The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, January 27, 1915, Image 3
The Gall of thf
Cumberlands
i *
By Charles Neville Buck
With Illustrations
f from Photographs of Scenes
in the Play
? '
(Copyright. *913. by W. J. Watt & Co.)
2
SYNOPSIS.
On Misery creek, at the foot of a roc
from which he has fallen, Sally Mille
finds George Lesoott, a landscape palnl
fcr, unconscious, and after reviving hln
goes for assistance. Samson South an
Sally, taking Lescott to Samson's hom<
are met by Spicer South, head of th
family, who tells them that Jesse Purv
haa been shot
CHAPTER I!?Continued.
**I hain't a-wantin' ter suspicion y<
Samson, but I know how ye feel
about yore pap. I heered thet Bu
Spicer come by hyar yiBtlddy plum
full of liquor an' 'lowed he'd see:
Jesse an' Jim Asberry a-talkin' tei
gether Jest afore yore pap was kilt.
" He broke off abruptly, then added
\Te went away from hyar last night
an* didn't git in twell atter sunup?
just heered the news, an' come te
look fer ye."
"Air you-all 'lowin' thet I shot thei
f shoots from the laurel?" inquired San
son, quietly.
" "Ef we-all hain't 'lowin' hit, San
son, we're plumb shore thet Jess
Purvy's folkB will 'low hit They'r
jest a-holdin' yore life like a hostag
fer Purvy's, anyhow. Ef he dies they'!
try ter git ye."
The boy flashed a challenge abou
the group, which was now drawin
rein at Spicer South's yard fence. Hi
eyes were sullen, but he made no ai
swer. .
^ - A* *- - I ? f
une 01 me men wuu uau uowuw *.
silence now spoke:
\ ii "In the fust place, Samson, we hain'
a-sayin' ye done hit In the nex' plac(
ef ye did do hit we hain't a-blamii
ye?much. Bat I reckon them dawg
dont He, an', ef they trails in hya
yeU need us. Thet's why we've don
' come." '
The boy slipped down from hia mul
and helped Lescott to dismount. H
deliberately unloaded the saddlebag
i &n<f kit and laid them on the top ste
fj- of the atile, and, while he held hi
^ peace, neither denying nor affirminj
his kinBmen sat their horses an
waited.
Even to lescott it was palpable the
somebf them believed the young hei
to clan leadership responsible for th
shooting of. Jesse Purvy, and tha
other* believed him inriofcent, yet non
the less in danger of the enemy's vei
geanc?L But, regardless of divide
opinion, all w?re alike ready to stan
at his hack and all alike awaited hi
final utterance.
Then, In the thickening gloom, San
?? ? .? tk/. * * ?0 ?L. _*?!
pun IttlUOU Ob UiC lUUt Ul LUO BUI
and faced the gathering. He stoo
rigid, and his eyes flashed with dee
passion. His hands, hanging at th
seams of his jeans breeches, ciinchei
. and his voice came in s alow utte:
ance through which throbbed the tei
dity of a soul-absorbing bitterness.
"I knowed all 'bout Jesse Purvy'
beln' shot. . . . When my pap la
'] ardyin' over tbar at his house I wa
a little shaver ten years old . .
Sf Jesse Purvy hired somebody ter ki
= * him . . . an* I promised my.pa
that I'd find out who thet man wai
an' thet I'd git 'em both?some da:
' V So help me, Qod Almighty, I'm a-goii
ter git 'em both?some day!" Th
boy paused aid lifted one hand a
though taking an oath.
"I'm a-tellin' you-all the truth . .
But I didn't shoot them shoots thl
mornin'. I hain't no truce buster,
gives ye my hand on hit. . . . E
them dawgs come hyar they'll find m
hyar, an' ef they hain't liars they'
go right by hyar. I don't 'low ter ru
away, an' I don't low -ter hide out I'i
a-goin' ter stay right hyar. Thet's a
i've got ter say ter ye."
For a moment there was no repl:
Then the older man nodded with
i gesture of relieved anxiety.
"Thet's all we wants ter know, San
son," he said, slowly. "Light, men a1
come in."
'
"CHAPTER III.
