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jjioldenhu -3^2^: -.* i ^5mf z ~::c/r Oopyriskt Mi br Mt CHAPTER XXV. SBATB. The old man offered no resistance to my violence, nor did be utter a word. ' ghastly paleness overspread his face, his head fell a little to one side, and be looked as if he would have fallen bat for the support I afforded him. His apparent collapse under the sudden attack which had been made upon blm excited my sympthy, and In less than a minute I relaxed my grasp, saying: "TeU ma where you have put those coins, and not only shall you escape punishment, but you shall be rewarded ? and allowed to remain here aa long as you ii t*. The old man made no reply, bat leaned against tbe wall, breathing heavily, with a strange expression upon bis face, tbe like of which 1 had not seen. Again I approached him, and laying my hand gently on his shoulder spoke to him kindly, yet earnestly: "I am sorry I have frightened you. As 1 live, I promise you shall come to no harm. But please tell me what you have dene with those coins, for I have a right to know." With a great effort, pitiable for Its feebleness, the old man took a large Iron key from his pocket, and essayed to step towards me, making as though he woold speak; but he failed of his Intention and fell heavily on the floor. / The Incident seriously alarmed me. In ma instant I was on my knees at his aide. suDDortlns his head on my arm. But my utmost efforts failed to rouse the old man; his attenuated form waxed heavier and heavier, and his half-dosed eyes and lips lent an* expression to his face awful to behold. .Quite terrified at his condition. 1 Stamped violently on the floor and shouted so loudly for help that two servants rushed into the room. "Fetch Dr. Thunow at oncc; if he isn't in, send the hoy on a horse to Ixworth for a doctor. Adams is ill?I don't know how seriously. And bring some water, one of you, quickly!" The women hastily left to obey my orders, and were met at the door by ny father and Mr. Wolsey. "Wtot is tfie matter?" assea my fhtber, stooping to look at the old man u at lay OB the floor. "What bos happened T* MI \raa talking to Adams, when he soadenly reded and fell down unconscious," I explained. ^ "He would be better on the couch," aid Mr. Wolscy; and sdopting the suggestion we lifted the old mxui Into that position. By this time a servant had returned with some water; and while X bathed the face of the patient, Mr. Wolaey and my father felt his left side and watched Intently for signs of respiration, which could with difficulty be discerned. "I am afraid be is going," said my utiner quieuy. Mr. Wolsey, to whom these ominous words were addressed, signified bis assent by lightly Inclining his head. "O nor* I cried in an agony of fear, oppressed with the consdouanes of bow largely I waa responsible for this cataatropbe; ""fire minutes ago he was well. Ho must surely revive soon." My exclamation waa interrupted by the entry of Dr. Thurlow, who at once began a systematic examination of the patient He felt the old nun's pulse and the region of his heart closed and unclosed bla passive bands, lifted one of his eyelids and placed his finger on the eye?on experiment which I could not help but witness, though it horrified me profoundly. These things accomplished, Dr. Thurlow turned to my father and aald: "I am sorry to tell you, Mr. Truman, that your old servant is dead." My heart sank within me as I realised the meaning of the doctor's words. Thla waa my first experience of death; and In oresence of that awful mvsterv I seemed to grow older by as many years as minutes had elapsed since the fatal accusation. I could not speak, but stood in a sort of stupor, looking down upon what had so recently been Instinct with warmth and motion. All thought of the sequius was banished from my mind, and instead I could think only of the one who had taught oe to ride in the green lanes about Boldenburst when 1 was a child; who had been first to impress upon me the names af the trees, shrubs, flowers and birds common in our neighborhood; and wlio, so far ss I could remember, had never spoken harshly to me. And now tliat one lay before me dead, he who but for me would doubtless still be performing his customary duties about the place. My reflections were too painful to bear unalsturbed, and I broke down utterly. Dr. Tburlow was about to lead me from the room when be saw the Turkish daggers which lay on the table. > "What are these?" he asked, picking up the weapons. "Has the man died from an Injury which has escaped my ( notice?" and he turned again towards the couch. "No, no," I explained; "they hate not been unsheated for years, look; you will find it so." "Yes." assented Dr. Tburlow. who nevertheless thought tt proper to satisfy himself of tlie truth of my statement by making a careful examination or tbe daggers. ? "Of what bat the old man died?" These were the first wordy that my father uttered after be had been told that bis old servant was dead, and his roiee was' tremulous with suppressed emotion. "I csa't say uutil I bare investigated the case more particularly." replied Dr. Thorlow; "bat appearances seem to indicate syncope. hi* ncart uas oeen weak for ?long time, and itia not an nnatoral termination for blm; bat at rtx-.C- it ?