Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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I ^G&|a^On^or\d ^leck : CHAPTER XXIV?Continued. The book was brought, and Balph Denham, who knew the characteristics _? ? v-' ?fn 11 aH nut the wi everjr iuuii uu v., ? fifty, or rather forty-nine names he wanted, snd Valentine wrote them iown. "Now, have them assemble quietly In the ward room," said the captain. Within ten minutes the sailors were gathered in the ward room, where lights ft were lit and the doors guarded. Captain Denham removed his disguise before meeting the men, but as they supposed he was in New York, their surprise and joy may be imagiaed at seeing him. ' As has been said, he knew every roan present, and they nad been boys together. He could trust them as imclicitlv as he could Mr. Hedges or Mr. Valentino. They were more than a lot of ordinary young sailors, they vtere seamen of rare intelligence, any on j ol whom could manage the Sea Hawk if occasion required. They were volunteers, fighting for the nonor and sai'ety of the province in which they were born. Subterfuge was out of place with Buch men, so Ralph wisely concluded to tell them the whole truth, which he did, after first cautioning them to silence and secrecy. He told of his own adventures, who on/i tha nlnn he. CaDtain Denham, had decided on to capture the pirate and bring him to justice. I While Ralph was speaking, the comments ol the men, and the many shakes of the head, told that they were not taken by surprise so very much. "I have chosen you, my shipmates," said Ralph, in conclusion, "not because you are braver and more reliable than the rest of the crew, but I wanted, or rather Fox wants, only fifty men, so as we have all been friends since boyhood, you will understand me when the time for action comes as others might not." The men would have broken into a chfiftr had not Ralph checked them in time. Believing that Fox would not permit the sailors from the Sea Hawk to use arms, or that he might try to lock them up when the fight came, he made each man conceal two pistols and a long dirk on his person. A rallying cry was agreed on in the event of a fight at night, and the conduct that should govern each man; also the name Captain Denham was to go by, and the fact that they were to take no more notice of him than of their other companions till the time caine. The arrangements were not perfected when day broke. Soon after Mr. Frenauld came on board with a letter from Captain Fox to Lieutenant Hedges, asking if the men required would be sent on board. "Our men are volunteers," said Mr. Hedges, "and I have not the power to eend them to another ship without their own consent But last night I exSlained to themjthat there was a chance. ! they went with the Wanderer for a week, to have a brush with that traitor and dog, Kidd; so fifty of the lads are ready." "Ah, that is good news. If we don't show them Kidd," l&ughed Frenauid, "then that fellow will be haider to catch than the Flying Dutchman. We have fifty or sixty men on the sick list whom we shall leave with you for a few days. They are not much under the weather, but I fear they have been indulging too much on shore. I suppose you are all anxious to have Captain Denham back." Honest George Hedges could not reply to this with a straight face, so Valentine answered: "Oh, yes. But we can get along without him for a while." Within two hours the boats of both chips mado their transfers, and Ralph Denham and his gallant boys were on I the Wanderer. The sixty bearded ruffians who came on board the Sea Hawk did not look like men that ever had been sick, but thsy had a part to play, and it can be said, whether to their creditor not, that they played it exactly as Capt. Fox wished. CHAPTER XXV. THE WANDERER AGAIN WEIGHS ANCHOR. Captain Fox believed that he had Colonel Graham wholly in his power, and he bled him accordingly. In addition to the large sums the Colonel had already paid to his tool, he now gave him more, not so much, Fox thought, for gratitude as to insure his silence about the crimes on Long Island, Bermuda, and Long Island, New York. Fox would not have been quite so comfortable with his aristocratic guest could he have known the truth. Before leaving New York, Graham had arranged with one of his tools to notify the governor at a certain date that Captain Kidd would be about that time off the eastern end of Long Island; and this tool did his work well. The governor's object in sending for Captain Denham was to put him on XOX B bruL'n; uut as uiert? wat) 110 umwr ships in the harbor suited to this work, And Ralph Denham neither reported in person nor by letter, the authorities were perplexed, and the young captain wa9 in disgrace. After Graham felt assured that Ralph Denham was out of the way, he would have given hundreds could he have communicated to Mr. Hedges, without danger to himself, that the Wanderer was commanded by Captain Kidd. Graham loathed ana arealed the man whom he had used so many years to further his own designs; and now as Fox told of his plans for the future, the Colonel was amazed at the man's audacity an<: ingenuity. It was arranged that by daybreak o! the morning that Ralph Denham and hii men went on board the Wanderer, thai Colonel Graham and his servant should go ashore to the inn, and make immediate prepaiations for returning to New York. Othello, or some other eervant equally jsklllrul, was as essential to Graham'9 eomfort as his clothing and his meal&l But when daylight, came, and Othello did not report at his rraster's door, as was his habit, that choleric gentleman was highly indignant. In obedience to the Colonel's request, a searcn of the ship was ma le for Othello, but he failed to reveal himself. Ona of the most active of th?