In days when the Indian held th
Dark and Bloody Grounds a plonee
felling oak and poplar lofeF, for tb
home he meant to establish on tb
banks of a purling watercourse, let hi
y- ax slip, and the cutting edge gashe
his ankle. Since to the discovered b
longs the christening, that watercours
became cnppieshln, and so it is toda
set dtara jgn atlae pages. A few mile
away, as t3ie^ crow flies, but', man
weary leagues -as-^ man must trave
a brother settler, racked with rheumi
tism, gave to his creek the name <
Misery. The two pioneers had com
together from Virginia, as their ance
tors had come before them from Sco
land. Together they had found on
of the two gaps through the mountai
wall, which for more than a hundre
miles has no other passable rift T<
gether, and as comrades, they ha
made their homes and founded the
race. What original grievance ha
sprung up between their descendanl
none of the present generation knewperhaps
it was a farm line or dispute
title to a pig. The primary incidet
was lost in the limbo of the past; bi
for fifty years, with occasional inte
vals of truce, lives had been snufte
^^^^out In the fiercely burning hate (
flBflnhese men whose ancestors had bee
nVcomrades.
Old Splcer South and his nephe
H Samson were the direct lineal descei
dants of the namer of Misery. The;
kinsmen dwelt about them: the South
the Jaspers, the Spicers, the Wiley
the Millers and McCagers. Other fan
ilies, related only by marriage an
close association, were, in feud aligi
ment, none the less "Souths." An
over beyond the ridge, where th
springs and brooks flowed the othe
way to feed Crippleshia,, dwelt 'th
Hollmans, the Purvys, the Asberrles, b
I the Hollises and the Daltons?men ti
I equally strong In their vindictive o
fealty to the code of the vendetta. e;
By fountain standards old Spicer b
South was rich. His lands had been S
claimed when tracts could be had for p
the taking, and, though he had to make h
his cross mark when there was a con- ft
tract to be signed, his Instinctive mind n
was shrewd and far seeing. The tinkle P
of his cowbells was heard for a long n
distance along the creek bottoms. His tl
hillside fields were the richest and his a
coves the most fertile in that country. t<
Some day, when a railroad should burrow
through his section, bringing the S
development of coal and timber at the E
head of the rails, a sleeping fortune Is
would yawn and awake to enrich him. 1*
There were black outcropplngs along ri
the cliffs, which he knew ran deep in tl
veins of bituminous wealth. But to ft
k that time he looked with foreboding, e:
>r for he had been raised to the stand- b
? ards of his forefathers and saw In the M
d coming of a new regime a curtailment n
\ of personal liberty. For new-fangled e:
y ideas he held only the aversion of J'
deep-rooted prejudice. He hoped that ti
he might live out his days and pass s<
before the foreigner held his land and 01
Vi/i Iftm A nnwrfin afvAnanf fhntl 111
J iMO t? ucvauio a yvnoi ovtvu^u* ?
8' the Individual or the clan. The law
d was his ener-.y, because it said to him, cl
b "Thou shalt not," when he sought to
a take the yellow corn which bruising ni
r. labor had coaxed from scattered rock- sl
? strewn fields to his own maeh vat and al
; still. It meant, also, a tyrannous 11
t, power usually seized and administered Q'
T by enemies, which undertook to forbid
r the personal settlement of personal h
quarrels. -But his eyes, which could J1
n not read print, could read the signs T
of the times. He foresaw the inev- 41
itable coming of that day. Already he
x. had given up the worm and mash
e vat, and no longer sought to make or ri
e sell illicit liquor. That was a conces- r<
e sion to the federal power, which could a;
H no longer be successfully* fought. State *
power was still largely a weapon in J'
Lt factional hands, and in his country c
g the Hollmans were the office holders. r<
s To the Hollmans he fcould make no r<
i- concessions. In Samson, born to be ^
the fighting man, reared to be the w
q fighting man, equipped by nature with 11
deep hatreds and tigerish courage, n<
t there had cropped out from time to **
time the restless spirit of the philos- n<
i' opber end a hunger for knowledge. CJ
s That was a matter in which the old n:
r man found his bitterest and most se- pi
e cret apprehension. ai
It wai at this house that George el
e Lescott, distinguished landscape paint- ^
e er of New York and the world at large, a
s arrived in the twilight w
p Whatever enemy might have to be s<
3 met tombrrow, old Spicer South rec- p
rt ognized as a more Immediate call 6
d upon his attention the wounded guest K
of today. One of the kinsmen proved p
t to have a rude working knowledge of :r
r bone setting, and before the half hour j*
e had passed Lescott's wrist was in a
splint, an<T his injuries as well tended R
e as possible, which proved to be quite
well enough.
