A Sin Not To Be Forgiven

I. It is not my purpose to exonérate Alian Halsey. Doubtless he richly deserved táe punishment which he brought upon himsclf, but his fault at the flrst was an inconsiderate one, and the system of hypocrisy in which he found himself entangled was entered upon from the good uatured impulse of shielding his friend. That íriend was Andrew Steele. They had been chums throughout their college course, but their paths had diverged widely during the four years which bad elapsed since their parting under the shadow of alma mater. Steele had studied for the ministry, growing gentler and more melancholy, narrow chested and possibly narrow miuded, but always pure of soul and tender of heart, as he bent over his books. Halsey, on the contrary, had plunged at once into the world. His aim in life was to become a journalist. He could adapt himself easily to circumstances, and when he found that the highest prizes were beyond his reach he lowered his ideal and aecomrnodated himself to the actual, and at the end of four years was quite content with what he would havo spurued at the outset, a regular position as pulpit reporter of one of the leading newspapers. "I think a little of my experience would do you good," he said to Steele, as they sat together in the summer on the dover under the old orchard trees of his friend's home. "It would give you a chance to improve your style, by a comparison with that of the most eloquent and seholarly men of the day. It would broaden your theological ideas, and give you pointe in composition and delivery. If you will submit to taking a few hints from me I can put you up to a thiugor two. There are certain dodges that these great guus are not above using, which are remarkably killing, and I doubt whether they are ever taught in the seminary. If you are going in for divinity you might as well he at the top of the heap, a regular doubly distilled D.D., and the pastor of a wealthy city church. I have come to the conclusión that the ministry is a better field for a smart man thau journalism, and I almost regret my choice. You see you have less competition ; nearly all the brilliant fellows take to the law, the regular digs to medicine, the long headed ones to politics or business, those mistaken beggars who care moro for glory than gold hang on to art or literature, while only the chaps without any particular vocation are left for the ministry and the book agencies. Now don't nare up. Can't you see that it is the luckiest thing in the world that it is sof If you have a elear idea from the start what you mean to accomplish, you can just sail in like a whale among the flshes." Andrew Steele answered quietly: "You do not uuderstand my aims. I am physically unsuited to lead the career you have marked out for me. I have not suffleient health to carry out what I wish, and that is to teach the suffering to endure. " Halseyscanned his friend anxiously. "You do look a trifle used up," he said. "I am glad I accepted your invitation to spend a fortnight with you, for I am going to tako you in hand. .'e will pass a week or more in the woods; hunting and camping will soon give tone to your mind, as well as to your complexion, and you will bid goodby to morbid self abnegation as soon as you laiíU a four pound bass." But Halsey found that he had a difficult task upon his hands. His friend's melancholy was deeply rooted in a frail physique. The dark woods and mouutain solitudes seemed to inerease his gloom. He took no interest in sport of any kind, and it was evident that some settled trouble was preying upon his miiid. "What is it, Steele?" Halsey asked one evening as his friend sat moodily and dejectedly regarding the smoldering embers. "Is there a lady in the case, or is it money? Out with it like a man; the very telling of the annoyance will make itseem less. 111 warrant you that I've been in a dozen tighter places." "It is my health," the other replied. "I fought for it all through my college course, but it was of no use. Two years ago I broke down ntterly with nervous prostration. I left the seminary, and was recommended to put myseli under the care of a Dr. Corcoran, of . It was a most providential thing. He took me into his family and his good wife nursed me like a mother. I was so weak that I could only lie still like a little child and watch the leaf shadows of the maple playing upon the walt. I was with them three months, and they treated me like a son. You have guessed that there was a lady in the case. Before the three months were over I had fallen in love with Miss Corcoran." "Very iiaturally and quite the proper thing under the