Year: 1874

CHAPTER xxx.


TIE scHooLMAS1ER AND THE WIDOW.


When like had appeared at the
camp meeting, as we related, it was
not difficult to forecast his fate. Ev-
erybody saw that he was going into
a consumption. One year, two years
at fartherest,h he might manage to live,
but not longer. Nobody knew this
SO well as kike himself. He rejoic-
ed in it. He was one OF those rare
spirits to whom the invisible world
is not dream but reality, and to
whom religious duty is voice never
neglected. That he had sacrificed his
own life to his zeal he understood per-
fectly well. and he had no regrets ex-
cept that he had not been more zeal
Gus. What was life if he could save
even one soul:


But, said Morton to him one day,
you are wrong, like. # you had
taken care of yourself you might have
lived to save SO many more.


Morton, If your eye were fastened
on one man drowning replied like,
and you thought you could save him
at the risk of your health, YOU would
not stop TO calculate that by avoiding
that peril you might live long enough
to save manv others. When God
puts soul before me save that one
if it costs my life. When am gone
God will find others. 1t is glorious
to work for God, but it is awful. :
What if by some neglect of mine
soul should drop into hell? oh. Nor
ton, am oppressed with responsible
ity. will be glad when God shall
say, 1t is enought.


Few of the preachers demonstrated
with like. He was but fulfilling The
Methodist ideal; they admired him
while most of them could not quite
emulate him. Read the minutes of
the old conferences and YOU will see
everywhere among the brief obituar-
les, headstones i'll memory Of young
men who laid down their lives as
like was doing. Men were nothing
the work was everything. Meth
odism let the dead bury their dead;
it could hardly stop to plant a spear
of grass over the grave OF one Of its
own heroes.


But Pottawottomie Creek circuit
was poor and wild, and it had paid
like only five dollars for his whole
nine months work. Two of this he
spent for horse shoes, and two he had
given away. The other one had gone
for auinine Now he had no clothes
that would long hold together. lie
would ride to Hissawachee and get
what his mother had carded and spun,
and woven, and cut, and sewed for
the son whom she loved all the more
that he seemed no longer to be en-
tirely hers. He could come back in
three days. Two days more would
suffice to reach Peterborough circuit.
So he sent on to the circuit, in adj
vance, his appointments to preach,
and rode off to Hissawachee. But he
did not get back to camp meeting
An attack of fever held him at home
for several weeks.


At last he was better, and had set
the day for his departure from home.
His mother saw what everybody saw,
that if kike ever lived to return to
his home it would only be to die
And as this was, perhaps, his last Wis,
it, Mrs. Lumsden fel, in duty bound
to tell him Of her intention to marry
Brady. While Brady thought to do
the handsome thing by secretly get
ting marriage license, intending,
whenever the widow should mention
the subject to Kike, to Immediately
propose that hike should perform the
ceremony of marriage. 1t was quite
contrary to the custom OF that day
for a minister to officiate at the we'd
ding of one Of his own family: Brady
defed custom, however But when
ever Mrs. Lumsden tried to approach
kike on the subject, her heart failed
her. He was SO wrapped up in heav
enly subjects, SO full of exhortations
and aspirations, that she despaired
beforehand of making him understand
her feelings. Once she began by al
luding to her loneliness, upon which
like assured her that if she would
put her trust in the Lord he would be
with her. What was she to do: How
to make a rapt seer like like under
stand the wants of ordinary mortals: ::
And that, too, when he was already
bidding adieu to this world.


The last morning had come, and
Brady was urging on the weeping
widow that she must go into the room
where like was stutiing his small
wardrobe into his saddle bags, and
tell him what was in their hearts.


oh, can't bear to- said she. q
won't never see him any more and |
might hurt him, and


will said Brady, thin I'll hev to
do it mesilf.'


IF you only would" said she, i'm.
ploringly.


But it's so much more appropriate
for you to do it, Mrs. Lumsden. II
| do it, it'll same jist like akin the
b'y's consint' to marry his mother


But | can't noways do it, said the
widow. IF you love me you might
take that load often me-


I'll do it if it kills me straight,
and Brady marched into the sitting
room, where Hike, exhausted by hi
| slcbt axart;o, uas restiur in tht