The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 23, 1905, Page 6

cJoitin e — B~ Talbert had returned from invited the read with the OUNG college. neighbors to Old was warm and ead beneath a was requested A redheaded looked about for s mother why th She pinched him and wush. He howled just . Haney bowed his head to ask a blessing. Old Mrs. Talbert cleared her throat end whispered to & peighbor: “How I'd like to blister that little wretch, and if he was mine I would.” As soon as Mr. Haney had said “Amen,” the boy shouted for toast with on it. “There isn’t any toast, imp,” his mother whispered so molasses you little Joud that every one could hear. *Well, what made 'em say there was,” he whined. “Want toast with molasses on it.” His mother snatched him up and car- ried him behind the house, /hey heard the sounds of a slipper ardently ap- plied, heard the boy howl; and old Talbert leaned back, with a fed of countenance. woman jammed Then and kissed him. He sounded like a hard look. Then told him that ple e wanted ple. low have ple,” old ., and after giving it er neighbor: “Now The the youngster dow o & chalr. she wiped b muttered 80 toast and sbe he wanted Ehe ded without in« t incident save wed something the college manners. her when he onunciation of a d, “I kawn't under- another and that he doctor, the i man had chosen kins wanted to favored now that much, and bhe themselves fine t Liz, I've decided that I can't at- of them, now. I fall to the belief in the ou know."” yself -down knives and at Mr. Haney. head slowly and ’s mother -shut i The woman whose boy owled for toast now whispered in T'm thanful he ain’t mine.” el called for the welcoming ad- Nacey having been honored this office, arose and in a restrained and embarrassed manner strove to say something, floundered about and sat Then young Talbert sprang up blithely and recited his written oration. Other men and several women followed, touching upon numerous subjects of in- terest to the neighborhood, but it was evident that young Talbert’s answer to old Aunt Liz Hankins had hardened thes epirit of the feast. After a time old Lim sald, speaking to the medical student: “Joe, you haven't yet arrived at the aze when you can appreciate Jesus as a man, to say mnothin’ of his bein’ divine. Some of these so-called learned fellers will teil you that there have been a hundred cruci- fled Christs, but it's not true. Now just girls look er shook hi The stud down. (¢ HO would ever have dream- ed she was so stingy? Of course, the more money you have in this world the more yos want. She t look like a girl who thought of ng but money. Miserly people are osed to have stecly gray eyves and sharp chins, and she has the softest brown eyes and a dimple in her chin.” ““Who has ‘em?” asked Tom Bliss, roll- g over languidly in his steamer chalr. was talking about Grace Patterson.” “Has she dimples and brown eyes?” asked Tom innocently. His sister flung him a scornful glance. “You ought to know. You have been hanging around her ever since you came do! A , 2 fellow's got to do something ’s on his vacation,” said Tom “¥You can’t expect him to turn woman hater when he’s the only man to two score of pretty women,” “That’s just why I'm complaining. With #0 many pretty girie here 1 don’t seg why you should devote yourself to one.” “And how has your ladyship been of- fended " “You know Jim Green, the man who has been on the beach boat for two sea- sons, died last night AN the boarders know him, and of course we looked right into the matter and found qut that he left his family almost Dnnni?:n. 50 we were going to give a fair for their bene- ft. We asked Miss Patterson to make (4 R 7" SR - Al - DINAER: 1T TRTBEREN strip the subject of all religion and look at Jesus as you would a strictly human philosopher. Was there ever sueh kind- liness in wisdom? Wisdom of its€lf isn't always kind. It deals with hard things and don't make 'em softer. Wisdom is more often theq critic of error than the stimulation of virtue. I mean the wisdom of the world. But there is a wisdom truer and deeper than the knowledge got out cf books, and it may be found in the ® something for it and she said she was too busy; then we asked her to preside at one of the tables or to raffle off the embroid- ered sofa cushion h.rs. Marshall is going to donate and she said she didn’t believe in raffles.” “My opinfon of Miss Patterson im- proves,” said the aggravating .Tom. “Many a time and oft have I been done at your fairs and raffles.” Margaret rose angriiy. “I might have known she was making some sort of a grand stand play. That sort of a girl only cares to please the -4 Tom leaned back in his chair and smoked dreamily. He had rather enjoyed Miss Patterson’'s society, because she knew enough to steer a boat and not to screech when it shipped water. Now he feit a curfoys desire to know her better. A girl with tender brown eyes and a dim- ple in her chin rarely held declded opin- jons on such grave matters as hotel ben- efits and raffies. But she was not in sight at the present moment. Then he recalled that his stationery needed re- plenishing, and he started for the vil store. It was a cheap imitation of the city department store, and as he was passing the dress goods counter on his way to the stationery department he beard a famillar voice say: “Is that the best quality of nun’s vell- ing you have?”’ “It’s enough better than anything she's been used to having,’ said the middle- aged woman behind the counter. 3 Tom Bliss stopped short, an amused smile on his lips, for he could see that Miss Patterson was flushing Indignantly at the woman’'s rudeness. “Mrs. Green may not be able to buy ~another black dress soon, and I want to select something that will wear well and not turn rusty." Tom woke up. "‘Green, Green.” Why, that was the name of the man who had handled the life-saving boat. Why was Grace Patterson shopping for his widow? He drew closer. 7 “1 think the henrietta cloth is bhetter. You can give me ten yards of that and three yards of the crepe, also four yards of that lusterless black ribbon."” She turned suddenly, almost bumping into Tom. “Won't you let me help?” he said, with & note in his voice that she did not recog- nize. ¢ h:m Patteron’s eyes smiled frankly into “Well, if you are so determined, we might get some ready-made white drasses for the children with black ribbons and sashes. 1t may be a great comfort to THE SAN FRANCISCO SUNDAY CALL. Vil Anp -LAD- YOUZL BURN DOWHA™ | THERE FOFE MORE IMAXN A riLLION YRARS Y Mrs. Green to feel that she and the fami- ly are so neatly garbed for the funeral.”” “Just so,” sald Tom, pulling out his wallet. - The next fifteen minutes were busy ones for Grace Patterson. She had consider- able difficuity in steering him away from lace-trimmed lawn frocks to some sim- ple litle piques. Tom picked up the bundles as it he were proud of them. ““Where pext?” he s2id cheerfully. “I must leave this package at the dress- maker's and then—well, there's really nothing else vou can do, thank you.” “You are going to see Mrs. Green? Well, I'm going, teo.” From .the dressmaker's they walked down the beach road to the humble house of mourning. Excited voices welcomed them. Frowzy neighbors were gathered on the front porch. Mrs. Green was hor- dering on hysterla. Tom watched in in- terested fashion while Grace brought or- der out of chaos, One by one the useless neighbors took their departure. The children were coaxed into the shadow of an upturned boat to phay store with real cookies, candies and raisins which Grace produced from the depths of her Boston bag, and Mrs. Green, ‘camforted with a bandage around her aching head and many kind words. was induced to lie down. Then Grace picked - ©0ld loghouse more often than in the col- lege. It is the wisdom of sorrow. The man that you don't believe divine came as the—the exponent of this wisdom." “Very good,” said the preacher. “'Oh, it's a putty big word, but I landed it all right,” the old man made answer. “I am continuing to listen,” young Tal- Lert spoke up. “I do not deny that he was a man worthy of all consideration. But i{f one man was divine, all men are drawled old Lim, “that's the way they talk these days. And under- to the shady side of the house. Tom fol- lowed, dragging a big recking-chair in which he insisted she should sit, while lie sprawled in the sand at her feet. In the little room whose shutters were ‘closed just behind them lay the man who had coften risked his life that they might make merry in the water. A sorrow that was not personal fell upon them and the man lay quite still, looking out across the dancing water and thinking of many things. Suddenly above his head sounded the soft, melting “coo”™ of a baby's voice. Without shifting his pesition, lest he should break the charm, Tom took in the picture. The laughing eyes of the girl were liquid -and tender as she watched the baby on her kneces. The dimples had disappeared and the lips were curved in a serfous sweetness. This was not the girl who had been such a jolly, goed com- rade on fishing and sailing jaunts. This was the woman he had been looking for all these years. And to think that he had not recognized her at once! Her slender white hand was so close to his that he could hardly keep from clasping it. He pulled himself together and asked in a volce that sounded rather harsh by reason of his effor: at self-con- trol: stand—with all due respect to Brother Haney—I am not walkin' down the lane of any creed.” “But you are asserting your bellef.” sald the young m: “and what is a be- lief but a creed?” “Well, there's a difference. A creed s a belief hardened beyond the possi- bility of additional growth. A man hemmed In by a creed may refuse to look in a certain direction, fearin’ that he might find a truth opposed to that creed. I'm