circumstances. I suppose she brought you your gruel and read aloud to you, fanned your fevered brow aud all that. I only wish such a piece of good luck would fall to me." "You are quite wrong. In all that time I oever saw Miss Corcoran." Halsey whistled. " 'Whoni having not seeu I love,' I used to repeat to myself again and again in those days. Miss Corcoran was in Philadelphia completing a course of medicine whieh she had begun with her fathar. They told me that she was fitting herself to go out as a missionary, and she wished to inake herself useful among the vromen and to gain adrnittance to the harems as a physician. Dr. Corcoran's family was a large one, there were others staying in the house and I was given her room. I havo never known much about women, and all the dainty fittings of that room were a revelation to me. It seemed to bring me very near to her, and, as I told you, I used to lie and study one object and then another, and it seemed to me that I could imagine froni them just how she looked as well as her tastes and mental characteristics. There was a cabinet desk beside the window and the carpet in front of it was more worn than before the dressing table. That told its story to begin with. The decorations of the room were of an eastern cliaraeter. Au India shawl was draped to form a curtain, a Tunisian prayer rug was spread beside the bed and a Daghestan one in front of the grate. There was a Moorish plaque over the mantel, and boxes of Japanese lacquer, a bamboo easy chair from Calcutta, Turkish embroideries and scarfs, and other suggestions of the Oriënt scattered about. This was not the indiseriminate gathering of a fashionable devotee of bric-a-brac; there was a consistent method in all and it indicated a flxed purpose. All the trend of her mind was to the east, and the books in her small but well selected library showed the same taste. As I improved in health I read them through, and sometimes returned to makea note in answer to the peneiled queries upon the margin. She had been studying Arabic, but seemed interested in all Asiatic literature, and had secured everything that could be had through translations from the "Arabian Nights," and the "Koran" to Matthew Arnold's works, and the poems of Omar. There was a portfolio of photographs and engravings, reproductions of the works of French oriental painters, views from Dore's Bible, photographs of Palestino and Egypt, the bazars of Cairo, the gardens of Damascus nnd the minarets of Constantinople, and the library showed that she had read and studied of all. She was one of those women of whom it could be said that to know her was a liberal education." "I should think so," Halsey replied. "Do you know, my friend, that it strikes me that so mueh knowledge suggests a rather mature person, and uot exactly the frivolity of sweet 16!" "No, she was not very young- 23. I learned by Consulting the family Bible, and I saw her portrait ia her father's study when I bec-.tme well enough to walk about the house. A sweet, girlish face it was, enough to steal any man's heart away ; but I loved her before I saw it- for the beauty of her mind." "And have you never seen her, or told her of your affection Í" "I have never seen her. I went back to the seminary, completed my course, doing doublé work in the following year in order to make up for lost time. But in the midst of my work I thought eontinually of her. I wrote to her, told her something of the interest with which she had inspired me, and begged to be permitted to correspond with her. She replied courteously, giving her reasons for declining the correspondence. I wrote again and again, but she would not reply. After graduation I visited Dr. Corcoran, and told him everything. He heard me very kindly, but was inclined to treat the whole matter as entirely imaginary. His daughter was still away from home, and would remain so for a year longer. He talked to me very seriously about my health, and told me I was in a fairer way to be buried than married, and he should disapprove of his daughter's becoming interested in me solely on that ground. 