Year: 1878

and he was dismissed without any medical
examination. For moment Jonn was
delighted to get out of school SO early; but
soon his guilt took all the light out of the
summer sky and all the Pleasantness out of
nature. He had 10 walk slowly, without a
single hop or jump, as became diseased boy
The sight of a woodchuck, at a distance from
his well known hole, tempted John, but he
restrained himself, lest sombody should see
him, and know that chasing a woodchuck
was inconsistent with the stomachache. He
was acting miserable part, but it had to be
gone through with. He went home and
told his mother the reason he had left
school, but he added that he felt "some"
better now. The some" didn't save him.
Genuine sympathy was layished on him.
He had to swallow a stiff dose of nasty
'picra, the honor of all childhood, and he
was put In bed Immediately. The world
never looked so pleasant jobs, but to bed
he was forced to go. He was excused from
all chores; he was not even to go after the
cows. John said he thought he ought TO go
after the cows-much as he hated the bust
ness usually, ne would now willingly have
wandered over the world after cows-and for
this heroic offer, ir the condition he was, he
got credit for desire to do his duty; and
this enjust confidence in him added to his
torture. And he had intended to set his
hooks that night for eels. His cousin came
home, and sat by his bedside and condoled
With him; his scho0lma' am had sent word
how sorry she was for him, John was such a
good boy. All this was dreadful He
groaned in agony. Besides, he was not to
have any supper; it would be very danger
Gus to eat morsel. The prospect was ap.
palling Never was there such long twilight;
never before did he hear so many sounds
out doors that he wanted to investigate.
Being i'll without any illness was horrible
condition. And he began to have real
stomach ache now; and it ached because it
was empty. John was hungry enough to
have eaten the New England Primer. But,
by and by, sleep came, and John forgot his
woes in dreaming that he knew where
Madagascar was just as easy as anything.


1t was this lie that came back to John the
night he was trying to be affected by the
revival. And he was very much ashamed of
it, and believed be would never tell another.
But then he fell to thinking whether the


picra,' and the going to bed in the after
noon, and the loss of his supper, had not
sufficiently paid for it. And in this unhope-
full frame of mind he dropped off into
sleep.


And the truth must be told, that in the
morning John was no nearer realizing the
terrors he desired to feel. But he was
conscientious boy, ana would do nothing to
interfere with the Influences of the season.
He not only put himself away from them
all. but he refrained from doing almost
everything that he wanted to do. There
came at that time a newspaper. a secular
newspaper. which had in it long account of
the Long Island races, in which the famous
horse Lexington, was a runner. John was
fond of horses; he knew about Lexington,
and he had looked forward TO the result of
this race with keen interest. But to read the
account of it now he felt might destroy his
seriousness of mind, and-in all reverence
and simplicity he felt it-be a means of
''grieying away the Holy Spirit" He there
fore hid away the paper in a table drawer,
intending to read it when the revival should
be over. Weeks. after when he looked for
the newspaper. it could not be found, and
John never knew what time" Lexington
made, nor anything about the race. This
was to him serious loss, ut by no means so
deep as another feeling that remained with
him; for when his little world returned to
its ordinary course, and long after, John had
an uneasy apprehension of his own separate
ness from other people, in his insensibilitv
to the revival. Perhaps the experience was
a damage to him; and it Is pity that there
was no one to explain that religion for a lit
tie fellow like him is not scheme"