- searchers, and the only one who'-ould have thrown any light on the matt r, was the shrewd Scotch boy, Don; and he did not. think Jt to his interest to tell that he had seen Othello vanishing through an opi n port the night before, and swimming in the direction of the Sea Hawk. "Depend upon it, that old hav, Dinah, has seduced the boy off," said Fox. TAnd my advice to you is to go ashore 0* ft fij and invoke the n-slstance of Uncas. The old woman has been adopted by his people, and the boy is with her. Strange that the woman should live so long and never seem to grow older." Graham said he thought 6he was a devil, if ever one appeared in human form. "Yet," he ndded, "it is strange, knowing us as she does, that she did not tell the people. Supposing she were to say that your nance was not Fox, but William Kidd." "Why," laughed Fox, "the people would say she was insane. But if 6he had told them before Kalph Denham's death the story of his father's murder and thfc fact that he was Lord Faliton by right of birth, why, then the people would begin to investigate, and, egad, they might find it to be true; eh, Col? uuoir Col. Graham made no response, but the glitter of his cold gray eyes told how Fox's words maddened him. To get out of this man's hated company, as well as to institute a search for his runaway servant, Graham went ashore before breakfast, immediately after the men arrived from the Sea Hawk. He would not have descended to the boat so steadily had he known that one of the men od whose shoulder he laid his hand to steady himself was Ralph Denham, whom he believed to be dead. As soon as Graham left, Captain Fox and ftiiv Frpnauld went down to the cabin, where they found Don in attendance, looking as docile and innocent as If never a thought of revolt had entered his mind. * "Go out, Don, and see about breakfast, Mr. Frenauld and I wish to be alone," said Fox, and the lad bowed low and retired. "Egad, Frenauld," said Fox, striking the table, "we are in luck. If the powers in New York don't visit me inside of twenty-fotir hours with a strong fleet? and I know they haven't got one?I'll sail witnin the weett with my two ships right into the harbor, and unfurl my flag before their eyes, to show I set them at defiance." "But will that pay?" asked Frenauld, alarmed at the Captain's proposal. "Pay! Confound it, man, the true sailor doesn't think all the time of prize money; lie must give some thought to glory." "Then you feel that we are sure of the Sea Hawk." "As sure, Frenauld, as that you are sitting there. Why, sir, the ship is at this moment virtually in our possession. Our fellows will do their work when they see my signal. Hedges cannot have more than eighty men left on the Sea Hawk, and suspecting nothing, they will be wholly unprepared for our onset." "It is certainly a splendid scheme, and I cannot see why success shoulJ not crown it," said Frenauld. "Success will crown it, sir. Never feel half-hearted or in doubt about a matter in which you are interested. Your own confidence inspires success, and men who enter battle determined to win always succeed if they are well led." "You are quite right there, Captain. And now as to the plans?" "It will hardly do, Frenauld, for us to put the Sea Hawk's men we have on board between the decks till we get out of sight of the town. When the fellows see that their choice lies between walkine a plank and taking service with me, they will swear allegiance to the black flag; but for that I care nothing one way or the othgr. "These fellows are brave, but they are Puritans, and so will not make contented freebooters. Gad, Hedges! he is a gallant sailor, but it is inevitable. "Well, as to our movements?we get under way when the tide is on the turn, and go down with the ebb." "That will be at half past 5." "About that." "And as to this reception?" "It comes off, Frenauld. Don't you understand it?" "I must confess I cannot see what you are to do with the people that come on board, unless you land them here," said the lieutenant. "To land part and hold the rest would be to alarm this and all the adjoining settlements, with their swarms of canoes and boats, and also to plat e in doubt our success with the Sea Hawk. We must take all hands and land the party, except Aliss Hedges and Miss Condit, at the eastein end of Gardner's Island. A bold scheme, but you do as you are told, and leave the rest to me." Captain Fox rang a bell, and Don came in at once with the breakfast. This over, the officers went on deck, and the arrivals from the Sea Hawk were set to work preparing the Wanderer for the cruise she was to begin that day. It was still early in the morning when Captain Fox went ashore. Nearly the first man he met was Dr. Hedges, who told him that the people were very much divided as to the propriety of arresting the post-rider the night before, and that ne, iJr. .tie iges, tnougnt it would do wise to let the man go. "I did not arrest him without orders, and I cannot release him without breaking them. The man Is well cared for, but he is a criminal, and he will hang as soon as I get him to New York," said Fox. "Ef dat man don't die till den, ee'll lib forever," croaked a voice directly behind Fox, that made him jump and turn as if he had been pricked bv a sword. "Ha, you hag!" he said, recognizing Dinah. "Where is your grandson that you caused to ruu away from Colonel Graham?" "Ye'd bettah go ax Cap'n Kidd dat question. Ha, ha, ha!" and Dinah laughed and shook herself, and with her head to one side peered up in Fox's red face. "Old Dinah is crazy, Captain Fox; you must not heed her," said Doctor Hedges, leading his friend away. "I am 6orry," 6aid Captain Pox, "that the people of Sag Harbor, to whom I am indebted for so many courtesies, should think I would do anything unbecoming an officer In her majesty's service." Me was feeling Is his pocket as he spoke, and now, to the doctor's surprise, he pulled out a large silken purse, filled with gold, and continued: "1 have been anxious before starting on this cruise, from which, as there is chance of a heavy fight, I may never return, to do something for the poor and dependent of your beautiful town. Take this purse, my dear doctor. I know not how much it contains, and give it to those who may need it." The Doctor, who was an exceedingly kind-hearted man, took the purse?it* weight surprised him?and as he hid it away, he said: "We all hope that vou will return, and, though some may be angered by what they <lo not understand, I am sure you will not leave a foe behind you." "1 know I shall leave one true, earnest friend," sai l Fox, seizing tho Doctor's hand and shaking It effusively. "Now, my dear Doctor, as I have business with her Majesty's messenger, Colonel Graham, I must leavo you, and shall expect to great you and your estimable family on board tho Wanderer this afternoon." The Dootor said he would surely bo there, and tnen ne hurried home to give Lea and her mother another evidence of Captain Fox's princely generosity and Christian thoughtfulness. TTn frtnnH F.IIdii Pnnrlit .it hift HoilfiP. and told her that he would go up soon to see her father, whoso extraordinary conduct of late puzzled him not a little, and made him extremely anxious for hi6 old friend's health. "I think," said Ellen, "that father is feeling very well; but if you go up to the place this morning you will not find him." "Whereis he?" "On board the Sea Hawk." "Why, he spends half his time