d i a
d While Splcer South and hie cousins ^
had been sustaining themselves or c]
building up competences by tilling Q,
their soli the leaders of the other fao- Q,
e tlon were basing larger fortunes on gJ
. the profits of merchandise and trade. ^
So, although Splcer South could netp
ther read nor write, his chief enemy, h
? -Micah Hoilman, was to outward seem- n
' ing an urbane and fairly equipped man ^
r" of affairs. Judged by their heads, the
clansmen were rougher and more llllt- .
erate on' Misery, and in closer touch
with civilization on Crippleehin. A *
y deeper scrutiny showed this seeming g
8 to be otoe of the strange anomalies of *
- the mountains. .
11 Mlcah Hollman had established himP
self at Hlxon, that shack town which (
a, had passed of late years frqm feudal
7. county seat to the section's one Doint
I I
d '"Ef It Hain't Ask in' Too Much, Will
q. Ye Let Me See Ye Paint One of
ie Them Things?" 8
y of contact with the outside world; a
18 town where the ancient and modern A
J orders bruehed shoulders; where the a
* new. was toieratea, d;u aarea not De- "
a" come aggressive. Directly across the
)f street from the courthouse stood an e
10 .ample frame building, on whose side
8" wall was emblazoned the legend,
"Hollman's Mammoth Department h
16 Store." That was the secret strong- d
n hold of Hollman power. He had al- si
d ways spoken deploringly of that spirit P
of lawlessness which had given the S
d mountains a bad name. h
'r When the railroad came to Hixon si
d /ft found in Judge Hollman a "public- A
-8 spirited citizen." Incidentally, the tim
Der tnat it nauiea ana me coai tnat u
'd Its flat cars carried down to the Blue- r<
it grass went largely to his consignees, n
He had so astutely anticipated coming f<
r- events that, when the flrst scouts of
d capital sought options they found ei
>f themselves constantly referred to tl
a Judge Hollman. No wheel, it seemed, h
could turn without his nod. It was p
natural that the genial storekeeper a
a- should become the big man of the w
Lr community and Inevitable that tpe one si
s, big man should become the dictator.
b, His inherited place as leader of the d
i- Hollmans in the. feud, he had Beem- o
d lngly passed on as an obsolete pre- ?
a- rogatlve. d
d Yet, in business matters, he was it
e found to drive a hard bargain, and o
>r' men came to regard it the part of n
e rgood policy to meet rather than com- s;
f .'Vjii'*[>..
at his requirements. It was essen- lat
al to his purposes that the officers Ju:
f the law In his country should be in ea:
ympathy with bim. Sympathy soon bn
ecarae abject subservience. When a <
outh had opposed Jesse Purvy in the bei
rimary as candidate for high sheriff lis,
e was found one day lying on his sid
ice with a bullet-riddled body. It hei
lay have been a coincidence which '
ointed to Jim Asberry, the judge's "tl
ephew, as the assassin. At all events, i?<
le Judge's nephew was a poor boy, '
nd a charitable grand Jury declined pe:
j indict him. It.'
In the course of five yearn several
outh adherents, who had crossed bu
[olman's path, became victims of the snj
iurel ambuscade. The theory of co- re<
icidenoe was strained. Slowly' the 70
umor grew and persistently spread,'
lough no man would admit having '
ithered It, that before each of these be'
xecutions star-chamber conferences in
ad been held In the rooms above ' *
[icah Hollman's "Mammoth Depurtlent
Store." It was said that these stfi
sclusive sessions were attended by wl
udge Hollman, Sheriff Purvy and cer- we
lin other gentlemen selected by rea- wh
jn of their marksmanship. When If
ae of these victims fell John South I g
ad just returned from a law school
iown below," wearing "fotched-on" &1
lothing and thinking "fotched-on" 611
loughts. He had amazed the com- Ke
mnity by demanding the right to asst
in probing and prosecuting the pai
ffair. He had then shocked the com- "Y
mnity into complete paralysis by re- int
nesting the grand Jury to indict not ( 1
lone the alleged assassin, but also ret
Is employers, whom he named as of
ndge Hollman and - Sheriff Purvy. stc
hen he, too, fell under a bolt from rid
le laurel. . by
That was the first public accusation A*
gainst the bland capitalist, and it cared
its own prompt warning against wfc
jpetitlon. The Judge's high sheriff sni
* -ii_ ?ii ? J J -ta ? _.?a mj>i
a caiei any reurou iruui vmce huu ?
