file which includes the original illustration4 ,see #bjihc-;h4htm or #bjihc-;h4zip3 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/dirs_/#b_/ j_/i_/h_/bjihc_/bjihc-;h_/#bjihc-;h4htm7 or 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/dirs_/#b_/ j_/i_/h_/bjihc_/bjihc-;h4zip7 ,,robert ,,hardy',s ,,seven ,,days4 ,a ,dream and ,its ,consequences4 by ,,charles ,m4 ,,sheldon1 ,author of ,in ,his ,steps1 ,the ,crucifixion of ,phillip ,strong1 ,his ,brother's ,keeper1 ,etc4 ,frontispiece3 ,he continued kneeling there4 ,london3 ,ward1 ,lock ,co41 ,limited1 ,warwick ,house1 ,salisbury ,square1 ,e4,c4 ,new ,york and ,melbourne4 #ahii ,,preface4 ,this story was first read by the author to his ,sunday evening congregation in the spring of #ahib4 ,the chapters were given one at a time on consecutive ,sundays1 and the way in which the story was received encouraged the pastor in his attempt to solve the problem of the ,sunday evening service in this manner4 ,,charles ,m4 ,,sheldon4 ,central ,church1 ,,topeka1 ,kansas4 ,,contents4 ,,the ,,dream ,,monday--,,the ,,first ,,day ,,tuesday--,,the ,,second ,,day ,,wednesday--,,the ,,third ,,day ,,thursday--,,the ,,fourth ,,day ,,friday--,,the ,,fifth ,,day ,,saturday--,,the ,,sixth ,,day ,,sunday--,,the ,,seventh ,,day ,,robert ,,hardy',s ,,seven ,,days4 ,,the ,,dream4 ,it was ,sunday night1 and ,robert ,hardy had just come home from the evening service in the church at ,barton4 ,he was not in the habit of attending the evening service1 but something said by his minister in the morning had impelled him to go out4 ,the evening had been a little unpleasant1 and a light snow was falling1 and his wife had excused herself from going to church on that account4 ,mr4 ,hardy came home cross and fault-finding4 ,catch me going to evening service again6 ,only fifty people out1 and it was a sheer waste of fuel and light4 ,the sermon was one of the dullest ,i ever heard4 ,i believe ,mr4 ,jones is growing too old for our church4 ,we need a young man1 more up with the times4 ,he is everlastingly harping on the necessity of doing what we can in the present to save souls4 ,to hear him talk you would think every man who wasn't running round to save souls every winter was a robber and an enemy of society4 ,he is getting off1 too1 on this new-fangled ,christian ,sociology1 and thinks the rich men are oppressing the poor1 and that church members ought to study and follow more closely the teachings of ,christ1 and be more brotherly and neighbourly to their fellow men4 ,bah6 ,i am sick of the whole subject of humanity4 ,i shall withdraw my pledge to the salary if the present style of preaching continues4 ,what was the text of the sermon tonight8 asked ,mrs4 ,hardy4 ,oh1 ,i don't remember exactly6 ,something about ',this night thy soul shall be demanded1' or words like that4 ,i don't believe in this attempt to scare folks into heaven4 ,it would take a good many sermons to scare you1 ,robert4 ,yes1 more than two a week1 replied ,mr4 ,hardy1 with a dry laugh4 ,he drew off his overcoat and threw himself down on the lounge in front of the open fire4 ,where are the girls8 ,alice is upstairs reading the morning paper2 ,clara and ,bess went over to call on the ,caxtons4 ,how did they happen to go over there8 ,mrs4 ,hardy hesitated4 ,finally she said1 ,james came over and invited them4 ,and they know ,i have forbidden them to have anything to do with the ,caxtons6 ,when they come in ,i will let them know ,i mean what ,i say4 ,it is very strange the girls do not appear to understand that4 ,mr4 ,hardy rose from the lounge and walked across the room1 then came back and lay down again1 and from his recumbent position poked the fire savagely with the shovel4 ,mrs4 ,hardy bit her lips and seemed on the point of replying1 but said nothing4 ,at last ,mr4 ,hardy asked1 ,where are the boys8 ,will is getting out his lessons for to-morrow up in his room4 ,george went out about eight o'clock4 ,he didn't say where he was going4 ,it's a nice family4 ,is there one night in the year1 ,mary1 when all our children are at home8 ,almost as many as there are when you are at home6 retorted ,mrs4 ,hardy4 ,what with your club and your lodge and your scientific society and your reading circle and your directors' meeting1 the children see about as much of you as you do of them4 ,how many nights in a week do you give to us1 ,robert8 ,do you think it is strange that the children go outside for their amusements8 ,our home--,mrs4 ,hardy paused and looked around at the costly interior of the room where the two were--our home is well furnished with everything but our own children4 ,the man on the lounge was silent4 ,he felt the sharpness of the thrust made by his wife1 and knew it was too true to be denied4 ,but ,mr4 ,hardy was1 above all things else1 selfish4 ,he had not the remotest intention of giving up his club or his scientific society or his frequent cosy dinners with business men down town because his wife spent so many lonely deserted evenings at home1 and because his children were almost strangers to him4 ,but it annoyed him1 as a respectable citizen1 to have his children making acquaintances that he did not approve1 and it grated on his old-fashioned1 inherited ,new ,england ideas that his boys and girls should be away from home so often in the evening1 and especially on ,sunday evening4 ,the maxim of ,robert ,hardy's life was ,self-interest first4 ,as long as he was not thwarted in his own pleasures he was as good-natured as the average man4 ,he provided liberally for the household expenses1 and his wife and children were supplied with money and the means to travel as they requested it4 ,but the minute he was crossed in his own plans1 or anyone demanded of him a service that compelled some self-denial1 he became hard1 ill-natured1 and haughty4 ,he had been a member of the church at ,barton for twenty-five years1 one of the trustees1 and a liberal giver4 ,he prided himself on that fact4 ,but so far as giving any of his time or personal service was concerned1 he would as soon have thought of giving all his property away to the first poor man he met4 ,his minister had this last week written him an earnest1 warm-hearted letter1 expressing much pleasure at the service he had rendered so many years as a trustee1 and asking him if he would not come to the ,wednesday evening meeting that week and take some part1 whatever he chose1 to help along4 ,it was a season of anxious interest among many in the church1 and the pastor earnestly desired the presence and help of all the members4 ,robert had read the letter through hastily and smiled a little scornfully4 ,what6 he take part in a prayer meeting6 ,he couldn't remember when he had attended one--they were too dull for him4 ,he wondered at ,mr4 ,jones for writing such a letter1 and almost felt as though he had been impertinent4 ,he threw the letter in the waste basket and did not even answer it4 ,he would not have been guilty of such a lack of courtesy in regard to a business letter1 but a letter from his minister was another thing4 ,the idea of replying to a letter from him never occurred to ,mr4 ,hardy4 ,and when ,thursday night came he went down to a meeting of the chess club and had a good time with his favourite game3 for he was a fine player1 and was engaged in a series of games which were being played for the ,state championship4 ,the superintendent of the ,sunday-school had lately timidly approached ,mr4 ,hardy and asked him if he would not take a class of boys in the ,sunday-school4 ,what6 he take a class of boys6 ,he1 the influential1 wealthy manager of one of the largest railroad shops in the world--he give his time to the teaching of a ,sunday-school class6 ,he excused himself on the score of lack of time1 and the very same evening of his interview with the superintendent he went to the theatre to hear a roaring farce1 and after he reached home spent an hour in his favourite study of chemistry in his laboratory at the top of his house3 for ,mr4 ,hardy was a man of considerable power as a student1 and he had an admirable physical constitution1 capable of the most terrible strain4 ,anything that gave him pleasure he was willing to work for4 ,he was not lazy2 but the idea of giving his personal time and service and talents to bless the world had no place in his mind4 ,and so1 as he lay on the lounge that evening and listened to his wife's plain statement concerning his selfishness1 he had no intention of giving up a single thing that gratified his tastes and fed his pride4 ,after a silence just about long enough for someone to make the explanation just given1 ,mrs4 ,hardy said1 speaking coldly1 as if it were a matter of indifference to her3 ,mr4 ,burns1 the foreman1 called while you were out4 ,he did8 ,what did he want8 ,he said four of the men in the casting room were severely injured this afternoon by the bursting of one of the retorts1 and the entire force had quit work and gone home4 ,couldn't ,burns supply the place of the injured men8 ,he knows where the extras are4 ,that was what he came to see you about4 ,he said he needed further directions4 ,the men flatly refused to work another minute1 and went out in a body4 ,i don't blame them much4 ,robert1 don't you believe ,god will punish you for keeping the shops open on ,sunday8 ,nonsense1 ,mary1 replied ,mr4 ,hardy2 yet there was a shadow of uneasiness in his tone4 ,the work has got to go on4 ,it is a work of necessity4 ,railroads are public servants2 they can't rest ,sundays4 ,then when ,god tells the world that it must not work on ,sundays1 ,he does not mean railroad men8 ,the ,fourth ,commandment ought to read1 ',remember the ,sabbath day and keep it holy1 except all ye men who work for railroads4 ,ye haven't any ,sunday4' ,mary1 ,i didn't come from one sermon to listen to another4 ,you're worse than ,mr4 ,jones4 ,mr4 ,hardy half rose on the lounge and leaned on his elbow1 looking at his wife with every mark of displeasure on his face4 ,yet as he looked1 somehow there stole into his thought the memory of the old ,new ,england home back in the ,vermont ,hills1 and the vision of that quiet little country village where ,mary and he had been brought up together4 ,he seemed to see the old meeting-house on the hill1 at the end of a long1 elm-shaded street that straggled through the village1 and he saw himself again as he began to fall in love with ,mary1 the beauty of the village2 and he had a vision of one ,sunday when1 walking back from church by ,mary's side1 he had asked her to be his wife4 ,it seemed to him that a breath of the meadow just beyond ,squire ,hazen's place came into the room1 just as it was wafted up to him when ,mary turned and said the happy word that made that day the gladdest1 proudest day he had ever known4 ,what1 memories of the old times6 ,what6 ,he seemed to come to himself1 and stared around into the fire as if wondering where he was1 and he did not see the tear that rolled down his wife's cheek and fell upon her two hands clasped in her lap4 ,she arose and went over to the piano1 which stood in the shadow1 and sitting down1 with her back to her husband1 she played fragments of music nervously4 ,mr4 ,hardy lay down on the lounge again4 ,after a while ,mrs4 ,hardy wheeled about on the piano stool and said3 ,robert1 don't you think you had better go over and see ,mr4 ,burns about the men who were hurt8 ,why1 what can ,i do about it8 ,the company's doctor will see to them4 ,i should only be in the way4 ,did ,burns say they were badly hurt8 ,one of them had his eyes put out1 and another will have to lose both feet4 ,i think he said his name was ,scoville4 ,what1 not ,ward ,scoville8 ,i think ,burns said that was the name4 ,mr4 ,hardy rose from the lounge1 then lay down again4 ,oh1 well1 ,i can go there the first thing in the morning4 ,i can't do anything now1 he muttered4 ,but there came to his memory a picture of one day when he was walking through the machine shops4 ,a heavy piece of casting had broken from the end of a large hoisting derrick and would have fallen upon him and probably killed him if this man1 ,scoville1 at the time a workman in the machine department1 had not pulled him to one side1 at the risk of his own life4 ,as it was1 in saving the life of the manager1 ,scoville was struck on the shoulder1 and rendered useless for work for four weeks4 ,mr4 ,hardy had raised his wages and advanced him to a responsible position in the casting room4 ,mr4 ,hardy was not a man without generosity and humane feeling2 but as he lay on the lounge that evening and thought of the cold snow outside and the distance to the shop tenements1 he readily excused himself from going out to see the man who had once saved him1 and who now lay maimed for life4 ,if anyone thinks it impossible that one man calling himself a ,christian could be thus indifferent to another1 then he does not know the power that selfishness can exercise over the actions of men4 ,mr4 ,hardy had one supreme law which he obeyed1 and that law was self4 ,again ,mrs4 ,hardy1 who rarely ventured to oppose her husband's wishes1 turned to the piano and struck a few chords aimlessly4 ,then she wheeled about and said abruptly3 ,robert1 the cook gave warning tonight that she must go home at once4 ,mr4 ,hardy had begun to doze a little1 but at this sudden statement he sat up and exclaimed3 ,well1 you are the bearer of bad news to-night1 ,mary6 ,what's the matter with everybody8 ,i suppose the cook wants more pay4 ,mrs4 ,hardy replied quietly3 ,her sister is dying4 ,and do you know1 ,i believe ,i have never given the girl credit for much feeling4 ,she always seemed to me to lack there1 though she is certainly the most faithful and efficient servant we ever had in the house4 ,she came in just after ,mr4 ,burns left1 and broke down1 crying bitterly4 ,it seems her sister is married to one of the railroad men here in town1 and has been ailing with consumption for some months4 ,she is very poor1 and a large family has kept her struggling for mere existence4 ,the cook was almost beside herself with grief as she told the story1 and said she must leave us and care for her sister1 who could not live more than a week at the longest4 ,i pitied the poor girl4 ,robert1 don't you think we could do something for the family8 ,we have so much ourselves4 ,we could easily help them and not miss a single luxury4 ,and where would such help end8 ,if we give to every needy person who comes along we shall be beggars ourselves4 ,besides1 ,i can't afford it4 ,the boys are a heavy expense to me while they are in college1 and the company has been cutting down salaries lately4 ,if the cook's sister is married to a railroad man1 he is probably getting good wages and can support her all right4 ,what if that railroad man were injured and made a cripple for life8 inquired ,mrs4 ,hardy quietly4 ,then the insurance companies or the societies can help them out4 ,i don't see how we can make every case that comes along our care4 ,there would be no end of it if we once began4 ,as nearly as ,i can find out1 continued ,mrs4 ,hardy1 without replying to her husband's remarks1 cook's sister is married to one of the men who was hurt this afternoon4 ,she talks so brokenly in our language that ,i could not make out exactly how it is2 and she was much excited4 ,suppose it was ,scoville3 couldn't you do something for them then1 ,robert8 ,i might1 replied ,mr4 ,hardy briefly4 ,but ,i can tell you1 ,i have more calls for my money now than ,i can meet4 ,take the church expenses for example4 ,why1 we are called upon to give to some cause or other every week1 besides our regular pledges for current expenses4 ,it's a constant drain4 ,i shall have to cut down on my pledge4 ,we can't be giving to everything all the time1 and have anything ourselves4 ,mr4 ,hardy spoke with a touch of indignation4 ,his wife glanced around the almost palatial room and smiled2 then her face grew a little stern and almost forbidding1 as she remembered that only last week her husband had spent #aej for a new electrical apparatus to experiment with in his laboratory4 ,and now he was talking hard times1 and grudging the small sums he gave to religious objects in connection with his church1 and thinking he could not afford to help the family of a man who had once saved his life4 ,again she turned to the piano and played a while1 but she could not be rested by the music as sometimes she had been4 ,when she finally arose and walked over by the table near the end of the lounge1 ,mr4 ,hardy was asleep1 and she sat down by the table gazing into the open fire drearily1 a look of sorrow and unrest on the face still beautiful but worn by years of disappointment and the loss of that respect and admiration she once held for the man who had vowed at the altar to make her 'happy4' ,she had not wholly lost her love for him1 but she was fast losing the best part of it1 the love which has its daily source in an inborn respect4 ,when respect is gone1 love is not long in following after4 ,she sat thus for half an hour1 and was at last aroused by the two girls1 ,clara and ,bess1 coming in4 ,they were laughing and talking together1 and had evidently parted with someone at the door4 ,mrs4 ,hardy went out into the hallway4 ,hush1 girls1 your father is asleep6 ,you know how he feels to be awakened suddenly by noise4 ,but he has been waiting up for you4 ,then ,i guess we'll go upstairs without bidding him good-night1 said ,clara abruptly4 ,i don't want to be lectured about going over to the ,caxtons'4 ,no2 ,i want to see you both and have a little talk with you4 ,come in here4 ,mrs4 ,hardy drew the two girls into the front room and pulled the curtains together over the arch opening into the room where ,mr4 ,hardy lay4 ,now tell me1 girls1 why did your father forbid your going over to the ,caxtons'8 ,i did not know of it until to-night4 ,has it something to do with ,james8 ,neither of the girls said anything for a minute4 ,then1 ,bess1 who was the younger of the two and famous for startling the family with very sensational remarks1 replied1 ,james and ,clara are engaged2 and they are going to be married tomorrow4 ,mrs4 ,hardy looked at ,clara1 who grew very red in the face1 and then1 to the surprise of her mother and ,bess1 the girl burst out into a violent fit of crying4 ,mrs4 ,hardy gathered her into her arms as in the olden times when she was a little child and soothed her into quietness4 ,tell me all about it1 dear4 ,i did not know you cared for ,james in that way4 ,but ,i do1 sobbed ,clara4 ,and father guessed something and forbade us going there any more4 ,but ,i didn't think he would mind it if ,bess and ,i went just this one night4 ,i couldn't help it1 anyway4 ,mother1 isn't it right for people to love each other8 ,tisn't proper to talk about such things on ,sunday1 said ,bess1 solemnly4 ,clara1 said ,mrs4 ,hardy1 why1 you're only a child yet6 ,is it true that ,james is--why1 he is only a boy6 ,he is twenty-one and ,i am eighteen1 and he's earning forty dollars a month in the office and is one of the best stenographers in the ,state4 ,we've talked it over1 and ,i wish we could be married to-morrow1 so6 ,clara burst out with it all at once1 while ,bess remarked quietly3-- ,yes1 they're real sensible1 and ,i think ,james is nice2 but when ,i marry ,i want more than forty dollars a month for candy alone4 ,and then he isn't particularly handsome4 ,he is too6 cried ,clara4 ,and he's good and brave and splendid1 and ,i'd rather have him than a thousand such men as ,lancey ,cummings6 ,mother1 ,i don't want money4 ,it hasn't made you happy6 ,hush1 dear6 ,mrs4 ,hardy felt as if a blow had smitten her in the face4 ,she was silent then4 ,clara put her arms around her mother and whispered3 ,forgive me1 mother6 ,i didn't mean to hurt you4 ,but ,i am so unhappy4 ,unhappy6 ,and yet the girl was just beginning to blossom out towards the face of ,god under the influence of that most divine and tender and true feeling that ever comes to a girl who knows that a true1 brave man loves her with all his soul4 ,and some people would have us leave this subject to the flippant novelist instead of treating it as ,christ did when ,he said1 ,for this cause that is1 for love shall a man leave his father and mother1 and shall cleave unto his wife4 ,mrs4 ,hardy was on the point of saying something when the sound of peculiar steps on the stairs was heard1 and shortly after ,alice pushed the curtains aside and came in4 ,alice was the oldest girl in the family4 ,she was a cripple1 the result of an accident when a child1 and she carried a crutch1 using it with much skill and even grace4 ,the minute she entered the room she saw something was happening1 but she simply said3-- ,mother1 isn't it a little strange father sleeps so soundly8 ,i went up to him and spoke to him just now1 thinking he was just lying there1 and he didn't answer1 and then ,i saw he was asleep4 ,but ,i never knew him to sleep so ,sunday night4 ,he usually reads up in the study4 ,perhaps he is sick2 ,i will go and see4 ,mrs4 ,hardy rose and went into the other room2 and just then the younger boy1 ,will1 came downstairs4 ,he said something to his mother as he passed through the room1 carrying one of his books in his hand and then came in where the girls were4 ,say1 ,alice1 translate this passage for me1 will you8 ,confound the old ,romans anyway6 ,what do ,i care about the way they fought their old battles and built their old one-horse bridges6 ,what makes me angry is the way ,caesar has of telling a thing4 ,why can't he drive right straight ahead instead of beating about the bush so8 ,if ,i couldn't get up a better language than those old duffers used to write their books in1 ,i'd lie down and die4 ,i can't find the old verb to that sentence anyway4 ,maybe it's around on the other page somewhere1 or maybe ,caesar left it out just on purpose to plague us boys4 ,and ,will shied the book over to ,alice1 who good-naturedly began to read1 while that