there." "Ho mother and I tell him, Doctor, and we should not be at all surprised to see him return, at any time, dressed as a sailor and walking with a rolling gait, while he shouts to us that he has enlisted." said Ellen, smiling. "Oh, Heaven forbid. But, of course, Ellen, you will attend the reception on board the Wanderer this afternoon?" said Dr. Hedges. "Yes; Lea and I were talking about that. We think some of the officers and men on that ship are the most delightful " "Ah. Ellen, Ellen," laughed the gratified doctor "I'll not tell Valentine; bul; don't say that again. And so you really think that some of the officers and men on the Wanderer are very nice, eh?" "I do, indeed," replied Ellen. Mrs. Hedges, ud to this time, had never kept a secret from ner husband. She would not have kept this one were it not that she feared he might give it publicity and 60 defeat the plans of those who were working to beat Captain Fox at his own game. jto 1)e continued.] WORDS OF WISDOM. The way to get a better position is to more than fill yonr present one. It takes a higher degree of courage to be laughed at thau to be shot at. The man who rides a hobby thinks nobody else is making any headway. The man who knows himself well will know a good deal about other men. To sneer at religion is to make it that much harder for somebody to be good. A jury of ravenu would not be long in deolaring that a linnet could not sing. When self-righteousness gets up in the night to pray nobody else can sleep. The degree of e7erv man's manhood is determined by how much he save no to himself. It takes backbone to take c.ny kind of a stand that will lea re a ma.n standing alone. Religion is in a bad way where nobody is being persecuted for righteousness's sake. Love is dead when the husband begins to grudge the money it takes to Bupport his wife. More of that kind of religion is needed that will make a man do right every day in the week. A much better thing for the church than star preaching is good wholesome personal influence. ?Ham's Horn. Pussy's Dinner Flew Away. The Fort Worth (Texas) correspondent of the Philadelphia Times writes: We had some pretty cold weather in this part of the wcrld last week, and one of the best blizzard stories turned loose by the low temperature is that in which a cat and a lot of English sparrows played conspicuous parts. ! mi. ?i. nui? ~ u:_ 1?; J. Lib UUV| UU1CU) tk Ulg) UXIUUIO idlow, belongs to F. Y. Elliott, of this county, who ie himself authority for the story. Elliott says that ou Monday morning of last week, when the snow was already pretty thick and still falling, Chico came into the kitchen looking mighty well fed, and bringing an apnnmntlr rlpurl ntvarrnw in his month. The cat had evidently made a pretty meal, bat had an eye to future contingencies, so he deposited the bird in an overturned basket in the corner and went out. Presently he came in again with another bird, deposited it in the basket and went out, to reappear still again, loaded ae before. In fact, these trips kept up till ten or a dozen sparrows had been placed in the basket, and then Chico curled up under the stove to take a snooze. i HI.. ??.v,1,1? JLLIO IWbUllCU 10 a plCbi>J I/UUIIUI tauig ODe and by-and-by things began to get kind of lively in the basket, as the heat got in its little work of restoring to life the half-frozen birds. First one then another of tho sparrows tnrned heels under, stretched his stiffened legs, spread his wings and came to. Presently the wnole catch were up and out, fluttering about the room, perching on the ehelves, helping themselves to crumbs and feeling quite at home generally. Indeed, they waxed gay, and set up such a chirping that they awakened Chico from his snooze, and when the big fellow arched his back, stretched himself and made for the basket, thinking to refresh the inner cat with a toothsome sparrow, such a look of astonishment depicted itself on his features as was never seen. But the birds were bv no means alow to take in the situation. At Chico's first movo tbey began to make themselves scarce, and before he recovered from his astonishment the last one had flown, trusting rathe! the ills they knew not than a catastrophe they wot of. But if ever a cat was fooled, Chico was. He stayed by the basket all day, and refused to be comforted because the birds were not there. No doubt the next time he finds a good thing he'll hold on to it, and let the "rainy day" look out for itself. Liability of Cyclists. Wheelmen will be interested in a decision recently giveu by one o[ the district courts ot Michigan. It was i held in the decree that a person riding a bicycle dowu a narrow path at the , rate of five or six miles an hour, when it is occupied by many other persons | going in the same directiou, is liable for negligence if he runs into a pedestrian when his wheel strikes an obstacle; at least, if it does not appear that he was unable to see and avoid it by the exercise of duo care. Strh an I accident casts upon l:im the burden of disproving his negligcnce. l'revenlft Milk Stenlinc,'. To provont the stealing of mill: from cans while iu transit on railroads n now patent consists of passing a screw through ono side of the can uoclc, running it into a shoulder in the lid, a key being necessary to operate It and open the can. RET. DR. TALHAGE SUNDAY'S DISCOURSE T5Y THE NOTED DIVINE. Subject: "Invited to a Banquet." Text: "Bring hither the fatted calf and kill it."?Luke xv., 23. In all ages of the world it ha? been customary to celobrate joyful events by festivity. The signing of treaties, the proclamation of peace, the inauguration of presidents, the coronation of kin^s, the Christmas, the mar riage. nowever raucn gn otuer un.vtt ui we year cur table may have stinted supply, on Thanksgiving Day there must be something bounteous. Ani all the comfortable homes of Christendom have at some time celebrated joyful events by banquet and festivity. Something has happened on the old homestead greater than anything that has ever happened before. A. favorite son whom the world supposed would become a vagabond and outlaw forever has got tired of sightseeing and has returned to his father's home. The world 3aid he would never come 1 1. mi... ?U V,j0 UitUK. I lie uiu uiau nnvujrs ?mu mo ouu would come back. He had been looking for him day after day and year after year. He knew he would come back. Now having returned to his father's house this father proclaims celebration. There is in the paddock a calf that has been kept up and fed to utmost capacity, so as to be ready for some occasion of joy th.it mitfht come along. Ah, there