ent abroad only with a bodyguard. sh<
esse Purvy had built his store at a ce<
rossroads 25 miles from the rail- de:
jad. Like Hollman, he had wou a pli
jputation for open-handed charity, ' bei
as liked?and hated. His friends in
ere legion. His enemies were so nu- '
terous that he apprehended violence th<
ot only from the Souths but also doi
om others who nursed grudges ;ln fee
o way related to the line of fetid co[eavage.
The Hollman-Purvy comtii- an
ation had retained enough of its old fee
ower to escape the law's retribution spi
ad to hold its dictatorship, but the ov
(Torts of John South had not been be
[together bootless. He bad ripped th<
way two masks, and their erstwhile ha
earers could no longer hold their old th<
ambiance of law-abiding philanthro- ah
lets. Jesse Purry's home was the loi
bow place1 of the countryside/ comtodlouB
verandas looked out over
feasant, orchards, and In the same
iclosure stood the two frame buildigs
of his store?for he, too, com*
Ined merchandise with baronial * y
owere. But back of the place rose a
le mountain side, on which Purvy p
ever looked without dread. Twice
8 Impenetrable'thickets had spat at ,
\jn. Twice he had recovered from
ounds that would have taken a less p0
harmed life. And in grisly reminder
f the terror which clouded the peace :0^
t bis days stood the elgbMoot log
U/ilraila at thn PAor nf tho nlaiu P^'
hich the proprietor had built to
tileld his daily journeys between t0T
ouse and store. But Jesee Purry wan ^
ot deluded by his escapes. He knew
lat he was "marked down." 80
The years of strain were telling oil ho
im. The robust, full-blooded face atl
as showing deep lines; his flesh was co;
rowing fiaccld; his glance tinged
'1th quick apprehension. He told fcie wc
itimates that he realized "they'd get. Pa
lm," yet he sought to prolong bis be
arm of escape. ^
Yesterday morning Jesse Purry had ^
[sen early as usual, and, after a sat- ws
rfylng breakfast, had gone to bis 80!
tore to arrange for the day's buBlees.
One or two of his henchmen*
eemlng loafers, but in reality a bodyuard,
were lounging within call. A pa
larrled daughter was chatting *with on
ar fnthfip while her youn? baby
layed among the barrels and cracker
oxe8- - co:
The daughter went to a rear win- ^
o.w and gazed up at the mountain. .
he cloudlesB skies were still in bid- '
ig behind a curtain of mist The CQ,
roman was idly watching the vs.nish- ,
ig fog wraiths, and heif father came .
ver to her side. Then the baby cried J
nd she stepped back. Purvy himself
emained at the window. It was a
hing he did not often do. It left, him
xposed,^ but the most cautiously
uarded life has its ^moments of re
uced vigilance. He stood there posibly
thirty seconds, then a shirp fulllade
of clear reports barked out; and
ras shattered by the hills into a long
everberation. With a band clssped
s bis chest, Purvy turned, walked to
he middle of the floor, and fell. ^
The henchmen rushed to the open
ash. They leaped out and plunged
p the mountain, tempting the assae- ^
In's Are, but the assassin was satised.
The mountain was again as Tl
ulet as it had been at dawn. Inside,
t the middle of the store, Jesse Pirvy Yc
bifted his head against his daughsr'a
knee and said, as one stating an
xpected event:
"Well, they've got me."