'Go home for a year or more,' he said ; 'rest and exercise; make a sound, healthy nian of yourself; and when you have done that, come and see us again, and I will introduce you to my daughter.' " "Why in the name of common sense haven't you followed his adviee?" "I have done so, Halsey, as far as is possible. I have put myself in training as though I were going to row with a prize crew; but 3'ou cannot realizo the diíflculties of my position. I am a minister without a parish, and so belong to everybody. I have done more work the past winter than any regularly settled pastor of my acquaintanee, and I have had before my mind always my own personal, private desire to fit myself for a foreign field, so that some time if I win Miss Corcoran- and if I gave up that hope I should give up everything - we may go out to our life work together. We have a returned missionary at Sunderland, and I am studying Turkish with him. I want to have some acquirements srhich will recommend me to the board, so í lay not have to waste a year on the fiel i aration." "You appcur to have carried out Dr. Corcoran's advice in regard to rest to the letter," Halsey remarked dryly. "I wonder you haven't engaged some rabbinical oíd clothes man of the Bowery to instruct you in Hebrew, and taken a dip into Chinese by way of pastime." "I studied Hebrew at the seminary," the other replied, not pereeiving the irony in his friend's remark. "I think I have made the most of my opportunities, but now, just when I need it most, my brain fails me. I must preach at Ramoth Gilead next week, end my head is in a whirl. I can't settle on a train of thought, or collect two consecutivo ideas on anything but the unpardonable sin ; that is uppermost in my mind the whole time, and it was while puzzling over that subject that I feil into the state of ruin from which Dr. Corcorau rescued me." "Steele," exclaimed Halsey, "you have acted liko an idiot. If you want to marry Miss Coicoran and sail away to Joppa, which I eonsider a very sensible idea, as the sea voyage would build you up and foreign travel is just what you need to top off your edueation and flt you for a shining position, a candlestiek on a hill and not a city under a bushei, you know - if this is your little game, I say why in the name of conimon sense do you pay any attention to side issues? Why don't you say to Ramoth Gilead: 'Gentlemen, you may go to Jericho. I have other fish to fry!'" "Simply because Ramoth Gilead lies in my way. It was the birthplace and early home of Dr. Coicoran. It was through him that I received this cali. And he writes me a very pleasant letter apropos of the subject. This is what he says: My Deab Steele: It is a long (me sincc we have heard from you, and I trust you have improved the timet by laying in a good stock of liealth. I have some little influence with the board, am in fact their health inspector, and I happen to know of a mission which I think you would like, and for which I think you admirably qualifled. I wou't osk you to come ou au uncertainty, as I can arrange for an exntinnation a littlc nearer your present residente. The church at Ramoth Gilead will give you a cali as candidato iu a few days. I have a, numlxr of trustorthy spies in the place and If they send me a (rood report of your physical condition (I have no doubt in any other particular), I will seud your name ia to the board and they will probably make you a proposition 8oon. This does not eompromise you in the least, for you need not accept the offer wlien it comes. Before you refuse, however, we would like to have you make U3 a visit and let us talk over the matter together. Faithfully yours, Gideon Corcoran. P. S.- Mrs. Corcoran unites with me in this inritation, and my daughter, who heard much of you and will be with us, will be happy to meet you. "There it is- the opportunity of my life slipping from my bands. If I were to sec Miss Corcoran to-night I could talk to her of nothing but the unpardonable sin." "O, come now," Halsey replied, cheeringly, "you have given me a tolerably eonnected account of the whole affair, and I dare say you will make your way with the young lady. What bothers me is what sort of an impression you will make on those Ramoth Gilead farmers as regards health. It's a pity you haven't a physique like mine; but never mind, all will end well, and wo will meet again in Ispahan or Babyion- you the patriarchal head of a numerous family and I the war correspondent of The Daily Shouter. You must write up your experiences and I will bring them home and see that they are well brought out and that you get a pretty penny out of the affair. Or you may get yourself lost and Hl enact Stanley to your Livingstone and we'll advertise each other from Dan to Beersheba. You must put this unpardonable sin nonsense out of your head and put your best foot f orward generally. Don't bother about thinking up a new sermon; give them one of your old ones, but put a lot of vim into it. Beat the dust out of the pulpit cushions. Let them know that you are alive." Steele shook his head sadly. "I want them to know that I am a strong, well man, and X feel a lassitude creeping over me which makes the lifting of that fishing rod a difficulttask." "Cheerup! cheer upl" exclaimed Halsey. "You will be rested in the morning; it is all that conf ounded Japanese and Turkish study ; all you need is a little muscular Christianity. Take a leaf out of Charles Kingley's book ; buy a pair of boxing gloves, and 111 pummel faith, hope aud charity into your poor little shriveled body." The next morning Andrew Steele was delirious. It was with great trouble that his friend conveyed him home. On the morning after their arrival the sick man had a lucid interval. He regarded Halsey with wistful dry eyes. "It has come," he said. 