never would be a grander day on the old homestead than this day! Let the butchers do their work, and the housekeepers bring into the tnble the smoking meat. The musicians will take their places, and the gay groups will move up and down the floor. All the friends and neighbors are gathered in and fin extra supply is sent out to the table of the servants. The father presides at the table and says grace, and thanks God that his long absent boy is horns again. Oh. how they missed him, how glad they are to have him hack! One brother stands pouting at the back door and says: "This is a great ado about nothing. This bad boy should have been chastised instead of greeted. Veal, is too Rood for him!" Bu- the father says, "Nothing is good enough." There sits the young man, glad at the hearty reception, but a shadow of sorrow flitting across his brow at the remembrance of the trouble he had seen. All ready now. Let the covers lift. Music. He was dead and he Is alive again! He was lost and he is found! By such bold imagery does the Bible set forth the merrymaking when a soul comes home to God. First ol all, there is the new convert's joy. It is no tame thing to become a Christian. The most tremendous moment in a man's life is when he surrenders himself to God. The grandest time on the father's homestead is when the boy comes back. Among the great throng who in the parlors of our church professed Christ one night wau a youig man who next morning rang my door bell and said: "Sir, I cannot contain myself with the "? T T VtnvA 4>K?a mni?n{n(9 AT. JKjy X ll'Oi, J. gUUiD UCIO lUlO lUUiuiu^ v/.?. press it. I have founrt more joy in five minutes in serving God than in all the years of my prcdigality, and I came to say so." You have seen perhaps a man nnning for his temporal liberty and the officers ot the law after him, and you saw him escape, or afterward you hear the judge had pardoned him. and how great was the glee of that rescued man; but it is a very tame thing', that, compared with ihe running for one's everlasting life, the terrore of the law aft:er him and Christ coming in to pardon and bless and rescue and save. You remember John Bunyan in his great story tells bow the pilgrim put his fingers to his ears and ran. crying: "Llf?, life, eternal life!" A poor car driver some time ago, after years having bad to struggle to sudport bis family, suddenly was informed that a lartre inheritance was his, and there was a joy amounting to bewilderment, but that is a small thing compared with the experience of one when he has put Jn hi9 hands the title deed to the' joys, the raptures, the splendors of heaven, and he can truly say, "Its mansions are mine, its temples are mine, its songs are mine, its Qod is mine!" Oh, it is no tame thing to become a Christian. It is a merrymaking. It is the killing of the fatted calf. It is a jubilee. You know the Bible never compares it to a funeral, but always compares it to something delightful. It is more apt to be compared to a. banquet than nnvthim? fIsb It Is enmrared in the Bible to water, bright, flashing water, to the morning, roseate, flreworked, mountain transfigured morning. I wish I could to-day take all the Bible expressions about pardon, and peace, and life, and comfort, and hoDe, and heaven, and twist them into on* garland and put It on the brow of tho humblest child of God in this assemblage and cry, "Wear it, wear it now, wear it forever, son of God, daugh ter of the Lord God Almighty!" Oh. the joy of the new convert! Oh, the gladness of the Christian service! You have seen sometimes a man ^n a religious assembly get up fr.nd give hi* experience. Weil, Paul gave his experience, lie arose in the preseuoe of two churches, the church on earth and t:he ohurch in heaven, nnd he said, "Now thiii is my experience?sorrowful, yet always reioieincr: Door, vet making manv rich: having nothing, yet possessing nil things." If the people in this house knew the joj*s of the Christian religion, they would all pass over into the kingdom of God the next moment. When Daniel Sandeman was dying of cholera, his attendant said, "Have you much pain?" "Oh," he replied, "since I round thfi Lord I have nevr tad any pain except sin!" Then they said to iim, "Would you like to send a message to your friends?" "Yes, I would. 1 ell them that only last night the love of Jesus came rushing into my soul like the surges of the sea, and I had to cry out, 'Stop, Lord, it is enough; stop, Lordenough!1 " Ob, the joys of this Christian religion! Just pass over from those te.me joys iu which you are indulging, joys of this world, into the raptures of the gospel. The world cannot satisfy you. You have found that out. Alexander longing for other worlds to conquer and yet drowned in his own hot tie; Byron whipped Dy disquietudes arounu the world; Voltaire cursing his own soal while all the streets of Paris were applauding him; Her.ry II consuming with hatred against poor Thomas a Eecket? all illustrations of the fact that this world cannot make a man happy. The very man who poisoned the pommel i>f the saddle on which Queen Elizabeth rode shouted in the street, "God save the Queen!" One moment the world applauds. and the noxt moment the world anathematizes. Oh, come over into tms greater joy, mis suuume solace, this magnificent beatitude! The night after the tattle of Shiloh. and there were thousands of wounded on the field, and the ambulances had not come, one Christian soldier lying there a-dying under the starlight began to sing: There is a land of pure delight. And when he came to the next line there were scores ol voices singing: Where saints immortal reign. The song wi3 caught up all through the fields amoni? the wounded until it was said there were at least 10,000 wounded mou uniting their voices as they came to the verse: There everlasting spring abides And nover withering flowers. 