Out rang the sweet voice,--
"Haste thee on, from grace to glory, Armed by faith, and winged by prayer!
Heaven"s eternal day"s before thee, G.o.d"s own hand shall guide thee there."
Mabel was now silently crying, and big tears were blinding my eyes, when a grand old man rose from his seat. Bent and feeble now, I could see that he had once been tall and stately, looking as the Puritan fathers must have looked when they first stepped upon "the stern and rock-bound coast" at Plymouth. Fine, clean-cut features, and eyes still blue and piercing remained, but his voice trembled painfully as he said,--
"I am ninety-four years old, and most of those I love have gone to the graveyard before me; I have lived all these years in Bethlehem, and, boy and man, have tried to serve the Lord: and I owe my blessed hope in my Saviour to the teaching and example of my good and pious mother." Then, with aged, trembling hands uplifted, he prayed that all the children present might be brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Near us was a handsome, well-dressed man, past middle age, who had listened with absorbed attention to all that had been said, and who now seemed strangely agitated. In a moment he arose, and then he spoke.
"I presume that no one here remembers a poor boy who nearly fifty years ago left this place to seek his fortune. Fatherless, motherless, with no claim upon any one here, I wandered away with a heavy heart to earn my bread. Many a time have I been exhausted, discouraged, almost hopeless; but my mother had taught me to pray--her dying gift to me was her own Bible. It has gone round the world with me, and G.o.d has never forsaken me. I have long been a rich man, and I have come once more to these grand hills--my childhood"s home--to testify my grat.i.tude to my Maker for all his goodness. I never intended to speak as I am now doing; but after what I have heard and witnessed, I should be most ungrateful if I did not give my testimony and belief in the abounding love and mercy of G.o.d. O friends! take me back! Let me be one with you in this most sweet and touching service, and when I leave you, pray that I may never be ungrateful for the earthly blessings he has heaped upon me, and for the far more priceless gift of his Son, Jesus Christ."
Every one had listened to the stranger in deep silence. Every heart had thrilled responsive to his words. It seemed as if the very breath of Heaven had entered into the little church, cleansing and purifying each soul present, and filling it with inexpressible devotion, when, like a soft, trembling wave, the pure young voice came floating down the aisles, and we heard the solemn acknowledgment,--
"A charge to keep I have, A G.o.d to glorify; A precious, blood-bought soul to save, And fit it for the sky."
She sang alone; a feeling too deep for utterance had prevented the rest from joining in, and many heads were bent in silent prayer and thanksgiving.
But oh! what did I see? Pale as death, her eyes dilated, her whole frame quivering like an aspen, Mabel arose and essayed to speak. The muscles of her mouth refused to obey her will, but with a painful effort she faltered in low, broken tones, "Pray for me," and sank down upon her knees.
It was the voice of G.o.d that spoke in those three little words, "_Pray for me_," uttered so low, yet distinctly heard in every part of the church. Joyful tears were streaming down many women"s faces, as for the first time the singer"s voice trembled, broke, and at last sobbed through the humble entreaty,--
"Just as I am--without one plea, But that thy blood was shed for me, And that thou bid"st me come to thee, O Lamb of G.o.d, I come."
As she finished, a young minister who was living in the same house with us, and whose life had been nearly sacrificed in missionary labors, bowed in prayer. The radiance of Heaven was upon his face, and G.o.d spoke through him to the awakened soul of Mabel in a way I had never heard before. The words poured out in an inspired flood, carrying her soul resistless upon its mighty waves to repentance, faith, prayer, praise, love, joy, peace, and at last heaven!
With a solemn benediction the services were ended; and when we had come out, it seemed as if the very heavens were rejoicing over the tidings which had gone up of the soul that day redeemed. All that was gorgeous and beautiful in color had taken possession of the sky. The clouds, like great gold and crimson banners, were moving high over our heads, furling and unfurling, as if carried by exultant angels, marching and singing their triumphant allelujahs.
And Mabel, still white as an Easter lily, but with her deep gray eyes full of a new happiness, a steadfast resolution to live henceforth for Christ, walked by my side, watching the great glory of the heavens, with her arm lovingly entwined in mine. We did not speak; we had no need, for our thoughts were in perfect accord. I had witnessed the wonderful mystery of her instantaneous "change of heart;" I knew it was well with her.