An ordinary mountaineer would gi'
ave been carried home to die in the mi
arknees of a dirty and windowless ha
hack. The long-suffering star of Jijsse Pr
urvy ordained otherwise. He might w
o under or he might once more beat a
is yay back and out of the quick- co
andB of death. At all events, he would sic
ght for life to the last gasp. an
Twenty miles away in the core of co:
ae Wilderness, removed from a rail- dr
ntirt Viv a anriTa nf noml-riern*>nrtlfMllftT 1.01
llles, a fanatic had once decided to ar
jund a school. Fo
Now a faculty of ten men taught ea
uch as cared to come Buch things as 24
ley cared to learn. Higher up the an
illside stood a small, but model hos- ap
ital, with a modern operating table foi
nd a case of surgical Instruments, to
'hlch, it was said, the Bt&te could not of!
urpass. all
To this haven Jesse Purvy, the mur- eri
er lord, was borne In a litter carriod bli
n the shoulders of his dependent*, co
[ere, as his steadfast guardian star mi
ecreed, he found two prominent mod- dr
?1 visitors, who hurried him to the br
peratlng table. Later he was re- an
loved to a white bed, with the June ca
parkle In hla eyes, pleasantly modu- wt
y ,
ed through diawn blinds, arid the
tie rustle and bird chorus in his
rs?and his own thoughts In his
iln.
SongclouE, but in .great pair:, Purvy
ckoned Jim Asberry and Aaron Hol,
his chiefs of bodyguard, to his bedie
and waved the nurse back out of
aring.
'If I don't: get well,", he said feebly,
i8T#ira; Job for you two l?o;rs. I
ikon you know what it is?" >
rhey nodded, and Asberry whlsred
a name: - .
"SatnBOfl South?"
"Yes," Purvy spoke hi a whimper;
t the old vindlctiveness wan hot
tottered. "You got the old mail, I
:koix you can manage the cub. If
u don't he'll get you "both one day."
rhe two henchmen scowled.
Ill gft him tomorrer/' growled Asrry.
"That hain't no sort of use
a-waltin'."
'No!" For an instant Pui-vy's voice
;e out of its weakness .to itii old
iccato tone of command, a tone
tich brought obedience. "If !r get
II I have other plana. Never mind
.at they are. That's my business.
I don't die, leave him *alon?, until
lye other orders.
Tf 1 get well and Samson Sputh ls
led meanwhile I won't liv4 long
her. It would be my life for his.
ep olose to him. The minute you
it 'ijf my death?get him." He
ised; again, then supplemented,
ou two will find something mighty
erestln' in my will."
;t was afternoon when Pnrvy
ichei the hospital, and,: at nightfall
the same day, there arrived at his
ire's entrance, on stumbling, hardden
mules, several men, followed
two tawny bounds whose long ears
pped over their lean Jawe, and
lose eyes were listless and tired, but
tose black muzzles wrinkled and
[fled with that sensitive .instinct
ilcb follows the man scent. The exBriff':i
family were Instituting prosdings
independent of the chiefs or
re. The next morning this party
ingert into the mountain tangle and.
at tte cover with the bloodhoonds
leash.
The 'two gentle-faced dogs picked
3ir way between the flowering rhodendrons,
the glistening laurels, the
ithery pine sprouts and the mossrered
rocks. They went gingerly
d alertly on ungainly, cushioned
it. Just as their masters were deairing
they came to a place directly,
er the store, where a branch had
en bent back and hitched to clear
3 outlook and where a boot heel
d crushed the moes. There one of
im raised his nose high into the
*, opened his mouth* and let out a
ig, deep-chested bay of discovery. CHAPTER
IV.
3eorge Lescott had known hospital.
of many brands and degrees. He
d be<m the lionized celebrity in
ices of fashion. He had been the
??* onn?llir fammiR hrnthflr artlsta
the cities of two hemispheres, and,
tee sincere painting had been his
le sta r, he had gone where his art's
inderlust beckoned. He had tolled
tie lure of transitory biiauty
xemole sections of the world. Tbe
went trip wan only one of inf.ny
:e It, which had brought him into
ich with varying peoples and <li?ctlve
types of life. He told himself
it never had he found men at once
crudo and eo courteous as those
sts who, facing personal perils, bid
U tlm?i' and willingness to regard hla
mfort
rbQ o:>mlng of the kinsman, who
tuld stay until the present danger
ssed, tad filled the house. The four
ds In the cabin proper were full,
d some slept on floor mat treses,
scott,' because a guest and woui.ded,
is given a siaall room aside.. Hama,
however, uhared his quaiteis in
ler to perform any tiervice that an
lured man might require, it had
en a full and unusual day for the
inter, iind ltd incidents crowded in
him in retrospect and drove off the
selbilitp of sleep. Samso;o, too,
Bmed wakeful, and In the isolation
the dark room the two men fell into
nversal ion, which almost lasted out
9 night. Samson went Into the conjsional.
