Year: 1876

Thus, hour after hour, slowly winning his


way, he kept Up the unequal contest
/ man against the clements contest mar
so often wins ay, and as often loses.
What may have been his thoughts a.
he braced his mind and body to despair
ing effort, who can tell Men wrestling
with the storm and sea through long
weary hours of shipwreck, or with hun.
ger through days and nights of exposure,
or with pain through the protracted an
guish Of deserted battle-feld-with
quickened memory of the past, with vivid
sense of nigh eternity, with feeble hick-
ering hope, might tell us of the thoughts
that crowd upon the fevered brain in
such an hour as this. Tis a reality Of
purgatory one would never desire fully
10 know or to describe.


He had gone on hour after hour. not
discerning on either hand trace Of hu-
man dwelling, until at last hope failed
him, and with it strength, and he made
up his mind to lie down and die. But
the fury Of the night began to be appeas-
cd, and he noted indications that he was
in the neighborhood of houses. At in
tervals he was sheltered from the wind
by some obstacles on the right. Stagge7-
ing to that side, he laid his hand upon a
paled fence, and feeling his way along it,
reached small wicket, which he opened,
regardless of master or dog. BY the path
he arrived at a wall, and round the wall
came upon an clubhouse door. Opening
this, he stumbled in the darkness to a
corner, and falling there upon some
straw, instantly lost his senses in heavy
sleep.


The wind went down, the gray morn
ing supplanted the murky night, and
busy life was again asserting its place in
nature when the wanderer opened his
eyes. A man who had just shaken him,
powerfully but not rudely, was standing
looking at him with a gentle, anxious
gaze. lie was tall and broadchested,
clad in dark though rusty suit Of Ok
ford mixture, which, with a white neck
tie, indicated his profession; in slippers,
and with no hat upon his head, which
bore fine crop Of dark hair. He had
been called out from his bachelor break
fast by the woman who was peering in at
the door.


The eyes which the awakened stranger
turned up to the light were dazed and
wild.


"Who are you p said the gentleman.


No answer. The wanderer seemed to
be searching his mind for something lost.


my poor fellow, you are fearfully wet
and cold How came you here 2


Still no answer.


'If you don't tell me, you know, | must
send for the police. Pray tell me-"


At the word police" the young man
sprang to his feet, but fell down imme-
diately, and cried out piteously:


"Where2 Where? For Gods sake
hsla nnptt lat ha v,nlfna aan mo


The curate laid his hand on the wet
forehead


"He is i'll" he said "And he is not
what he seems, Mary. lie does not talk
like a working-man and look at his
hands-they are thin and delicate. There
is some mystery here. Go onext door and
ask Joseph Watson to come in and lend
me hand, and get the bed ready in the
best bedroom. Stay, though: my own
bed will be warmer, and there is fire in
my room We will put him in there"


In short time the stranger lay in a
warm bed. A doctor was examining
him.


"Brain-fever Wood; brought on,
should say, by anxiety and exposure, but
| suspect, from his appearance. with a
touch of DIT. What fine face he has
and how he has spoiled it That white
flabby flesh tells Of an unhealthy life.
His temperature is tremendous. IL will
be long struggle il, indeed, he ever gets
through with IT, | will send down the
hospital van for him. You cant keep
him here"


"Yes, he shall stay here" replied the
other, who was a curate of st. Enoch's,
in the wretched town of Burslem.


well, | know il is no use to talk to
you when you have made up your mind.
replied the doctor; but ! warn you that
this may be an affair of a couple of
months, if il does not end fatally very
soon. And the expense will be irightful
for you


."No matter" said the other, cheerfully;
"the Lord has sent him here, and / can
not turn him out"


Hem Very well, my dear fellow.
Just like you. Then we will make this
agreement. / will give the medical at
tendance. and you shall give the home
and nursing-the cup of cold water Ell?
tell you what: if it were not for an
other cup we English Christians would
not be called upon half so often to adj
minister the cup of cold water to pris-
oner and outcast. Well, now, that's a
bargain Give him nourishment, as much
as he will take. but no stimulants, you
know; he has had too much of them al
ready, suspect Good-by | shall see
him again toward evening.


FRO BE CONTINUED


THE above story is published complete in
book form, by Messrs. Harper & Brothers, New
York, and will be sent by them through the
mail, postage prepaid, on receipt Of 80 cents,
bound In paper, or IS cents bound in cloth.l