&'. t i ic&fci'tiflaltfj pPWMCf .. ALTER BLOOM FIELD nui Bonsn*t Borne. tlie name time I should not hare expected it unless precipitated by some sudden excitement or passion." Willie Dr. Thurlow was speak lug. Mr. Wolsey opened the door, and'revealed our servants standing in a group Just without He Informed them of the melancholy event which had occurred within, and they returned sorrowfully to the kitchen, whispering together aa they went; while Mr. Wol* sey, my father and I, and Dr. Thurlow, crossed the ball to the dining room, the latter carrying the Turkish daggers and aigrette which he had taken from the table, and a large rusted iron key which he had found on the floor clone to where Adams had fallen. CHAPTER XXVI. H0XXXJK8S. "No, Ernest, 1 am not hard on yon; my fault lies on the other side. I hare been weak, and am justly punished for my weakness; but I am not too old to reform. Henceforward I will rule in my own house; and anyone, not excepting even yourself, who is indisposed to submit to that rule, may betake himself elsewhere. Consider well my words; they are not lightly spoken." M1 protest that my conduct towards you baa never been anything but that of an affectionate sob. Why has all this trouble fallen upon me? Because 1 hare sought to make peace between you and your brother. Was that a bad task to set myself? I have always believed, and do now believe more strongly than ever, that your brother had no hand in the robbery of the sequins." My father smiled faintly, and remarked In a somewhat sarcastic tone that he doubted whether I should have assumed the Christian part of peacemaker so earnestly in this case If it had not also been the way to a closer acquaintance with Miss Marsh. His words aroused the si timbering anger within me, and I replied to them with more warmth than discretion: "What you say la very true. When Inclination and duty point the same way, the duty Is well performed." "That has hardly been so in this ' coM mt? fatKov> "My purpose was defeated by a natural tbough unexpected event; and I am no more responsible for the death of the old man we followed to the grave yesterday than I am responsible for the death of Charles the First. Dr. Tliurlow has told you that Adams' heart was weak, and that it was a miracle he lived so long as he did. It was my ill fate to be the one to accuse him of his crime. Uncle Sam's advice was sound." "Very sound!" echoed my father bitterly. "And nearly all the property found in the old man's room, including the red Turkish chest, was placed there wiui uijr wusem wiwii au uiu iwi ut the house was being overhauled by your uncle's workmen!" "How about the key which Adams waa about to glre me the moment before his final seixure?" "Ay, how about it? Have you not spent two days ineffectually trying to fit it to every lock within these walla? Ernest, you have entirely exhausted my patience. I must absolutely decline to discuss with you again the robbery of the sequins; and I repeat, for the last time, my determination. Tou may remain here as long as you will, and all 1 have is yours, provided that you cease to correspond with my brother, his wife, and Miss Marsh. Unless you are prepared to adopt that course you must no longer consider this your home. 1 daresay it pains you KA ?ALa 4kU M KM* ? MT wv WSU MS?? OV VIIUIU/i UUV JVU moat reflect that a nan does not talk la this way to hla onlj ran without pain to himself, and aorelj sever without great cause. I, at least, do not" And with pale face, compressed lips, and a strange light in his eyes, my father passed out of the room. For a few moments I stood still, dazed by the Importance cf the decision I had so unexpectedly been called upon to make. I never for a moment doubted that I was very ill-used; on the contrary, I considered myself most unjustly punished. Ever since my uncle was at Holdenhurst my policy had been directed with a view to effect his reconciliation to ifty father and the winning of Constance Marsh for my-1 i?. a ---i. . jk?- v ? % sen, uuu dul'u* uesiren, t wumira, were commendable and natural In any one circumstanced as I was. The terms imposed by my father as the price of bis continued friendship and protection were too exacting for me to entertain. Deeply as It grieved me to Anally quit that sequestered spot where I was born, whose every nook recalled some pleasant incident of my childhood's happy days when my father had watched over me with a tender and anxious solicitude such as a mau only bestows on a motherless child, I was prepared to abandon It at once and for ever rather than renounce the dear girl whose love 1 had won. It was hard for me to leave my home and live estranged from my lifelong companion I and friend, the oue to whom 1 owed everything; bat even mat. hard as It was. would bo easier man the alternative offered to me. These considerations brought tears to my eyes, but my purpose was never for a moment weakened. Suddenly I roused myself from the reverie into which I bad fallen, and turuiug to go to my own room, encountered Mr. Wolsey at tbe door. "What is all tbis trouble between you and your father, Ernest?" asked tbe old gentlemau. "You bad better inquire for tbe particulars where you learned the fact," I answered testily; for I could not help thinking that Mr. Wolsey was in some measure responsible for the present resolute attitude of my -.ii wu. v ' father; that be bad been exerting bit I Influence to annul the friendship ' I which he knew existed between my uncle and me. Without waiting to | hear any further remark from him, I passed my interrogator abruptly and continued my way t? my room. j No sooner was I in assured solitude than I sat down, and resting my aching head on my hands, endeavored to impartially review the whole course of my life, which consisted, 1 found, of two periods?nearly twenty J years of happy, careless Indifference, , and six months of high hopes, grave j anxieties and bitter disappointments, 1 the division being marked by my introduction to uncle Sam. Tbe shorter of *he two periods seemed the longer. I the flight of time being appreciated for the importance rather than the number of its events. For two hours 1 did 1 wrestle with myself and suffer Indescribable anguish of spirit, vainly desiring the light and guidance | WHICH 1 Knew not wuere uur iiun iv seek. Tbe purest, most loving, most disinterested, most generous being I i bad ever known was Constance ' Marsb, and to ber would I go to ! claim tbe protnlse she bad made to j become my wife. Would tbat I bad i accepted ber advice, and abandoned j all hope or thought of tbe cursed se- j; quins! But the mischief was past and < irreparable, and I could only resolve J tbat never again?no, not even though ; tbe clearest conceivable indications I of success were placed before me? j would I so much as lift n <T band for j the recovery .of a treasure tbe very j name of which must ever be asso- ' ciated in my mind with misery. My resolution was taken: I would certainly leave borne. ( Indeed, there : i was nothing else for me, to do, my father's terms being precise, and such as I could not bricg myself to accept; : yet did I love my father as well as I bad ever done, and the thought tbat I was now going away from Ilolden- | burst, perhaps never to return?that possibly I had looked upon my father's face for the last time?cut me to the heart. 