The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1907-07-26
CHAPTER Xx,-con+inued.

S ST1HT Elk NX.-Continued
r When he had said over the words
h as long as his parched throat would
6 let him, he became quiet. To his
y, amazement, some new, strange peace
oad tllled him. He took it for the
peace of death. He was glad to think
lt was coming so gently-like a kind
mother soothing him to his last sleep.
His head on his arm, his whole tired
body relaxing in this new restfulness,
ne opened his eyes and looked off to
the south, idly scanning the horizon,
his eyes level with the sandy plain.
linen something made him sit quickly
up and stare intently, his barred head
craning forward. To the south, lying
low, a mass of light clouds, volatile,
changing with opalescent lights as he
looked. A little to the left of these
clouds, while his head was on the
sand, he thought his eyes had de-
! tected certain squared lines.
Now he scanned the spot with
feyerish eagerness. At first there was
only the endless empty blue. Then.
when his wonder was quite dead and
he was about to lie down, there came
a miracle Ct Miracles vision in the
clear blue of the sky And this time
the lines were coherent. He, the DYING
sinner, had caught, clearly and posi-.
lively for one awful second in that
SKY, the flashing impression of a cross
1t faded as soon as it came, vanished
While he ga2ed, leaving him in gasD- |
Ing tainting wonder at the marvel.
And then, before he could think or
question himself, the sky once more
yielded its vision; again that image of
cross stayed for a second in his
eyes, and this time he thought there
were figures about it. Some picture
was trying to show itself to him. Still
reaching his body forward, gazing
fearfully, his aroused body pulsing
swiftly to the wonder of the thing he
began to pray again, striving to keen
HIS excitement under.
20 God, have mercy on me- a sin.
ler!"
Slowly at first, it grew before his
liked eyes, then quickly, so that at the
asst there was complete picture
where but an instant before had been
tut meaningless mass of line and
'olor. Set on a hill were many low,
quare, tiat-topped houses, brown in
oior against the gray ground about
men, In front of these houses was a
arger structure of the same material,
church-like building such as he had
nee seen in picture, with a wooden
ross at the top. In an open square
eIore this church were many moving
ersons strangely CARRIED, seeming to
Indians. They surged for a mo- !
ent about the door of the church,
len parted to either side as if in an. II
yer to signal, and he saw a process. h
on OF the same PEOPLE coming with II
'Wed heads, scourging themselves Il
lth short whips and thorned II
anches. Ar their head walked |
oWn-cowled monk, holding aloft be. |
re him small cross, attached by a
ain to his waist. AS he led the pro.
Sslon forward, another crowd, some
them being other brown-cowled
'nks, parted before the church door,
d there, clearly before his wonder
eyes was erected a great cross
on which he saw the crucified Sa-
,r.
de saw those in the procession form
out the cross and fling themselves 1t"
on the ground before it, while all % d
others round about knelt. He saw JOS
monk, standing alone, raise the IuL
aller cross in his hands above them Iido
If in blessing, High above it all DOL
saw the Crucifed One, the head
lg over on the shoulder.
lie sank back on the sands IN On
tasy. His Witness had come-not y,
he thought it would, in a moment II
spiritual uplift; but when he had ~, no" "
n sunk by his own sin to fearful nau
tbs. Nor had it brought any mes oell ,
rers Onlv tho ,,io.io.. els Vi wor
service and suffering again at the n
But it was enough. 'ag'
oW long he lay in the Joy of the ~ y
lzatlon he never knew, but sleen n nno
alntness at last overcame him, S Soun
e was revived by the sharp chill hi,n,
aght' and sat up to find his mind thn
r alert, and active with new mr.. ~
IS he had suffered greatly from ROB
81 so that when he tried to saw a 80 =,
er OF thanksgiving he could NOT ~
zannd Too -. eue' ne was for h
ne desert night aroused all hia Ia oa,
IT force. He struggled to his feet 600 ls1
laid course by the light of the Sn.n'
back to the spring he had left S "pr ~
le morning. How he reached the - :.
again he never knew, nor how C,,,
lade his way over them and bark , "nu''
le settlement. But there he Law onn .
IOr many days, his mind vbon oNo