'Tis hut a narrow stream divides This heavenly land from ours. Oh. it Is a great religion to live by and a great religion to die by! There is onlv one heart throb between you and that religion. Just look into the face of your pardoning God and surrender yourself for time and for eternity, anil is yours and heaven is yours aud all is yours. Some of you, like the young ma.n of the t?;xt. have gone far astray. I know not the history, but you know it, you kaow it. When a young man went forth into life, the legend says, his guardian angel went torth with him, and getting him into a field, the guardian angol swept a circle tsrouud where the young man stood. It was a oirolo of virtue and honor and he must not step beyond that circle, armed foes camu down, but were obliged to halt at that circle. They could not pass. But one day a temptress, with diamonded hand, stretchcd forth and crossed that circle with the hand, and the tempted soul took it, and by that one fell grip was brought beyond the circle and died. Some of you have" steppod beyond that circle. Would you not like this day, by the grace of God, to step back? Thi9, I say to you, is your hour of salvation. There was in the closing huurs of Queen Anne what :is called the clock scene. Flat down on the pillow in helpless sickness, she could not move her head or move her hand. She wjis waiting for the hour when the ministeis of state should gather in angry contest aud worried and worn out by the coming hour, and in momentary absence of tho nurse, in the power, the strange power, which delirium sometimes gives one, she nrose and stood in front of fh< clock and stood there watching the olocl when the nurse returned. The nurse said "Do you see anything peculiar about tba clockV" 8he made no answer, but sooi died. There is a clock scene in every his tory. If some of you would rise from th? bed of lethargy and come out from your de liriumofsiu and look on the clook of you destiny this moment, you would see am hear something you have not seen or heari before, and every tick of the minute, am every stroke of the hour and every swing o the pendulum would say, ''Now. now, now now!" Oh, come home to your Father' hou?el Come home, 0 prodigal, from tb wilderness! Come home, come home! But I notice that when the prodigal came there was the father's joy. He did not gree him with any formal "How do you do?" H did not come out and say: "You are unfit t< enter. Go and wash' in the trough by th< well, and then you can come in. We havi had enough trouble with you." Ah, no When the proprietor of that estate pro claimed festival, it was an outburst of * miners love ana a rainer s joy. wou js yun father. I have not much sympathy witl the description of God I sometimes hear, a though He were a Turkish sultan, hare and unsympathetio, and listening no to the cry of His subjects. A mai told me he saw in one of th< eastern lands a king riding along and two men were in altercation and on< charged the other with having eaten his rice and the king said, "Then slay the man, an< by post mortem examination find whethe he has eaten the rice." And he was slain Ab. the cruelty of a scene like that! Ou God is not a sultan, not a despot, but 1 Father?kind, loving, forgiving?and Hi mnfepu nil henuftn rincr ncain when a' Drodizn comes back. "I have no pleasure," He saye "in the death of him that dieth. All ma; be saved. If a man does not get to heaven It Is because he will not go there. N< difference the oolor, no difference th history, no difference the antecedents no difference the surroundings, no dlf ference the sin. When the white horse of Christ's victory are brought out t< celebrate the eternal triumph, you ma; ride one of them, and as God is greater thai all, His joy is greater, and when a sou comes back there is in His heart th< surging of an infinite ocean of glad uess, and to express that gladness i takes all the rivers of pleasure, al the thrones of pomp and all the ages o eternity. It Is a joy deeper than all deptl and higher fhan all height and wider thai all width and vaster than all im mensity. It overtops, it undergirds it outweighs all the united sglendo ana joy 01 me universe ?uu wuu ??? tell what God's joy is? You remember read ing the story of a king who on some grea day of festivity scattered silver and gol< among the people.who sent valuable present to his courtiers, but methinks, when a sou comes back, God is so glad that to expres his joy He flings out new worlds into spac< and kindles up new sums and rolls amonj the white robed anthems of the redeemed i greater halleluiah, while with a voice tha reverberates among the mountains of frank incense and is echoed back from the ever lasting gates he cries, "This, my son, wa dead, and he is alive again!" At the opening of the exposition in Nev Orleans I saw a Mexican flutist, and hi played the solo, and then afterward the eigh of ten bands of music, accompanied by thi great organ, came in, but the sound of tha one flute as compared with all the orohestra; was greater than all the combined joy of till universe when compared with the resound ing heart of Almighty God. For ten years t father went three times a day to the depot His son went off in aggravating circum stances, but the father said, "He will comi back." The strain was too mucn ana nn mind parted, andthreetimesadaythe fathei went. In the early morning ho watchet the train, its arrival, the stepping ou of the passengers and then the departurf of the train. At noon he was there agair watching the advanco of the train, watching the departure. At night he was there again watchldg the coming, watching the going for ten years. He was sure his son woul< comobaok. God has been watching anc woUlnff fftronmo r\f \rr\n mv hmfhArfl. tPl years, twenty years, thirty years, forty years perhaps fifty years, waiting, waiting watching, watching anil if now the prodlga should come home, what a scene of gladnes; and festivity, and haw the great Father'! heart would rejoice at your coming home, I notice also that when a prodigal comet home there is the joy of the ministers of re ligion. Oh, it is a grand thing to preach thl gospel! I know there has been a great dea said about the trials ana the hardships o the Christian ministry. I wish somebod1 would write a good rousing book about thi joys ox in? ounsuuu miuisirjr, oiuw * cu tered the profession I have seen more of th goodness of God than I will be able to cele brate in all eternity. I know some boas about their equilibrium, and they do no rise into enthusiasm, and they do not breal down with emotion, but I confess to yoi plainly that when I see a mnn coming to Goi and giving up his sin I feel in body, mini and soul a transport. When I see a mai bound hand and foot in evil habit emanci pated, I rejoice over it as though it were m; own emancipation.. At the banquet of Lucullus sat Cicero the orator, at the Macedonian festival sat Phillf the conqueror, at the Grecian banquet sa Socrates the philosopher, but at our Father' table sit all the returned prodigals, mor than conquerors. Tho table is so wide it leaves reach across seas and lands. Its guest are the redeemed of earth and the glorifle of heaven. The ring of God's for giveness on every hand. The robe of i Saviour's righteousness adroop from ever shoulder. The wine that glows in the cup is from the bowlsof 10,000 sacraments. Le all the redeemed