much suffering youth sat down by ,bess and began to tease her and ,clara4 ,what are you and ,clara doing at this time of day8 ,time you youngsters were going up stairs4 ,play us a little tune1 ,bessie1 will you8 ,what you been crying for1 ,clara ,vere de ,vere8 ,i should think you would be ashamed of yourself1 ,will1 studying on ,sundays1 said ,bess reprovingly and with dignity4 ,no worse than sparking ,sunday nights1 retorted the incorrigible ,will4 ,i haven't been1 replied ,bess1 indignantly4 ,i've been with ,clara4 ,she doesn't need any help1 does she8 inquired ,will1 innocently4 ,and going over where ,clara lay with her face hid in the pillow of a large couch1 ,will tried to pull the pillow out from under her head4 ,let me alone1 ,will4 ,i don't feel well1 said a muffled voice from the pillow4 ,pshaw6 you're fooling4 ,no1 ,i'm not4 ,let me alone4 ,come here1 or ,i won't read your sentence for you1 called ,alice4 ,and ,will reluctantly withdrew1 for he knew from experience that ,alice would keep her word4 ,all right4 ,now go ahead2 not too fast4 ,here6 ,wait a minute6 ,let me write her down4 ,i don't intend to miss to-morrow if ,i can help it4 ,and old ,romulus will call me up on this very passage1 ,i know4 ,be just like him1 though1 to strike me on the review4 ,at that minute the door opened and in came ,george1 the elder boy1 and the oldest of the group of children4 ,he hung up hat and coat1 and strolled into the room4 ,where's mother8 ,she's in the other room1 answered ,bess4 ,father's been asleep1 and mother was afraid he was going to have a fever4 ,that's one of your stories1 said ,george1 who seemed in a good-natured mood4 ,he sat down and drew his little sister towards him and whispered to her3 ,say1 ,bess1 ,i want some money again4 ,awfully8 whispered ,bess4 ,yes1 for a special reason4 ,do you think you could let me have a little8 ,why1 of course6 you can have all my month's allowance4 ,but why don't you ask father8 ,no2 ,i've asked him too much lately4 ,he refused point blank last time4 ,i didn't like the way he spoke4 ,well1 you can have all mine1 said ,bess1 whispering4 ,george and she were great friends1 and there was not a thing that ,bessie would not have done for her big brother1 who was her hero4 ,what he wanted with so much money she never asked4 ,they were still whispering together1 and ,clara had just risen to go upstairs1 and ,alice and ,will had finished the translation1 and ,will was just on the point of seeing how near he could come to throwing the ,commentaries of ,caesar into an ornamental ,japanese jar across the room1 when ,mrs4 ,hardy parted the curtains at the arch and beckoned her children to come into the next room4 ,her face was exceedingly pale1 and she was trembling as if with some great terror4 ,the children all cried out in surprise and hurried into the next room4 ,but before relating what happened there1 we will follow ,mr4 ,hardy into the experience he had1 just after falling asleep upon the lounge by the open fire4 ,it seemed to him that he stepped at once from the room where he lay into a place such as he had never seen before1 where the one great idea that filled his entire thought was that of the ,present ,moment4 ,spread out before him as if reproduced by a phonograph and a magic lantern combined was the moving panorama of the entire world4 ,he thought he saw into every home1 every public place of business1 every saloon and place of amusement1 every shop and every farm1 every place of industry1 pleasure1 and vice upon the face of the globe4 ,and he thought he could hear the world's conversation1 catch its sobs of suffering--nay1 even catch the meaning of unspoken thoughts of the heart4 ,with that absurd rapidity peculiar to certain dreams1 he fancied that over every city on the globe was placed a glass cover through which he could look1 and through which the sounds of the city's industry came to him4 ,but he thought that he ascertained that by lifting off one of these covers he could hear with greater distinctness the thoughts of the inhabitants1 and see all they were doing and suffering1 with the most minute exactness4 ,he looked for the place of his own town--,barton4 ,there it lay in its geographical spot on the globe1 and he thought that1 moved by an impulse he could not resist1 he lifted off the cover and bent down to see and hear4 ,the first thing he saw was his minister's home4 ,it was just after the ,sunday evening service1 the one which ,mr4 ,hardy had thought so dull4 ,mr4 ,jones was talking over the evening with his wife4 ,my dear1 he said1 ,i feel about discouraged4 ,of what use is all our praying and longing for the ,holy ,spirit1 when our own church members are so cold and unspiritual that all ,his influence is destroyed8 ,you know ,i made a special plea to all the members to come out to-night1 yet only a handful were there4 ,i feel like giving up the struggle4 ,you know ,i could make a better living in literary work1 and the children could be better cared for then4 ,but1 ,john1 it was a bad night to get out3 you must remember that4 ,but only fifty out of a church membership of four hundred1 most of them living near by6 ,it doesn't seem just right to me4 ,mr4 ,hardy was there4 ,did you see him8 ,yes2 after service ,i went and spoke to him1 and he treated me very coldly4 ,and yet he is the most wealthy1 and in some ways the most gifted1 church member we have4 ,he could do great things for the good of this community1 if-- ,suddenly ,mr4 ,hardy thought the minister changed into the ,sunday-school superintendent1 and he was walking down the street thinking about his classes in the school1 and ,mr4 ,hardy thought he could hear the superintendent's thoughts1 as if his ear were at a phonograph4 ,it's too bad6 ,that class of boys ,i wanted ,mr4 ,hardy to take left the school because no one could be found to teach them4 ,and now ,bob ,wilson has got into trouble and been arrested for petty thieving4 ,it will be a terrible blow to his poor mother4 ,oh1 why is it that men like ,mr4 ,hardy cannot be made to see the importance of work in the ,sunday ,school8 ,with his knowledge of chemistry and geology1 he could have reached that class of boys and invited them to his home1 up into his laboratory1 and exercised an influence over them they would never outgrow4 ,oh6 it's a strange thing to me that men of such possibilities do not realize their power6 ,the superintendent passed along shaking his head sorrowfully1 and ,mr4 ,hardy1 who seemed guided by some power he could not resist1 and compelled to listen whether he liked it or not1 next found himself looking into one of the railroad-shop tenements2 where the man ,scoville was lying1 awaiting amputation of both feet after the terrible accident4 ,scoville's wife lay upon a ragged lounge1 while ,mrs4 ,hardy's cook kneeled by her side and in her native ,swedish tongue tried to comfort the poor woman4 ,so it was true that these two were sisters4 ,the man was still conscious1 and suffering unspeakably4 ,the railroad surgeon had been sent for1 but had not arrived4 ,three or four men and their wives had come in to do what they could4 ,mr4 ,burns1 the foreman1 was among them4 ,one of the men spoke in a whisper to him3 ,have you been to see ,mr4 ,hardy8 ,yes2 but he was at church4 ,i left word about the accident4 ,at church6 ,so even the devil sometimes goes to church4 ,what for1 ,i wonder8 ,will he be here1 think8 ,don't know6 replied ,mr4 ,burns curtly4 ,do you mind when he pointing to ,scoville saved ,mr4 ,hardy's life8 ,remember it well enough2 was standing close by4 ,what'll be done with the children when ,scoville goes1 eh8 ,don't know4 ,just then the surgeon came in and preparations were rapidly made for the operation4 ,the last that ,mr4 ,hardy heard was the shriek of the poor wife as she struggled to her feet and fell in a fit across the floor where two of the youngest children clung terrified to her dress1 and the father cried out1 tears of agony and despair running down his face4 ,my ,god1 what a hell this world is6 ,the next scene was a room where everything appeared confused at first1 but finally grew more distinct and terrible in its significance4 ,the first person ,mr4 ,hardy recognised was his own oldest boy1 ,george1 in company with a group of young men engaged in--what6 ,he rubbed his eyes and stared1 painfully4 ,yes3 they were gambling4 ,so here was where ,george spent all his money1 and ,bessie's too6 ,nothing that the miserable father had seen so far cut him to the quick quite so sharply as this4 ,he had prided himself on his own freedom from vices1 and had an honest horror of them3 for ,mr4 ,hardy was not a monster of iniquity1 only an intensely selfish man4 ,gambling1 drinking1 impurity--all the physical vices--were to ,mr4 ,hardy the lowest degradation4 ,the thought that his own son had fallen into this pit was terrible to him4 ,but he was compelled to look and listen4 ,all the young men were smoking1 and beer and wine1 which stood on a buffet at one side of the room1 were plentifully partaken of4 ,i say1 ,george1 said a very flashily-dressed youth1 who was smoking that invention of the devil1 a cigarette1 your old man would rub his eyes to see you here1 eh8 ,well1 ,i should remark he would1 replied ,george1 as he shuffled the cards and then helped himself to a drink4 ,i say1 ,george1 said the first speaker1 your sister ,bess is getting to be a beauty4 ,introduce me1 will you8 ,no1 ,i won't1 said ,george shortly4 ,he had been losing all the evening1 and he felt nervous and irritable4 ,ah6 ,we are too bad1 eh8 ,george made some fierce reply1 and the other fellow struck him4 ,instantly ,george sprang to his feet and a fight took place4 ,mr4 ,hardy could not bear it any longer4 ,he thought he broke away from the scene by the exercise of a great determination4 ,next he found himself looking into his own home4 ,it seemed to him it was an evening when he and all the children had gone out and ,mrs4 ,hardy sat alone1 looking into the fire as she had been looking before he fell asleep4 ,she was thinking1 and her thoughts were like burning coals as they fell into ,mr4 ,hardy's heart and scorched him1 as no other scene1 not even the last1 had done4 ,my husband6 ,mrs4 ,hardy was saying to herself1 how long it is since he gave me a caress1 kissed me when he went to his work1 or laid his hand lovingly on my cheek as he used to do6 ,how brave1 and handsome1 and good ,i used to think him in the old ,vermont days when we were struggling for our little home1 and his best thought was of the home and of the wife6 ,but the years have changed him2 oh1 yes6 they have changed him bitterly4 ,i wonder if he realises my hunger for his affection8 ,of what value to me are all these baubles wealth brings compared with a loving look1 a tender smile1 an affectionate caress6 ,o ,robert6 ,robert6 come back to me6 for ,i am so lonely1 so lonely6 ,would to ,god all our riches might be taken from us and our position in ,society be lost to us6 for ,i am fast losing my love for him who is my husband4 ,great and long-suffering and forgiving ,god1 help me6 ,i feel wicked sometimes4 ,i cannot bear this kind of a life4 ,it is killing me6 ,it is robbing me of all that life contains that is sweet and true4 ,o ,father of mercies1 for ,jesus' sake do not let me grow insane or without belief6 ,o ,robert1 ,robert6 my lover1 my husband2 ,i will1 ,i will love you6 ,and ,mrs4 ,hardy fell on her knees by the side of the couch and buried her face in its cushions and sobbed and prayed4 ,suddenly the whole scene changed1 and ,mr4 ,hardy1 who had stretched out his arms to comfort his wife as in the old days when love was young1 felt himself carried by an irresistible power up away from the earth1 past the stars and planets and suns and satellites that blazed like gems in space2 on1 on for what seemed to him like ages of time1 until even the thought of time grew indistinct2 on and up and into the presence of the most mighty ,face he had ever looked into4 ,it was the ,face of ,eternity4 ,on its brow was written in words of blazing light the one word ,now4 ,and as he looked into that calm1 awful ,face and read that word1 ,mr4 ,hardy felt his soul crumble within him4 ,when the ,face spoke it was the speech of a thousand oceans heaved by a million tempests1 yet through the terror of it ran a thread of music--a still1 sweet sound like everlasting love--as if angels sang somewhere a divine accompaniment4 ,and the ,face said3 ,child of humanity1 you have neglected and despised me for fifty years4 ,you have lived for yourself4 ,you have been careless and thoughtless of the world's great needs4 ,the time of your redemption is short4 ,it has been appointed you by ,him who rules the world that you should have but seven more days to live upon the earth--seven days to help redeem your soul from everlasting shame and death4 ,mortal1 see to it that thou use the precious time like those who toil for jewels in the mine beneath the sea4 ,i who speak unto thee am ,eternity4 ,then ,robert ,hardy thought he fell prostrate before that awful face and begged in bitterest terror for a longer lease of life4 ,seven days6 ,why it will be but seven swift seconds to redeem my past6 ,seven days6 ,it will be a nothing in the marking of time6 ,o mighty ,power1 grant me longer6 ,seven weeks6 ,seven years6 ,and ,i will live for ,thee as never mortal yet lived6 ,and ,robert ,hardy sobbed and held his arms beseechingly up toward that most resplendent ,face4 ,and as he thus stretched out his arms1 the ,face bent down1 toward his1 and he thought a smile of pity gleamed upon it and he hoped that more time would be granted him2 and then1 as it came nearer1 he suddenly awoke1 and there was his own wife bending over him1 and a tear from her face fell upon his own1 as she said3 ,robert6 ,robert6 ,mr4 ,hardy sat up confused and trembling4 ,then he clasped his wife to him and kissed her as he used to do4 ,and then1 to her great amazement1 he related to her in a low tone the dream he had just had4 ,mrs4 ,hardy listened in the most undisguised astonishment4 ,but what followed filled her heart with fear4 ,mary1 said her husband1 with the utmost solemnity1 ,i cannot regard this as a dream alone4 ,i have awakened with the firm conviction that ,i have only seven days left to live4 ,i feel that ,god has spoken to me2 and ,i have only seven days more to do my work in this world4 ,o ,robert6 it was only a dream4 ,no2 it was more1 ,mary4 ,you know ,i am not imaginative or superstitious in the least4 ,you know ,i never dream4 ,and this was something else4 ,i shall die out of this world a week from to-night4 ,are the children here8 ,call them in4 ,mr4 ,hardy spoke in a tone of such calm conviction1 that ,mrs4 ,hardy was filled with wonder and fear4 ,she went to the curtain1 and1 as we have already recorded1 she called the children into the other room4 ,mr4 ,hardy gazed upon his children with a look they had not seen upon his face for years4 ,briefly but calmly he related his experience1 omitting the details of the vision and all mention of the scene where ,george had appeared1 and then declared with a solemnity and impressiveness that could not be resisted3 ,my dear children1 ,i have not lived as ,i should4 ,i have not been to you the father ,i ought to have been4 ,i have lived a very selfish1 useless life4 ,i have only seven more days to live4 ,god has spoken to me4 ,i am-- ,he broke off suddenly1 and1 sobbing as only a strong man can1 he drew his wife toward him and caressed her1 while ,bess crept up and put her arms about her father's neck4 ,the terrible suspicion shot into ,mrs4 ,hardy's mind that her husband was insane4 ,the children were terrified2 only ,alice seemed to catch the reflection of her mother's thought4 ,at the same time1 ,mr4 ,hardy seemed to feel the suspicion held by them4 ,no1 he said1 as if in answer to a spoken charge1 ,i am not insane4 ,i never was more calm4 ,i am in possession of all my faculties4 ,but ,i have looked into the ,face of ,eternity this night and ,i know1 ,i know that in seven days ,god will require my soul4 ,mary1 he turned to his wife with the most beseeching cry1 ,mary1 do you believe me8 ,she looked into her husband's face and saw there the old look4 ,reason1 the noblest of all gifts1 shone out of that noble face now lighted up with the old love1 and standing on the brink of the other world4 ,and ,mrs4 ,hardy1 looking her husband in the face1 replied3 ,yes1 ,robert1 ,i believe you4 ,you may be mistaken in this impression about the time left you to live1 but you are not insane4 ,o ,god1 ,i thank ,thee for that6 cried ,mr4 ,hardy4 ,often during the most remarkable week he ever lived ,mr4 ,hardy reposed in that implicit belief of his wife in his sanity4 ,there was a pause4 ,then ,mr4 ,hardy asked ,george to bring the ,bible4 ,he read from ,john's ,gospel that matchless prayer of ,christ in the seventeenth chapter2 then kneeling down1 he prayed as he had never prayed before1 that in the week allotted him to live he might know how to bless the world and serve his ,master best4 ,and when he arose and looked about upon his wife and children1 it was with the look of one who has been into the very presence chamber of the only living ,god4 ,at the same moment1 so fast had the time gone in the excitement1 the clock upon the mantel struck the hour of midnight--and the first of ,robert ,hardy's seven days had begun6 ,,monday--,,the ,,first ,,day4 ,when ,mr4 ,hardy woke on the morning of the first of the seven days left him to live1 he was on the point of getting ready for his day's business1 as usual1 when the memory of his dream flashed upon him1 and he was appalled to decide what he should do first4 ,breakfast was generally a hurried and silent meal with him4 ,the children usually came straggling down at irregular intervals1 and it was very seldom that the family all sat down together4 ,this morning ,mr4 ,hardy waited until all had appeared1 and while they were eating he held a family council4 ,his wife was evidently in great excitement and anxiety1 and yet the love and tenderness she felt coming back to her from her husband gave her face a look of beauty that had been a stranger to it for years4 ,the children were affected in various ways by their father's remarkable change4 ,george was sullen and silent4 ,will looked thoughtful and troubled4 ,alice1 a girl of very strong and decided opinions and character1 greeted her father with a kiss and seemed to understand the new relations he now sustained to them all4 ,clara appeared terrified1 as if death had already come into the house1 and several times she broke down crying at the table1 and finally went away into the sitting room4 ,bess sat next to her father1 as she always did1 and was the most cheerful of all1 taking a very calm and philosophical view of the situation1 so that ,mr4 ,hardy smiled once or twice as she gave her advice4 ,mr4 ,hardy was pale but calm4 ,the impression of the night before was evidently deepening with him4 ,it would have been absurd to call him insane4 ,his wife was obliged to confess to herself that he had never appeared more sound in judgment and calm in speech4 ,he was naturally a man of very strong will4 ,his passions1 as we have already seen1 were under control4 ,never in all his life had he felt so self-contained1 so free from nervousness1 so capable of sustained effort4 ,but the one great thought that filled his mind was that of the shortness of the time4 ,almighty ,god1 was his prayer1 show me how to use these seven days in the wisest and best manner4 ,robert1 what will you do to-day8 asked ,mrs4 ,hardy4 ,i have been thinking1 dear1 and ,i believe my first duty is to ,god4 ,we have not had morning worship together for a long time4 ,after we have knelt as a family in prayer to ,him1 ,i believe ,he will give me wisdom to know what ,i ought to do4 ,i think father ought to stay at home with us all the time1 said ,bess4 ,robert1 said ,mrs4 ,hardy1 who could not comprehend the full meaning of the situation much better than little ,bess1 will you give up your business8 ,how can you attend to it8 ,will you have the strength and the patience while labouring under this impression8 ,i have already thought over that4 ,yes2 ,i believe ,i ought to go right on4 ,i don't see what would be gained by severing my connection with the company4 ,will you tell the company you have only--,mrs4 ,hardy could not say the words4 ,they choked her4 ,what would you do1 ,alice8 asked her father1 turning to his oldest daughter1 who1 although a cripple1 had more than once revealed to the family great powers of judgment and decision4 ,i would not say anything to the company about it1 replied ,alice finally4 ,that is the way ,i feel1 said ,mr4 ,hardy with a nod of approval4 ,they would not understand it4 ,my successor in the office will be young ,wellman1 in all probability1 and he is perfectly competent to carry on the work4 ,i feel as if this matter were one that belonged to the family4 ,i shall of course arrange my business affairs with reference to the situation1 and ,george can give me half a day for the details4 ,but you know1 ,mary1 ,i have always kept my business in such shape that in any case of accident or sudden death matters could easily be arranged4 ,thank ,god6 ,i shall not have to take time for those matters that ,i ought to give to more serious and important duties4 ,it was true that ,mr4 ,hardy1 who was a man of very methodical habits in a business way1 had always arranged his affairs with reference to accidental removal4 ,his business as manager necessitated his being on the road a great deal1 and he realized1 as many railroad men do realize1 the liability of sudden death4 ,but such a thought had not had any influence on his actions to make him less selfish4 ,he had thought1 as all men do1 that he should probably live right along after all2 that death might take the engineer or conductor or fireman1 but would pass him by4 ,suddenly ,will spoke