The City of Fire

ation began to wonder who had been hard on his neighbor now. It was almost uncanny sometimes how that minister spotted out the faults and petty differences in his flock. Many examined the

n mellowed fo

the winds

d be und

prayers and co

lift up

ng to find a flaw in Mr. Severn's theology, but much to his astonishment and perhaps disappointment, he had never yet been able to find a point on which they disagreed theologically, when it came right down to old fashioned religion, but he was always expecting that the next sermon would be the one wherein the minister had

ould depend on those two. He scanned his audience. The elders were all present. Gibson. He had a narrow forehead, near-sighted eyes, and an inclination to take the opposite side from the minister. His lips were thin, and he pursed them often, and believed in efficiency and discipline. He would undoubtedly go with Harricutt. Jones, the short fat one who owned the plush mills and hated boys. He had taken sides against Mark about the memorial windo

at fairly compelled the waiting cong

d Laurie suddenly, "Church is out and we'll make her pl

eard and blended the Amen into the full organ to break the shock as the startled congregation moved restlessly, with half unclosed eyes. Elder Harricutt heard, shut his eyes tighter, and pressed severe lips together

for killing a family as fall in love with that girl. She isn't at all your kind. How would

ing out eyed them interestedly, looking toward the two cars in front of the parsonage, and wondered. It was a neighborhood where everybody took

" said Mrs. Little to Mrs. Jones as they walked slowly down the street

er knees, and such stockings! With stripes like lace in them! And little slippers with heels like knitting needles! I declare, I don't know what this

tle. "The light from the church door was full in her face when I was coming

nd ran her fingers through it just like a boy. I was cutting bread a

aw several old gray-haired women with bobbed hair. She said it wa

ercy! It attracts so much attention. Well, I'm glad we don't live in New York! I declare, every time I come to church and hear Mr. Severn preach I just want to thank God that

e doesn't mind as long's he can confine 'em to a little place among the hills. But my soul! If those two visitors didn't need a sermon to-night I never saw folks that did. Do you know, when that man came last night in a broken down car

ngs in the great world. It would not be strange if Mark had grown lax. But here in Sabbath Valley public opinion on the keeping of the Sabbath day was so strong that it meant a great deal. It amounted to public disgrace to disregard the ordinary rules of Sabbath; for in Sabbath Valley working and playing were alike laid aside for the entire twenty-four hours, the housewives prepared their dinner the day before, an unusually good one always, with some delectable dessert that would keep on ice, and everything as in the olden time was prepared in the home for a real keeping of a day of rest and enjoyment of the Lord. Even the children had special pasttimes that belonged to that day only, and Marilyn Severn still cherished a box of wonderful stone blocks that had been her most precious possessions as a child, and had been used for Sabbath amusement. With these blocks she built temples, laid out cities, went through mimic

over and ground up in the mill of criticism, or else some of her father's dearest plans were to be held up for an unsympathetic discussion. She thanked God for the strong homely face of Elder Duncannon as he stalked behind the rest with a look of uplift on his worn countenance, and she played on softly through another hymn, until suddenly somehow, she became aware that the two

and be gone before they arrived if they contemplated coming in, for she had no mind to talk to the

hat in order to keep the garments of the bride of Christ clean from soil we should anticipate such a happening and show the world that we recognize the character of this young man, a

! The

Myself in Thee!" But instead of playing it tenderly, grandly, as she usually did, with all the sweetness of the years in which saints and sinners have sung it and found refuge and comfort in its noble lines, she plunged into it with a mad rush as if a soul in mortal peril were rushing to the Refuge before the gates should be forever closed, or before the

e body! Oh! Her eyes grew wide with horror. She ought to answer that telegram and give them his home address. But why should she? What had she to do with him now? Dead. He was Dead. He had passed to another world. She shuddered. She looked around and shrank back toward Shafton

upon their own damning phrases, while the minister sat with stern white face, and sought to hold them from taking an action that might bran

y at the Blue Duck! And with Mark! Could it be true? It could not be true! Not in the sense that Mr. Harricutt was trying to make out. Mark might have been there, but never to do wrong. The Blue Duck was a dance hall where liquor was sold on the quiet, and where unspeakable things happened every little while. Oh, it was outrageous! Her fingers made the bells crash out her horror and disgust, and her appeal to a higher power to right this dreadful wrong. And then a hopeless sick feeling came over her, a whirling dizzy sensation as if she were going to faint, although she never fainted. She longed to drop down upon the keys and wail her heart out, but she might not. Those awful words or more like them were going on behind the organ ther

ped her, so that when the lame stranger made at last his slow progress up to the choir loft and stood beside he

lgence was lighted up with genuine admiration for the beautiful girl who could play so well, and could talk equally

st by the man, did not even seem to know who he was-or care. How strange. What a very strange girl! And really a beautiful girl, too, she saw, now that her natural jealousy was for the moment averted. How extremely amusing. Laurie Shafton interested in a girl who didn't care a row of pins about him. What a shouting joke! She must

he music grew softer and drop

of my life h

my heart hav

e as He h

r the op

am weak a

to me mor

ear Saviour has

er the o

st as the sun was dropping behind the western mountain, and Marilyn played it till the be

out of his throat. Somehow the long hours without sleep or food, the toil, the anxiety, the reaction, had suddenly culminated in a great desire to cry. Yes, cry just like a baby! Why, even when he was a baby he didn't cry, and now here was this sickening gag in his throat, this smarting in his eyelids, this sinking feeling. He cast an eye at Cart. Why, Cart looked that way too. Cart was feeling it

gure standing with a lifted hand. The jani

stopped

thumb over his shoulder and a furtive glance behind, "Keep yer ey

up and t

Billy made a move to follow, hesitated, drew back, held himself in readines

door of the sessions room where once he and Marilyn had gone one happ

w under the light. He drank in the sight hungrily. But the next instant he caught the vision of the young stranger sta

waiting group of hard critical men, with the white faced