My Neighbors / Stories of the Welsh People

on the face of the earth, and stopped the roll of the world; and He fixed upon a measure of time

of White Shirts, and below which, in deep darknesses, are the frightful regions of the Fiery Oven. "Give an account of your rule in the face of those whom you provoked to mischief," He said t

orers. In their generations were they called; "for," said the Lord, "good and evil are customs of

in Satan, and in the evening of the d

be it," ans

w?" ask

in the wind," cried Satan. "Give me my robe

l," said God, "there is no wri

is outing. The windows of the Mansion are lit; hark the angels tuning their golden string

en the day with a

ow these people to rest a while longer. Their number together with

: "Tell the Trumpeter to take his horn and the

into neighboring chapels and stole Bibles and hymn-books, with which in their pockets and under their arms they

he has," a woman remarked to the Respe

e regard His speeches. What is the text on the wall? 'Prepare your deeds for the Lord.'

face in grief. "Two tens he has," she croaked. "And his shirt is clean. Dirty am I; buried I was as I w

b you are,

ou have? But

r I

you, unfo

light," the woman whined

y you'll weep. Here is a massi

ll three be in the minu

ld and new notations-I present for four. Stupid am I as

ft and sel

to me. Hope I do that right enough are y

Beybile to the Respected,

d get your tokens and have that poor o

which her deeds were inscribed; and the rat tablet Towy took from her. "Faith and hope are

ybile of Jesus. This is the book of hymns-old and new notations. Hymns harvest, communion, f

ring he did not sell; nor did he sell the gilt-edged hymn-book. Between the leaves of his Bible he put his tablets-as a preacher his markers-the writing on each tablet confirming a verse in the place it wa

ame to him was one wh

e," sai

me," s

cried Towy. "Perished was I and up again

g aside the firmament and I heard One calli

heated bulls was t

Him I will how my spirit, though the flesh was dead, bathed in the living rivers and walke

my heart to the Lord, and your slut of widow paid me only four soferens

rgive her; her sorr

of an English! S

n. "If above she is I wil

strumpets of your sisters did not tend your gra

ay of rising up? Awful if the Big Man mistakes us for the Church. No

as most high. "Dissenters," he bellowed, "what right have Ch

pon the other; and after they were thrown in a mass against the gate of the Chariot Ho

have a sermon. Fine will Welsh be in the nost

her and whose yellow beard-the fringe of which was singed-hung over his breast like a sheaf of wheat, passed through the way of the door of

rebuked the people. "Say after me

khead, Satan," t

owy screamed. "Teach him we

him shall I pitch head-long to the flames." The people'

Oven we are. Blow your noses of the stench. Y

aiting Chamber came to the door of the lane that takes you into the

owy exclaimed, stretching

the Crown from your fingers," said Ben Lloyd. "My deeds are recorded

ed Ben. "My religious ac

e Overseer murmured:

ictures. Fond am I of preaching from him. Lovely pieces there are. 'Abram believed God.' Who was Abram? Father of Isaac bach. Who made Abram? The Big Ma

eer opene

said Towy. "Look throug

the Overs

ial I need. How can the Judge judge if there's no judging

Lord," he proclaimed: "'I will consider each by his

k will we. Dissenters, crowd here. Ben Llo

enemies and bruised them with fists and Bibles and hymn-books, and called them frogs, turks, thieves, atheists, blacks; and there never has been heard such

to Hell." He sent into the Chamber a carpenter who put a barrier from wall to wall, and

and from the two hundred one hundred were cast away. Now this hundred were Baptists, Methodists, and Congregationalists, and they quarreled so harshly and decried one another so spitefully that Ben and Towy made with them a compact to

uched to pray, and they were stirred by S

e must proceed with the business. I am just as anxious as

object. I don't know this infi

t his tongue a red-hot poker?... Well, boys Palace, grand this is. Say who you a

nswered that he was Moses the Keeper of the

ch was brighter than the golden halo of the throne: "Big Man, peep at yo

hear any,

am I with the Speech, and the Speech is God and God is

hymns?"

ried Towy, "expla

your account of the mischi

t them at my mother's knees. I refuse to be drenched in Satan's froth. Against one who was a member of the

t times he was abused and charged with lying; and he read correctly, for the Records Clerk followed him word by word in t

he Lord when Satan had finished. "Put your t

ssed out they beheld that the scale o

ished and God came

ent them with vipers and with fire in the uttermost parts

troy the just

have c

perish because

the world

ou did not destroy. And you repented that you smote

living thing," God replied.

d his daughters. They all sinned after thei

ave your ear to Jonah f

ced my Son

ed Satan

t white?"

e two men were not of the Church, and

ve ju

understanding," said Moses,

lf's howlings in the wilderness," said another; "The honey will be as bittersweet as Adam's apple," said a third. B

the leaves and advised Moses to cry un

s dumb," re

took the book to the Lord. "My Lord," he sai

said t

riches of Solomon is a

es

as numerous as the tee

avel you

" said Satan, "claimed four tabl

he scale of white tablets was heavi

verseer, "for they shall see me, and this day

ut only a little, the Overseer entered the Judgment Hall, saying: "The two apostles tricked Jude and crawled under the barrier, and they sh

ssors fell