up3 ,father1 do you want ,george and me to leave college8 ,certainly not1 my boy4 ,what would be gained by that8 ,i want you to keep right on just as if ,i were going to live fifty years more4 ,george did not say anything4 ,he looked at his father as if he doubted his sanity4 ,his father noticed the look1 and a terrible wave of anguish swept over him as he recalled the part of his vision in which he had seen his oldest son in the gambling room4 ,again the prayer he had been silently praying all the morning went up out of his heart3 ,almighty ,god1 show me how to use the seven days most wisely4 ,father1 said ,bess suddenly1 what will you do about ,jim and ,clara8 ,did you know they were engaged8 ,bess6 said ,clara passionately4 ,then she stopped suddenly1 and1 seeing her father's brow grow dark1 she cowered1 afraid of what was coming4 ,but ,mr4 ,hardy looked at the world differently this morning4 ,twenty-four hours before he would have treated ,bessie's remark as he usually treated her surprising revelations of the secrets of the family4 ,he would have laughed at it a little1 and sternly commanded ,clara to break the engagement1 if there was one1 at once3 for ,james ,caxton was not at all the sort of man ,mr4 ,hardy wanted to have come into the family4 ,he was poor1 to begin with4 ,more than all1 his father had been the means of defeating ,mr4 ,hardy in a municipal election where a place of influence and honour was in dispute4 ,mr4 ,hardy had never forgotten or forgiven it4 ,when he began to see his children intimate with the ,caxtons1 he forbade their going to the house1 with the result already described4 ,mr4 ,hardy looked at ,clara and said very tenderly3 ,clara1 we must have a good talk about this4 ,you know your father loves you and wants you to be happy and---- ,mr4 ,hardy stopped in his emotion1 and ,clara burst into tears and left the table4 ,come1 cried ,mr4 ,hardy after a moment1 during which no one seemed inclined to speak2 let us ask ,god to give us all wisdom at this time4 ,george made a motion as if to go out4 ,my son1 called ,mr4 ,hardy after him gently1 won't you stay with the rest of us8 ,george sat down with a shamefaced look1 ,alice and ,clara came back1 and ,mr4 ,hardy read that famous sixth chapter of ,ephesians1 beginning1 ,children1 obey your parents in the ,lord4 ,then in a brief but earnest prayer he asked ,god's help and blessing on all the day1 and rose to face it1 the great burden of his responsibility beginning to rest upon him for the first time4 ,he sat down for a moment by his wife and kissed her1 putting his arm about her1 while ,bess climbed up on the side of the couch and the boys stood irresolute and wondering4 ,any outward mark of affection was so unusual on the part of their father that they felt awkward in the presence of it4 ,mrs4 ,hardy was almost overcome4 ,o ,robert1 ,i cannot bear it6 ,surely it was nothing more than a dream6 ,it couldn't have been anything more4 ,you are not going to be called away from us so soon4 ,mary1 ,i would ,god that ,i had seven years to atone for my neglect and selfishness towards you alone4 ,but ,i am certain that ,god has granted me but seven days4 ,i must act4 ,god help me6 ,boys1 you will be late4 ,we will all be at home this evening4 ,alice1 care for your mother and cheer her up4 ,you are a good girl1 and---- ,again ,mr4 ,hardy broke down as he thought of the many years he had practically ignored this brave1 strong1 uncomplaining nature in his own house1 and remorse tore him fiercely as he recalled how he had persistently discouraged all the poor girl's ambitious efforts to make her way as an artist1 not on account of the expense--for ,mr4 ,hardy was not a niggard in that respect--but because he had a false idea concerning the profession4 ,he looked at the girl now as she limped across the floor to her mother1 her pale1 intellectual face brightened by her love1 and her eyes shining with tears at her father's unusual praise4 ,o ,god1 was the inner cry of ,mr4 ,hardy's heart1 what have ,i not neglected when ,i had it in my power to create so much happiness6 ,the thought almost unnerved him2 and for a moment he felt like sitting down to do nothing4 ,but only for a moment4 ,he rose briskly1 went out into the hall and put on his overcoat1 and1 coming back a moment1 said1 ,i am going down to see poor ,scoville the first thing4 ,i shall be so busy you must not look for me at lunch4 ,but ,i will be back to six o'clock dinner4 ,good-bye6 ,he kissed his wife tenderly1 and she clung to him sobbing4 ,then he kissed his daughters1 a thing he had not done since they were babies1 and shook hands with the boys1 and marched out like one going to execution1 something bright glistening in his own eyes4 ,ah6 ye fathers and husbands1 you who are toiling for the dear ones at home1 how many of you have grown so unaccustomed to the tender affections of home that your own wife would almost faint and think something was going to happen to you if you kissed her good-bye when you went away to your work in the morning6 ,how do you know that she who has been your faithful friend and lover all these years1 and nursed you through peevish sickness and done a thousand things every day for you without so much as a word of thanks or praise on your part--how do you know she does not care for these demonstrations of affection8 ,and if she does not1 how does it happen except through neglect8 ,call it not a little thing4 ,it is of such little things that heaven is made1 and it is of the home where such little things are found that it can truly be said1 ,love is master1 and the ,evil ,one cannot find an entrance to blot with his foul tread the sweetest thing on earth4 ,mr4 ,hardy hurried down towards the tenement where ,ward ,scoville lived1 revolving in his mind as he went along plans for his future happiness and comfort4 ,i'll deed him the place where he lives1 and arrange it in some way so that he won't have to go to the hospital1 or come on the county when his poor wife is gone4 ,it will be the best ,i can do for him4 ,poor fellow6 ,what a shame ,i did not come down last night6 ,and his wife a hopeless invalid and the oldest child only four years old1 ,mary said6 ,he was surprised1 as he drew near the house1 to see a group of men standing there outside and talking together earnestly4 ,as ,mr4 ,hardy came up they stood aside to let him pass1 but were barely civil4 ,well1 ,stevens1 ,mr4 ,hardy inquired of one of the men1 recognising him as one of the employs in the casting room1 how is ,scoville this morning8 ,dead6 ,mr4 ,hardy reeled as if struck in the breast with a heavy blow4 ,dead1 did you say8 ,he died about an hour ago1 said one of the other men4 ,the surgeon was late in getting around1 and after the amputation it was ascertained that ,scoville had received severe internal injuries4 ,was he conscious8 ,mr4 ,hardy asked the question mechanically1 but all the while his mind was in a whirl of remorse4 ,yes2 up to the last moment4 ,mr4 ,hardy went to the door and knocked4 ,a woman1 one of the neighbours1 opened it and he went in4 ,the sight stunned him4 ,the dead man had been removed to a rear room1 but his wife lay upon the very same ragged lounge ,mr4 ,hardy had seen in his dream4 ,the surgeon was bending over her4 ,the room was full of neighbours4 ,the surgeon suddenly arose and1 turning about1 spoke in a quiet but decided tone3 ,now then1 good people1 just go home1 will you1 for a while8 ,and suppose some of you take these children along with you4 ,you can't do anything more now1 and your presence disturbs the woman6 ,ah1 ,mr4 ,hardy1 he exclaimed1 seeing the manager1 you here8 ,this is a sad business4 ,come1 now1 ladies1 ,i must ask you to retire4 ,everybody went out except the surgeon1 the poor woman's sister1 and ,mr4 ,hardy4 ,he drew the surgeon over to the window and inquired concerning the particulars4 ,mr4 ,hardy had received a shock at the very first1 and he trembled violently4 ,well1 you see1 explained the surgeon1 ,scoville was a dead man from the minute of the accident4 ,nothing could have saved him ,when the accident happened ,i was down at ,bayville attending the men who were injured in the wreck last ,saturday4 ,i telegraphed that ,i would come at once4 ,but there was a delay on the road1 and ,i did not get here until three o'clock in the morning4 ,meanwhile everything had been done that was possible4 ,but nothing could save the poor fellow4 ,this shock will kill his wife4 ,i doubt if she lives through the day4 ,what will be done with the children8 ,mr4 ,hardy asked the question mechanically1 again feeling the need of time to think out what was best to be done4 ,the surgeon shrugged his shoulders4 ,he was accustomed to scenes of suffering and distress continually4 ,orphans' ,home1 ,i suppose1 he replied laconically4 ,a movement and a moan from the woman called him to her side1 and ,mr4 ,hardy1 left alone1 thought a moment1 then stepped over to the surgeon and asked him if he could go into the other room and see the dead man4 ,the surgeon nodded a surprised assent1 and ,mr4 ,hardy stepped into the rear room and closed the door4 ,he drew back the sheet from the face of the man and looked down upon it4 ,nothing in all his experience had ever moved him so deeply4 ,the features of the dead man were fixed1 it seemed to him1 in an expression of despair4 ,mr4 ,hardy gazed steadily upon it for half a minute1 then replacing the sheet he kneeled down by the side of the rude bed and prayed ,god for mercy4 ,o ,lord1 he groaned in his remorse1 lay not the death of this man to my charge6 ,yet1 even as he prayed1 he could not drive back the thought which chased across the prayer1 ,i am this man's murderer4 ,i issued the order compelling the ,sunday work4 ,i refused a week ago to inspect the retorts1 which were declared unsafe1 on the ground that it was not my business4 ,i compelled this man to work under the fear of losing his place if he refused to work4 ,i compelled him to work on the one day in which ,god has commanded all men to rest4 ,i1 a ,christian by profession1 a member of the church1 a man of means--,i put this man in deadly peril upon a ,sunday in order that more money might be made and more human selfishness might be gratified4 ,i did it4 ,and this man once saved my life4 ,i am his murderer1 and no murderer shall inherit the kingdom of ,god4 ,so the wretched man prayed there by the side of that cold body4 ,yet the world to-day goes on with men in high places who have it in their power to change the conditions that exact ,sunday labour from thousands of weary men and drive the commerce of the world across the continent at the cost of that priceless thing1 the soul of man1 in order that the owners of railroad stock and the men who get their salaried living from it may have more money4 ,what6 is it not true that every ,sunday in this land of ,christian homes and hearts many and many a well-fed1 sleek1 self-satisfied1 well-dressed man1 with a high salary and well-established social position1 with a luxurious home and money in the bank1 goes to church and sits down in a softly cushioned pew to listen to the preaching of the ,gospel1 while within hearing distance of the services an express train or a freight thunders by upon the road which declares the dividends that make that man's wealth possible8 ,on those trains are groups of coal-begrimed human beings who never go inside a church1 who never speak the name of ,god or ,christ except in an oath1 who lead lives that are as destitute of spiritual nourishment as a desert of sand and rocks1 and who are compelled to labour contrary to ,god's everlasting law of rest1 in order that man may have more to feed his body and indulge his passions6 ,do not tell us it is necessary labour4 ,it is labour for the making of more money4 ,it does not need to be done4 ,the community could dispense with it2 in the sight of ,god it is a wicked use of human flesh and blood and souls2 and the starved spiritual natures of these men will come up at the ,judgment ,day before the men who had it in their power to say1 ,not a wheel shall turn on these tracks on ,sunday1 even if we don't make a little more money4 ,money or souls6 ,which is worth more in the thought of the railroad corporation8 ,let the facts make answer4 ,mr4 ,hardy did not know just how long he kneeled there in that bare room4 ,at last he arose wearily and came out2 his prayer had not refreshed him4 ,the surgeon glanced at him inquisitively1 but asked no questions4 ,the sick woman was in a state of semi-unconsciousness4 ,mr4 ,hardy's cook1 her sister1 sat listlessly and worn out by the side of the lounge4 ,the surgeon rapidly gave directions for the use of some medicine1 and prepared to go4 ,some of the neighbours called1 and the surgeon let two of the women come in4 ,just as the two men were going out together--,mr4 ,hardy still absorbed in his great desire to do something of importance for the mother and her children--his minister1 ,mr4 ,jones1 appeared4 ,he looked surprised at seeing ,mr4 ,hardy1 inquired the news of the doctor1 and at once asked if he could see the poor widow4 ,the doctor thought it would do no harm4 ,mr4 ,jones whispered to ,mr4 ,hardy3 ,she was a faithful member of our church1 you know4 ,mr4 ,hardy did not know it1 to his shame he confessed4 ,this sister of his in ,christ had been a member of the same church1 and he had not even known it4 ,if she had happened to sit on the same side of the building where he sat1 he would probably have wondered who that plain-looking person was1 dressed so poorly4 ,but she had always sat back on the other side1 being one of a few poor women who had been attracted into the church and been comforted by ,mr4 ,jones' simple piety and prayers4 ,the minister kneeled down and said a gentle word to the woman4 ,then as if in reply to a low-voiced request he began a prayer of remarkable beauty and comfort4 ,mr4 ,hardy wondered1 as he listened1 that he could ever have thought this man dull in the pulpit4 ,he sat down and sobbed as the prayer went on1 and took to himself the consolation of that heavenly petition4 ,when ,mr4 ,jones rose1 ,mr4 ,hardy still sat with his hands over his face4 ,the surgeon was called out by someone4 ,then the minister1 after making arrangements for the funeral of ,scoville with the women who had come in1 started to go out1 when ,mr4 ,hardy rose1 and they went away together4 ,mr4 ,jones1 said ,mr4 ,hardy1 as they walked along1 ,i have an explanation and a confession to make4 ,i haven't time to make it now1 but ,i want to say that ,i have met ,god face to face within the past twenty-four hours1 and ,i am conscious for the first time in years of the intensely selfish life ,i have lived4 ,i need your prayers and help4 ,and ,i want to serve the church and do my duty there1 as ,i never before have done it4 ,i have not supported your work as ,i should4 ,i want you to think of me this week as ready to help in anything in my power4 ,will you accept my apology for my contempt of your request a week ago8 ,i will come into the meeting ,thursday night and help in any way possible4 ,mr4 ,jones' eyes filled with tears4 ,he grasped ,mr4 ,hardy's hand and said3 ,brother1 ,god bless you6 ,let me be of service to you in any way ,i can4 ,mr4 ,hardy felt a little better for the partial confession1 and parted with his minister at the next corner1 going down to his office4 ,it was now ten o'clock1 and the day seemed to him cruelly brief for the work he had to do4 ,he entered the office1 and almost the first thing he saw on his desk was the following letter1 addressed to him1 but written in a disguised hand3 ,mr4 ,hardy1--,us in the casting room don't need no looking after but maybe the next pot of hot iron that explodes will be next the offis if you thinks we have bodies but no sols some morning you will wake up beleving another thing4 ,we ain't so easy led as sum folks supposes4 ,better look to house and employ spesul patrol2 if you do we will blak his face for him4 ,there was no signature to this threatening scrawl1 which was purposely misspelled and ungrammatically composed4 ,mr4 ,hardy had received threats before1 and paid little attention to them4 ,he prided himself on his steady nerves1 and his contempt of all such methods used to scare him4 ,only a coward1 he reasoned1 would ever write an anonymous letter of such a character4 ,still1 this morning he felt disturbed4 ,his peculiar circumstances made the whole situation take on a more vivid colouring4 ,besides all that1 he could not escape the conviction that he was in a certain sense responsible for the accident in the casting room4 ,it was not his particular business to inspect machinery4 ,but his attention had been called to it1 and he felt now as if he had been criminally careless in not making the inspection in the absence of the regular officer4 ,an investigation of the accident would free ,mr4 ,hardy from legal responsibility4 ,but in the sight of ,god he felt that he was morally guilty4 ,at this moment ,mr4 ,burns came in4 ,he looked sullen1 and spoke in a low tone3 ,only half the men are back this morning1 sir4 ,scoville's death and the injuries to the others have had a bad effect on the men4 ,mr4 ,hardy crumpled the letter nervously in his hand4 ,mr4 ,burns1 ,i would like to apologise for my neglect of the injured men4 ,who are they1 and how badly are they hurt8 ,burns looked surprised1 but made answer1 describing briefly the accidents4 ,mr4 ,hardy listened intently with bowed head4 ,at last he looked up and said abruptly3 ,come into the casting room4 ,they went out of the office1 passed through the repairing shops1 and entered the foundry department4 ,even on that bright winter morning1 with the air outside so clear and cool1 the atmosphere in this place was murky and close4 ,the forges in the blacksmith room at the farther end glowed through the smoke and dust like smouldering piles of rubbish dumped here and there by chance upon some desolate moor and stirred by ill-omened demons of the nether world4 ,mr4 ,hardy shuddered as he thought of standing in such an atmosphere all day to work at severe muscular toil4 ,he recalled with a sharp vividness a request made only two months before for dust fans1 which had proved successful in other shops1 and which would remove a large part of the heavy1 coal-laden air1 supplying fresh air in its place4 ,the company had refused the request1 and had even said1 through one of its officers1 that when the men wore out the company could easily get more4 ,mr4 ,hardy and the foreman paused at the entrance to the casting room1 where the men had been injured the day before4 ,a few men were working sullenly4 ,mr4 ,hardy asked the foreman to call the men together near the other end of the room2 he wanted to say something to them4 ,he walked over there while the foreman spoke to the men4 ,they dropped their tools and came over to where ,mr4 ,hardy was standing4 ,they were mostly ,scandinavians and ,germans1 with a sprinkling of ,irish and ,americans4 ,mr4 ,hardy looked at them thoughtfully4 ,they were a hard-looking crowd4 ,then he said very slowly and distinctly3 ,you may quit work until after ,scoville's funeral4 ,the machinery here needs overhauling4 ,the men stood impassive for a moment4 ,finally a big ,dane stepped up and said3 ,we be no minded to quit work these times4 ,we no can afford it4 ,give us work in some other place4 ,mr4 ,hardy looked at him and replied quietly3 ,the wages will go on just the same while you are out4 ,there was a perceptible stir among the men4 ,they looked confused and incredulous4 ,mr4 ,hardy still looked at them thoughtfully4 ,finally the big ,dane stepped forward again and said1 speaking more respectfully than he did at first3 ,mr4 ,hardy1 we be thinking maybe you would like to help towards him the family of the dead and others as be hurt4 ,i been 'pointed to take up purse for poor fellows injured4 ,we all take hand in't4 ,my brother be one lose his two eyes4 ,a tear actually rolled down the grimy cheek of the big fellow and dropped into the coal-dust at his feet4 ,mr4 ,hardy realised that he was looking at a brother man4 ,he choked down a sob1 and1 putting his hand in his pocket1 pulled out all the change he had and poured it into the ,dane's hand4 ,then1 seeing that it was only four or five dollars1 he pulled out his purse and emptied that of its bills1 while ,burns1 the foreman1 and all the men looked on in stupefied wonder4 ,no1 no thanks6 ,i'll do something more4 ,mr4 ,hardy walked away feeling as if the ground were heaving under him4 ,what was all his money compared with that life which had been sacrificed in that gas-poisoned sepulchre6 ,he could not banish from his mind the picture of that face as it looked to him when he drew back the sheet and looked at it4 ,mr4 ,hardy hurried back to the office through the yard1 and sat down at the well-worn desk4 ,the mail had come in1 and half a dozen letters lay there4 ,he looked at them and shuddered4 ,what did it all amount to1 this grind of business1 when the heartache of the world called for so much sympathy6 ,then ever him came the sense of his obligations to his family2 ,clara's need of a father's help2 ,george going to the bad2 ,alice in need of sympathy2 his wife weeping even now at home2 the church and ,sunday ,school where he had been of so little use2 the family of ,scoville to be provided for2 the other injured men to be visited2 improvements for the welfare of the men in the shops to be looked after2 the routine of his business--all these things crowded in upon him1 and still he saw the face and heard the voice of ,eternity3 ,seven days more to live6 ,he sank into a reverie for a moment4 ,he was roused by the sounding of the noon whistle4 ,what1 noon already8 ,so swiftly had the time gone6 ,he turned to his desk bewildered and picked up his letters1 glanced over them hurriedly1 and gave directions for the answers of some of them to his impatient clerk1 who had been wondering