not hampered in that way. Show me a truth and I strike at it Itk a black bass. Now I reckon in your readin’ you must have come across a good deal of what they call philosophy. And each one of the philosophers tries to put forth a sort of religion. He says he’s a-searchin’ after truth. But what s the object of truth if it doesn't en- able folks to live better? If a philo- sophical religion doesn't help you to bear burdens, of what use is {t? I've read a good many of these philosophy books in the past ten or fifteen years. I didn’'t have much education, as you must 'know. I didn’t appear to need it as long as I found my keenest pleasure in game chickens and race hosses. But as I began to get sorter old I found that I didn’'t have enough things to think about. So I turned to readin’; and the more of the great books I read, gatherin’ them up from far and near, the more I found out that Christ was not only the friend of the poor man bu the only friend the king ever had. And he sald more In a2 few words than all of the philosophers from the buildin’ of the pyramids down to the potato hill that old Briz made with his hoe yester- day. I'm a-talkin’ young feller. We'll Just let the divine part go, If you want to, and still he ought to be worshiped by every man, woman and child.” “You should make no such concession,™ sald the preacher. “You destroy all by doing so, for if Christ were not son of immaculate conception, nothing. He came that souls might be kept out of the roaring fires of t . The old man shook his head turn loose that torment idea, can you You put me {n mind of old Jake Sanders —don’t mean you are like him, but just cause me to think of him. There was a revival meetin’ goin’ on over at Ebenezer camp ground, and old Jake's wife got after him to go up to the mourner's bench. But he held back. Finally she got one of the preachers to take him down into the woods to talk to him. They sat down on a log. ‘Did you ever see a house burn up? the preacher asked ‘Yes," answered Jake. And the preacher sald: “Well, that ain’t nothin’. Did you ever see the woods on fire In August? ‘Yes, I have,’ answered Jake. ‘Well, that wan’t nothin’,” sald the preacher. ‘There is a fire that will make a house burnin” end the blg woods a blazin’ in August look no bigger than a pin-feather a-scorchin’. I mean the fire of perdition.” Jake's eyes began to stick out. ‘You don’t say so,’ sald he. ‘You hear me,” answered the preacher, ‘and among the gamblers over at. Purdy the bets are a hundred to one that youwll go there” Jake took off his straw hat and began to fan himself with it. ‘Yes," the preacher continued, ‘and you'll burn down there for more than a million years.' Jake dropped on his knees beside the log and began to pray. Well, it was announced that bavin' come through he had relig- fon, and his wife went singin’ about her work. Jake hummed a little, too, but after a while he began to think of what the preacher had sald. About ten miles off there lived a preacher that was con- sidered the biggest one In the county; so Jake catches his mule and rides over to see him. He told the preacher that he had professed religion all right, but that he was still in great distress over that fire. He was so wfought up that the preacher, taking pity on him, assured him that there wasn't any fire. Jake rode home in great glee, and a few days later was convicted of stealin’ sheep and sene to the penitentiary. And so, Brother Nacey, you are afraid to assure us that there is no fire. Will somebody be kind enough to give that boy another plece of pie?” (Copyrighted, 198, by Opie Read) “If you will do all this, why won't you help with the benefit up at the hotel 7 Grace started. She had been wondering Whether the little mite in her lap would some day grow up and fight against the sea for human lives. “Oh, they're such silly things, you know! Everybody hates you for asking them to pay two or three times what a thing’s worth, and by the time ycu have pald all the expenses the beneficiary doesn't get very much, besides it would be two weeks before the ising came off, and Mrs. Green needed *he clothes and the money now. I suppose a great many peopla think it's very queer, but father has always insisted on my keeping in- side my allowance, and—weli—I couldn't help with the benefit and help Mrs. Green to-day.” She was floundering along almost blindly under the flerce light that glowed in Tom's eyes. “And so—and so—" Tom" had utterly forgotten what she was talking avout. Her hand was caress- ing the baby’s face. The man rose on one knec and drew her hand away from the chubby cheek, holding it firmly in his own. “Grace, dear. I'm not haif good enough for you, but vo you not think you could love me J a little®" She leoked at him tenderly. “I think I could love you a great deal” And the baby ‘‘coeed” and dimpled as he looked at the two heads so close together above his ewn. MARTHA HUMPHREYS.