'Tve broken down. If I could have held out three days longer" - - "You are right, old fellow," Halsey replied, cheeringly; "give up to it completely; let the disease do its worst, instead of trying to flght against it, and it will spend its force all the sooner." "But I must send a supply to Ramoth Gilead," he murmured; "I promised to preach for theni to-morrow, and there is no time to secure any one else." "I will go for you," Halsey exclaimed, impulsively, "and read one of your sermons." His friend was sinking into unconsciousness again, but he grasped the idea partially and a smile of unutterable relief chased the torture from his face. "You will take my place," hesaid in a tone of perfect confidence and profound gratitude; "you will do everything for me better than I could do for myself. I can endure an thing now." In a few moments he was quietly sleeping. "I must not betray his trust," Halsey said to himself , as he rummaged through his f riend's desk; but the drawer which probably contained the sermons was locked, and he could not Snd the key. He glanced at his watch ; he had barely time to catch the train. "Never mind," he thought, "I have a dozen of good ones by the ablest New York divines in my shorthand notebooks. I will read one or two of theni." Hastily throwing the note books and a few necessary articles into a hand bag, he set out for Ramoth Gilead. The station was merely a platform in the wilderness. The little settlement lay three miles away, around the spur of Mount Haystack. An elderly man was waiting upon the platform and shook hands with Halsey, remarking: "You are Mr. Steele, I s'pose. Dr. Corcoran has written us all so much about you, that the whole parish feel as if they knew you, though there isn't one of us that has ever set eyes on you." Upto th is moment all that Halsey had intended was to explain the situation, and to offer to supply his friend's place by reading suma of the sermons with which nis shorthand note book was abundantly supplied. Now the idea struck him that he might do his friend a good turn by actually personating him. The deacon had just shown him that this was possible. Why not do it! His self esteem told him that he could make a favorable impression upon these country people, and that a report would be sent to Dr. Corcoran of the atliletic appearance of the Rev. Andrew Steele, which would secure his friend the position he wished. Personally, the whole thing appeared to him in a ludicrous light. It would beanother racy experience of life, and would make a good story for his Bohemian club, "The Free Lances." There was a risk of detection, but that only added fascination to the enterprise. His decisión was made in a twinkling,'.and he shook hands with the deacon with quite a ministerial air. II. "I am going to take you to our house," the deacon remarked, as he led Halsey to his horse and buckboard, which were hidden in a group of sycamores at a little distance from the track. "You seeitrather tires the doctor to have company put up at the parsouage." "I am glad of that," thought Halsey, wondering how he could have stood thetwodays' scrutiny of a doctor of divinity, adding aloud: "I am sure I shall enjoy myself with you, and I hope you will teil me something about your people, and what kind of preaching you like up here." "Well, young man," the deacon replied, "we liko the Gospel. Some of the oldest amongst us are fond of points of doctrine, but the most part are spiritual babesand have to be fed on milk. They can't stand stronger meat than free agency and free ordination. We are mostly plain people, too. We liko plaiu living, plain dressing and plain speaking. We don't take ranch stock in a man who quotes Shakespeare in his sermons or that wears jewelry, or that is over particular about his victuals." Halsey stolo a hand furtively within his unen dustcr and removed a diamond stud of Which he was not a little vain. He had bought it at a bargain of an acquaintance who was obliged suddenly to raise a sum of money, and it had only been