1 sat donrn at a table and wrote upon a sheet of ' paper, which I could only dimly see, a ! few lines addressed to my father, re- > grettlng that my conduct during the i past few months had been such as be ' could not aDnrore. especially as that ! conduct had been based upon a sincere belief In its righteousness, a belief which I still entertained; and therefore, by his own ruling, Holden- j hurst was no longer my home. I ! closed with many endearing expres- J slons, not forgetting to state that j should ho ever desire to see me. It! would be my pleasure no less than j my duty to come to him. My painful task completed, I folded ; the note, and rose to pack a handbag. As I did so the looking-glass revealed my face and startled me, so pallid and haggard had I become. I observed my appearance for but a moment, and then hurried forward my scanty preparations for departure, j Yet a few minutes later, and I bad left the house with no more than I 1 onnl(l oonvpnlpntJv ftrrr. comiuc awav ! unobserved through & door which led from the garden Into an orchard, and thence along the footpath which served as as a convenient abort cut into the Bury road. It was early morn&g, and the autumnal mist v.'hich obscured the fields ! was slowly disappearing before the rising sun. When I reached the bend of the road I turned to take a last look at my old home, but it was enveloped In the mist and could not be seen. Resuming my journey at a great pace, I endeavored by rapid walking and clear thinking to emerge from the mental denression which had resulted, as I did not even then doubt, from mj errors of judgment no less than my peculiar circumstances. Clear thinking! Alas! that was a power which had never been J mine; and It seemed there was no j way for me to attain it but through the cruel discipline afforded by a succession of blunders and conse:<'.ient dlsasater. To be continued. The Trouble* of th? KJcb. The first point in the condition of the idle rich which takes the eye of the student is that they are the victims of circumstances. Like the idle poor, the idle rich suffer because there is nothing ; for them to do, but the greater hard- I ship of the idle rich lies in the fact that t they do not seem fit to do anything. Some philosophers have supposed that their leisure qualified them to take charge of the political and economical affairs of people who were at work, and there has been a good deal of polite regret among us that up to the j present time mere nag ueeu an apjiur- | ent purpose of providence to turn our leisure class to account in this way. We have seen that under other systems they are turned to account in this way, but their conduct of public business under these systems has not convinced us. It seems to have been maiuly in their own interest, with few escapes from the vicious circle which forms the logic of their lives; it seems to have tended always to the pt-rpetuation of that leisure class which, it was philosophized, their public employment would practically put an end to.?W. D. Howells, in Harper's Magazine. CorflUer the Ant. Lord Avebury declares that ants that maintain their sobriety make a great ! distinction in their treatment of the j Intoxicated stranger and the fellowcitizen who bas succumbed to its blandishments. He inebriated fifty ants, twenty-live from one nest and j twenty-five from another, ru put them I all into the nest from \ i one lot | had been taken. The in. iltanls at J nncr. toek the helniess stra .'rs and I threw them Into the water; wnile those who were citizens of the nest were carried tenderly away Into remote corners to recover at leisure.?Clevelnud Leader. llanrarjr's Klg Town*. Hongary has eleven towns of 50,000 Inhabitant or more, according to tlto recent census. Budapest has 7Si.0?X). Szegedin 103.000. Maria Thereslopol SJ.000. Dehreczln 75.000, I'resburg 00.000, llodmorovasurhcly 01,000, Kciskeniet 57,000, Arad 50,000. Temesvar 53,000, Groswardein and Klausenhmg 50,000 each. Agrnm, In Croatia, has 01.000 inhabitants. k SERMON FOR SUNDAY ________ 1 ENTITLED "AND THE TWELVE GATES WERE TWELVE PEARLS." In Brilliant Unput tt i Iter. Dr. J. Jf. Cb*pm?B 1MMTIBCI IDS Llinim V.1.J, In Wkkh There la Neither Slekneee Xtr Sorrow, Death Sor CtjIdk. New York Citt.?The Rev. Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman, who has recently resigned the pastorate of the Fourth Presbyterian Church in this city in order to devote himielf to evangelistic work, has prepared the following sermon for the proa*. It is entitled "And the Twelve Gates Were Twelve Pearls," and wan preached from the text. "And had a wall great and hish, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and namea written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel." Revelation xxi.: 12. When La Fayette last visited this countrw the Deonle rave him a royal reception. A fleet of vessels went oat to mtrt him. the band played "Hail to the Chief," and the national music o7 France, and it is told that he was unmoved. As he came aahore land and water trembled with the power of artillery. Old soldiers saluted him as they shouted his welcome, and he was utill unmoved. With waving banners and under triumphal arches he was taken to Castle Garden, where most of the great men of the nation were gathered together to give him greeting, and he was still not moved. But when he had taken his seat in the great amphitheatre, and when the curtain was lifted bo saw before him a perfect representation of the place in France where hfe was born and brought up, and when he saw the old home so filled with tender memories, the home where bis futher and mother had lived and d?ed, it is said that the grett man was touched, and bowing bis face in his hands he wept like a child. If I could only draw aside the veil which separates the seen from the unseen, so that you couli behold that city which hath foundations. there