at his employer's strange behaviour this morning4 ,among the letters was one which made his cheek burn with self-reproach4 ,it was an invitation to a club dinner to be given that evening in honour of some visiting railroad president4 ,it was just such an occasion as he had enjoyed very many times before1 and the recollection brought to mind the number of times he had gone away from his own home and left his wife sitting drearily by the fire4 ,how could he have done it6 ,he tossed the gilded invitation fiercely into the waste basket1 and1 rising1 walked his room thinking1 thinking4 ,he had so much to do and so little time to do it in6 ,he thought thus a moment1 then went out and walked rapidly over to the hotel where he was in the habit of getting lunch when he did not go home4 ,he ate a little hurriedly1 and then hastened out4 ,as he was going out upon the sidewalk1 two young men came in and jostled against him4 ,they were smoking and talking in a loud tone4 ,mr4 ,hardy caught the sound of his own name4 ,he looked at the speaker1 and it was the face of the young man he had seen in his dream1 the one who had insulted ,george and struck him afterwards4 ,for a moment ,mr4 ,hardy was tempted to confront the youth and inquire into his son's habits4 ,no1 he said to himself after a pause2 ,i will have a good talk with ,george himself4 ,that will be the best4 ,he hurried back to the office and arranged some necessary work for his clerk1 took a walk through the other office1 then went to the telephone and called up the superintendent of the ,sunday ,school1 who was a bookkeeper in a clothing house4 ,he felt an intense desire to arrange for an interview with him as soon as possible4 ,word came back from the house that the superintendent had been called out of town by serious illness in his old home1 and would not be back until ,saturday4 ,mr4 ,hardy felt a disappointment more keen than the occasion seemed to warrant4 ,he was conscious that the time was very brief4 ,he had fully made up his mind that so far as in him lay he would redeem his selfish past and make a week such as few men ever made4 ,he was just beginning to realise that circumstances are not always in our control4 ,we are all obliged to wait for time to do some things4 ,we cannot redeem seven years of selfishness with seven days of self-denial4 ,the death of ,scoville revealed to ,mr4 ,hardy his powerlessness in the face of certain possibilities4 ,he now feared that the superintendent would fail to return in time to let him confess to him his just sorrow for his lack of service in the school4 ,he sat down to his desk and under that impulse wrote a letter that expressed in part how he felt4 ,then he jotted down the following items to be referred to the proper authorities of the road3 ,item #a4 ,the dust in the blacksmith shop and in the brass-polishing rooms is largely unnecessary4 ,the new ,englefield revolving rolling fans and elevator ought to be introduced in both departments4 ,the cost would be but a small item to the road1 and would prolong the life and add to the comfort of the employs4 ,very important4 ,item #b4 ,organised and intelligent effort should be made by all railroad corporations to lessen ,sunday work in shops and on the road4 ,all perishable freight should be so handled as to call for the services of as few men on ,sunday as possible1 and excursion and passenger trains should be discontinued1 except in cases of unavoidable necessity4 ,item #c4 ,the inspection of boilers1 retorts1 castings1 machinery of all kinds should be made by thoroughly competent and responsible men who shall answer for all unnecessary accidents by swift and severe punishment in case of loss of life or limb4 ,item #d4 ,in case of injury or death to employs1 if incurred through the neglect of the company to provide safety1 it should provide financial relief for the families thus injured1 or stricken by death1 and1 so far as possible1 arrange for their future4 ,item #e4 ,any well-organized railroad could1 with profit to its employs1 have upon its staff of salaried men a corps of chaplains or preachers1 whose business it would be to look after the religious interests of the employs4 ,under this last item ,mr4 ,hardy wrote in a footnote3 ,discuss feasibility of this with ,mr4 ,b----1 influential director4 ,it was now three o'clock4 ,the short winter day was fast drawing to a close4 ,the hum of the great engine in the machine shop was growing very wearisome to the manager4 ,he felt sick of its throbbing tremor and longed to escape from it4 ,ordinarily he would have gone to the club room and had a game of chess with a member1 or else he would have gone down and idled away an hour or two before supper at the ,art ,museum1 where he was a visitor whenever he had plenty of time and the business of the office was not pressing4 ,young ,wellman had succeeded to the clerical details of the shops1 and ,mr4 ,hardy's time was generally free after four4 ,he had been oppressed with the thought of the other injured men4 ,he must go and see them4 ,he could not rest till he had personally visited them4 ,he went out and easily ascertained where the men lived4 ,never before did the contrast between the dull1 uninteresting row of shop tenements and his own elegant home rise up go sharply before him4 ,in fact1 he had never given it much thought before4 ,now as he looked forward to the end of the week1 and knew that at its close he would be no richer1 no better able to enjoy luxuries than the dead man lying in ,no4 #gfj1 he wondered vaguely but passionately how he could make use of what he had heaped together to make the daily lives of some of these poor men happier4 ,he found the man who had lost both eyes sitting up in bed and feeling in a pathetic manner of a few blocks of wood which one of the children in the room had brought to him4 ,he was a big1 powerful man like his brother1 the large-boned ,dane1 and it seemed a very pitiful thing that he should be lying there like a baby when his muscles were as powerful as ever4 ,the brother was in the room with the injured man1 and he said to him3 ,olaf1 ,mr4 ,hardy come to see you4 ,hardy8 ,hardy8 queried the man in a peevish tone4 ,what do ,i know him to be8 ,the manager4 ,the one who donate so really much moneys to you4 ,ah8 with an indescribable accent4 ,he make me work on a ,sunday4 ,he lose me my two eyes4 ,a bad man1 ,svord6 ,i will no have anything to do with him4 ,and the old descendant of a thousand kings turned his face to the wall1 and would not even so much as make a motion towards his visitor4 ,his brother offered a rude apology4 ,mr4 ,hardy replied in a low tone3 ,say nothing about it4 ,i deserve all your brother says4 ,but for a good reason ,i wish ,olaf would say he forgives me4 ,mr4 ,hardy came nearer the bed and spoke very earnestly and as if he had known the man intimately3 ,i did you a great wrong to order the work on ,sunday1 and in not doing my duty concerning the inspection of the machinery4 ,i have come to say so1 and to ask your forgiveness4 ,i may never see you again4 ,will you say to me1 ',brother1 ,i forgive you'8 ,there was a moment of absolute passivity on the part of the big fellow1 then a very large and brawny hand was extended and the blind man said3 ,yes1 ,i forgive4 ,we learned that in the old ,bible at ,svendorf4 ,mr4 ,hardy laid his hand in the other1 and his lips moved in prayer of humble thanksgiving4 ,what6 ,robert ,hardy6 ,is this that proud man who only the day before was so lifted up with selfishness that he could coldly criticise his own minister for saying that people ought to be more ,christlike8 ,are you standing here in this poor man's house which two days ago you would not have deigned to enter1 and beseeching him as your brother in the great family of ,god to forgive you for what you have done and left undone8 ,yes2 you have looked into the face of ,eternity2 you realise now what life really means and what souls are really worth4 ,he went out after a few words with the family1 and saw all the other injured men4 ,by the time he had finished these visits it was dark1 and he eagerly turned home1 exhausted with the day's experience1 feeling as if he had lived in a new world1 and at the same time wondering at the rapidity with which the time had fled4 ,he sighed almost contentedly to himself as he thought of the evening with his family1 and how he would enjoy it after the disquiet of the day4 ,his wife was there to greet him1 and ,alice and ,clara and ,bess clung about him as he took on his coat and came into the beautiful room where a cheerful fire was blazing4 ,will came downstairs as his father came in1 and in the brief interval before dinner was ready ,mr4 ,hardy related the scenes of the day4 ,they were all shocked to hear of ,scoville's death1 and ,mrs4 ,hardy at once began to discuss some plans for relieving the family4 ,bess volunteered to give up half her room to one of the children1 whilst ,alice outlined a plan which immediately appeared to her father businesslike and feasible4 ,in the midst of this discussion dinner was announced1 and they sat down4 ,where is ,george8 asked ,mr4 ,hardy4 ,ordinarily he would have gone on with the meal without any reference to the boy1 because he was so often absent from the table4 ,to-night he felt an irresistible longing to have all his children with him4 ,he said he was invited out to dinner with the ,bramleys1 said ,clara4 ,mr4 ,hardy received the announcement in silence4 ,he felt the bitterness of such indifference on the part of his older son4 ,what6 he said to himself1 when he knows ,i had such a little while left1 could he not be at home8 ,then almost immediately flashed into him the self-reproach even stronger than his condemnation of his boy3 ,how much have ,i done for him these last ten years to win his love and protect him from evil8 ,after supper ,mr4 ,hardy sat down by his wife1 and in the very act he blushed with shame at the thought that he could not recall when he had spent an evening thus4 ,he looked into her face and asked gently3 ,mary1 what do you want me to do8 ,shall ,i read as we used to in the old days8 ,no2 let us talk together1 replied ,mrs4 ,hardy1 bravely driving back her tears4 ,i cannot realise what it all means4 ,i have been praying all day4 ,do you still have the impression you had this morning8 ,mary1 ,i am1 if anything1 even more convinced that ,god has spoken to me4 ,the impression has been deepening with me all day4 ,when ,i looked into poor ,scoville's face1 the terrible nature of my past selfish life almost overwhelmed me4 ,oh1 why have ,i abused ,god's goodness to me so awfully8 ,there was silence a moment4 ,then ,mr4 ,hardy grew more calm4 ,he began to discuss what he would do the second day4 ,he related more fully the interview with the men in the shop and his visits to the injured4 ,he drew ,clara to him and began to inquire into her troubles in such a tender1 loving way1 that ,clara's proud1 passionate1 wilful nature broke down1 and she sobbed out her story to him as she had to her mother the night before4 ,mr4 ,hardy promised ,clara that he would see ,james the next day4 ,it was true that ,james ,caxton had only a week before approached ,mr4 ,hardy and told him in very manful fashion of his love for his daughter2 but ,mr4 ,hardy had treated it as a child's affair1 and1 in accordance with his usual policy in family matters1 had simply told ,clara and ,bess to discontinue their visits at the old neighbour's4 ,but now that he heard the story from the lips of his own daughter1 he saw the seriousness of it1 and crowding back all his former pride and hatred of the elder ,caxton1 he promised ,clara to see ,james the next day4 ,clara clung to her father in loving surprise4 ,she was bewildered1 as were all the rest1 by the strange event that had happened to her father2 but she never had so felt his love before1 and forgetting for a while the significance of his wonderful dream1 she felt happy in his presence and in his affection for her4 ,the evening had sped on with surprising rapidity while all these matters were being discussed1 and as it drew near to midnight again ,robert ,hardy felt almost happy in the atmosphere of that home and the thought that he could still for a little while create joy for those who loved him4 ,suddenly he spoke of his other son3 ,i wish ,george would come in4 ,then our family circle would be complete4 ,but it is bedtime for you1 ,bess1 and all of us1 for that matter4 ,it was just then that steps were heard on the front porch1 and voices were heard as if talking in whispers4 ,the bell rang4 ,mr4 ,hardy rose to go to the door4 ,his wife clung to him terrified4 ,oh1 don't go1 ,robert6 ,i am afraid for you4 ,why1 ,mary1 it cannot be anything to harm me4 ,don't be alarmed4 ,nevertheless he was a little startled4 ,the day had been a trying one for him4 ,he went to the door1 his wife and the children following him close behind4 ,he threw it wide open1 and there1 supported by two of his companions1 one of them the young man ,mr4 ,hardy had seen in the hotel lobby at noon1 was his son ,george1 too drunk to stand alone6 ,he leered into the face of his father and mother with a drunken look that froze their souls with despair1 as the blaze of the hall lamp fell upon him reeling there4 ,so the first of ,robert ,hardy's seven days came to an end4 ,,tuesday--,,the ,,second ,,day4 ,mr4 ,hardy was a man of great will power1 but this scene with his drunken son crushed him for a moment1 and seemed to take the very soul out of him4 ,mrs4 ,hardy at first uttered a wild cry and then ran forward1 and1 seizing her elder boy1 almost dragged him into the house1 while ,mr4 ,hardy1 recovering from his first shock1 looked sternly at the companions of the boy and then shut the door4 ,that night was a night of sorrow in that family4 ,the sorrow of death is not to be compared with it4 ,but morning came1 as it comes alike to the condemned criminal and to the pure-hearted child on a holiday1 and after a brief and troubled rest ,mr4 ,hardy awoke to his second day1 the memory of the night coming to him at first as an ugly dream1 but afterwards as a terrible reality4 ,his boy drunk6 ,he could not make it seem possible4 ,yet there in the next room he lay1 in a drunken stupor1 sleeping off the effects of his debauch of the night before4 ,mr4 ,hardy fell on his knees and prayed for mercy1 again repeating the words1 ,almighty ,god1 help me to use the remaining days in the wisest and best manner4 ,then calming himself by a tremendous effort1 he rose and faced the day's work as bravely as any man could under such circumstances4 ,after a family council1 in which all of them1 on account of their troubles1 were drawn nearer together than ever before1 ,mr4 ,hardy outlined the day's work something as follows3 ,first1 he would go and see ,james ,caxton and talk over the affair between him and ,clara4 ,then he would go down to the office and arrange some necessary details of his business4 ,if possible1 he would come home to lunch4 ,in the afternoon he would go to poor ,scoville's funeral1 which had been arranged for two o'clock4 ,mrs4 ,hardy announced her intention to go also4 ,then ,mr4 ,hardy thought he would have a visit with ,george and spend the evening at home1 arranging matters with reference to his own death4 ,with this programme in mind he went away1 after an affectionate leave-taking with his wife and children4 ,george slept heavily until the middle of the forenoon1 and then awoke with a raging headache4 ,bess had several times during the morning stolen into the room to see if her brother were awake4 ,when he did finally turn over and open his eyes1 he saw the young girl standing by the bedside4 ,he groaned as he recalled the night and his mother's look1 and ,bess said timidly as she laid her hand on his forehead3 ,george1 ,i'm so sorry for you6 ,don't you feel well8 ,i feel as if my head would split open4 ,it aches as if someone were chopping wood inside of it4 ,what makes you feel so8 asked ,bess innocently4 ,did you eat too much supper at the ,bramleys'8 ,bess had never seen anyone drunk before1 and when ,george was helped to bed the night before by his father and mother1 she did not understand his condition4 ,she had always adored her big brother4 ,it was not strange she had no idea of his habits4 ,george looked at his sister curiously2 then1 under an impulse he could not explain1 he drew her nearer to him and said3 ,bess1 ,i'm a bad fellow4 ,i was drunk last night6 ,drunk6--do you understand8 ,and ,i've nearly killed mother6 ,bess was aghast at the confession4 ,she put out her hand again4 ,oh1 no1 ,george6 ,then with a swift revulsion of feeling she drew back and said3 ,how could you1 with father feeling as he does8 ,and little ,bess1 who was a creature of very impulsive emotions1 sat down crying on what she supposed was a cushion1 but which was ,george's tall hat1 accidentally covered with one end of a comforter which had slipped off the bed4 ,bess was a very plump little creature1 and as she picked herself up and held up the hat1 ,george angrily exclaimed3 ,you're always smashing my things6 ,but the next minute he was sorry for the words4 ,bess retreated toward the door1 quivering under the injustice of the charge4 ,at the door she halted4 ,she had something of ,clara's passionate temper1 and once in a while she let even her adored brother ,george feel it1 small as she was4 ,george ,hardy1 if you think more of your old stovepipe hat than you do of your sister1 all right6 ,you'll never get any more of my month's allowance4 ,and if ,i do smash your things1 ,i don't come home drunk at night and break mother's heart4 ,that's what she's crying about this morning--that1 and father's queer ways4 ,oh1 dear6 ,i don't want to live2 life is so full of trouble6 ,and little twelve-year-old ,bess sobbed in genuine sorrow4 ,george forgot his headache for a minute4 ,come1 ,bess1 come1 let's kiss and make up4 ,honest1 now1 ,i didn't mean it4 ,i was bad to say what ,i did4 ,i'll buy a dozen hats and let you sit on them for fun4 ,don't go away angry2 ,i'm so miserable6 ,he lay down and groaned1 and ,bess went to him immediately1 all her anger vanished4 ,oh1 let me get you something to drive away your headache2 and ,i'll bring you up something nice to eat4 ,mother had ,norah save something for you--didn't you1 mother8 ,bessie asked the question just as her mother came in4 ,mrs4 ,hardy said ,yes1 and going up to ,george sat down by him and laid her hand on his head as his sister had done4 ,the boy moved uneasily4 ,he saw the marks of great suffering on his mother's face1 but he said nothing to express sorrow for his disgrace4 ,bess1 will you go and get ,george his breakfast8 asked ,mrs4 ,hardy2 and the minute she was gone the mother turned to her son and said3 ,george1 do you love me8 ,george had been expecting something different4 ,he looked at his mother as the tears fell over her face1 and all that was still good in him rose up in rebellion against the animal part4 ,he seized his mother's hand and carried it to his lips1 kissed it reverently1 and said in a low tone3-- ,mother1 ,i am unworthy4 ,if you knew-- ,he checked himself as if on the verge of confession4 ,his mother waited anxiously1 and then asked3 ,won't you tell me all8 ,no2 ,i can't6 ,george shuddered1 and at that moment ,bess came in1 bearing a tray with toast and eggs and coffee4 ,mrs4 ,hardy left ,bess to look after her brother1 and went out of the room almost abruptly4 ,george looked ashamed1 and1 after eating a little1 told ,bess to take the things away4 ,she looked grieved1 and he said3 ,can't help it2 ,i'm not hungry4 ,besides1 ,i don't deserve all this attention4 ,say1 ,bess1 is father still acting under his impression1 or dream1 or whatever it was8 ,yes1 he is1 replied ,bessie1 with much seriousness2 and he is ever so good now1 and kisses mother and all of us good-bye in the morning2 and he is kind and ever so good4 ,i don't believe he is in his right mind4 ,will said yesterday he thought father was non campus meant us2 and then he wouldn't tell me what it meant2 but ,i guess he doesn't think father is just right intellectually4 ,now and then ,bess got hold of a big word and used it for all it would bear4 ,she said intellectually over twice1 and ,george laughed a little2 but it was a bitter laugh1 not such as a boy of his age has any business to possess4 ,he lay down and appeared to be thinking1 and1 after a while1 said aloud3 ,i wonder if he wouldn't let me have some money while he's feeling that way8 ,who8 queried ,bess4 ,father8 ,what6 you here still1 ,curiosity8 ,better take these things downstairs6 ,george spoke with his headache tone1 as ,clara called it1 and ,bess1 without reply1 gathered up the tray things and went out1 while ,george continued to figure out in his hardly yet sober brain the possibility of his father letting him have more money with which to gamble4 ,in the very next room ,mrs4 ,hardy kneeled in an agony of petition for that firstborn son1 crying out of her heart1 ,o ,god1 it is more than ,i can bear6 ,to see him growing away from me so6 ,dear ,lord1 be ,thou merciful to me4 ,bring him back again to the life he used to live6 ,how proud ,i was of him6 ,what a joy he was to me6 ,and now1 and now6 ,o gracious ,father1 if ,thou art truly compassionate1 hear me6 ,has not this foul demon of drink done harm enough8 ,and yet it still comes1 and even into my home6 ,ah1 ,i have been indifferent to the cries of other women1 but now it strikes me6 ,spare me1 great and powerful ,almighty6 ,my boy6 my heart's hunger is for him6 ,i would rather see him dead than see him as ,i saw him last night4 ,spare me1 spare me1 ,o ,god6 ,thus the mother prayed1 dry-eyed and almost despairing1 while he for whom she prayed that heart-broken prayer calculated1 with growing coldness of mind1 the chances of getting more money from his father to use in drink and at the gaming table4 ,o appetite1 and thou spirit