a perfectly safe investment of a little spara cash, but people here could not understand this, and it was just as well to suppress its glitter for the present. He was glad that he had chosen a black necktie that mornlng, and was still more thankful that he had not thrown away his last white one after wearing it to Mrs. Delano's german at Nairagansett pier. The good deacon was evidently pleased with the young man's deference In asking his opinión, and he gave it liberally. "We all think a sight of the old doctor," he said; "it's almost more than some of us can bear to think of his being set aside from this pulpit. The more you can show the people that you haven't come to take hi place; that you look up to him as your fathe:1 in Israel ; that you cocsider yourself put here only to stay up his handí as Aaron and Hur did those of Moses, the more you will please them. He will sit in his pulpit on Sunday, and of course you will ask him to make the longest prayer." "All of them, all of them," HaLsey exclaimxl, eagerly. He had not bef ore considered the eontingeney of being obliged to address the Supreme Being in moek devotion, and he was glad to be relieved frora this act of hypocrisy. "I suppose you've not been ordained yet," the deaeon continued, "and it will bethedoctor's part to pronounce the benediction. Any other little attentions which you can show him will better your chance with this congregation." The deacou seemed to take it for granted that Halsey's supremo aim iii life was to settle down as assistant preacher in this obscure town, and the young man laughed inwardly, scornfully reviling the notion ; while he replied with the utmost deference, "I will endeavcr to bear your advice in mind." They passed scattering farms, and on one of these the deacon pointed out a man ciad in russet blue overalls, faded blue shirt and flapping straw hat, who was engaged inbreaking a yoke of oxen, as an important magnate in the church. "That," said he, "is Brother Sloeumbe. He was a Methodist before he joined our communion, and there's nothing now that he likes better than a rousing camp meeting. He's a hard worker, and generally sleeps through the morning service, but he gets considerably refreshed in mind by evening, and he can be depended upon to occupy the time if he's wanted. He's fond of a pretty lively kind of preaching, with a good deal of thrashing around. The doctor's getting too weak lunged for him. He likes to have a minister come out strong on everlasting punishment and the dangor of falling f rom grace, and when a man preaches he wants him to preach all over." Halsey made a mental memorandum to give to Brother Sloeumbe one of the strongest sermons he could find the next evening, and he listened eagerly for further suggestions. "We've a sprinkling," said the deacon, "I'm thankful to say it's only a sprinkling, of folks who think more of culture than thev do of religión. The Pearee girls rather lead here on matters oí education. They read Germán and attend the summer school oí philosophy at Concord. When they don't find fault with the minister we all take it for granted that he's some. It would bo a grand thing ii you eould show them that you know as much as they do, but you don't look as if you were equal to it, and you needn't put yourself out for them. There are the Rogerses, who used to be Episeopalians; they'U be bothering you about a responsivo exercise, but don't you give in ; we've fit that for five years, it would cost too mueh to get it printed, it's too much trouble to get used to, and it looks like going over to Rome." Halsey rubbed nis forehead thoughtfully. Should he give the Misses Pearce one of Felix Adler's lectures before the Society of Ethical Culture or one of Joseph Cook's disquisitions! If the Rogers family held the traditions of Mother Church he thought he eould slip in a selection from Cardinal McCloekey which would please them. Their ride was over, and the deacon's wife greeted them cordially and welcomed them to a hot supper of fried chicken, "riz" biscuit and green tea. At the close of the repast the deacon remarked, "There's a prayer meeting appointed for to-night at our house. It isn't very well attended generally, but curiosity may bring some few out to see you." " A prayer meeting! Consternation," was Halsey's thought. "What shall I do?" What he said was: "I suppose the doctor will come and lead the meeting." "The doctor's a-coming," the deacon replied; "that's his buggy coming up theiill." A well worn and dusty chaise stopped at the gate, a venerable man alighted, accompanied by a sprightly young lady, who sprang nimbly to the ground, making