Dr. Heidenhoff's Process

ively bearing the sentences "Come unto Me," and "The Wonderful, the Counsellor," pointed to ten minutes of nine. As was usual at this period of Newville prayer-meetings, a prolonged paus

o the two classes of speakers and listeners, and, except during revivals

must be admitted, with a certain perceptible petulance of tone, as if willing to have it understood that she was doing more than ought to be expected of her. But while it was extremely improbable that any others of the twenty or thirty persons assembled would feel called on to bre

's hoeing, snored quietly in the corner of a seat. Mrs. Parker dropped a hymn-book. Little Tommy Blake, who had fallen over while napping and hit his nose, snivelled under his breath. Madeline Brand, as she sat at the melodeon below the minister's desk, stifled a small yawn with her pretty fingers. A June bug boomed through the open window and circled around Deacon Tuttle's head, affecting that good man wi

eneral attention concentrated upon the time-piece, that a stranger might draw the mistaken inference that this was the object for whose worship the little company had gathered. Finally, making a slight c

ormidable they look, how superior to common affections, how serenely and icily indifferent, as if the existence of youth of the other sex in their vicinity at that moment was the thought furthest from their minds! How presumptuous, how audacious, to those youth themselves now appears the design, a little while ago so jauntily entertained, of accompanying these dainty beings

se in the back part of the room. Every head turned as if pulled by one wire to see who it was, and Deacon Tuttle put

use his dishonest act had been no part of generally vicious habits, but a single unaccountable deflection from rectitude. The evident intensity of his remorse had excited general sympathy, and when Parker, the village druggist, gave him employment as clerk, the act was generally applauded, and all the village folk had endeavoured with one accord, by a friendly and hearty manner, to make him feel that they were disposed to forget the past, and help him to begin life over again. He had been convert

ave shown a lack of interest in religious matters, which has certainly justified you in supposing that I was either hasty or insincere in my profession. I have made my arrangements to leave you soon, and should be sorry to have that

yond the point of any personal feeling in the matter, had something uncanny and creeping

and complete as best he can. Now you know that in order to find any pleasure in his work, the workman must be able to take a certain amount of pride in it. Nothing is more disheartening for him than to have to keep on with a job with which he must be disgusted every time

rt to go on any further, and I recollect well how I teased my father to buy me a new book, and cried and sulked until he finally took his knife and n

came the revival, and that gave me a notion that religion might help me. I had heard, from a child, that the blood of Christ had a power to wash away sins and to leave one white and sp

and then the words dropped slowly from his lips, as

It leaves them in the record. It leaves them in the memory. That day when I blotted my copybook at school, to have had the teacher forgive me ever so kindly would not have made me feel the least bit better so long as the blot was there. It wasn't any penalty from without, but the hurt to my own pride which the spot made, that I wanted taken away, so I might get heart to go on. Supposing one of you-and you'll excuse me for asking you to put yourself a moment in my place-had picked a pocket. Would it make a great de

bell pealed out f

bright as a baby's. I suppose my absurd misunderstanding arose from a vague notion that the blood of Christ had in it something like this virtue of Lethe water. Just think how blessed a thing for men it would be if such were indeed the case, if their memories could be cleansed and disinfected at the same time their heart

hands around him. There was a set smile on his face, and his eyes seemed to look through people without seeing them. There was a buzz of conversation as the people began to talk together of the decided novelty in the line of conference-meeting exhortations to which they had just listened. The tone of almost all was sympathetic, though many were shocked and pained, and others declared that they did not understand what he had meant. Many insisted that he must be a little out of his head, calling attention to the fact that he looked so pale. None of these good hearts

oung man. "Do you know whether anything unpleasant has happ

sir," rep

n slighted by some one, or given the

in the village would

reflectively. "Poor boy, poor boy! He seems to feel

lied Henry incoherently, for Madel

not noticing the young ma

Madeline was talking animat

ning," sa

adeline to her companion,

ing," repe

to observe him for the first

" he asked, becoming sl

believe her ears that such an audacious proposal had b

be much

a while they walked silently along the dark streets, both too much impressed by the tragic suggestions of poor Bayley's outbreak to drop at once into trivialities. For it must be understood

eir intercourse had always before been in the vein of pleasantry and badinage common to the first stages of courtships.

nd cheer him up instead of going home

f I'd left anybody else to do it, I should ha

ps under cover of the darkness, "you take a most unwarrantable liberty in being jea

sarcastic humility of his tone made her laugh in spite of

s Laura

aking cake for th

making some, too. I wonder if po

can trust my wife's honesty. She doesn't know enough to cheat, but I don't know about George.' George was her partner. Bradford didn't mean any harm; he forgot, you see. He'd have bitten his tongue off otherwise sooner than have

, involuntarily pressing Henry's arm, and thereby causing him instantly to forget all about George and his misfortunes, and setting his heart to beating so tumultuously that he was

f he thought we should not like to bow to him, or meant to cut him. I'm sure we'd cut our heads off sooner. It's enough to make one cry, such times, to see how wretc

s going. Perhaps he thinks it will be easier fo

few moments, and then Made

leasant things blotted out of their memories! What drea

boat-riding with Will Taylor last Wednesday aft

in, "how long is it since I authorized you to concern yourself with my a

minute ago that you wouldn't permit me to be jealous of you, and just because

esented by letters of the alphabet, was all the reply

should make yours," he said next. "What remorse

ustache, if I wanted to. I don't believe you'd hurt a fly, although you do look so like a pirate. You've

of depravity, but which of your soul-destroying sins would you prefer to forget, if i

forget anything I've done, not even my faults and follies. I should be

that makes you say so. You know your faults are just big eno

moment, and then

't believe I like 'em from

o, she would doubtless have found it in a consciousness when in his presence of being surrounded with

ushing it open and passing w

vour to ask," he said. "May

he replied; "we go in broad daylight; and the

u'll need somebody t

It will weigh at least two pounds, and I couldn't possibly carry it myself

treatment of her lovers, Madeline always punctured the skin before applying a drop of sweetness, and perhaps this accounted for th

d self-congratulation that he was not Madeline. For, if he had been she, he would have lost the ecstasy of loving her, of worshipping her. Ah, how much she lost, how much all those lose, who, fated to be the incarnations of beauty, goodness, and grace, are precluded from being their own worshippers! Wel

d his sister Laura standing at

o-night!" he said, pin

shrugged her shoulde

you go hom

?" he asked, laughing

so sweet, you go

r petite, plump figure, sloe-black eyes, quick in moving, curly head, and dark, clear cheeks, carnation-tinted, would have been t

It is much too pretty a nig

, contemptuously. "Besides," she added, "I must go into the house and keep father company. I only came out to cool

er mother's place in the household, so far as she might, was always looking out that her father