The Witness

alico curtain. Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him

ighbors had slipped in shyly, half in sympathy, half in curiosity. The minis

rap of sentiment or suspicion that might be dropped in their sight. The doctor came stolidly in and went and stood beside the coffin, looking down for a minute as if he were burning remedial incense in his soul, and then turned away with the frank tears runnin

urtland as if One other entered also. He did not look up to see. He merely had

stole through the room, and out into the hall, even down through t

ve no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.... For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of Go

s when he had perforce attended funerals, they had never entered into his consciousness. They seemed almost uncann

the dead and become the firs

t one whose errand and presence there were about to be explained. It was as if He had come to take the little child away with Him. Courtland remembered the girl's prayer the night the child died: "Go

that shall be de

original that there would be a time when no one should, ever fear death again because death would be put out of existence! He had to look at it and face it as something to be recognized and thought out, a thing that was presenting itself for him to believe; as if the Christ Himself were having i

the dead raised up? And wi

y to lie under the ground and return to dust! How could there be a resurrection of that little bo

not that body that shall be, but bare grain, i

nature-picture, dimly understand

incorruption; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weaknes

bulb of the lily, to see corruption and decay, would come forth, even as the spirit of the lilies came up out of the darkness and mold and decay of their tomb under-ground, and burst into the glory of their beautifu

hin him, and sent a thrill through hi

hall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death where is thy stin

to this time even his experience with the Presence had not touched this philosophy of his which he had constructed like a fancy scaffolding inside of which he expected to fashion his life. The Presence and his partial surrender to its influence had been a matter of the heart, and until now it had not occurred to him that his allegiance to the Christ was incompatible with his former philosophy. The doctrine of the resurrection suddenly stood before him as something that must be accepted along w

fully and satisfactorily. He doubted if he could tell the professor in the Biblical Literature class how, because perhaps he hadn't seen the Christ that way; but others understood! That white, strained face of the girl was not

he halo of flames about his head had given him a vision. A great gladness came up within him that some day he would surely see Stephen Marshall again, grasp his hand, make him know how

r familiarity to One whom he knew well. The young man, listening, marveled that an

yond the city, where the little body might r

enjoy; out here everybody lying quiet, like the corn of wheat in the ground, waiting for the resurrection time, the call of God to come forth in beauty! What a difference it would make in the working, and getting, and hustling, and learning, and enjoying if everybody remembered how near the lying-quiet time might be! How unready some might be to

e cemetery and go off at once. It fell to Courtland to look after the girl, for the doctor had not been able to leave his

ut her in. "I suppose you will want to

seeching look, crying out with something like a sob: "Oh, how can I ever go back to that room now?" And

t her throat, and chafed her cold hands, drawing the robes closely about her slender shoulders, but she lay

h, and after a moment there came a faint flutter of her eyelids. She came to herself for just a

on't want to have no responsibility. My chief's gone back to the city, and the other man's gone across t

ing alarm, alternately chafing her hands and trying to force more brandy between her set lips. He was relieved w