of earth and all the glorifle of heaven rise and with gleaming chalice drink to tho return of a thousand proditrals Sing, sing, sing! "Worthy is the Lamb tha was slain to receive blessing and riches an< honor and glory and power, world withou end." That scone of jubilence comes out be I r ?ut? ?? r.iMnr, iUIU U1C 11113 UiVlUCUl ClrO IU (h J\JJ> b V* pvtu*' gallery. All heaven in pictures. Look! Look! There is Christ. Cuy] painted Him for earthly galleries, and Cor reggio and Tintoretto and Benjamin Wes and Dore painted Him for earthly galleries but all those pictures are eclipsed by tbii masterpiece of heaven. Christ! Christ! Ther< is Paul, the hero of the Sunhedrim, and o Agrippa's courtroom, and of Mars hill, auc of Nero'B infamy, shaking his chained fls in tbe very face of teeth chattering roy ality. Here is Joshua, the fighter o Bethoron and Gibeon, the man thai postponed sundown. And here fs Vashti the profligacy of the Persian court unablet< *.omKflf imtl nP mnHoafv nr rflnri it nr lifl if. And along the corridors of this plctun (jallery I And other gteat heroes and heroines ?David with his harp, and Miriam with th? cymbals, and .Zeehariah with the scroll, anc St. John with the seven vials, und the resur rection ansel with the trumpet. Onfarthei in the corridors see the faces of our lovec ones, the cough gone from the throat, tht wanness gone from the cheek, the weariness gone from the limbs, the languor gone froir the eye. Let us go up and greet them. Lei us go up and embrace them. Let us go up and live with them. We will! We will! From this hilltop I catch a giimpse of those hilltops where all sorrow and sighing shall be done away. Oh, that God would make that world to us a reality! Faith in thai world helped old Dr. Tyng when he stood bj the casket of his dead son, whose arm had been torn off in the threshing machine, death ensuing. and Dr. Tyng, with infinite composure, preached the funeral sermon ol his own beloved son. Faith in that world helped Martin Luther without one tear to put away in death his favorite | child. Faith iu that world helped the dying woman to see on the sky the leiter "W," and they asked her what she supposed that letter "W" on the sky meant. "Oh." she said, "don't you know? 'W' stands for 'Welcome."' Oh, heaven, swing open thy gates! Oh, heaven, roll upon us some ol the sunshine authems! Oh, heaven, flash upon us the vision of thy luster! An old writer tells us of a ship coming from Iudia to France. The crew was made up ol French sailors who had been long from home, and as th$ ship came along the coast of France the men skipped the deck with glee, and they pointod to the spires of the churches where they once worshiped and to the hills where they had played in boyhood. But when the ship came into port, and these sailors saw fattier and mother and wife and loved ones on the wharf, they sprang ashore and rushed up the banks into the city, and the captain had to got another crew to bring the ship to her moorings. Ho heaven will after awhile come so fully in sight, we can see its towers, its mansions, its hills, and as we tfo into port and our loved ones shall call from that shining shore and speak our names we will spring to the beach, leaving this old ship ol a world to be managed by another crew, out rough voyaging ol the seas ended forever. j ' I RELIGIOUS READING t t 2 APART WITH GOD. a Anart with God?how beautiful the though From cares of earth to win such sweet r r lease: 1 To lay aside the vexing task, haif-wrough i And by the green, o'ershadowed path < 3 peace * Seek the white altar that the saints hai '? sought! s a Oh ! precious is the quiet place of prayer, Where heaven and earth, where God an f mortal meet, t To that dear spot come neither pain n< e care a And all about is like a garden sweet, 3 The flowers whereof shed healing on th a air. i J There, brother, bring your trial's vexir t thorn, r And God shall pluck it out and give yc 1 _ rest. s There bring your sin, and lie whoso sic 1 was torn t Shall cleanse your soul to be His palimj ! sest, 9 New-written as your spirit is new-born. 3 None is forbid that blest communion?non ( The hands that spanned the cruel cross ? j wide, p Thus would they clasp the troubled race, J one j Lost brothfir, by love's anguish justified, . Come, whosoe'er; behold! you are God e Son! I ? James Buckham in Advance. ^ A RECEPTIVE PEEIOD. 5 After special prayer and evangelistic effo e It is important that the church should ha\ i a welcome ready for all comers. The co; I diality of individuals needs to be indorse g by the sympathy of the church. At such 3 time the prejudices of men are softenei y and they are prepared to respond to inviti ! lions which they would previously hai I dismissed without consideration. Some < a Ihem have drifted away from early habi . of church attendance, others have had i t least their cuiiosity aroused, and some a; 1 feeling tbeir way toward faith without ha f ing had the courage to enter an inquii i meeting or to open their hearts to a ChrL i tian minister or friend. The social atmo - phere of the church ought always to t , genial, but never more so than when ti r jommunity has been stirred by calls to fait i and obedience, and the stranger in ourgati - may be only waiting for an invitation i t, become one with us in faith and servlc 1 And to this genial atmosphere individua s must contribute each their share, or tl 1 geniality of the whole will suffer. 3 9 5 A PKAYER FOR HUMILITY. i Dear Father, here I am, where thou ha t placed me. Thou dost know the plans f< - me which are in thy mind. Teach me, thi - i may know them. Give me grace that s may accomplish them. Make me strong that I may fill them as thou dost will. Ii j spirit me, 0 Holy Spirit, that I may emboc 5 thine own self. Mold me, 0 Creator of t t all. that I may take on immortality in tl 3 likeness of Jesus Christ. Lead me, O Savioi t of life, that these days on earth may be e 3 tablished in truest service and faithful mil 3 istry. And the plans of the hour that I fo . low out will then be thine, so that all the r< i jults, about which we thy followers a: . often anxious, will be thine also. My growl - anil transformation lead us into rest ai 3 peace, that all our inner state and all tl s works of our hands may be made holy. V r pray to thee because Christ Jesus opened u 1 the way. Amen, t THE DATS OF DISCOURAGEMENT.' . It often seems as if there were a sense: ' wbich it might be said that nothing so tern l ed to keep God out of our lives as work f< { God done in a wrong and superficial spii i ... .The Scripture reader, the Sunday ectio i teacher, the