of gambling1 ye are twin demons with whom many a fair-browed young soul to-day is marching arm in arm down the dread pavement of hell's vestibule1 lined with grinning skeletons of past victims6 ,yet men gravely discuss the probability of evil1 and think there is no special danger in a little speculation now and then4 ,parents say1 ,oh1 my boy wouldn't do such a thing6 ,but how many know what their boy is really doing1 and how many of the young men would dare reveal to their mothers or fathers the places where they have been1 and the amusements they have tasted1 and the things for which they have spent their money8 ,mr4 ,hardy went at once to his neighbours1 the ,caxtons1 who lived only a block away4 ,he had not been on speaking terms with the family for some time1 and he dreaded the interview with the sensitiveness of a very proud and stern-willed man4 ,but two days had made a great change in him4 ,he was a new man in ,christ ,jesus2 and as he rang the bell he prayed for wisdom and humility4 ,james himself came to the door with his overcoat on and hat in hand1 evidently just ready to go down town4 ,he started back at seeing ,mr4 ,hardy4 ,are you going down town8 ,i will not come in then1 but walk along with you1 said ,mr4 ,hardy quietly4 ,so ,james came out1 and the two walked along together4 ,there was an awkward pause for a minute1 then ,mr4 ,hardy said3 ,james1 is it true that you and ,clara are engaged8 ,no1 sir2 that--is--not exactly what you might call engaged4 ,we would like to be4 ,mr4 ,hardy smiled in spite of himself2 and ,james added in a quickened tone3 ,we would like to be1 with your consent1 sir4 ,mr4 ,hardy walked on thoughtfully1 and then glanced at the young man at his side4 ,he was six feet tall1 not very handsome1 as ,bessie had frankly said1 but he had a good face1 a steady1 clear blue eye1 and a resolute air1 as of one who was willing to work hard to get what he wanted4 ,mr4 ,hardy could not help contrasting him with his own prematurely broken down son ,george1 and he groaned inwardly as he thought of the foolish pride that would bar the doors of his family to a young man like ,james ,caxton simply because he was poor and because his father had won in a contested election in which the two older men were candidates for the same office4 ,it did not take long to think all this4 ,then he said1 looking again at the young man with a businesslike look3 ,supposing you had my permission1 what are your prospects for supporting my daughter8 ,she has always had everything she wanted4 ,what could you give her8 ,the question might have seemed cold and businesslike4 ,the tone was thoughtful and serious4 ,a light flashed into ,james' eyes1 but he said simply3 ,i am in a position to make a thousand dollars a year next spring4 ,i earn something extra with my pen at home4 ,mr4 ,hardy did not reply to this4 ,he said3 ,do you know what a wilful1 quick-tempered girl ,clara is8 ,i have known her from a little child1 ,mr4 ,hardy4 ,i feel as if ,i know her about as well as you do4 ,perhaps you know her better than ,i do2 ,i do not know my child as ,i should4 ,the tone was not bitter but intensely sad4 ,the young man had1 of course1 been greatly wondering at this talk from ,mr4 ,hardy1 and had observed the change in his manner and his speech4 ,he looked at him now and noted his pale1 almost haggard face and his extremely thoughtful appearance4 ,mr4 ,hardy1 said ,james frankly1 you are in trouble4 ,i wish ,i could-- ,thank you2 no1 you can't help me in this--except1 continued ,mr4 ,hardy with a faint smile1 except you solve this trouble between you and my daughter4 ,there is no trouble between us1 sir1 replied ,james simply4 ,you know ,i love her and have loved her for a long time1 and ,i believe ,i am able to support her and make her happy4 ,won't you give your consent1 sir8 ,we are not children4 ,we know our minds4 ,james spoke very earnestly4 ,he was beginning to hope that the stern1 proud man who had so curtly dismissed him a little while before would in some unaccountable manner relent and give him his heart's desire4 ,mr4 ,hardy walked along in silence a little way4 ,then he said almost abruptly3 ,james1 do you drink8 ,no1 sir6 ,or gamble8 ,you forget my mother1 ,mr4 ,hardy4 ,the reply was almost stern4 ,mrs4 ,caxton's younger brother had been ruined by gambling4 ,he had come to the house one night1 and in a fit of anger because his sister would not give him money to carry on his speculations1 he had threatened her life4 ,james had interposed1 and at the risk of his own life had probably saved his mother's4 ,mrs4 ,caxton had been so unnerved by the scene that her health had suffered from it seriously4 ,all this had happened when ,james was growing out of boyhood4 ,but not a day had passed that the young man did not see a sad result of that great gambling passion in his own mother's face and bearing4 ,he loathed the thought of a vice so debasing that it ignored all the tender ties of kindred and was ready to stop at nothing in order to get means for its exercise4 ,mr4 ,hardy knew the story1 and he exclaimed3 ,forgive me1 ,james1 ,i did not think6 ,then1 after a pause1 ,are you a ,christian8 ,i mean1 do you have a faith in the revelation of ,god to men through ,jesus ,christ1 and do you try to live according to ,his teachings1 with a supreme love for ,god controlling your life8 ,do you live every day as if it might be the last you would have to live8 ,james started4 ,was ,mr4 ,hardy out of his mind8 ,he had never heard him talk like this before4 ,the idea of ,mr4 ,hardy caring about his religious character in the event of his becoming a son-in-law was an idea too remote for occurrence4 ,he could see1 however1 that some very powerful change had taken place in ,mr4 ,hardy's usual demeanour4 ,his words also produced a strong effect upon the young man4 ,he was like thousands of young men--temperate1 honest1 industrious1 free from vices1 strictly moral1 but without any decided religious faith4 ,am ,i a ,christian8 he asked himself1 echoing ,mr4 ,hardy's question4 ,no2 he could not say that he was4 ,he had1 in fact1 never been confronted with the question before4 ,so he replied to ,mr4 ,hardy3 ,no1 sir2 ,i don't think ,i am what would be called a ,christian4 ,as for living as if every day were to be my last--do you think that is possible1 sir8 ,mr4 ,hardy did not answer4 ,he walked along thoughtfully4 ,in the course of the conversation they had reached the corner where the young man turned down to his office1 and the two paused4 ,i want to have another talk with you1 ,mr4 ,hardy said4 ,to-day is ,tuesday2 say to-morrow evening4 ,i want to see your father also1 and--,mr4 ,hardy was on the point of saying that he wanted to ask the elder ,caxton's forgiveness1 but for some reason he stopped without doing so4 ,james exclaimed eagerly as ,mr4 ,hardy turned to go3 ,then you don't forbid my entertaining some hope of your good will in the matter of my love for ,clara8 ,he lowered his voice and spoke very strongly4 ,you don't forget your own youth1 and the way in which you yourself began your home8 ,mr4 ,hardy answered never a word to this appeal1 but looked into the young man's face with a gaze he did not forget all day1 then wrung his hand and turned on his heel abruptly and walked rapidly down the street4 ,james looked after him as he disappeared among the crowds of people going to their business1 and then turned to his own tasks4 ,but something in him gave him hope4 ,another something appealed all day to his inner nature1 and he could not shake off the impression of ,mr4 ,hardy's question--,are you a ,christian8 ,even when he went home at night that question pursued him more strenuously than any other1 and would not give him peace4 ,robert ,hardy reached his office just in time to see ,burns1 the foreman1 go out of a side door and cross the yard4 ,the manager followed him and entered the machine shop in time to see him stop at a machine at the farthest end of the shop and speak to the man at work there4 ,the man was a ,norwegian1 ,herman by name4 ,he was running what is called a planer1 a machine for trimming pieces of cold metal just from the foundry or the casting room4 ,he was at work this morning on one of the eccentric bars of a locomotive1 and it was of such a character that he could leave the machine for several minutes to do the planing4 ,burns talked with this man for a while1 and then moved across the floor to another workman1 a small-boned1 nervous little fellow1 who was in charge of a boring machine which drove a steel drill through heavy plates of iron fastened into the frame4 ,mr4 ,hardy came up just as ,burns turned away from this man1 and touched him on the shoulder4 ,the foreman started and turned about1 surprised to see the manager4 ,well1 ,burns1 how goes everything this morning8 asked ,robert4 ,the men here are grumbling because they don't have a holiday1 same as the men in ,scoville's department4 ,but we can't shut down the whole business1 can we8 asked ,mr4 ,hardy1 with a momentary touch of his old-time feeling4 ,the men are unreasonable4 ,i'm afraid there'll be trouble1 sir4 ,i can feel it in the air1 replied ,burns4 ,mr4 ,hardy made no reply in words1 but looked about him4 ,within the blackened area of the great shop about two hundred men were at work4 ,the whirl of machinery was constant4 ,the grind of steel on iron was blended with the rattle of chains and the rolling of the metal carriages in their tracks4 ,the ,genius of ,railroading seemed present in the grim strength and rapidity of several machines which moved almost as if instinct with intelligence1 and played with the most unyielding substances as if they were soft and pliable clay4 ,in the midst of all the smashing of matter against matter1 through the smoke and din and dust and revolution of the place1 ,mr4 ,hardy was more than usually alive this morning to the human aspect of the case4 ,his mind easily went back to the time when he himself stood at one of these planers and did just such work as that big ,norwegian was doing1 only the machines were vastly better and improved now4 ,mr4 ,hardy was not ashamed of having come along through the ranks of manual labour4 ,in fact1 he always spoke with pride of the work he used to do in that very shop1 and he considered himself able to run all by himself any piece of machinery in the shops4 ,but he could not help envying these men this morning4 ,why1 he said1 probably not one of them but has at least seven weeks to live1 and most of them seven months or years1 while ,i-- ,why should these men complain because they are not released from toil8 ,isn't toil sweet when there is a strong body and a loving wife and a happy home8 ,o ,god6 he continued to think1 ,i would give all my wealth if ,i might change places with any one of these men1 and know that ,i would probably have more than a week to live4 ,mr4 ,hardy walked back to his office1 leaving the foreman in a condition of wondering astonishment4 ,something wrong in his works1 ,i guess1 muttered ,burns4 ,mr4 ,hardy sat down to his desk and wrote an order1 releasing all the men who desired to attend ,scoville's funeral in the afternoon4 ,he did not have it in his power to do more1 and yet he felt that this was the least he could do under the circumstances4 ,the more he thought of ,scoville's death the more he felt the cruel injustice of it4 ,the injuries were clearly accidental2 but they might have been avoided with proper care for human life4 ,robert ,hardy was just beginning to understand the value of humanity4 ,he worked hard at the routine of his office until noon4 ,he did what seemed to him the most necessary part of it all with conscientious fidelity4 ,but his mind1 a good part of the time1 was with the men in the shops4 ,he could not escape the conviction that if a railroad company had the willingness to do so1 it could make the surroundings of their men safer and happier without getting poorer work1 or even losing any money by it4 ,when noon sounded he went home1 resolved to do whatever lay in his power to make the men feel that they were regarded as something more than machines4 ,george was downstairs when his father came in1 and looked at him with curiosity rather than with any feeling of shame for the scene of the night before4 ,after lunch was over1 ,mr4 ,hardy called his son into the study for a little talk with him before going down to the funeral4 ,i do not need to tell you1 ,george1 began his father quietly but with feeling1 that ,i felt the disgrace of your drunkenness last night very bitterly4 ,you cannot know the feelings of your father and mother in that respect4 ,but ,i did not call you in here to reproach you for your vices4 ,i want to know what you intend to do in the face of the present conditions4 ,mr4 ,hardy paused1 then went on again3 ,i am perfectly aware1 ,george1 that you regard my dream as a fancy1 and think ,i am probably out of my mind4 ,isn't that true8 ,mr4 ,hardy looked ,george full in the face1 and the young man stammered3 ,well--,i--ah--yes--,i--don't just understand---- ,at the same time1 went on his father1 ,i realise that nothing but a conviction of reality could produce the change in me which you and all the rest of the family must acknowledge has taken place4 ,and you must confess that ,i am acting far more rationally than ,i did before my dream occurred4 ,it is not natural for a father to neglect his own children1 and ,i have done it4 ,it is not rational that he should spend his time and money and strength on himself so as to grow intensely selfish1 and ,i have done that4 ,my son1 you may doubt me1 but ,i am firmly convinced that ,i shall not be alive here after next ,sunday4 ,i am trying to live as ,i ought to live under those conditions4 ,my son1 ,mr4 ,hardy spoke with a dignity and a certain impressiveness which ,george could not but feel1 ,i want you to do as you know you ought to do under the circumstances4 ,when ,i am gone1 your mother and the girls will look to you for advice and direction4 ,you will probably have to leave college for a little while4 ,we will talk that over this evening4 ,but ,i want you to promise me that you will not touch another glass of liquor or handle another card as long as you live4 ,george laughed a little uneasily1 and then lied outright3 ,i don't see the harm of a game once in a while just for fun4 ,i don't play for stakes as some fellows do4 ,george1 said his father1 looking at him steadily1 you have not told the truth4 ,you were gambling only a few nights ago4 ,it is useless for you to deny it4 ,that is where the very liberal allowance ,i have given you has been squandered4 ,george turned deathly pale and sat with bowed head while his father went on almost sternly3 ,consider your mother1 ,george1 whose heart almost broke when you came in last night4 ,i don't ask you to consider me4 ,i have not been to you what a father ought to be4 ,but if you love your mother and sisters1 and have any self-respect left1 you will let drink and cards alone after this4 ,in the sight of ,god1 my dear boy1 remember what ,he made you for4 ,you are young4 ,you have all of life before you4 ,you can make a splendid record if ,god spares your life4 ,i would gladly give all ,i possess to stand where you do to-day1 and live my life over again4 ,i can't do it4 ,the past is irrevocable4 ,but one can always repent4 ,george1 believe me1 your mother would rather see you in your coffin than see you come home again as you did last night4 ,we love you4 ,mr4 ,hardy1 proud man as he was1 could say no more4 ,he laid his hand on the boy's head as if he were a young lad again1 and said simply1 ,don't disappoint ,god1 my boy1 and went out1 leaving his son sitting there almost overcome by his father's powerful appeal1 but not yet ready to yield himself to the still small voice that spoke within even1 more powerfully1 and whispered to him1 ,my son1 give ,me thine heart4 ,cease to do evil2 learn to do well4 ,cleanse thy ways and follow after righteousness4 ,it was one o'clock when ,mr4 ,hardy came downstairs1 and as he came into the room where ,mrs4 ,hardy and the girls were sitting1 he happened to think of some business matters between himself and his only brother1 who lived in the next town1 twenty miles down the road4 ,he spoke of the matter to ,mrs4 ,hardy1 and she suggested that ,will go down on the three o'clock train with the papers ,mr4 ,hardy wanted to have his brother look over1 and come back on the six o'clock in time for dinner4 ,clara asked if she couldn't go too1 and ,bessie added her request1 as she had not seen her aunt for some time4 ,mr4 ,hardy saw no objection to their going1 only he reminded them that he wanted them all back at six4 ,alice volunteered to amuse ,george at home while all the rest were gone1 and ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,hardy departed for the funeral1 ,mr4 ,hardy's thoughts still absorbed for the most part with his older boy4 ,clara had asked no questions concerning the interview with ,james1 and her father simply stated that they could have a good talk about it in the evening4 ,the tenement at ,no4 #gfj was crowded1 and in spite of the wintry weather large numbers of men and women stood outside in the snow4 ,mr4 ,hardy had ordered his sleigh1 and he and his wife had gone down to the house in that1 ready to take someone to the cemetery4 ,the simple service as it began was exceedingly impressive to ,mr4 ,hardy4 ,most of the neighbours present looked at him and his well-dressed wife in sullen surprise4 ,she noticed the looks with a heightening colour2 but ,mr4 ,hardy was too much absorbed in his thought of what he had done and left undone in this family to be influenced by the behaviour of those about him4 ,mr4 ,jones offered a prayer for the comfort of ,god to rest on the stricken family4 ,he then read a short passage from ,john's ,gospel appropriate to the occasion1 and said a few simple words1 mostly addressed to the neighbours present4 ,the poor widow had been removed to a small room upstairs1 and lay there1 cared for by the faithful sister4 ,the minister had nearly concluded his remarks when a voice was heard in the room above1 followed by alarmed expostulations4 ,then there was a rapid movement in the narrow hall1 and1 with a scream of frenzy1 ,mrs4 ,scoville rushed down the stairs and burst into the room where the dead body of her husband lay4 ,she had suddenly awakened out of the fainting stupor in which she had been lying since her husband's death1 and realised what was going on in the house with a quick gathering of passion and strength1 such as even the dying sometimes are known to possess4 ,she had escaped from her sister and the neighbour who were watching with her1 and1 crazy with grief1 flung herself over the coffin1 moaning and crying out in such heart-breaking accents that all present were for a moment flung into a state of inaction and awe4 ,mrs4 ,hardy was first to move toward the stricken woman4 ,where did the wife of the once haughty and proud man learn the touch of sympathy that drew that other poor sister nearer to her1 and finally soothed her into quietness8 ,certain it is that suffering in her own home had marvellously taught the richly dressed woman1 the refined1 cultured lady1 to hold this other one to be of the same household of ,god with her4 ,so it was that she finally succeeded in drawing her away into the other room1 and there held her gasping for breath1 now that the brief strength was spent1 and crying feebly1 ,o ,god1 ,o ,god1 help me6 ,don't keep me here in this world any longer6 ,if this brief scene filled the neighbours with pity1 what shall be said of its effect on ,robert ,hardy8 ,for a moment it seemed to him more than he could bear4 ,he started to his feet and put his hands before his face4 ,then calming himself by a great effort1 he sat down and his face became almost like a stone in its rigidity4 ,when his wife finally succeeded in getting the woman into the rear room1 his face relaxed and he breathed more easily2 but as soon as possible he arose and went out and stood silent there until the body was brought out and placed in the hearse4 ,then he went in and spoke a few words to his wife1 and told ,mr4 ,jones that he could take four or five to the cemetery if they wished to go4 ,mrs4 ,hardy would stay with the suffering widow until he came back4 ,mr4 ,hardy also whispered something to his minister1 and gave him a large roll of bills to be used for the family4 ,then he went out again4 ,that ride in the cold gray of the declining winter afternoon was a bitter experience to ,robert4 ,he roused himself at the grave as he heard the words1 ,raise us from the death of sin unto the resurrection of righteousness1 and something like a gleam of hope shot through his heart at the words4 ,surely there was mercy with ,him who had conquered death for the sake of the human race4 ,he drove back with more peace of soul than he had thought possible4 ,by the time he had reached the shop tenements it was growing dark4 ,he went home with his wife and thought with something of a feeling of pleasure of the evening before him with his family4 ,the second day had been more agitating in some ways than his first4 ,he had been unnerved at the funeral1 and had felt remorse more keenly than he had once thought possible4 ,as he reviewed the events of the day with his wife1 he felt dissatisfied4 ,and yet he had truly tried to do his duty in the light of eternity4 ,what more could he do8 ,he felt anxious about ,george1 and told his wife of the conversation he had had with him4 ,mrs4 ,hardy felt the same anxiety as her husband4 ,after the horses were put up and the father and mother had gone into the house1 they continued the conversation4 ,alice was upstairs with ,george1 and the other children had not come back4 ,it was dark1 but husband and wife sat by the light of the open fire and talked together until nearly six o'clock4 ,mr4 ,hardy had just said something about ,clara1 and ,mrs4 ,hardy replied1 ,isn't it about time they were here8 when the telephone bell rang in the little office adjoining the hallway1 connected by wire with the shops1 where ,mr4 ,hardy attended to some of the business of the company4 ,he went in and answered the call1 and a series of sharp exclamations and questions was soon followed by his coming back into the room where his wife sat4 ,by the light of the open fire she could see that he was very pale4 ,his overcoat was lying on the couch where he had thrown it as he came in4 ,he hastily put it on1 and then said to his wife3 ,mary1 there has been an accident to the six o'clock way-train between ,baldwin and here1 and ,burns has telephoned me to come down4 ,don't be alarmed4 ,we will hope for the best4 ,mrs4 ,hardy started up4 ,why1 ,will and ,bess and ,clara were coming home on that train6 ,mary1 let us hope for the best4 ,mr4 ,hardy's voice trembled1 but he tried to speak calmly and in comfort4 ,what did ,mr4 ,burns telephone8 ,tell me all1 ,robert4 ,i can bear it with you4 ,he telephoned that the train was derailed and a dozen people killed and as many injured4 ,i must go down the road at once6 ,o my ,god1 spare our dear ones6 ,mr4 ,hardy was almost overwhelmed by this last stroke1 yet he asked himself how many accidents had occurred this last year on the road without his giving much thought to the suffering of those families afflicted6 ,now perhaps it had come to him4 ,bidding his wife pray and hope1 he rushed out of the house and down to the station with the energy and rapidity of the youth who in college days had taken prizes for athletic superiority4 ,at the yard he found a special train just ready to go to the scene of the accident4 ,it consisted of a wrecking car1 a caboose1 and one coach with tender and engine4 ,he mounted the engine with a feeling that it was a little nearer the fatal spot and would reach there first4 ,at the last minute no more definite news concerning the particular persons killed and injured had been received4 ,mr4 ,hardy felt almost glad of the uncertainty as the engine pulled out and started on its run of fifteen miles1 soon attaining a speed of fifty-five miles an hour4 ,the snow was falling in large moist flakes4 ,it was growing warmer1 and would rain before morning4 ,he gazed at the narrow band of light on the track ahead1 and leaned forward as if to help the engine go faster4 ,he did not speak1 while the train rushed through the night4 ,so the second of ,robert ,hardy's seven days drew to a close4 ,,wednesday--,,the ,,third ,,day4 ,as the engine drew near the scene of the wreck a great crowd could be seen standing about the track4 ,before the train came to a stop ,robert ,hardy leaped down from the cab and struggled forward1 uttering cries of which he himself probably was not conscious4 ,the accident had occurred upon a bridge which spanned a small river in the vicinity of ,baldwin1 near which town ,mr4 ,hardy's brother lived4 ,the engine1 mail car1 two day-coaches1 and two sleepers had crashed through1 and falling a distance of fifty feet1 had partly broken through the ice of the frozen stream4 ,to add to the horror of the disaster1 the two sleepers had caught fire1 and there was absolutely no means to fight the flames4 ,mr4 ,hardy caught confused glimpses of men down on the ice throwing handfuls of snow upon the blazing timbers in a frantic attempt to drive back or put out the flames4 ,he fell1 rather than scrambled1 down the steep1 slippery bank of the stream1 and then the full horror of the situation burst upon him4 ,the baggage car and tender had fallen in such a way that the trucks rested upright on the ice1 and the position of the timbers was relatively that of the train before it had left the track4 ,one day-coach lay upon its side1 but had broken completely in two1 as if some giant hand had pulled it apart1 leaving the ragged ends of timbers projecting toward one another in such curious fashion that if the two ends of the car had been pushed together the splintered beams would have fitted into place almost as if made on a pattern4 ,the other day-coach had fallen upon one end1 and one-third of it was under water4 ,the other end resting partly against the broken car1 stuck up in the air like some curious1 fantastic pillar or leaning tower4 ,mr4 ,hardy was conscious of all this and more as he heard the groans of the injured and the cries of those begging to be released from the timbers under which they had been caught4 ,but his own children6 ,never had he loved them as now4 ,the crowd of people had increased to a mob4 ,the confusion was that of terror4 ,mr4 ,hardy rushed about the wreck searching for his children1 a great throbbing at his heart as he thought of their probable fate1 when the sweetest of all sounds1 ,bessie's dear voice1 came to him1 and the next minute he had caught up the child as she ran to him and strained her to his breast as in the old days when he had carried her about the house and yard4 ,where are ,will and ,clara8 ,o father1 they're here6 and ,will wasn't hurt much more than ,i was2 but ,clara has fainted1 and she is lying down over here4 ,bess dragged her father out across the ice to the edge of the bank1 where a number of the victims had been laid on the cushions of the seats1 some dead1 some dying4 ,there lay ,clara1 very white and still1 with ,will bending over her1 himself bleeding from several wounds about the head and hands1 but still conscious and trying to restore his sister4 ,mr4 ,hardy kneeled down in the snow by his son's side4 ,will was not surprised at seeing him there2 but he sobbed excitedly3 ,oh1 she is dead6 ,no1 replied her father2 she is not4 ,clara stirred1 and her lips moved2 but she did not open her eyes1 and then her father noticed that a strange mark lay over her face4 ,how ,mr4 ,hardy succeeded in carrying the girl to the top of the bank1 and how he left her there in the care of brave-hearted women while he went down into that hell's pit to rescue victims imprisoned and groaning for help2 how ,bess related the accident of the night and tried to explain how she was not hurt except a scratch or two1 because she fell between two car-seat cushions that were jammed around her and protected her from injury2 how the excitement grew as it was discovered that the dead and dying would number more than seventy-five1 instead of ten or twelve1 as ,burns had said2 how finally ,robert ,hardy and ,will and ,bess and ,clara1 with other victims1 were taken back to ,barton1 where a great crowd of anxious1 pale-faced people was surging through the station and over the track2 how ,james ,caxton was first to board the train down by the shops1 at the risk of his neck1 as in the rainy darkness he swung himself on the dead run up to the platform of the coach2 how ,mrs4 ,hardy met her children and husband2 how there was sorrow in many a home in ,barton that night and for many days to come2 how ,mr4 ,hardy1 a little after midnight1 entirely exhausted by the events of the day and night1 finally fell asleep and dreamed the scene all over again1--all this and a great deal more might be of interest concerning one of the most remarkable railroad accidents that ever occurred in this country1 but it would be out of place in this narrative1 for it is all true1 exactly and literally1 only the detailed horrors of it no pen can describe1 no words can tell4 ,mr4 ,hardy woke about eight o'clock1 rested1 but feeling very lame and sore from his exertions of the night4 ,his first thought was of ,clara4 ,when he went to sleep the girl seemed to be resting without pain1 but that strange mark across her face made them all anxious4 ,it was not a bruise1 but it lay like a brand across the eyes1 which had not opened since her father found her lying by the frozen stream4 ,james had insisted on staying in the house to be of service1 and ,mrs4 ,hardy had felt grateful for his presence as she watched for returning consciousness from ,clara1 who still gave no more sign of animation1 although she breathed easily and seemed to be free from pain4 ,every doctor and surgeon in town had been summoned to the scene of the accident4 ,but ,mr4 ,hardy felt so anxious for ,clara as he came in and looked at her that he went downstairs and asked ,james if he wouldn't run out and see if any of the doctors had returned4 ,yes1 sir2 ,i'll go at once4 ,how is she now1 ,mr4 ,hardy8 ,james looked him in the face with the look that love wears when it is true and brave4 ,my boy1 replied ,mr4 ,hardy1 laying his hand on ,james' shoulder1 ,i don't know4 ,there is something strange about it4 ,get a doctor if you can4 ,but ,i know there must be many other sad homes today in ,barton4 ,oh1 it was horrible6 ,he sat down and covered his face1 while ,james1 with a brief ,god help us1 sir6 went out in search of a doctor4 ,mr4 ,hardy went upstairs again1 and with his wife kneeled down and offered a prayer of thanksgiving and of appeal4 ,o ,lord1 said ,robert1 grant that this dear one of ours may be restored to us again4 ,spare us this anguish1 not in return for our goodness1 but out of ,thy great compassion for our sins repented of6 ,will and ,bess lay in the next room1 and now that the reaction had set in they were sleeping1 ,will1 feverish and restless1 ,bess quite peaceful1 as if nothing had happened out of the usual order of things4 ,where is ,george8 asked ,mr4 ,hardy as he rose from his prayer4 ,i don't know1 ,robert4 ,he started down to the train a little while after you did4 ,haven't you seen him8 ,no1 ,mary4 ,god grant that he may not--,mr4 ,hardy did not dare finish his thought aloud4 ,his wife guessed it1 and together the two sat hand in hand1 drawn very near by their mutual trouble and by all the strange events of that strange week2 and together they talked of the accident and of ,clara and ,james and their oldest son2 and then ,mrs4 ,hardy said1 as she drew her husband's face near to her3 ,robert1 do you still have that impression concerning the time left you here to live8 ,do you still think this week is to be the end8 ,mrs4 ,hardy had a vague hope that the shock of the accident might have destroyed the impression of the dream2 but her hope was disappointed4 ,my dear wife1 replied ,robert1 there is not the least doubt in my mind that my dream was a vision of what will happen4 ,there is no question but that after ,sunday ,i shall not be with you4 ,this is ,wednesday4 ,how lightning-like the days have flown6 ,how precious the moments are6 ,how many of them ,i have wasted in foolish selfishness6 ,mary1 ,i should go mad with the thought if ,i did not feel the necessity of making this week the best week of all my life2 only1 ,i do not know what is most important to do4 ,if it had been seven months1 or even seven weeks1 ,i might have planned more wisely4 ,oh1 it is cruelly brief1 the time6 ,but ,i must make the wisest possible use of it4 ,this accident1 so unexpected1 has complicated the matter4 ,i had not reckoned on it4 ,how many of us do reckon on accidents8 ,they always come into our lives with a shock4 ,yet it seems possible that a man who lives very close to ,god every day might be so ready for everything that not even the most terrible catastrophe could make much difference to his plans for daily life1 least of all deprive him of his reason1 as it has so often done4 ,robert ,hardy was just beginning to realise dimly that life is not one thing1 but many things1 and that its importance is the importance which belongs to the character of ,god ,himself4 ,he began to talk calmly with his wife concerning what he would do that day1 and was still talking about it when ,james came in with a doctor1 who at once went upstairs4 ,he was just from the scene of the accident1 and bore marks of a hard night's work4 ,his first glance at ,clara was hard and professional4 ,but as he looked he grew very grave1 and an expression of serious surprise came over his weary face4 ,he laid his hands on the girl's eyes and examined them2 raised her hand and dropped it upon the bed again4 ,then turning to the father and mother he said gently3 ,you must prepare yourselves for a terrible fact resulting from the accident to your daughter4 ,she has suffered a shock that will probably render her blind as long as she lives4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,hardy listened1 pale-faced and troubled4 ,it was hard to think of the girl1 so strong-willed1 so passionate1 and yet so capable of noble impulses and loving desires1 as all her life shut up within the darkness thus4 ,it was bitter to think of this for her4 ,what would it be to her when1 she awoke to the whole consciousness of it8 ,the doctor spoke again slowly3 ,there is another thing you ought to be prepared for4 ,in rare cases like this1 it happens sometimes that a loss of hearing accompanies the loss of sight4 ,then1 after a pause1 ,and with the loss of sight and hearing it is possible the peculiar shock has deprived your daughter of the power of speech4 ,i do not know yet whether this has happened1 but ,i prepare you for the worst4 ,blind1 and deaf1 and dumb1 murmured ,mr4 ,hardy1 while his wife sat down and buried her face in the bedclothes and sobbed4 ,it seemed terrible to them4 ,the doctor1 after a little further examination1 said nothing more could be done at present4 ,he gave directions for certain necessary treatment1 and departed1 after giving a look at ,will and ,bess1 and prescribing for them4 ,mr4 ,hardy went downstairs and quietly told ,james all that the doctor had said4 ,to a man living on the verge of eternity1 as ,mr4 ,hardy was1 there was no time for evasions or the postponing of bad news or the utterance of soft speeches4 ,james took the news more calmly than ,mr4 ,hardy thought he would4 ,it was evident he did not realise all that was meant by it4 ,can you love ,clara under these conditions8 asked ,mr4 ,hardy1 looking at ,james with a sympathy that the young man could not help feeling4 ,yes1 sir1 more than ever4 ,why1 is she not more in need of it than ever8 ,true2 but what can you do with a helpless creature like that8 ,god help us1 sir6 ,if she were my wife now1 and were dependent on me1 don't you think ,i could care for her more tenderly than anyone else in the world8 ,mr4 ,hardy shook his head4 ,this is a hard blow to me1 ,james4 ,i don't know just what to say yet4 ,but it is possible the poor girl may not have to suffer all that4 ,let us hope the doctor is not justified in his supposition4 ,indeed1 he said he could not tell for certain that loss of hearing and speech would follow4 ,if they do ,i cannot see how ,clara can retain her reason when she recovers from the shock4 ,james1 ,i believe you are a good fellow4 ,i have not forgotten my own courtship4 ,i will not stand in the way between you and your love for ,clara in anything right and reasonable4 ,i had hoped we might have a good talk together over the matter4 ,this accident has made it impossible for a time1 at least2 but ,i confide in you as an honest1 true man4 ,we must wait for events to take shape4 ,meanwhile1 let us pray ,god to give us wisdom1 and lead us into the way we need to go4 ,james ,caxton listened to ,mr4 ,hardy with a feeling of astonishment4 ,this was not the ,robert ,hardy he had known all his life2 this was a new man4 ,for a moment his own hopes and fears were almost lost sight of in the thought of the great change in the elder man4 ,in a tumult of feeling he went home1 after begging ,mrs4 ,hardy to send him word if ,clara became worse or if there were any service he could render the family4 ,robert went back upstairs where his wife sat by the side of the injured girl4 ,mary1 he said1 ,i must go down to the shops4 ,you know ,i left word with ,wellman to do what he could in the office until ,i could get down2 but this accident has made it imperative that ,i be there myself4 ,there are details the men cannot attend to4 ,i cannot do any more here1 and ,i must do what ,i can for the sufferers4 ,god has been merciful to us1 dear4 ,our dear ones are spared to us4 ,oh1 when ,i heard ,bessie's voice in that hell's pit it seemed to me ,god was taking pity on me for the burden ,i am carrying this week6 ,if she had been killed1 ,i do believe ,i should have gone mad4 ,pray for me1 sweetheart6 ,with a kiss and embrace ,robert left the house2 and even in the sorrow of all her trouble ,mrs4 ,hardy felt a great wave of joy flow through her at the thought of a love come back to her4 ,as she went to the window and watched the tall1 strong figure swing down the street1 she almost felt a girl again1 and wondered if he would turn around and see her there and toss his hat to her as in the old days4 ,yes2 just before he reached the corner where he had to turn he looked back up at the window1 saw his wife standing there1 and took off his hat with a smile1 and she waved her hand at him and coloured as when her ,robert used to do the same thing while he was courting her4 ,two fools6 somebody says4 ,yes2 two children of ,god1 who have seen ,his face and learned what all this life means4 ,mr4 ,hardy found much to do at the shops4 ,the accident necessitated special work4 ,it looked to him as if he must be down there all day4 ,there was almost a panic in the planing rooms4 ,the air was heavy with the horror of the night before4 ,owing to the wreck1 there was more need of work in the shops than ever2 but along toward noon ,burns came into the office1 pulling a long face1 and asking ,mr4 ,hardy to step across the yard and talk to the men1 who had threatened1 ,burns said1 to do mischief if they were not given the afternoon to go down to the scene of the disaster4 ,mr4 ,hardy rose with a sinking heart1 and followed ,burns into the planing rooms4 ,he told the foreman to get the men together in the centre of the room4 ,they stopped their machines and gathered in the largest open space between the planers1 and ,mr4 ,hardy addressed them3 ,what do you want8 ,burns tells me there is dissatisfaction4 ,speak out1 so that we may know what the trouble is4 ,there was an awkward pause4 ,then one man spoke up3 ,we think the company ought to give us the day off4 ,what for8 asked ,mr4 ,hardy mildly4 ,under any other circumstances he would have told the men they might leave for good if they didn't like the pay and the company4 ,he had done just that thing twice before2 but things were different now4 ,he looked at the men in a new light4 ,he was a new man himself4 ,besides1 it was imperative that the work in the shops go on4 ,the company could ill afford to lose the work just at this particular time4 ,all these considerations did not blind ,robert to his obligations as an officer of the company4 ,he was only anxious that no injustice should be done1 so he said1 ,what for8 mildly and quietly1 and waited for an answer4 ,the spokesman was not quite ready with an answer4 ,the directness of the question and the mildness of it also surprised him4 ,another man spoke up3 ,our friends was in the accident4 ,we want to go see them4 ,very well4 ,how many men had relatives or friends in the accident who are injured or killed8 ,let them step forward4 ,there was a moment of inaction4 ,then three men stepped out4 ,mr4 ,hardy said3 ,you may go if you want to4 ,why didn't you ask for leave off if you wanted it8 ,what reason have you to suppose the company would refuse such a request8 ,now1 what is the trouble with the rest8 ,the company is not in a position to grant a holiday at this particular time1 and you know it4 ,come1 be fair1 men6 ,i can't shut down the shops all day to let you go and see a railroad wreck4 ,be reasonable6 ,what do you want8 ,we want more pay and freedom from ,sunday work1 said a big fellow1 the ,norwegian who ran the biggest planer in the shop4 ,he had more than once proved troublesome to ,burns1 but he was a remarkably intelligent and skilful workman1 and the foreman had endured much irritation on that account4 ,mr4 ,hardy replied1 still speaking pleasantly3 ,the matter of more pay is one we cannot well discuss here now1 but ,i will say to you and all the rest1 that as far as it is in my power there shall be no more ,sunday work demanded--while ,i live1 ,mr4 ,hardy was on the point of saying2 but he said instead1 of the men in the shops4 ,still1 that is not the question1 replied the man in an insolent tone4 ,mr4 ,hardy looked at him more closely1 and saw that he had been drinking4 ,several of the workmen cried out3 ,shut up1 ,herman6 ,mr4 ,hardy be right2 we be fools to make row now at this time4 ,a dozen men started for their machines to go to work again1 while ,burns went up and laid his hand1 on the ,norwegian's arm1 and said to him roughly3 ,quit off now4 ,you've been dipping that beard of yours into a whiskey barrel4 ,better mind your pegs1 or you get your walking papers4 ,mind your own1 ,burns1 replied the big man heavily4 ,you be somethings of a beard drinker yourself1 if you had the beard4 ,burns was so enraged at the drunken retort that he drew back as if to strike the man1 when the ,norwegian smote the foreman a blow that laid him sprawling in the iron dust4 ,instantly ,mr4 ,hardy stepped up between the two men before ,burns could rise4 ,we have spoken of ,robert's intense horror of the coarse1 physical vices4 ,it seemed totally wrong to him that a workman should degrade himself with drink4 ,besides1 he could not tolerate such actions in the shops4 ,he looked the drunken man in the face and said sternly3 ,you are discharged6 ,i cannot afford to employ drunken men in these shops4 ,you may go this instant6 ,the man leered at ,mr4 ,hardy1 raised his arm as if to strike1 while the manager confronted him with a stern look2 but before the ,norwegian could do any harm two or three of the men seized him and hustled him back to the other end of the shops1 while ,burns rose1 vowing vengeance4 ,the men went back to their machines1 and ,mr4 ,hardy1 with an anxious heart1 went back into the office1 satisfied that there would be no trouble at the shops for the rest