Year: 1876

4 nCdnb uC kOl IuC A1ot 0l0 Al
was of great Importance 70 him t0
have the last word. The peo-
pie always said he had q good bead oi
his own. At last his hour came, and
he died, and came to the gates oi
Paradise. There souls always enter
two and two, and he came up with
another soul that wanted to get into
Paradise too, but who should this be
but old Dame Margaret, from the
house upon the sea-wall ?


81 suppose this is done for tire sake
of contrast, that and this wretched
soul should arrive here at the same
time,n said the critic. "Pray, who
are you, my good woman ?" be asked.
"Do you want to get in here too ?"


And the old woman courtesied as
well as she could she thought it
must be st. Peter himself talking to
her.


81 am a poor old woman of a very
humble family" she replied. "rm
old Margaret that lived in the house
on the sea-wall ]"


"Well, and what have you done 7?
what have you accomplished down
there ?n


"I have really accomplished moth
ing at all in the world ; nothing that
1 can plead to have the doors here
opened to me. 1t would be q real
mercy to allow me to slip in through
the gate"


SIN what manner did you leave the
world ?" asked he, just for the sake
of saying something for it was
wearisonne work standing there aud
saying nothing.


HWhy, I really don't know how I
left. I was sick and miserable during
nv last year, and could not well bear
creeping out of bed, and going out
suddenly into the frost and cold. 1t
was a hard winter, but have got out
of it all now. For q few days the
weather was quite calm, but very
cold, as your honor must very well
know. The sea was covered with ice
as far as one could look. All the
people from the town walked out up
on the ice, and I think they said
there was dance there, and skating.
There was beautiful music and great
feast there, too the sound came into
my poor little room where lay ill.
And il was toward the evening; the
moon had risen beautifully, but it was
not yet in its full splendor l looked
from my bed out over the wide sea,
and far off, Just where the sea and
sky join, strange white cloud came
up. lay looking at the cloud, and l
saw little black spot in the middle
of it, that grew larger and larger /;
and then L knew what it meant, for
am old and experienced, though the
token is not often seen.- l knew 1t,
and q shuddering came upon me.
Twice in my life have seen the
same thing and knew there would
be an awful tempest and spring
flood, which would Overwhelm the
people who were now drinking, dane
Ing and ejoicing-young and old, the
whole city had issued forth ; who
was to warn them, If no one saw
what was coming yOnder, or knew,
as / did, what it meant L was
dreadfuIly alarmed, and felt more
lively than I had for long time.
crept out of bed and got TO the win
dow, but could not crawl further, I
was so exhausted. But managed to
open the window saw the people
outside running and jumping about
on the ice 1 could see the beautiful
flags that waved in the wind.
heard the boys shouting "hurrah %
and the servant men and maids sing
ing. There were all kinds Of merri-
ment going on. But the white cloud
with the black spot 1 cried out as
loud as 1 could, but no one heard me
was too far from the people. Soon
the cloud would burst and the ice
would break, and all who were upon
it would be lost without remedy.
They could not hear me, and / could
not come out TO them. Oh I! IL 1 could
only bring them ashore Then kind
heaven inspired me with the thought
OF setting fire to my bed, and rather
to let the house burn down than
that all those people should
perish SO miserably. succeeded in
lighting up 3 beacon for them.
The red flames blazed up on
high, and I escaped out OF
the door, but fell down exhausted on
the threshold and could get no furth-
er. The flames rushed out toward
me, Pickering through the window,
and ross high above the roof. All the
people on the ice yonder beheld it,
and ran as fast as they could, to give
aid to the poor old woman who, they
thought, was being burned to death.
Not enc remained behind. 1 heard
a rumbling like the sound of heavy
artillery the spring-food was lifting
the covering of ice, which presently
cracked and burst into a thousand
fragments. But the people succeeded
1 AhA oao-NvoH-T
them all But I fancy could no
bear the cold and fright, and so
came up here to the gates OF Paradise.
I an told they are open to poor crea
| lures like me-and now l have NJ
house left down upon the rampant
not that think this will give me
admission here"


Then the gates OF heaven were
opened, and the angel led the old wo
| man in. She left q straw behind her
a straw that had been in her BET
when she set it on fire to save thu
lives of many; and this straw haC
been changed into the purest gold
into gold that grew and grew, and
spread into beautiful leaves and flow
ers. 80


HI,ook, this is what the poor wo
man brought, % said the angel to th'
critic. "Whst dost thou bring
know that thou hast aceomplishe(
nothing-thou hast not made so much
as a single brick. Alb, If thou coulds
only return, and effect at least 81
much as that Probably the brick
when thou hast made it, will not b
worth much but, il it were mad
with good will, it would st least bC
something. But thou canst not q
back, and l can do nothing for thee y


Then the poor soul, the old woman
who had lived on the dyke, put in ,
petition for him. She said /: "Hi
. brother gave me the bricks and tn


pieces out of which 1 built my house
and that was q great deal for poo


woman like me. Could not all thos
bricks and pieces be counted as


single brick in his favor? 1t was a.
; act Of mercy. He wants it now an


Is not this the very fountain c
! mercy ?n


Then the angel said /: "Thy broth
/. Ier, whom thou has regarded as th