This was the first human
ing he had ever met to whom he
uld unlurden his soul.
The thirst to taste what knowledge
/ beyond the hills; the unnamed
^ $
GAINING BOYS FOR WARFARE
iuth of Australia, From an Ear ly Age,
Undergo a Compulsory Military
8ervice.
Australian lads of twelve years be*
i a more or less voluntary form of
litary training. It Is an indulgent,
ppy-go-lucky sort of thing, designed
Imarily to be of physical advantage,
hen the lads are fourteen years old,
limited military service is severely
mpulsory, with penalties for eva>n,
and fineB laid upon employers
d parents who interfere, and thus
ntinues, with physical exercises,
II, parades, and rifle practice, for
nr yeare, whereupon these cadets
e passed into the citizen forces.
>ur wiiu. e-uay unus m o icquu i
ch year, and 12 half-day drllla and
night drills. A perfunctory attendee
upon these grave obligations?lnt,
sullen, frivolous behavior?counts
r nothing at all. If the cadet fails
be marked efficient, by his battalion
leers he must perform his service
i over again. In Kalgoorlie of westn
Australia?a great dust storm
owing that night?we watchcd a
lumn of these "little conscripts"
irch past with rifles and bugles \arid
ums; and they were smart to s;ee?
own uniforms, with tricks of green,
d wide-brimmed Australian ha>:s
ught up at. the side in the Australian
ly. It is no farcical affair. ' When
wanderlust that bad at times brought
him a reetlveness SO poignant as to
be agonizing; the undefined attuning
of bis heart to the beauty of sky and ,
bill; these matters he had hitherto
kept locked In guilty silence. . .
In a cove or lowland pocket, stretch- 1
lng into the mountain side* lay the
small and meager farm of the Widow
Miller. The Widow Miller was a
"South;" that Is to say, she fell, by (
tie of marriage, under the protection
of the clan head. She lived alone with
her fourteen-year-old son and her six- ?
teen-year-old daughter. The daughter
was Sally.
The sun rose on the morning after
Lescott arrived, the mists lifted, and
the cabin of the Widow Miller stood,
revealed. A tousle-headed boy made
his way to the barn to feed the cattle, s
and a red patch of color, as bright J
and tuneful as a Kentucky cardinal/
"I Couldn't Lfve Withouten Ye, '8a rn- ]
ion., I Jest Couldn't Do Hit"
.. . ,
appeared at the door between .the '1
morning-glory vines. The red patch <
of color was. Sally. ,
She made her way, carrying a ,
i bucket, to the spring, where she knelt i
down and gazed at her own image in - ;
the water. ' i
Before going home she-set down her.
bucket by the stream, and, with a ;
quick glance toward the house to make i
sure that she was not observed^ 1
climbed through the brush and wae
lost to view. She followed a path that j
her own feet had made, and after a j
l steep course upward came upon a bald I
face of rock, which stood out storm ,
battered wh'ere a rift went through ,
the backbone of the ridge. This point j
I of vantage commanded the other val- (
| ley. Down below, across the treetons, ,
were a roof and a chimney from which <
l a thread of smoke, rose in an attenuated
shaft That was Spicer South'a ,
house and Samson's home. The girl
leaned against the gnarled bowl of the <
white oak and waved .toward the roof I
I and chimney. She capped her hands ,
and raised them to her lips like one
who means to shout across a great distance,.
then, she whispered so low that
only she herself could hear: 1
"Hello, Jamson South!"
She stooJ for a space looking down,
and forgot to laugh,^ while her eyes
grew religiously and softly deep, then, /
turning, she ran down the elope. She
had performed her morning devotions.
That day at the house of Spicer
South was &n off day. The'kinsmen 1
who had 'stopped for the night stayed
on through the morning. Nothing was
said of the possibility of trouble. The
men talked crops and tossed horseshoes
in the yard; but no one went to
work in the fields, and all remained
within easy call. Only young Tarn*
rack Spicer, a raw-boned nephew, wore
a eullen face and made a great show
of cleaning his rifle and pistol.