of the day at least4 ,he was sorry that he had been obliged to discharge ,herman1 but he felt that he had done the right thing4 ,the company could not afford to employ in any way men who were drunkards1 especially just at this time1 when it began to be more than plainly hinted that the result of the accident on the road was due to the partial intoxication of a track inspector4 ,that accident was a complication in ,robert ,hardy's seven days4 ,it was demanding of him precious time that he longed to spend in his family4 ,at one time in the afternoon as he worked at the office he was tempted to resign his position and go home1 come what might4 ,but1 to his credit be it said1 that always1 even in his most selfish moments1 he had been faithful to his duties at the office4 ,at present no one could fully take his place4 ,he felt that his duty to the company and to the public demanded his services at a critical time in railroad matters4 ,so he stayed and worked on1 praying as he worked for his dear ones1 and hoping1 as no bad news came from home1 that ,clara was better4 ,he had been to the telephone several times and had two or three short talks with his wife2 and now just as the lights were turned on in the office the bell rang again1 and ,mrs4 ,hardy told him that the minister1 ,mr4 ,jones1 had called and wanted to see him about some of the families that were injured in the accident at the foundry room4 ,tell ,mr4 ,jones ,i will try to see him at the meeting to-night4 7,in ,barton the church meeting fell on ,wednesday47 ,and tell him ,i will have something to give him for what he wants4 ,how is ,clara now8 ,no change yet4 ,will is suffering some from nervousness4 ,he says he had a horrible dream of the accident this afternoon4 ,bess is about the same4 ,her escape was a miracle4 ,has ,george come home yet8 ,no2 ,i am getting anxious about him4 ,i wish you would inquire about him at the ,bramleys as you come up to dinner4 ,i will4 ,i must leave very soon4 ,this has been a terrible day down here4 ,god keeps us4 ,good-by4 ,robert finished most of the work1 toiling as never in all his life before1 and started for home at six4 ,on the way he made inquiries concerning ,george1 but nobody had seen him since the evening before4 ,when he reached the house he found that his wife1 utterly worn out1 had lain down for a little sleep4 ,alice was caring for the patients with a calm courage and quiet cheerfulness that revealed the girl's strong1 self-reliant character4 ,clara's condition had not changed4 ,she still lay as if sleeping4 ,alice reported that once in the afternoon she had moved her lips and distinctly called for water4 ,mr4 ,hardy and ,bess sat down to the supper table by themselves1 and ,bess again told how she had been saved from even a scratch in that terrible fall4 ,it was indeed remarkable that the child did not suffer even from the general shock and reaction of the disaster4 ,after a brief meal ,mr4 ,hardy went upstairs to ,clara again4 ,his chief anxiety now was for her4 ,he believed that if the doctor's fears were realised1 she would become insane4 ,it was hardly possible that a person of her temperament and passion could be otherwise1 in case she should come to consciousness of her condition4 ,as the evening wore on1 ,mr4 ,hardy felt that his duty lay in his own home1 for that night1 and he would have to see his minister some other time4 ,he thought of the prayer meeting with regret1 and sat by the bed of the unconscious girl1 wondering how it was possible that for all these years gone by he had been so indifferent to one of the best and most precious opportunities for growing in spiritual manhood4 ,he heard the bell ring for service1 and when it stopped he sat with his face in his hands1 praying4 ,the prayer meeting in ,mr4 ,jones' church was generally a very quiet affair4 ,a good many people in the church1 especially those who came to the meeting only occasionally1 thought it was stupid4 ,but it was a noticeable fact that those who attended regularly were the ones who did the most work in the church1 and the ones who grew stronger and sweeter in the ,christian life4 ,there was usually no regular subject given out4 ,there was very little talking done4 ,from beginning to close it was nearly all prayer4 ,mr4 ,jones did not feel afraid of the long pauses4 ,he believed modern ,american life to be so full of nervousness and hurry that it would not hurt anyone to sit still and think a minute or two4 ,that was the reason so many people called ,mr4 ,jones' prayer meetings dull2 because they were not rushing all the time with sensational or exciting remarks and incidents4 ,mr4 ,jones didn't believe that sensation was what a prayer meeting was for1 and he planned accordingly4 ,but this particular evening was an exception4 ,the great railroad accident so near them had stirred the entire community to the depths of its sympathy4 ,several families in ,mr4 ,jones' church had been sufferers4 ,as if by tacit consent there was an unusually large gathering at the church1 and the subject was of necessity the recent disaster4 ,it was a spontaneous meeting4 ,the minister briefly opened with the express desire that ,god would bless the suffering1 prepare the dying1 and comfort the living1 and almost instantly a service of prayer began which was like a flood in its continuous outpouring4 ,the people seemed urged by some irresistible feeling to relieve the pent-up strain of the day in prayer2 and such prayers had not been heard in that church for many years4 ,a similar scene was witnessed in a church near the ,white ,river ,junction railroad disaster in #ahhg4 ,the entire morning service was given up to prayer1 which seemed the only healthy relief to people suffering from an overwhelming horror4 ,it was during the first pause that occurred that ,james ,caxton opened the door and gave a note to someone in the back seat1 with a request that it be sent up to ,mr4 ,jones4 ,he then turned as if to go out1 but hesitated1 came back1 and slipped into a vacant seat4 ,mr4 ,jones received the note1 glanced at its contents1 and then rose4 ,there was a singular emotion in his voice as he spoke4 ,i have just been handed a note from one of our members1 ,mr4 ,robert ,hardy1 with the request that ,i read it aloud to the church to-night3 ',to you1 my dear pastor1 and you1 my brothers1 and sisters in ,christ3--,i suppose it is known to most of you that three of my children were on the train during the recent accident1 and two of them escaped with but slight injuries4 ,but my daughter ,clara was seriously injured by the shock1 and ,i am at this moment seated by her side1 praying that her reason may be spared and her possible injuries prove to be within the region of cure4 ,i had planned to be with you to-night4 ,i wanted to tell the church of the change that ,i have lately experienced4 ,i do not need to tell you that for the twenty-five years that ,i have been a member of the church ,i have been a member only in name4 ,i have seldom appeared in any of the spiritual or devotional services of the church4 ,i have often sat in an attitude of criticism to the best preaching4 ,i have been a hard man with those in my employ4 ,i have been cold and even revengeful toward other members of this church4 ,i have been a very proud1 un-,christian1 selfish man4 ,in the sight of ,god ,i have been an altogether unworthy member of the ,church of ,christ4 ,i do not take any pride to myself in making this confession1 but ,i feel that it is due to you1 and something tells me ,i shall have more peace of mind if ,i speak to you as ,i have lately prayed to ,god4 ',it is not necessary1 neither have ,i time nor strength1 to tell you how ,i have been brought to see my selfishness in all its enormity4 ,it is enough if ,i say to you that ,i most sincerely believe that ,i have misunderstood very largely the right meaning of human existence4 ,i want to pray with you and for you4 ,you will let me say this also1 bearing with me1 as this may be my last opportunity to say to you what lies in my heart3 ,serve the ,church of ,christ1 all you who have taken upon you its vows1 with enthusiasm and loyalty4 ,stand by the superintendent of the ,sunday ,school2 attend this week-night service when you can1 making it the most important service of the week2 and1 more than all1 live true1 simple1 loving ,christian lives every day4 ',it may seem strange that ,i am preaching like this to you who have probably done your duty far better than ,i ever did1 but ,i wish to say what lies deep in my heart to say to-night4 ,if there are any young men in the meeting tonight1 ,i want to say to them1 ,become ,christians at the core--not in name simply1 as ,i have been2 and above all1 kneel down every morning1 noon1 and night1 and pray to ,god to keep you from a selfish life--such a life as ,i have lived--forgetful of church vows1 of the rights of the working poor1 of the brother and sister in ,christ4 ,yes2 ,i would be willing that any young man might say1 ,o ,lord1 keep me from living as selfish and useless and proud a life as ,robert ,hardy once lived4 ,for that is the truth4 ,no one but ,god knows how ,i have suffered at the thought of the past2 how ,i am suffering at the present moment4 ,i pray that any who are afflicted at this present time may find peace in ,him who bore the world's sorrows in ,his great heart of love4 ,if it were not for my faith in my ,saviour at this time1 ,i should be in despair4 ,as it is1 ,i am suffering1 but it is not the suffering which follows an eclipse of hope4 ,i believe in the eternal life and in the forgiveness of sins1 yea1 even such sins as mine have been4 ,forgive so much about myself2 it is necessary under the circumstances4 ,i ask your prayers for me as your petitions go up for the afflicted and repentant everywhere4 ',i am1 ,your brother in ,christ1 ',,robert ,,hardy4' ,the impression made by the reading of this letter was profound4 ,the stillness that followed was deathlike4 ,then one of the oldest men in the room rose1 and in a prayer of great power prayed for the absent man and thanked ,god for ,his guiding strength4 ,the prayer was followed by others1 and then one and another of the members1 who had not been on really good terms with ,mr4 ,hardy1 arose and confessed and asked forgiveness4 ,the hearts of the people were greatly moved4 ,mr4 ,jones1 contrary to his usual habit1 asked1 as the meeting drew to a close1 if there were any present who wanted to begin that ,christian life at the core1 of which ,mr4 ,hardy spoke4 ,i see a number here not professing ,christians4 ,are there any who would like to say that they want to become ,christians1 and will try to live the ,christ-life every day8 ,in the pause that followed1 ,james ,caxton1 who had been sitting in the back seat1 felt as if some power within and without him were forcing him to his feet4 ,he grasped his chair as if to hold himself down2 but the ,holy ,spirit whispered to him1 ,son1 this will be the beginning of a new life to thee4 ,so ,james ,caxton arose and said he wanted to be a ,christian2 and from that moment he dated his strong1 consecrated life--a life that bids fair to become famous in the world some day4 ,his action was the beginning of a new life in that church and community2 but we cannot dwell on that in the course of this history4 ,o ,robert ,hardy6 the good ,god is blessing thee in this thy week of trial6 ,for was it not thy word that first started this young1 manly soul to consider what he owed to ,jesus the ,christ8 ,to come back to ,robert4 ,he had written the note1 beginning it just a little after the bell ceased ringing1 and as he finished1 ,james had come over to see if he could be of any service4 ,the church was near by1 and ,mr4 ,hardy asked him to take the note over4 ,he went over to the church1 with the result described4 ,he did not come back at once1 and ,mr4 ,hardy watched on with ,alice4 ,will slept irregularly1 being troubled with his dreams of the accident4 ,mrs4 ,hardy awoke and begged her husband to lie down and get a little rest4 ,he did so1 but was aroused about ten o'clock by the doctor coming in4 ,he had just finished a visit near by2 he saw the light and was anxious1 as the case was an extraordinary one1 to see ,clara4 ,he examined her face very keenly1 and then sat down by the bed for an instant4 ,after giving certain medicines he found that he was in need of another article1 which was at his house4 ,i will go and get it1 doctor4 ,it's not far1 and ,i think a little fresh air will do me good and help me to remain awake better1 said ,robert4 ,he went downstairs1 and the doctor followed him as he went out into the hall and flung on his overcoat4 ,mr4 ,hardy turned before he opened the door3 ,doctor1 tell me the truth about my girl4 ,what is her condition8 ,it is serious2 but more than that ,i cannot say4 ,there is a possibility that by means of a slight operation the disastrous consequences of the shock to her eyes may be averted2 and it is possible that the other results of which ,i hinted may not be realised4 ,it is not in medical power to decide with certainty4 ,so ,mr4 ,hardy went out into the night with a glimmer of hope in his breast4 ,it was snowing again1 and a strong wind was blowing1 so he buttoned his big coat close up1 drew his hat down over his brows1 and leaning forward1 walked as rapidly as he could against the wind in the direction of the doctor's house4 ,the streets were almost deserted4 ,the lights at the corners flickered and showed pale through the lamps4 ,as he turned down a narrow street1 intending to make a short cut across a park that lay near the doctor's1 he was suddenly seized by three or four young men1 and one of them said in a tone betraying a drunken debauch3 ,hold up your hands and deliver6 ,you've got plenty of chink and we haven't6 ,so no squalling1 or we'll shoot you for it4 ,mr4 ,hardy was taken completely by surprise4 ,but he was a vigorous1 athletic man1 and his first impulse was to shake himself loose1 to knock down two of his assailants next to him and make a run for it4 ,his next glance1 however1 showed him the nature of the group of young men4 ,they were not professional robbers1 but young men about town who had been drinking late and were evidently out on a lark1 and were holding him up just for fun4 ,mr4 ,hardy guessed exactly right4 ,what could he do8 ,two of the young men were known to him1 the sons of the ,bramleys1 who were well-to-do people in ,barton4 ,mr4 ,hardy's next impulse was to discover himself to them and beg them to quit such dangerous fooling and go home4 ,the three other young men were in shadow1 and he could not recognise them4 ,all this passed through his thought with a flash4 ,but before he had time to do anything1 a police officer sprang out of a doorway near by1 and the group of young men1 dropping their hold of ,mr4 ,hardy1 fled in different directions4 ,the officer made pursuit1 and after a short run captured one of the young men1 whom1 after vigorous resistance1 he dragged back to where ,mr4 ,hardy stood1 exclaiming3 ,here's one of the rascals1 sir6 ,i heard 'em when they held you up4 ,we've been looking for this gang some time now4 ,just identify this one1 if he is the one that just now grabbed ye1 sir4 ,under the light of the lamp the policeman dragged the form of his victim1 and roughly struck up his hat4 ,at that instant ,mr4 ,hardy looked into his face and cried out3 ,george6 ,is it you8 ,and the son replied as he started back3 ,father6 ,the two looked at each other in silence1 while the snow fell in whirling flakes about them4 ,and this was the end of ,robert ,hardy's third day4 ,,thursday--,,the ,,fourth ,,day4 ,mr4 ,hardy looked at his son sternly1 standing at the little distance to which he had recoiled after his first recognition of the boy4 ,it would be difficult to describe his emotions4 ,he had never been an affectionate father to his boys4 ,he had generally given them money when they asked for it1 but had not questioned them about its use4 ,he was not familiar with his older son's habits1 and only within the last few days had he known that he was what the age popularly designates as fast4 ,he had never made a companion of his son2 he had not grown up with him2 so that now as he faced him under the strange circumstances that had brought them together he was actually at a loss to know what to do or say4 ,the thought that his son was guilty of a crime which might put him behind prison bars did not yet occur to his mind4 ,he was only conscious of a great longing to get back home and have a thorough talk with his boy1 in the hope of winning him to better things4 ,but he must say something to ,george4 ,the police officer stared in wonder after the first startled cry of ,father6 on the part of the young man1 but he did not loosen his hold on him4 ,he took an extra twist in the coat collar of his captive1 and looked sharply at ,mr4 ,hardy1 as much as to say3 ,he may be your son1 but he's my victim1 and ,i mean to keep a good clutch on him4 ,george was the first to speak3 ,father1 you know ,i wouldn't do such a thing1 really4 ,we were only out for a little fun4 ,we didn't know you1 of course4 ,we didn't mean any real harm2 we were only fooling4 ,it was dangerous fooling1 replied his father4 ,he still stood apart from the boy1 and spoke quietly1 but his face was pale1 and his heart was wrung with torture for his firstborn4 ,ah1 how careless of him he had been6 ,how little companionship the two had had6 ,how very little help the boy had received from the man6 ,now1 believing that only four more days lay before him to use to the glory of ,god1 ,robert ,hardy felt the sting of that bitterest1 of all bitter feelings1 useless regret--the regret that does not carry with it any hope of redeeming a selfish past4 ,after his father had spoken1 ,george sullenly remained silent4 ,mr4 ,hardy bowed his head and seemed thinking4 ,the officer1 who had been waiting for another move on the part of the older man1 said3 ,well1 we must be moving on4 ,it's warmer in the lockup than out here2 so come along1 young fellow1 and do your talking to-morrow morning with the rest of the drunks and disorderlies4 ,stop6 cried ,robert ,hardy4 ,this is my son6 ,do you understand8 ,what are you going to do8 ,well1 governor1 that's a pretty question at this time o' day4 ,do6 ,i'm going to jug him for assault with intent to commit highway robbery4 ,it's an affair for the 'pen1' ,i can tell you4 ,but you heard him say it was all a joke4 ,a pretty joke to try to hold a man up on the highway and demand his money6 ,oh1 no6 ,that's carrying a joke too far4 ,i'm bound to obey orders4 ,we've been after this gang of young chaps for a month now4 ,but1 officer1 you don't understand2 this is my son6 ,well1 what of that8 ,don't we jug sons every day for some deviltry or other8 ,do you suppose you are the only father whose son is going to the devil8 ,o ,god1 no6 cried ,mr4 ,hardy with sudden passion4 ,but this is my older boy4 ,it would kill his mother to have him arrested and put in jail for trying to rob his own father4 ,yet he was once innocent-- ,what am ,i saying8 ,he might be now if ,i had done my duty4 ,mr4 ,hardy confronted the officer with a certain sorrowful dignity which even that hardened defender of the law understood4 ,officer1 let the boy go4 ,i will answer for it if any blame falls on you4 ,he was not at fault in this matter4 ,he was not the one who assaulted me4 ,he did not touch me4 ,you could not get a particle of testimony against him4 ,and besides that1 it is necessary that he return with me4 ,this is a case for the law of ,god2 it belongs to a higher than human court4 ,the officer hesitated2 ,mr4 ,hardy stepped nearer his son4 ,george1 he said1 as if forgetting for a moment that the officer was present1 did you know that ,clara and ,bess and ,will were in the accident last night8 ,george turned pale1 and tremblingly replied1 ,no1 father4 ,were they hurt8 ,was ,bess-- ,the boy seemed moved as his father had not yet seen him4 ,no2 they were not2 that is1 ,bess was not hurt at all4 ,but ,will was severely bruised1 and ,clara still lies in a state of stupor or unconsciousness1 and we do not know what the end will be4 ,i was on my way just now to get some needed articles from the doctor's house4 ,you must come back with me2 the law has no hold on you4 ,maybe1 the law hasn't any hold on him1 but ,michael ,finnerty has4 ,i don't just like the idea1 mister1 of letting the boy go1 replied the stubborn and unusually dutiful officer4 ,mr4 ,hardy began to appeal to the man's love of his own children4 ,it did not seem to move him in the least1 until he mentioned the fact that it was cruelty to keep the suffering girl at home waiting for her father's return4 ,mr4 ,finnerty finally loosened his hold on ,george and said slowly and painfully1 ,an' if ,i lose me job ,i'll be knowin' who was to blame for it4 ,i always told ,michael ,finnerty that he was too soft-hearted to go on the force6 ,you won't suffer1 officer4 ,many thanks6 ,come1 ,george4 ,father and son moved off together1 while the defender of the law stood irresolute1 watching them disappear through the storm1 and muttering to himself1 ,i'm a soft-hearted fool4 ,i ought to 'a' been born a female hospital nurse1 ,i had4 ,during that walk home1 after ,mr4 ,hardy had gone around by the doctor's with ,george1 not a word was exchanged4 ,the storm was increasing4 ,the two walked along in silence2 but when ,george walked into the hall at home he turned and saw a look on his father's face that smote him to the heart1 for he was not yet a hardened soul4 ,mr4 ,hardy had lived years in that experience4 ,no one could tell how he had been tortured by what he had endured that night2 but the mark of it was stamped indelibly on his face1 and he knew that he would bear it to his grave4 ,mrs4 ,hardy came running downstairs as the two came in4 ,when ,george turned and faced her she held out her arms crying1 ,my boy6 my boy6 ,we have been