only a good natured pretense of accepting the assistance of the courteous old gentleman. Halsey was introduced at the door and received the good minister's rather formal and priestly benediction with a feeling something like that of shame. He turned for relief to the young lady, to whom the doctor motioned him with a wave of the hand and the rather unsatisfactory introduction, "My niece, Oriënt." What was he to calí her? Nothing for the present, since they were not upon a footing which would permit the use of her Christian name; but as he glanced at her bright attractive face with its mischievons smile, he feit that an intiraacy which such a forra of address would indícate with a bewitching little personage like this would do much to reconcile a man to even this desert solitude. She had a bright, intelligent eountenance, made piquant remarks, was quick at repartee, and was as completely at home and unembarassed in his society as a city belle. In chatting with her he quite forgot to prepare his thoughts f or the coming ordeal of the prayer meeting. The people began to gather. The deacon introduced Brother Slocumbe - who had exchanged the overalls for his store clothes, but about whose freshtallowed cowhide boots the scent of the stable still lingered. The Pearce girls canio attended by a lantern and a dog. They were very plaiu, and not at ali young. Halsey thought discourteously that if the lantern flamed brightly enough to display their faces the protection of the dog was entirely unnecessary. The deacon's wife brought in lamps and a few well thumbed hymn books. The deacon roused Halsey from his pleasant chat with the remark, "I guess all 's come that 's coming;" and the doctor, handing him a Bible, insisted that he should take charge of the meeting. "Will some one select a hymn?" heasked in fear and trembling, and one of the Misses Pearce started "Sweet Hour of Prayer." At its close he read a cbftptér f;pom ,the Gospels chosen quite at random. llaving closed the Bible ho called upon the doctor to lead in prayer, and endeavored doring its slow progress to evolve some train of thought suitable to the occasion. Suddenly the story of Blind Bartimeeus, which he had just read, suggested a sermón of Henry Ward Beecher's. His short hand report book was in his [oeket, and fortunately, tho notes wero legible. Bef oro the doctor had reached "Amen" he had selected two pages, had read them over twice, and was prepared to repeat them in an off hand manner, with quite the air of giving utterance to something entirely his own. As ho began he noticed that the eyes of the doctor's niece were fixed upon him as though in anticipation of keen enjoyment. 'He is going to get into a muddie," they seemed to say ; "my attention will add to his embarrassment, and I am going to bo very nice and attentive." Halsey spoke fluently and saw her air of amused suienority fade into one of blank wonder, which said plainer than any words, "I have made a mistaken estima to of this young man 's abilities; he is uot such a ninny as he looks." Af ter spcaking fortwenty minutos, Halsey apologized for oecupying so much time, gave out another hymii and called upon the deacon and Brother Slocumbe to fill tho reniainlng minutes with prayer and exhortation. At the close of the meeting the doctor shook hands with him, with genuine approbation. "The Lord has committed a great talent to your trust, my son," he said to him in the dusk, as Halsey helped him Into his eonv-eyance. "Go not out to thebattle Ín your own strength. Remember the admoniti- 'ii of the King of Israel, 'Let not him that girdeth on his harness, boast himself as he that putteth it off.' "His niece was shyer than she liad beau beíore the meeting. Evidently she was impressed with Halsey's superior abilities, and the young man's heart swelled with elation. As be returned to the house the Misses Pearce were just leaving with their smoky lantern, and he could do no less than offsr to see thora home. The way was long and it was pitchy dark when ho returned, but the eldost Miss Pearce had insisted on his availing himself of her lanturu. 'Youcaa give it to me at church to-morrow," she said, "and you will rurely fall into the brook without it." As there really seemed some probability of this. Halsey took the lantern, at the same time rcproaching himself for his politeness. The deacon had told him so much of ths plain and simple minded character of his hearers that he determined to avoid all flights of oratory, and to give his audience a sermón as full of common senso as could be found in his collection. A lecture by the Rev. Hobert Collyer [CONTINUED ÍN OUE NKXT.]