Shortly after dinner he disappeared,
and when the afternoon was well advanced
Samson, too, with his rifle on
his arm, strolled toward the stile.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
*
jpiSis
we were in Brisbane of Queensland, a
score of truant youngsters were
packed off to the military barracks
for ten days of close confinement and
drill; and away they went, in a big
cape wagon, in charge of a sergeant
major, and under escort of some
brilliant artillerymen?a melancholy
little crew, these truants, then, facing
ten days of absence from home, with six
hours of drill on the hot paradeground,
under a sergeant major, who
doubtless knew how to improve the
patriotism of small culprits, and would
do it with a switch.?Norman Duncan,
in Harper's Magazine.
I ne Dime.
The Bible Is not "losing ground."
On the other hand its circulation is
steadily rising. Since 1850 the British
Bible society has published 240,
000,000 copies of the Bible, and the
American Bible Bociety, since 1816,
has published 100,000,0u0 copies.
Total publication for past century
equals 500,000,000 volumes.
Friend of the Farmer.
Dr. Marion Dorset, bi-chemist of the
federal bureau of animal industry,. Is
the scientist who first isolated the
germ responsible for that farm scourge
cholera in the hog. That accomplished,
he perfected a serum to combat it,
protected his processes by patents and
then turned them over to the public,
to be used without chazge.
By Er O. SELLERS, Acting; Director, of
Sunday School .Course. J&oiajSf Bible In'UU?e;
CM^,.> , y :
LESSON FOR lAWUARY 31
THE BIRTH OF SAMSON. >1
LESSON TEXT?Judges 13:S-16, 24-25. %
QOLDEJN TEXT-KBewAre. I pray tbeefc
md drink no wine nor strong drink.-fudges
13:4.
? '
The story, of SamgoaiOulKa large t In
he book of Judges and to the interest
ind imagination of all men ever since
lis day; This being the only lesspn in
i seven years' course* we suggest^'tn
mtline, Samson's entire life.
I. Qamsoi^s Parent*. jGod ^hocu^B
i humble man and woman; folk of piety
ind player, to bring forth and rear
:hi8 great delivered/ The ang^'a ttopt
mprobable promise (1&3) is accepted
ly Manoah and his wife. (1*:6, 7).
rhey' express a desire to be able to
measure up to the responsibility?a;
suggestion to parents. There Is also a
lint of the dual responsibility of par3nts
in the, .words, "teach us." (See
B1..W C.A. T 1.C ? V T*.
C4JIU. U.l, UM? XV- 4WWUable
to believe that the one who
brought the promise could also tell
them how to train and nurture the
child. God honored the mother's prayar
and Bhe shares her experience with
Che father (v. 9). Aa the mother of a
Nazarlte she must keep herself from
ill..things nwlean (v. 14; H.Cor, 6:
17), even as Mary, the mother of
feaus (Luke 1:38). The experience of
Ate: sacrifice, the worahlp of Manoab
ind his wife and the fact of SamK)n'?.
birth completes^ the record' of
inapter ui. Manoan coma hoc wpnuuii
the angel, but could show him hospitality.
;Verse 18 (R..V.) seems to indt
late that, this was another' premanitestation
of bur Lord Jesus. '
' II. Samuel's Power. Every rac4 has
Its' superman, and usually it is one oil
physical strength That Samson had
ao- physical evidence Of his superior
jtrengta is evident. fro;n the fact1 thai
Delilah asked to know his secret Not
was his strength In his half, else there
was no need that the "Spirit , oi
Jehovah" should come upon him. The
secret of his power is Indicated in
13:25. The word "move" suggests to
piayupona harp, as if Samson's heart
was open to God as a harp is open to
iiuman touch. "Samson's power. was
the result of a faith that wap ppen
tothe infinite storehouse <*f the dicine
dynamic." SUch spiritual powet
Is within the reach of every man
Samson ("sunny") was full of laugh;
ter; not thecomic, but the jdyous. He
lid the big things God gave him t*J dc
and was filled with gladness. But
Samson came under the spell of an
evil woman and all of this true laughter
and gla# joyouBneas left his soul
Chapter 13, verse 25, illustrates the
pointing of the Holy Spirit for service
as perhaps distinguished from tfyl
same Spirit for holiness. TOe laughi?i
heard In the haunts of sin has lots it*
buoyancy, is forced/ is different, it
that pf men whose hearts are unclean
III. Samson's Impurity. A woman
can make Or mar the man With whom
she associates. As a Nazarite, Samson
was dedicated unto God, must not'allow
a razor to touch his head, was noi
to touch anything unclean, nor drini
Intoxicating liquor. This vow wac
asualiy for a short period* Samuel and
John the Baptlzer are other Naza
rites recorded in Scripture, and
ttOWA KAOTV an/lit' Mr**
DOiU W U(kTD VSIOU* OMVM ;**vw (WMW
(3:14; 16:17; Luke 1:15). /flatasoi'i
Btrength burned out when he, lay Mi
head in a hftriot's lapt and the laugh tei
went out of his soul. It was thai
which broke the contact, between hlix
and Ood Samson's birth in a godlj
home, his knowlege of his relation it
God and the experience of Qod's powei
did not keep him from an ignchli
failure. He left the .atmosphere rO!
