaly ought to marry, Nathan"
''Do you think so?'
at looks like to me that that 'u'd be about as