Beautiful, gay, fashionable, the pet of society, I knew her also to be a staunch upholder of all that was n.o.ble, good, and pure, and I felt a thorough conviction that she had indeed given herself up body and soul to Him who had chosen to send his Holy Spirit into her heart, as she was going out of the little village which bore the blessed name of _Bethlehem_.
However it be, it seems to me, "Tis only n.o.ble to be good.
Kind hearts are more than coronets, And simple faith than Norman blood.
ONLY A HUSK.
Tom Darcy, yet a young man, had grown to be a very hard one. Although naturally kind-hearted, active, and intelligent, he lacked strength of will to resist temptation, and had therefore fallen a victim to intemperance. He had lost his place as foreman of the great machine-shop, and what money he now earned came from odd jobs of tinkering which he was able to do here and there at private houses; for Tom was a genius as well as a mechanic, and when his head was steady enough, he could mend a clock or clean a watch as well as he could set up and regulate a steam-engine, and this latter he could do better than any other man ever employed by the Scott Falls Manufacturing Company.
One day Tom was engaged to mend a broken mowing-machine and reaper, for which he received five dollars; and on the following morning he started for his old haunt, the village tavern. He knew that his wife sadly needed the money, and that his two little children were absolutely suffering for want of clothing, and that morning he held a debate with the better part of himself, but the better part had become weak, and the demon of appet.i.te carried the day.
So away to the tavern Tom went, where, for two or three hours, he felt the exhilarating effects of the alcoholic draught, and fancied himself happy, as he could sing and laugh; but, as usual, stupefaction followed, and the man died out. He drank while he could stand, and then lay down in a corner, where his companions left him.
It was almost midnight, when the landlord"s wife came to the barroom to see what kept her husband up, and she quickly saw Tom.
"Peter," said she, not in a pleasant mood, "why don"t you send that miserable Tom Darcy home? He"s been hanging around here long enough."
Tom"s stupefaction was not sound sleep. The dead coma had left his brain, and the calling of his name stung his senses to keen attention.
He had an insane love of rum, but he did not love the landlord. In other years, Peter Tindar and he had wooed the same maiden,--Ellen Goss,--and he had won her, leaving Peter to take up with the sharp-tempered damsel who had brought him the tavern, and Tom knew that lately the tapster had gloated over the misery of the woman who had once discarded him.
"Why don"t you send him home?" demanded Mrs. Tindar, with an impatient stamp of her foot.
"Hush, Betsey, he"s got money. Let him be, and he"ll be sure to spend it before he goes home. I"ll have the kernel of that nut, and his wife may have the husk."
Betsey turned away, and shortly afterward Tom Darcy lifted himself up on his elbow.
"Ah, Tom, are you awake?"
"Yes."
"Then rouse up and have a warm gla.s.s."
Tom got upon his feet and steadied himself.
"No; I won"t drink any more to-night."
"It won"t hurt you, Tom--just one gla.s.s."
"I know it won"t!" said Tom, b.u.t.toning up his coat by the solitary b.u.t.ton left. "I know it won"t!"
And with this he went out into the chill air of midnight. When he got away from the shadow of the tavern, he stopped and looked up at the stars, and then he looked down upon the earth.
"Aye," he muttered, grinding his heel in the gravel, "Peter Tindar is taking the kernel, and leaving poor Ellen the worthless husk,--a husk more than worthless! and I am helping him do it. I am robbing my wife of joy, robbing my dear children of honor and comfort, and robbing myself of love and life--just that Peter Tindar may have the kernel, and Ellen the husk! We"ll see!"
It was a revelation to the man. The tavern-keeper"s speech, not meant for his ears, had come on his senses as fell the voice of the Risen One upon Saul of Tarsus.
"We"ll see!" he said, setting his foot firmly upon the ground; and then he wended his way homeward.
On the following morning he said to his wife, "Ellen, have you any coffee in the house?"
"Yes, Tom." She did not tell him that her sister had given it to her.
She was glad to hear him ask for coffee, instead of the old, old cider.
"I wish you would make me a cup, good and strong."
There was really music in Tom"s voice, and the wife set about her work with a strange flutter at her heart.
Tom drank two cups of the strong fragrant coffee, and then went out, with a resolute step, and walked straight to the great manufactory, where he found Mr. Scott in his office.
"Mr. Scott, I want to learn my trade over again."
"Eh, Tom, what do you mean?"
"I mean that it"s Tom Darcy come back to the old place, asking forgiveness for the past, and hoping to do better in the future."