evangelist, the minister, tl ( working laymen?all of them. I am sur have felt how religious work tries to pus 1 out religious thought and to kill the soul 3 receptivity. Thought made practica 3 turned into duty, tends to become like a turned into wind The more earnest 3 you are at work for Jesus, the more yc - need times when what you are doing fi s Him passes totally out of your mindai 1 the only thing worth thinking of seems f be what He is doing for you. That Is tl y real, meaning of the days of discourag 9 ment and eelf-contempt which come to all - us,0 fellow laborers for the Lord!?Philli] e Brooks. LOVE SOFTENS THE LIGHT. I- The landscape is very much affected I a the glass through which you regard it. 3 that glass is yellow, everything looks yello1 j If it is blue, everything looks blue. If it j sombre, everything looks sombre. Noi . the man who Is living a life of love looks o y upon his life through the love of God. ar the love of God has such a mysterious pro J erty 111 it tnai it tarces awuy irom lernu ' things their terror, from dreadful thini ' their dread, and from the malignity of mi J his spite ; and the soul looks with a cal ? serenity upon all the eircumstances of lif and finds itself hushed and calm.?Rev. F.] ? Meyer. 1 CHRIST KNOCKS ; RLESSED THEY WHO HEAH 1 There is au inward call of Christ to a y 6ouIs. and blessed is he who heeds it. Cbri ? often knocks at the door of our hearts wi J holy longings, devout aspirations^ pioi * meditations, and blessed is he who throi s wide open his heart's door to the Chri.? Jr As soon as thou dost experience in tl heart some longing after the grace of Go 1 thou mayest certainly conclude that it 1 Christ knocking at the door of thy heai " Blessed indeed aro all they who hear ar 3 follow him.?Gerhard. * Make time for serious thoughts. Let i day pasts without some memory of soletr things. Ear;h morning as you rise remit yourselves that "God spake these wor< and said." Each evening as you lie dow to r-ist let God's angels close the door your heart on thoughts of purity and peac The soul that has never lived face to fa> with eternity is a vulgar soul. The lift; th has never learnt the high law of holiness a ruined and a wasted life.?JF. W. Farrar. Here in Thy great world-garden, Lord, w stand : Keep us. for here the blossoms blight so fas The fruit is flawed in turning from T1 beams m_ it? >? o..,1 tn oin 10 LJIC UlllllK CIlow WV i\jhj <*uv& vv o?a*. And let nil trees, the wildings of the wood And grafts of rarest culture, waft Th< j praise! , ?Lucy Larcom. i It is n straignt way to God from any whe if we will, from silent room or oven field < i busy shop or street; but a very excelloi [ route to hi* house in heaven is l>y way of Ii j house on earth. Thy way, O God, is" in tJ : sanctuary.?E. T. Fairbanks. In Christ. Those two words contain tl ' very secret, the sole secret of the Christiu , life. To have died with Christ unto sin. i | have rist'ii with Christ to riglite.msuess, grow iu Christ by holinvss?that is to be ( Christian. ?F. W. Farrar. > To give ourselves to thee, to biend > Our weakness with lliy strength.O L <rd 01 Friend, i This is life's truest privilege and end. ; ?Susan Coolidge. The secret of life is not to do what 01 likes, but to try to like that which one hi to do: and oil" does cuinc to like it?in tim ?Dinah Aluloch Craik. i Kail road .Extension in India. Railroad extension in India Is prosressini at a rapid rate. On March 31, 1896, ther were 19,677 miles of track, an increase o over 800 miles during the year. In additioi there were 7000 miles of construction au thorized by legislation, but not aciuall; built. The proportion of passengers killei was only one in 19,0-0,'.00, and the totfi number either killed or injured from rail way accidents of all kinds was one in 518, 051. Chicasjo to Utilize Her l'ralrie. Chicago has so many acres of unoccupie ; prairie within her city limits that Postmaste Heslng his proposed that they be utilized th coming summer by the 20,000 destitute mei in the city in the cultivation oi beans. j V f, sabbath^HOO^B INTERNATIONAL LESSON FoJ^H MARCH 28. ? ^^5 t Review for the First Quarter?Goldeifl^H ai Text: Acts xli., 24?Com mentary. IB ? m Lesson L?Christ's Ascension (Acts !.? . 1-14.1 Golden Text?Luke xxiv., 51, "While 1(1 He blessed them He was parted from them and earried up into heaven." The golden )r text tor the review, "The word of God grew find multiplied," describes the work of the Holy Spirit through the apostles after the 10 ascension of Christ. We must keep before us the great fact that it was and still is the purpose of God to bless th? whole earth ? through Israel (Ps. Ixvli.. 1-7; Isa. ix., 1-8; Jer. lit.. 17,18; Rom. xt., 12. 15), but, Israel ,u having rejeoted and cruoifled their King, the kingdom is postponed until the King shall le return (Luke xix., 11. 12; Acts ill, 20, 21). In the meantime we live in'"the mysteries P" of the kingdom." T TT T4. /i/Oa juuou.i u.?iuo uwij ui*ou lavw iL, 1-18). Golden Text?Acts ii., 4, "They were all filled with the Holy Ghost." Al- ,J:i e- though these disciples had been dally under 10 the teaching of the Lord Jesus for several years, yet they were not qualified to bo His 13 witnesses, but had to wait until filled with the Holy Spirit, for He alone could acoom* pllsh in and through them what the Lorq 6 required. No wisdom or power of man can; accomplish the work of tie Lord, but only\ the Spirit of the Lord fZech. iv.,6). When V filled, they spAke as tne Spirit gave them utterance (Acts IL, 4). Lesson IIL? A Multitude Convert rt (Actsii, 32-47). Golden Text?Acts Ii., flHH re "The promise is unto you and your childi^Bj^H r- and to all that are afar off." When id strangers at Jemsalen from all parts of a world heard these unlearned men speaki^H^H 3, in all languages and declaring the wond^HHH i- ful works of God, they were amazed, ai^Hnl 'C bumo BttlU IUUI IUO ULSU1JJIU9 WOtO iUli of wine. Peter, then standing forth, declar^^HBBj ts In the power of the Spirit the facts of tl^^^H at case, and from the Scriptures preache^^DB re Christ unto them with the result that abou^^BB v- 3000 believed aad were baptized, and ry Lord continued to add daily those belng^MH 3- saved (verses 41, 47). a- Lesson IV.?The Lame Man Healec^^^H >e (Acts Hi.. 1-16). Golden Text, Acts ill., io 16. "His name, through faith in - ;h His name, hatu made this man strong." V 38 The disciples seem to have frequented the to temple, probably for the pnrpose of t&ach- 8 e. ing, even as Jesus had done (see chapter v., 1 Is 20), and on this ocnaslon the Lord through ie them gave health to a man over forty years