wonld be no need for me to preach, for in the very thought of heaven you would be almost overwhelmed. I have read descriptions of cities both in ancient and modern time*, hut never such n description as this; adorned like n bride for her husband; a city in which there is neither sickness nor sorrow, death nor crying; a city of walls and gates; on the east three pates, on the west three gates, on the south three gates, on the north three gates, and the walls had twelve foundations. and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the T smb. The angel that made the revelation had a golden rod in his hand with which he was measuring the city, and found that the length was equal Jo the breadth, and that the wall was 144 cubits; that the building of the wall was of jasper; that the city was pure gold, and that the twelve gates were twelve Pearls. It is said that they were wide open by day ?there is no night there, and in that city there was no vieed of the sun. for the glorv of the Lord did lighten it, and the Lamb was the light thereof. It comes to me like an inspiration that one day I shall enter that citv. Can you say it? Your children are going in, your parents are going in, your husband is going it, vonr wife is going in; are you going in? It is a great joy to know that the things that bring us the representations of heaven Qnmo nrnn'p t?11 lid that heaven is a ?t%te, not a nlace. What, then did Christ mean when H* said. "I go to prepare a place for vou." and what again when He naid, "In My Father's house therr are many mansions?" Whnt is the doctrine of the resurrection? Is it that only the spirit* of men are raise? ? This is not our teaching. There mtK.t be nome place for the resurrected body. When Christ went out with His annstles to Bethany and a cloud received Him out of their frignt, He arose bodily from their presence. It is certain, absolutely certain, that heaven ia a place. Perhaps some may question, at first, the meaning of the text, and yet I am vrry sure if we only had the mind of the Spirit w* would find in it much of beauty, sweetness and power. ' When the army of Galen* sacked the camn and routed the Persians one of the soldiers found a ba? of shining leather filled with pearls. He preserved the bag because of its brightness, and threw awav the jewels, ignorant of their almost priceless Tclue. In manv cases pas?ages of Scripture are treated in the cam'' tray. There it something for u* all in the feet that the twelve gates were twelve pearl*. WHAT IS HEAVEN? It is & place of overpowering brightness. Everything that ever came from thence tella us ao. Chariots to bright that the only thing to which they could be likened was fire. Angela with faces shining so that men must veil their eyes before them. Moses and Elias so surrounded with glory that the three disciples were overcome with the vision on the mount of transfiguration. The walls are like a great jewel, the rtreets of pure gold and every single gate a pearl. You know the hrightnem of one little gem as it sparkles on your finger, but O! the wonderful thought that every gate is a pearl, and the day will come when we may go sweeping through the gates if we wul. God has done everything that He could do. and our entering in now Teats upon ourselves. But the brightness of heaven, aside from the presence of Christ, is not due to the gates, nor to the iralls, nor to the streets, but to the presence of those who have been redeemed. I have been told that the deeper the water the larger the pearl. Whether that be true or not I can not tell, but I know that from the greatest depth* (Jod sometime* take* His brightest jewel*. It is no eauae for discouragement if you have been a great sinner. Paul was a persecutor, Bunyan a blasphemer, Newton a libertine, and yet tbey shine to-day as the jewels of Christ. Geologist* tell ua that the diamond is only crystallized carbon, charcoal glorified. Thus book tells us something better than that, that "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Heaven is a p'ace of unutterable sweetness. Can yon imagine the number of little children there? Can any one describe the sweetness of a child's song? And when you remember that your own little one may be there! What wonderful pinging it is as their lips are touched by the finger of Christ, and their hearts arc thrilled with His prcse^e. "O, the joys that are there jnortal eye hath not seen, /% onnvj Kaw ein/v 4korA tcilK hrvenn V, nit WWH" ??? "V.v ?? nas between, O, the thrice blessed song of the Lamb mid of Moses, 0, the white tent* of peacc where tbi? rapt sojI repose*, 0, the wateri so still and the pastures so green. There, there they sing songs with hosannas between!" The boy who was blind makes the best expression of heaven to mo. The doctor had cut away the obstruction from hi* eyes, and the bandage* placed there were removed one by one, until niter a little they had all been taken off. When he opened his eyes in silent wonder as if a new world had beer, opened to him, he beheld his mother, and yet he did rot know that it was she. Finally he heard her familiar voice c-iKing him. "My son, can you aee?" lie sprang into her arm*, exclaiming, "0. mother, is this heaven?" That is the best definition. Heaven is,seeing eye to eye, knov.-ing even as we are known. If there is one word which better than another will describe heaven to me it is an rnluMtinn. "'What it heaven?' I asked a iittlc ehild, 'All joy,' and in her innocence she smiled. I a-ked the aged, with her rare oppressed. A!1 guttering o'er, *Ob, bra.von at last in rest.' I asked the artist who adored his art? 