God's spirit for that of sin (Prqv. 4:
23). .
IV. Samson's Imprisonment. We fine
him after his excesses grinding in th<
DhllloHno rHo?? mharo ho rtarhnm
X UUXBVUiU iHVlif nuv* v uv |rw*
overheard praises being sung to Dagoi
who had overthrown Jehovah's judge
It is never safe to play with tempta
tion though conscious of our own
strength; then it is we are most apt
to'fall (I Cor. 10:12). One- act anl
the gay hero is grinding in a prisoi
house. Directly a man goes into im
purity, whether in act or thought, h<
loses the power that formerly moved
men or worked wonders. Year aftei
year Samson plodded his round of en
forced toil, a type of the force anc
power of intemperance and other lm
pure habits. During these years h<
doubtless put his hand upon hiB heal
and said, "My hair is growing again,'
and it gave him courage to bellev<
that God would yet give him anothei
chance.
Finally, "when their hearts wen
merry" (16:25), he |s brought out t<
make sport. During one of his resting
periods he said to a boy near by, "Lei
me feel of the two pillars," those upot
which the main walls rested anc
which were within a man's reach
Then It was that he was able to gTlj
the mysterious power of the unseei
(16:30). Was Samson a suicide? No!
He accepted death as the inevltabl<
consequence of his act of duty (Se<
Heb. 11:32).
The growth of his hair was only t
token of that consecration which hi
had surrendered when he failed t<
withstand the wiles of Delilah.
The Temperance Teaching of thli
lesson is all too Dlaln. It must beeli
in the home and continue throughou
all of life. As we have scattered In
formation throughout our land w<
have seen the work of temperance ad
van'cing mightily. Samson's exploi
with the lion is a temperance sermoi
in parable (14:5, 6; Prov. 20:1). Th<
business of the temperance forces ii
to slay the lion. We are also to ea
"-honey out of the rock," to gain vie
tories, within and without, and, lik<
Samson, we can give honey to others
To have a part in helping to redeem i
lost world requires that we keep clean
'i
' to dealers and famers at
prices, Potash sales increased
I cent. In one a dear proot-^tet|| M
' arsare^S^
' wishes and sellhim what he thicks he 9
1 needs. ThesemaAnfecturers ot nto?#?W
willing to furnish as much Potash as.
they can secure'. They, offer goods
I 5 per cent, and even Inlwflietases t* -Xm
> percent. Potash, If the farmers insl?t . ^
Shipping condltlo^^are^^MP?5jin&
i price of fertilizers is not'dne w^^^^H
! to the slightly higher cost of Potaiflfci^aMi
t Much of the Potash-that wijl be uecgn
, in next spring's fertilizer had reachftfrTM
I America before the war started. V
There is no substitute for PotartL^*
' .,.We ^n no more return tv the ffer- , :fl
> tlllzer of twenty years ago than we M
i can return to the inefficient farm im
! plements or unprofitable
> that period.?H. A. HUSTON.
i " 'Man was made to mourn,'" quoted ?
? the philosopher. - ;
j "That's right!" snapped the xniaogy- M
nlst. "And women was to put on . ^
j earth to see that he does It"
\ "Money Back" Medicine. .
Our readers never risk a cent
they buy Hanford's Balsam of Myrrfc fl
because every dealer la this liniment;\
I is authorized to refund the money.Jf'jM
. the Balaam is not satisfactory. Adv.
Undecided.
| "How do you like your new teacher, .a
"I don't know; I haven't misbehave - J
Art is long, bat spot cash is what th? fl
artist longs lor. ,