Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1910-12-15

"'Sh! he's fetched Tike Bryerson." |
flew the whisper from lip to ear; but |
the man with the trembling madness
in his eyes was backing toward the
door Suddenly he stopped and rose
again with a backwoodsmans rife IN
his hands, and his voice sheared the
GREATNESS silence like the snarl of a
wild beast at bay.
mo, by jacks, we won't witness
ag'inst me, Silas Crafts; yen be
dead!"
The crack of the rifle went with the
words, and at the flash of the piece the
man sprang backward through the
doorway and was gone. Happily, he
had been too drunk or too tremulous 20
shoot straight. The preacher was I'M
hurt, and he was quick to quell the
rising tumult and to turn the incident
to good account.
There went the arrow of conviction
quivering to the heart of a murderer"
he cried, dominating the commotion
with his marvellous voice. "Come back
here Japheth Pettigrass; and you.
William Layne: God Almighty will deal
with that poor sinner in His own way.
For him, for every impenitent soul here
o-night, the hour has struck. Now is
the accepted time; now is the day of
salvation While we are singing, Just
as l am, without one plea let the
doors of divine mercy stand opened
wide, and let every hard heart be soft
ened Come, we disconsolate; como
forward to the mercy seat as we sing"
The old, soul-moving. revival hymn
was lifted in a triumphant burst of
sound, and Thomas Jefferson's heart
began to pound like a trip-hammer.
| Was this his call-his one last chance
to enter the ark of safety? Just there
was the pinch. A saying of Japheth
Pettigrass', overheard in Hargis' store
on the first day of the meetings, flick
ed into his mind and stuck there
Hits scare, first, last, and all the time,
with Brother Silas. He knows mighty
we'll that a good bunch O. hickories,
thatll bring the blood every cut, beats
sugar kittle out O. sight when it
comes to film the anxious seat" Was
it really his call? Or was he only
scared?
The 12-year- old brain grappled
hardly with the problem which has
thrown many an older wrestler. This
he knew: that while he had been lis
tening with outward ears to the rest
less champing and stamping of the
horses among the pines, but with his
Utmost soul to the burning words Ct
his uncle, the preacher, a great feal
had laid hold of him-a fear mightiel
than desire or shame, or love or ha
tired. or any spring of action known Il
him. 1t was lifting him to his feet; 4
was edging him past the others on thu
bench and out into the aisle with thu
mourners who were crowding the space
in front of the pulpit platform. At thu
I turn he heard his mothers low-mur
INJURED II thank Thee, o Cod" ant
saw the grim, set smile on his faith
er's face. Then he fell on his knee
on the rough hewn floor, with the tai
countaineer called William Layne Of
his right, and on his left a young CIR
, from the choir who was sobbing softl
in her handkerchief.
/, To his new young life after that
, seemed but a step to June. the quee
of the months in the valleys of Ten
! nessee The revival converts of Littl
Zoar had the pick and choice of a
the Sundays of the year for the da
:, of their baptizing.
,, The font was of great natures ow
providing, as was the mighty tempt
housing it-a clear pool in the creel
I with the green walled aisles in tn
June forest leading down to it, an
Y the blue arch of the fiawless June SIX
= for dome Respondent.
n All Paradise was there to see an
q hear and bear witness, as a matter {
S course; and there were not wantin
. farm wagon loads from the great va
= ley and from the Pine Knob high
S lands. Major Dabney was among tt
e onlookers, sitting his clean limbo
II Hambletonian. and twisting his hus
y white moustaches until they stood oil
o like strange and fierce-loolling horn
= Also, in the outer ranks of skepticisr
u Major Dabneys foreman and hors,
IS trader, Japheth Pettigrass, found
place. On the opposite bank of II
II stream were the few negroes ownir
1t Major Dabney now as "Majah Boss
e as some of them-most of them,
d fact-had once owned him as "Iawi
e tub Majah"; and minglng freely Wi
Ie them were the laborers, white az
: black, from the Gordon iron-furn
s Thomas Jefferson brought up men
If cries from that solemn rite administe
II ed so simply and yet so impressie
lie under the June sky, with the man,
IS pointing forest spires to lift the soul
heights ecstatic. One was the Singh
= of the choir, minimized and made c
n lestially sweet by the lack of boundii
If walls and roof. Another was the sig
In of his fathers face, with the grin
20 smile gone, and the steadfast ey
gravely tolerant as he-Thomas Jeffe
m son-was going down into the wat,
ii A third-and this might easily becor
the most lasting of all-was the mer
al DRY of how his mother clasped him
:. | her arms as he came I'D ont of Z