'Heaven is all beauty,' spoke his raptured heart. I asked the poet with his sou! of fire, * 'Tis glory,' and he struck his lyre. I asked the Christian waiting his release. A halo 'round him, low he answered. Pcuce.' Fo all may look with hopeful eyes above. *Xis beautv, glory, joy, rest, peace and Jove." A CITY OF GATES. There ii something significant in the fact that heaven it a city of gate*. The i8r% ' must be that there is some special way to get in. We can not live juat as we please < and at the laat enter heaven: we might if j it were not enclosed. The Bible tells ua ' that we may come in from the north, the , south, the east and west, but we are j obliged to pass through the pates, and it is | not always easy. "Straight is the gate and narrow is the way," one might he liable to mi?w it. "Strive to enter in," says the Bib!c: so one most be very earnest. Christ said. "I am the way, the truth, the life:" "I am the door." and again. "No man cometh unto the Father but by Me." Some people think that fi?d is so merciful that I after awhile they may stand in Ht? pres- i ence, hut He is just as well as mcrcifu), ! and He hn? provided the wav by which ! every one must enter heaven. It is through the gate. Reformation will not do. moral- { ity ran not answer; it is giving up yourself I to Him. putting your hand in His and let- i " i? j -ii ?f i;f?_ I [in? mm icau juu an i?c until you pac? through the snA child dying aaid to hia father, "I ! wouldn't be afraid to go if mamma ! would ko with me." "Rut." he t*id. "little one. she can't go." Then the child Mid, "I want you to gn," and he unid, "my darliner, i can't go." Then when the child had prayed to Him who bad promiaed to ' walk through the valley of the shadow, I after a little while he aaid. "I am not afraid now. for Chri?t haa aaid that He will be with me, and He will." Lift up your head*, oh, ye gatea. lift them up. for the time in coming when with Jesus we I shall pass throuch! GATE? OF PEARL. I am aure that ther* ia gome mer.ping fn the fact that the gatea arc of pearl. Do J you know the hiatory of nearla? Humanly *peak:ng it is a history of aiifferins. When discovered it i* at th" ri?k of the pearl fiaher'a life. It ia aaid that pearla are formed bv the intrusion of some foreign I ? # 1 I substance tiet'vern the rnnntei or me tpoilu*k and i?? shell. Thin is a source of irri- j tation. Hufferinc and pain, and a substance j is thrown around abo?it that which is in- { trudrd to prevent suffering. and thus the pearl is formed. Do yon begin to see the J significance of the fact tint the pates are I of pearl, and not of gold? There was * time when there was no entrance into heaven for tit; sin had closed it: man had j grievously sinned, he had broken every law of Ood, and there was no hope fot him at all. Then it was that the Babe was cradled in the manner, bcrame a youth, grew to manhood, endured thirtv-threc years of suffering, culminating in the agony upon Calvary, when in the tremendous tension His heart broke. Then it was He died, J the just for the unjust, the innocent for the sniilty; then it was that He arose from ) the d*ad. went out nnto Bethany, ascendod into heaven to swing wide open the gatt<?. Aid thus it is they are open to-day. and one never hears of the gates of pearl lmt | he must realize in some measure what sal?a mnitti vnn iinr) tn trie. I hat to Him?humiliation, sorrow, suffering. d"ath. and do von realize that every I one who refn?e* allrcianee to Him ia arrived aTarrst Him. for Hp ?aid. "Yon are i either for M<- or against Me, there ia do middle ground?" TWELVE GATES. How full the word of God ia! In ft? 1 teaching beauty and sweetness come from j it with every touch. It is a rock; you can not touch it but the water of life will come forth. It is a flower; you can not f come near it without beinir blessed by its fragrance. There is something to me even | in the number of heaven's pates. The i twelve rates were twelve pearls, three on | every side, and the city lieth four souare. I la tnis not an indication that God has | made abundant provision for our entrance | [ into the city above? It is man who has narrowed down the way. The Bible invi- ' I tat ion ia. "Whosoever will, let him come." I The trovi?ion is abundant. No one can I ntsnd it the iudi^nent and say anything J but this, ""Lord, I mieht have entered, but [ I would not." Twelve gates, and if you are not in it. it is vour fault alone. God | has done all that He could do. The Trini it.v has been exhausted, almost, on a sinful I world, and He will do no more: it is for at "ourselves to choose to enter in, it is very i easv to be saved. In one of the schools of a great city by | the falling; of a transom a cry of fire was : | started. The children were panic-stricken, | I and the t<?acbcrs as weM. in rusnmg irom the building mairf were injured: some i were killed. When it was found that the alarm was fa^se, returning to her rocm one of the teacher* found fitting at her desk a young girl who had not stirred. When | asked the reason for her braveness, she aid. "My father is a fireman, and h? told me if ever there was an alarm of fire To the building just to sit still where I waa and he would save me. Mv father is a fireman and he know*, and I iust tnisted him." That confidence in Jesus Christ would bring salvation. Said a man in Glasgow to a distinguished | evangelist. "I am verv anxious to be I saved: what must I do?" The evangelist | qutfted many pnvlge* of Scripture to him, i among them John lit.. 16: "For God so ' loved the world that He gave His on'v be- ! gotten Son that whosoever believeth in i Him," and when'he had gone thin far the j man stopned him, faying. "But I do be- | lieve." Then the evangelist quoted the i sixth chapter of John and the fortv-wv- j enth verse. Christ's own words: "Verily, I verilv. I sav unto you. he that believeth | on Me hath everlasting life." The man *aw it in a moment and cried out rejoicing. "I have got it. I have got it." That kind of acceptance of God brings everlasting life. Twelve gates, and every yate a ncarl. and every gate exactly alike, so af I ter all there is on?v one way. THE GATES A TIF OPEN". I am so glad that the g;>tes are open today. We read that they shall not be shut j at all by day. and as there is no night I there the conclusion is that they are open i constantly. They are open now. Some j have been going in since wc have been speaking: at every tick of the clock a soul J (.Deeds away. I wish that I might go an did Alexander Cruden. seventy years of j age. giving to the world his concordance, , lyin^ in wr.nt because he had given so i freely to others. Going into his room they found him rncelin.?. his face buried i in the Bible, his white hair falling down j upon the chair, his spirit gone, the very | angels filling the room where he had been, j I wish that I might go as did David Liv- j invstone. They looked into his tent door i and stid one to another. "Keep silence, j tho arcnt leader is in nrovcr." for he was ; on his knee*. After a little while they r.inie buck, and he seemed to he still prayin?; then half an hour later again. and when they touched him they found that T-ivingftone was dead. The chariot* of 'Jod had halted while he prayed, and T.,iv- ! ingstone, entering in. was caught up into ? 