old who had never walked a step (verse 2 and chapter iv., 22). $ Lesson V.?The Boldness of Peter and John (Acts iv., 1-14). Golden Text?Acts 9t iv., 12, "There is none other name under 3r heaven given among men whereby we must lt be saved." As the power of God is increasj ingly seen the devil s anger Increases, and . the apostles suffer imprisonment and threata_ ening. I_ Lessox VI.?True and False Giving (Acta jg iv., 82, to v., 11). Golden Text?I Sam. xvi., ia 7, "Man looketh on the outward appearance, '. ir but the Lord lookethonthe heart." "With \ such great power gave the apostles witness , " of the resurrection of th9 Lord Jesus that i~ the grace of God was upon them all, and , v " many sold their property and put all the " proceeds in the common fund that nore of the believers might lack anything; for then, , as now among the Jewa, those believing in Christ would probably be cast oft by their r. friends and find themselves destitute of * luuipuiai IUIU^S, uuuo uauou. ui uwcu w ip seen in His judgment of the liars. Lksson V1L?The Prison Opened (Acts v., 17-32). Golden Text?Acts v., 29, "We ought to obey God rather than rfteo." / / Satan's rage Increases, and again the apostles are imprisoned, but no walls or bolts or J" soldiers can hold them unless the Lord Is willing that they should be held; so He ", sends an angel, who delivers them and sends 01 them to the temple to continue teaching the 10 words of life. When again arrested In the . ^ temple In the morning und brought before , the council, Peter again preaches Christ s /iaii/i4 Aa/1 onH wionn n n<1 nlfK/.nr*Vi V.flafon I viuviucu auu ouu, anuuugu uuaLL^a l'? for it, when let go they continued dally to j lr teach and preach Jesus Christ both In thd Jy temple and from house to house. / ... )U Lesson YIIL?The First Christian Martyn (Acts vi, 8-15; vif, 54-60). Golden Text-V^ W }d Rev. ii, 10, "Be thou faithful unto death, H t0 and I will give thee a crown of life." Tne ^ 16 power of the Holy Spirit Is as nocessary to 1 ?: serve table as to preach the gospel, and if ' one is willing to serve whole heartedly in ?3 humble service he will be led forth to greater j things. The wisdom and spirit which they ' ] were not able to resist was not any wisdom of 8tephen, but that of the Holy Spirit In i )v Stephen, even the wisdom and Spirit of God. Stephen's sermon, like Peter's, was chiefly _ quotations from or references ^of Scripture, jJ and having giving his testimony he went home to be with Jesus. He Is the first revl corded as seeing Jesus after His ascension. ... Lesson IX.?The DisoiDles Dispersed (Acts ' viii, 1-17). Golden Text?Acts vtii, 4, "They j ," that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word." The last words of I * Christ ere He ascended were, "Go ye Into aU the world, and preach the gospel to every ~~ oreature, and 'Ye shall be witnesses unto Me unto the uttermost part of the earth" u- (Mark xvi. 15: Acts 1, 8), yet up to the time of our lesson the witnesses do not seem to have left Jerusalem. Lesson X.?The Ethiopian Convert (Acts ur vLi, 26-40). Golden Text?Acts vili, 35, v of "Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same Scripture and preached unto, him Jesus." Perhaps none of the scattered ahrnarl VioH (vnnM fn PfhlAnia hnf fhfl LrtPil jt bad bis chosen ones even there and will somehow reacQ them a'so. l Lesson XI.?Saul, the Persecutor, Con? ' verted (Acts ix., 1-12, 17-20). GoldeaText ' rt ?I Tim. i., 15., "This is a faithful saying j and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus camo into the world to save sinners." Things impossible with men are possible with God, and there is nothing too hard or wonderful for God (Luke xviil., 27; Jer. xxxii., 17). The time came for this blnsphe* mer to be stopped, and in His own way, by , His own power, the Lord humbled him and . brought him to Himself. ;a, Lesson XII. ?Christian Self Restraint (I of Cor. ix., 19-27). Golden Toxt-I Cor. ix., e* 25. "Every man that striveth for the masL'? tery is temperate in all things. Salvation Is ut the free girt of God through the finished 19 work of Christ, and no works or strivings of ours have any part in our redemption (Bom. / lit ftj i m C W 41 Q n. OH*.-.* 414 K\ \j Hi* I , IV*} J JCjUUt Jit) Oj fj XllUO 11&*| v but when saved tnrough Christ it Is that we "m may abound In good works (Titus ili., 8; Epb. J iL, 10), as the evidence of our redemption, J *' and for these works whioti God prepares for V y us we shall be rewarded at the coming of I Christ (Luke xiv., 14; Rev. xxii., 12; II John f vlii., I Cor. iii., 14, 15). The special work * of our lesson is denial of self. ? Lesson eo Helper. PREHISTORIC STAMPEDE. re , or Fossllg Show Death by Droves in th? it Schuylkill Valley. Lg Fossil bones that shed much iight on th? character of the strange animals which _ roamed this continent in the pleistocene age, or period immediately preceding the present, ie bave been taken to the Academy of Sciences, in Philadelphia, from Port Kennedy, Montto gomery County. Penn.. and will be objects to of study by the learned men of tho institua tion for months to come. Brittle fragments they are, incased in planter of paris to keep them from crumbling to pieces, but they furnish snffleieut foundation for the scientists to build up an accurate idea ot beasts long lr since extinct. In extent the fo?sil deposit seems almost unlimited, and while it contains no complete skeletons, it is in many respects th& richest ever discovered. Bones form fully one-third of the material in the giant Assure, iW but a large proportion of them are so e~ crushed and distorted as to be of no value. Probably forty distinct varieties of animals are to be tr ice.I in the m iss, and the strangest part of it all is that those with entirely; unsympathetic characteristics are found S closely associated with one another. Great ? mastodons and tiny moles lie side by side^ I and the fiercest carnivorous beasts are II mingled with gentle llamas and deer. The supposition is that countless yearsi ago some great disturbance stampeded thej ^ j animais of tho region, and they rushed dowai jl ll the Schuylkill Valley. Coming to the yawnj ing chasm, the foremost wore pushed in byl those behind, and they piled up on top of one another until tho rift in the rocks was (Hied ith bones. At some later perlodj the breaking up of the glacier created havoq d in tho valley, forcing down olay, stones and! r sand upon the skeletons and crushing thenu e by the great weight. Among the mosq u a prized of the bones which llr. Mercer has " unearthed aro those of the saber-toothecU * tiger and cave bear. J '