'he skies. Oh. the joy of such an entrance into heaven! Dr. Pierre. rct'irning to France from India after a lone ionrnev. ?aid tint hi? men when they came in s:?ht of thc<r native land were mfittcd f??r dutv. Some of < them wistfnl'y gazed unon the laid they j loved. Some oi t'icin shouted. some ' prayed, * >me fainted, and it is said that ! when they eamc rear enough to reeognire j their friends on shore that every man left ; his post of dut*\ and it wa? necessary for J heln to come off ?!;e land before the vc?el : eould he anchored in the harbor. OT?! the i jioy of thus entering heaven. Welcome from the gates, welcome from oar friend* long cone, welcome from every frgel in the skies The jov, the ioy of one dav sweeping through the gates! The Parent** Etimp!?. "Honor thy father and thy mother** fs a commandment which is apt to be studied wholly in the light of its applicability to the conduct ni the children in the relation 10 their parents. As with well-nigh every commandment the thought express! here is based upon a deeper one, which i* only implied. i'hat deeper thought is that if the children are in minor father and mother, then father and mother mast so live a* to show themselves worthy oi ros[?ect and obedience. In only too many homes the i example net by the parents is such an un*! worthy one that dotrwpect and indifuTencc spring up in the hearts and minus of ' the children ko naturally and r(uic!;!y a* weeds in a neglected garden. Father and mother are tin? children's first love and admiration. They set the standard of a!i excellency and goodness for thorn. The shock to the moral sensibilities of the child, when it awakens to the knowledge that its parents are disfigured by ingrained moral obliquities ad well as by detect* ol disposition, often greatly impairs the: child's faith in the reality of goodness, and sends it out in lite animated by a spirit of | contempt for those who profess to lead a religious life. Nothing wins honor from | the young like genuine nobility and gund* [ ucu. ? Reformed Church Alcaseufcer, 4 THE RELIGIOUS LIFE READING FOR THE QUIET HOUR WHEN THE SOUL INVITES ITSELF, Fomi: A Thought From I?ay to Dar?Th* Greatest of All la Lots?Without It Wh?t ? Uriolito UcMrt la Lift?Loll the Dill; Key. Just to be tender, just to be true, Juat to be glad the whole day throngs, j Just to be merciful, just to be mild; Juat to be truntful a* a child; | Just to be gentle and kind and sweet, .Timt tn 1m? hplnfnl with willinir f?t. | Just to be cliet-rv when things no wrong, | Just to drive *aune** away with ftong; , Whether the hour is dark or bright, ! Just to be loyal to God and right. i Just to believe that God knows best, Just in His promises ever to restJust to let love be our daily key. This is God's will for you and me. ?The Standard. Tht Best Gifts. There has been an attempt of late to prove that love ij not the supreme pas ion; that hatred, avaricc, envy, covetousness, pride, revenge, fear or veneration may become just as great as love. Some have even striven to demonstrate this by writing a novel with the love ieit out, endeavoring to make it u interesting to the reader as the story of love. For, they jay. love has too long occupied the but ground of the novelist. But while some of these master attempts have hoon read with intercut, thev have not been lauded to the skies, and the world still continues to turn to the love stories for its rest, it* comfort or its excitement. And, after all, what a desolate desert it is for a setting of any life story, i a place without love! | fctrange that there should ever be anj j such discussion. The Bible has never left i any doubt about the matter. Writer after writer speaks out plainly, "Above all things." Christ when He came put love even above the law, which at that time stood sternlv frowning above all else. To quote from Henry Drummond's "Greatest Thing in the World:" "In those days men i were working their passage to heaven by I keeping the Ten Commandments, and the j hundred and ten other commandment! which they had manufactured out of them. Christ said. I will show vou a more simple way. If you do one thing, you will do I in<l tAn + Kinita ?* t Ksttt f lliC3C IIUUUIVU Ull'l bM'llftat nnuv??*?%? thinking about them. If you love you will unconsciously fulfill the whole law. But though this has been known for hundreds of years, the church?some members of it, continue to forget it. They still lone:, as they did then, for the "more excellent Rifts;" they want to prea-h. they want to teach, ther desire to be wise, and to be great accordingly, just as they did in those days when Paul waa writing to the Corinthians. Here is a rann who might be of sen-ice to the Lord, and a corner wherein he might fit. but he desires most ardently to be the Superintendent of the Sunday-school, and because, he does not seem to be the one for that place he frulk* at home and refnues to teach that Sunday-school class. His own little son is influenced by this and stays at home, too, and hears his father say hard things about the pride of those who do not count him as good as themselves or see that he is just the one for the superintendency. And he forgets thnt he must first bring to | life the love in his heart that God put there toward Himself and his fellow man. I For if. indeed, he loved God he would be I so glad to do anything for'Him that he i would not have time to see whether him ejf were being honored or not, and thus would be well on the way toward being the kind of person a good Sunday-school Superintendent could dc nude of. Mere again is another Christian, we will nay a Christian Endeavorer, who is offended because he was not made president at the last election, or because he was not selected to lead a meeting at which strnngcrs from another society were to be present, or because he was not made the chairman of that prominent committee, counting his own gifts as unworthily employed in any but a most important office. Such men go about like tombstones whereon is engraved that all may read: "Herein lieth dead the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians," "The greatest thing," it ia said, "a man can do for his heavenly Father is to be | kind to some of His other children." If this be true?and who can doubt it?~ I then the poorest of God's children, the humble worker in the kitchen, the unlearned laborer at his task, the most uni noticed member of an unimportant committee, has in hi* power as great a gift to exercise for his God as the wi*e profr*tor or ho trrmat Iram^r) nratnr If h/?^n aid that a missionary can begin to exercise this gift of love the moment hi* feet touch the foreign shore, but the gift of tongues requires long study now, and even with the knowledge of the language of a ttrange country a missionary might as well stay at home, even with all his eloquence if he carries not with him love. This chapter is not a careful analysis of love, lly looking into the fine qualities we may discover if we have really chosen to have imparted to us the best gift.? Gra?e Livingston Hill, is the Mail and Express. Tru? Greatness. Whether we do little or great things ?? comparatively a minor matter. But whether all that we do is done as in God's sight, and at (Jod's appointment and command, is ever a mighty matter. Few of us ... -A T-_ I A_1 * 1...4 .11 are fp?. at nullity uourruMn^a, uui mi ui as have che opportunity of giving a cup of cold water to a little one in CJod's kingdom in the spirit that will be recognized as a gift to the King of kings. As St. Augustinc expressed it, "Little thing? are little things but faithfulness in little things is something great." Let us all show true greatness.?Sunday-School Times. _____ ,___ i Cheerfulness. If we wish to help our fellow men wt ran hardly do them a greater service than by being so strong, earnest and cheerful that the disheartened will take a new lease of hope from us; the doubting a new vision of faith, and the fallen a new impulse to get on their feet a^aia. The most effective philanthropist is not he who empties his purse to relieve distress. but he who, by ois own cheerfulness amid life's trials pours a new tide of victorious faith ami hope into the souls of men.?William Mathews. Children as friends. Children are faithful friends. The friendship of a child is unsellieh. It gives to you its oeart, its whole little being. It will not deceive you. Older hearts may forsake or forget you; its heart remains true to you. Trial has taught you the vanity ar.d emptiness of all human aims and wishes. Only in hearts of children do 3*011 find unalloyed comfort. Their heart* will cleave to *'k a 11 Rji n n m * n faaujiuan *L). D., in Con;:regationahst. Willing Obealenc#. God calls us to duty, and the only right answ er in obedience. li it can be glad and willing and loving obedience, happy are we. but, in any ca??. whether we ourselves get enjoyment and hlewing from the task or not. the call must be obeyed. The wiil oi God must lie done for the sake of God, not for the sake of ourselves. Undertake the duty, and ntep by stej? God will provide the disposition. We can at least obey. ideal obedience includes the whole will and the whole heart. \\ e cannot !* gin with that. But we can begin with what we have. God calls. It i? oeiter to obey blunderingly than nut to obey at All. ?George ilmljfji, D. D. Coal Prodnetlon. Tti? TTnit^d Kt.ite* tirodnced more coal la?t year than Groat Britain and all her colonic*. Germany came third. Thc?e tiirc? countrieii. with only one tenth the world's* population, produce eichty-thr,-e per rent, of it< mineral fuel. The world's ' ntput at present in 8(56.lt?5.H0O ton* yearly. Itclsiiirn produce* more per capita than any ojher European country except Great l?ritain. Riticri of th? K#r?il B??tl?, Tn the Black Hill* alwutGOO.OOO.OflO Imanl feet of yellow pine have been destroyed by the iurc*l hectic. .. . THE SABBATH SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS FOR DECEMBER 28. IUvl?w of th? Tv?lr? Lmhii For IM Lut Qurtor, Ph. 106, 1-4, 40 {> Golden TmI, Ph. 00, 1?From Jsthu to tbo Calllag of ttamuel. Summary.?Lesson I. Tonic: Joshua's divine cooroinion. Place: Toe Jordan. opposite Jericho. After Moms was dead Joshua was told to arise and lead the )?eople over .lordan into Canaan. The Lord told Joshua to be very courageous for no man would be able to atand against bia while he 'ived. He wan also told to carefully obey tbe law which God had given bim Joshua then commanded tbe pcoplo to prepare victuals, for in three daya thejr V*re to paaa over Jordan. II. Topic: Israel entering Canaan. Place: The Jordan, opposite Jericho. Before they crowed the river two apies wers sent over, who brought back word that ths people were filled with terror. Tbe ark of the Lord wat to paM over tint, ana wnen the prieats who bore the ark stepped into the water the river divided and the people paaaed over on dry ground. Twelve men n&d been choaen, who took twelve (tone* from the river bottom and carried them to Uilgal, where the? were aet up aa a memo* rial. III. Topic: The capture of Jericho. Place: At uilgal, near Jericho. The Lord gave Joshua careful directions aa to how to take the city of Jericho, and then Joahua told the people what to do. They were to march around the city once a day for aix day*, and on the aeventh day they were to march around aeven time*. Then the priesta were to blow with the trumpets and the peonle were to about. They did am the Lord bad commanded them and tho walla fell down flat. IV. Topic: Caleb receiving but inherit* ?I 1 # lia? KMIII IKAHI | six years since tbe Israelites entered Ci| naan. They are now assembled at Giigal i to divide tbe land among tbe tribes. ! Caleb was one of tbe two rood spies, and Mows had promised him Hebron. Caleb is now eighty-five years old. bat be m still strong and able to possets bit inheritance. Joshua blessed Caleb and gave bim Hebron. because be bad wholly followed tbe I-ord. V. Topic: Divine protection. Place: Shiloh. The inheritance of tbe tribe of , Levi was torty-eight cities, which were quite evenly distributed among tbe tribes. Six of these cities were chosen as cities of refuge. Kcdesh. Shcehem and Hebron were on the west of Jordan, and Bezer, Bamoth and Golan on tbe east. The cities were on bills, and tbe one who acci: dentally killed another coald flee here for' i refuge. To-dsy Christ is our refnge. VI. Topic: Joshua renewing the cove* nant. Place: Shecbem. Joshua was now I an old man, and before he died he assea; b!ed the people at Shecbem and gave tbena | his parting advice. He called on them to : rhnntf whom thev would serve. Jehovah ' or the gods of the (7anaanites. He told them th?t he tod hi* house would serve ; the Lord. The people also promised to ' serve and obey the Lord. Josbja told i them that if they served the Loi*d they I would be blessed, but if they forsook Him they would suffer accordingly. | \ II. Topic: The apostacy of Israel. , Place: Canaan. Joshua diea, being 119 ! years old. While be lived the people served the Lord. A few year* after bis death the Israelites forsook the Lord and j served Ha'aain. Because of this tbe Lord j delivered them into the bands of their en, omies, a?d the heathen nations greatly ; distressed them. Tbe Lord raised up ! judges which delivered them, but when i the judge was dead tbe people corrupted . ' themselves worse than before. X VIII. Topic: The evil effects of wine. I Placc: Probably Jerusalem. The nation I hid lieen pros[>erous. but in tbe midst of H ! the prospertiy the people had forsaken the_B ; Lorn. They were especially given tff^H I drunkenness. The land was tilled with { tilthiness. . God pronounced a woe upon them bora use of their terible sins. I Enhraim should l<e destroyed. j I IX. Topic: Tbe triumph of Gideon. ; Place: At the foot ot Mount Gilboa. The | Midianites were rreatly oppressing God'* I people. The Lord railed Gideon as a <ie; liverer. Gideon railed the Israelites to1 gether and assembled an army of 32.000 men; requests the "fearful and afraid" to return home, and the army was thus reduced to 10.000. The Lord then tested them at the brook and only 300 men were retained, and with this small force Gideon put to flight the Midianitish army. X. Topic: Ruth's choice. Places: Moab, Bethlehem. There was a famine in tb* land of Israel and Naomi with her hasKind and two sons went to tbe land of Moab to lire. Tbe sons married Moabitish women, but after a few years both tons and their father died, leaving the women widows. Naomi then decided to return to Bethlehem. Orpah remained in Moab. but Ruth clave to her mother-in-law and choc* tbe true God. XI. Tonic: The doom of tbe ungodly. P'acc- Shiloh. The child Samuel assisted Kii in the tabernacle service; God spake to Samuel: Samuel at tirst supposed Eli had railed him. but afterward understood that it way the Lord; the Lord told Samuel what He intended to do against Eli. because his sons had "made themselves vile," and Eli had "restrained them not." XII. Topic: The birth of Jesns. Place: Bethlehem. Mary and Joaeph were at Bethlehem; nearby were shepherds keep* in it watoh in the field* over their flocks: the angel of the f?ord appeared to them; a light ahonc aronnd them: they were told a Saviour was bom; if they would go to Bethlehem they would find the young child ir. a manner: thev went and found ill ns the angel had raid. Thought*.?Those who fully follow the Lord will receive rich spiritual blessings. Whatever (Jod commands us to do He is ready to assist u* in doing;. We should always rcrncmifcr 'lod and His goodneM to us. The tilings that are impossible for h* to do are very easy for the l?ord to perform?it wa* not a hard thing for God to overthrow the wall* of .Fericho, and He ran just as eaiily overthrow His enemies to-day. Although Caleb was promised Hebron, yet it was necessary for him to claim his possession and then enter upon it, and so now. <>od's people must "lay hold" of spiritual blessings if they would be satisfied with the riches of His grace. When we fail to obey God we always suffer the penalty of our evil deeds. Parents hould carel'ullv train their children. Teachings.?There is joy in Christ for the whole world, and there is joy in Him far voit. Chr:?f comes to reign in a very -tumble way. and it is only by humility that we are enabled to enter His kingdom. In this His kingdom is wholly unlike the kingdoms of this world Humility i? the mark of the Son of (Jod and of all His fob 'o\\er?. We should glorify and praise C!od "or His great love in giving His only l:e;ou ;en Son to show us the way to heaven. Oeer Swimming at Se?. Captain G. W. Dexter, of the naphtha boat Uuartet, of Lynn, was herring fishing a mile off liurnstable light in Barn?tafolc Kay, Mas*., w lien he saw an animal swimming toward the boat. With another man C aptain Dexter took a small boat and intercepted the animal, rinding it to be i full-grown fawn. They had very little trouble in getting her into the boat, fror.i which she wan transferrer! to the Quartet and placed in the hold after rubbing and resuscitating her. ('antatn Dexter reported at the oflices of the Fiih and Game Commissioners that his boat was lying in the SaugiH Kirer and a*ked what he should do with the deer. Captain Collins, the Chairman, instructed him to go up the Saugus Itivcr and turn the deer looic in the covers. Iron Or* In Indiana. Expert* who have been investigating tfce r.ewlv rlinfovi'red iron tie!d* in Southwestern Indiana have reported that the ore i* of very good quality, and that there .ire large ouantit'e* of i;. a r.Jinrh ettim-ite of the value of the <l?-po-it< beins $luo.<*io .(** .000. The or,> will a?*ay at between *.sty anil ccve.itv per rent. pure, whirh i? * hicher grade than that fount! near Hirminghnm, Aia. Clo?e at hand are larj-.r bed* of coal and lar/e d"poMt? of ^imeMone. -o that if tJir* lields turn on! to ! * all that i* claimed for I hem an rnnrnieiM indiwtrv will ?oon be built up in tlut p^ut of the i?Ute. 4