so anxious about you6 ,what6 not one word of reproach1 of rebuke1 of question as to what he had been doing all this time that the family had been suffering6 ,no2 not one word4 ,ah1 mother love6 ,it is the most wonderful thing on earth1 next to the love of ,god for the sinner4 ,it is even that1 for it is the love of ,god expressing itself through the mother1 who is the temple of the loving ,god4 ,george dashed away a tear2 then going up to his mother he laid his cheek against hers1 while she folded her arms about him and cried a little and asked no questions4 ,after a moment's silence he stammered out a few words of sorrow at having caused her pain4 ,she joyfully accepted his broken explanation of how he had not known of the accident to ,clara and the others4 ,it was true that he had gone out the evening before1 fully intending to go down to the scene of the accident2 but coming across some of his old companions he had gone off with them1 and spent the night in a disgraceful carouse4 ,throughout the day he had been more or less under the influence of liquor1 dimly conscious that a great disaster had happened1 but not sober enough to realise its details or its possible connection with those of his own home4 ,the sudden meeting with his father had startled him out of the drowsy intoxication he had fallen into as the day progressed4 ,now1 as he felt his mother's arms around him1 and realised a little what the family had been enduring1 he felt the disgrace of his own conduct4 ,mr4 ,hardy went upstairs and consulted with the doctor1 who wondered at his protracted absence4 ,there was no change in ,clara yet4 ,she lay in a condition which could not be called a trance or a sleep4 ,she did not seem to be in any great pain2 but she was unconscious of all outside conditions4 ,after a little talk with his mother1 ,george came up and inquired after ,bess and ,will4 ,they were both sleeping1 and after the doctor had gone out the father and mother and son sat down together in the room where ,clara lay4 ,mr4 ,hardy did not say a word to ,george about the incident of the evening4 ,the shame of it was too great yet4 ,when men of ,mr4 ,hardy's self-contained1 repressed1 proud nature are pained1 it is with an intense1 inward fire of passion that cannot hear to break out into words4 ,george had sense enough to offer to relieve his parents of the burden of watching through the night1 and during the exchange of watchers along toward morning1 as ,mrs4 ,hardy slipped into the room to relieve the boy1 she found him kneeling down at a couch with his face buried in the cushions4 ,she raised her face in thanksgiving to ,god and went softly out4 ,the morning dawned gray with snow which still whirled in wreaths about the sorrowing homes of ,barton2 but ,robert ,hardy thought of the merciful covering it would make for the ghastly piles of ruin down under the bridge and along the banks of the river4 ,he said to himself1 ,this is my fourth day2 how can ,i best spend it8 ,what shall ,i do8 ,he kneeled and prayed1 and rose somewhat refreshed4 ,the forenoon went rapidly by1 and before he knew it noon was near4 ,the time had passed in watching ,clara1 visiting with ,bess and ,will2 and doing some necessary work for the company in his little office downstairs4 ,he did not feel like saying anything to ,george yet4 ,james ,caxton had been in1 and the first thing he had mentioned had been his own act in the meeting the night before4 ,mr4 ,hardy thanked ,god for it1 and a prayer went out of his heart for his own son1 that the ,spirit might touch him in his sin1 and bring him into the light of ,christ4 ,a little after noon the storm cleared up1 and ,robert prepared to go down to the shops4 ,clara had not yet come out of her stupor4 ,the doctor had called and done what he could4 ,there was nothing in particular that ,mr4 ,hardy could do in the case1 so he went out about one o'clock and entered his office1 hoping as he went in that he would have no trouble with the men4 ,mr4 ,burns reported everything quiet1 and the manager1 with a sigh of relief1 proceeded with the routine duties of the business4 ,nothing of any special interest occurred through the afternoon4 ,the storm had ceased entirely1 and the sun had come out clear and warm4 ,people were clearing off the walks1 and the ringing of sleigh bells was distinct in the office1 even over the incessant hum of the big engine4 ,toward three o'clock one of ,mr4 ,hardy's old friends1 an officer of the road1 came in and said there was a general movement on foot throughout ,barton to hold a monster mass meeting in the ,town ,hall for the benefit of the sufferers1 both in the railroad accident and in the explosion of the ,sunday before in the shops4 ,it was true the company would settle for damages1 but in many cases the adjustment of claims would not be made until much suffering and hardship had been endured4 ,there was a feeling on the part of the townspeople that a meeting for public conference would result in much good1 and there was also1 as has been the case in other large horrors1 a craving to relieve the strain of feeling by public gathering and consultation4 ,can you come out to the meeting1 ,hardy8 asked his friend4 ,mr4 ,hardy thought a minute and replied1 ,yes2 ,i think ,i can4 ,already an idea had taken shape in his mind which he could not help feeling was inspired by ,god4 ,it might be a good thing if you could come prepared to make some remarks4 ,i find there is a disposition on the part of the public to charge the road with carelessness and mismanagement4 ,i'll say a word or two1 replied ,mr4 ,hardy2 and after a brief talk on business matters his friend went out4 ,robert immediately sat down to his desk1 and for an hour1 interrupted only by an occasional item of business brought to him by his secretary1 he jotted down copious notes4 ,the thought which had come to him when his friend suggested the meeting was this3 he would go and utter a message that burned within him1 a message which the events of the past few days made imperative should be uttered4 ,he went home absorbed in the great idea4 ,he had once in his younger days been famous for his skill in debate1 so he had no fear of his power to deliver a message of life at the present crisis in his own4 ,he at once spoke of the meeting to his wife4 ,mary1 what do you say8 ,i know every minute is precious4 ,i owe to you and these dear ones at home a very sacred duty2 but no less1 it seems to me1 is my duty to the society where ,i have lived all these years1 doing literally nothing for its uplift toward ,god who gave us all life and power4 ,i feel that ,he will put a message into my mouth that may prove a blessing to this community4 ,it seems to me this special opportunity is providential4 ,robert1 replied his wife1 smiling at him through happy tears1 it is the will of ,god4 ,do your duty as ,he makes it clear to you4 ,it had been an agitating week to the wife4 ,she anticipated its close with a feeling akin to terror4 ,what would the end be8 ,she was compelled to say to herself that her husband was not insane2 but the thought that he was really to be called out of the world in some mysterious manner at the end of the rapidly approaching ,sunday1 had several times come over her with a power that threatened her own reason4 ,nevertheless the week1 so far1 in spite of its terror and agitation1 had a sweet joy for her4 ,her husband had come back to her1 the lover as he once had been1 only with the added tenderness of all the years of their companionship4 ,she thanked the ,father for it1 and when the hour came for ,robert to go down to the meeting1 she blessed him and prayed heaven to make his words to the people like the words of ,god4 ,father1 what do you want me to do8 ,shall ,i stay here8 asked ,george1 who had not stirred out of the house all day4 ,he had watched by ,clara faithfully4 ,she was still in that mysterious condition of unconsciousness which made her case so puzzling to the doctor4 ,mr4 ,hardy hesitated a moment1 then said3 ,no1 ,george2 ,i would like to have you go with me4 ,alice can do all that is necessary4 ,but let us all pray together now before we go out4 ,the ,lord is leading us mysteriously1 but we shall some time know the reason why4 ,so in the room where ,clara lay they all kneeled down1 except ,will1 who lay upon a lounge near his unconscious sister4 ,mr4 ,hardy1 as he clasped his wife's hand in his own1 poured out his soul in this petition3 ,dear ,lord1 we know ,thou dost love us1 even though we cannot always know why ,thou dost allow suffering and trouble2 and we would thank ,thee for the things that cannot be destroyed1 for the loves that cannot suffer death1 for the wonderful promises of the life to come4 ,only we have been so careless of the things that belong to ,thy kingdom6 ,we have been so selfish and forgetful of the great needs and sufferings and sins of earth4 ,pardon us1 gracious ,redeemer6 ,pardon me1 for ,i am the chief offender6 ,yea1 ,lord1 even as the robber on the cross was welcomed into ,paradise1 welcome ,thou me4 ,but we pray for our dear ones4 ,may they recover6 ,make this beloved one who now lies unknowing among us to come back into the universe of sense and sound1 to know us and smile upon us again4 ,we say1 ',thy will be done4' ,grant wisdom1 for ,thou knowest best2 only our hearts will cry out for help1 and ,thou knowest our hearts better than anyone else4 ,bless me this night as ,i stand before the people4 ,this is no selfish prayer1 dear ,lord4 ,i desire only ,thy glory2 ,i pray only for ,thy kingdom4 ,but ,thou hast appointed my days to live4 ,thou hast sent me the message1 and ,i cannot help feeling the solemn burden and joy of it4 ,i will say to the people that ,thou art most important of all in this habitation of the flesh4 ,and now bless us all4 ,give us new hearts4 ,make us to feel the true meaning of existence here4 ,reveal to us ,thy splendour4 ,forgive all the past1 and make impossible in the children the mistakes of the parent4 ,deliver us from evil1 and ,thine shall be the glory for ever4 ,amen4 ,when ,mr4 ,hardy and ,george reached the town hall they found a large crowd gathering1 and they had some difficulty in gaining entrance4 ,mr4 ,hardy at once passed up to the platform1 where the chairman of the meeting greeted him and said he would expect him to make some remarks during the evening4 ,robert sat down at one end of the platform and watched the hall fill with people1 nearly all well known to him4 ,there was an unusually large crowd of boys and young men1 many of his own employs from the shops1 and a great number of citizens and business men--a representative audience for the place1 brought together under the influence of the disaster and feeling somewhat the breaking down of artificial social distinctions in the presence of the grim leveller ,death1 who had come so near to them the last few days4 ,there were the usual opening exercises common to such public gatherings4 ,several well-known business men and two or three of the ministers1 including ,mr4 ,jones1 made appropriate addresses4 ,the attention of the great audience was not laboured for1 the occasion itself being enough to throw over the people the spell of subdued quiet4 ,when the chairman announced that ,mr4 ,robert ,hardy1 our well-known railroad manager1 will now address us1 there was a movement of curiosity and some surprise1 and many a man leaned forward and wondered in his heart what the wealthy railroad man would have to say on such an occasion4 ,he had never appeared as a speaker in public1 and he passed generally in ,barton for the cold1 selfish1 haughty man he had always been4 ,mr4 ,hardy began in a low1 clear tone3 ,men and women of ,barton3 ,to-night ,i am not the man you have known these twenty-five years that ,i have been among you4 ,i am1 by the grace of ,god1 a new creature4 ,as ,i stand here ,i have no greater desire in my heart than to say what may prove to be a blessing to all my old townspeople and to my employs and to these strong young men and boys4 ,within a few short days ,god has shown me the selfishness of a human being's heart4 ,that heart was my own2 and it is with feelings none of you can ever know that ,i look into your faces and say these words4 ,robert paused a moment as if gathering himself up for the effort that followed1 and the audience1 startled with an unexpected emotion by the strange beginning1 thrilled with excitement1 as1 lifting his arm and raising his voice1 the once cold and proud man1 his face and form glowing with the transfiguration of a new manhood1 exclaimed3 ,there is but one supreme law in this world1 and it is this3 ,love ,god and your neighbour with heart1 mind1 soul1 strength4 ,there are but two things worth living for3 the glory of ,god and the salvation of man4 ,to-night ,i1 who look into eternity in a sense which ,i will not stop to explain1 feel the bitterness which comes from the knowledge that ,i have broken that law and have not lived for those things which alone are worth living for4 ,but ,god has sent me here to-night with a message to the people which my heart must deliver4 ,it is a duty even more sacred in some ways than what ,i owe to my own kindred4 ,i am aware that the hearts of the people are shocked into numbness by the recent horror4 ,i know that more than one bleeding heart is in this house1 and the shadow of the last enemy1 has fallen over many thresholds in our town4 ,what6 did ,i not enter into the valley of the shadow of death myself as ,i stumbled over the ghastly ruins of that wreck1 my soul torn in twain for the love of three of my own dear children8 ,do ,i not sympathise in full with all those who bitterly weep and lament and sit in blackness of horror this night8 ,yea2 but1 men of ,barton1 why is it that we are so moved1 so stirred1 so shocked by the event of death1 when the far more awful event of life does not disturb us in the least8 ,we shudder with terror1 we lose our accustomed pride or indifference1 we speak in whispers1 and we tread softly in the presence of the visitor who smites but once and then smites the body only3 but in the awful presence of the living image of ,god we go our ways careless1 indifferent1 cold1 passionless1 selfish4 ,i know whereof ,i speak1 for ,i have walked through the world like that myself4 ,but death cannot be compared for one moment with life for majesty1 for solemnity1 for meaning1 for power4 ,there were seventy-five persons killed in the accident4 ,but in the papers this morning ,i read in the column next to that in which the accident was paraded1 in small type and in the briefest of paragraphs1 the statement that a certain young man in this very town of ours had been arrested for forging his father's name on a cheque1 and was a fugitive from the law4 ,every day in this town and in every town all over the world events like that1 and worse than that1 occur4 ,nay1 in this very town of ours more than seventy-five souls are1 at this very moment1 going down into a far blacker hell of destruction than the one under that fated bridge1 and the community is not horrified over it4 ,how many mass meetings have been held in this town within the last twenty-five years over the losses of character1 the death of purity1 the destruction of honesty8 ,yet they have outnumbered the victims of this late physical disaster a thousandfold4 ,and what does mere death do8 ,it releases the spirit from its house of earth4 ,aside from that1 death does nothing to the person4 ,but what does life do8 ,life does everything4 ,it prepares for heaven or for hell4 ,it starts impulses1 moulds character1 fixes character4 ,death has no kingdom without end4 ,death is only the last enemy of the many enemies that life knows4 ,death is a second2 life is an eternity4 ,o men1 brothers1 if1 as ,i solemnly and truly believe1 this is the last opportunity ,i shall have to speak to you in such large numbers1 ,i desire you to remember1 when ,i have vanished from your sight1 that ,i spent nearly my last breath in an appeal to you to make the most of daily life1 to glorify ,god and save men6 ,the greatest enemy of man is not death2 it is selfishness4 ,it sits on the throne of the entire world4 ,this very disaster which has filled the town with sorrow was due to selfishness4 ,let us see if that is not so4 ,it has been proved by investigation already made that the drunkenness of a track inspector was the cause of the accident4 ,what was the cause of that drunkenness8 ,the drinking habits of that inspector4 ,how did he acquire them8 ,in a saloon which we taxpayers allow to run on payment of a certain sum of money into our town treasury4 ,so1 then1 it was the greed or selfishness of the men of this town which lies at the bottom of this dreadful disaster4 ,who was to blame for the disaster8 ,the track inspector8 ,no4 ,the saloon keeper who sold him the liquor8 ,no4 ,who1 then8 ,we ourselves1 my brothers2 we who licensed the selling of the stuff which turned a man's brain into liquid fire1 and smote his judgment and reason with a brand from out the burning pit4 ,if ,i had stumbled upon the three corpses of my own children night before last1 ,i could have exclaimed in justice before the face of ,god3 ',i have murdered my own children1' for ,i was one of the men of ,barton to vote for the license which made possible the drunkenness of the man in whose care were placed hundreds of lives4 ,for what is the history of this case8 ,who was this wretched track inspector8 ,a man who1 to my own knowledge1 trembled before temptation2 who1 on the testimony of the foreman at the shops1 was1 and always had been1 a sober man up to the time when we as a municipality voted to replace the system of no license with the saloon1 for the sake of what we thought was a necessary revenue4 ,this man had no great temptation to drink while the saloon was out of the way4 ,its very absence was his salvation4 ,but its public open return confronted his appetite once more1 and he yielded and fell4 ,who says he was to blame8 ,who are the real criminals in the case8 ,we ourselves1 citizens2 we who1 for the greed of gain1 for the saving of that which has destroyed more souls in hell than any other one thing1 made possible the causes1 which led to the grief and trouble of this hour4 ,would we not shrink in terror from the thought of lying in wait to kill a man8 ,would we not repel with holy horror the idea of murdering and maiming seventy-five people8 ,we would say ',impossible6' ,yet1 when ,i am ushered at last into the majestic presence of ,almighty ,god1 ,i feel convinced ,i shall see in ,his righteous countenance the sentence of our condemnation just as certainly as if we had gone out in a body and by wicked craft had torn out the supporting timbers of that bridge just before the train thundered upon it4 ,for did we not sanction by law a business which we know tempts men to break all the laws2 which fills our jails and poorhouses1 our reformatories and asylums2 which breaks women's hearts and beggars blessed homes and sends innocent children to tread the paths of shame and vagrancy2 which brings pallor into the face of the wife and tosses with the devil's own glee a thousand victims into perdition with every revolution of this great planet6 ,men of ,barton1 say what we will1 we are the authors of this dreadful disaster4 ,if we sorrow as a community1 we sorrow in reality for our own selfish act4 ,and oh1 the selfishness of it6 ,that clamouring greed for money6 ,that burning thirst for more1 and more1 and more1 at the expense of every godlike quality1 at the ruin of all that our mothers once prayed might belong to us as men and women6 ,what is it1 ye merchants1 ye business men1 here to-night1 that ye struggle most over8 ,the one great aim of your lives is to buy for as little as possible and sell for as much as possible4 ,what care have ye for the poor who work at worse than starvation wages1 so long as ye can buy cheap and sell at large profits8 ,what is the highest aim of us railroad men in the great whirl of commercial competition which seethes and boils and surges about this earth like another atmosphere1 plainly visible to the devils of other worlds8 ,what is our aim1 but to make money our god and power our throne8 ,how much care or love is there for flesh and blood when there is danger of losing dollars8 ,but oh1 mighty ,saviour6 it was not for this that we were made6 ,we know it was not4 ,to whom am ,i speaking8 ,to myself4 ,god forbid that ,i should stand here to condemn you1 being myself the chief of sinners for these twenty-five years4 ,what have ,i done to bless this community8 ,how much have ,i cared for the men in my employ8 ,what difference did it make to me that my example drove men away from the ,church of ,christ1 and caused anguish to those few souls who were trying to redeem humanity8 ,to my just shame ,i make answer that no one thing has driven the engine of my existence over the track of its destiny except self4 ,and oh1 for that ,church of ,christ that ,i professed to believe in6 ,how much have ,i done for that8 ,how much1 ,o fellow members--and ,i see many of you here to-night--how much have we done in the best cause ever known and the greatest organisation ever founded8 ,we go to church after reading the ,sunday morning paper1 saturated through and through with the same things we have had poured into us every day of the week1 as if we begrudged the whole of one day out of seven4 ,we criticise prayer and hymn and sermon1 drop into the contribution box half the amount we paid during the week for a theatre or concert ticket1 and think we have done our duty as ,christians4 ,then when anything goes wrong in the community1 or our children fall into vice1 we score the church for weakness and the preacher for lack of ability4 ,shame on us1 men of ,barton1 members of the ,church of ,christ1 that we have so neglected our own church prayer meeting1 that but of a resident membership of more than four hundred1 living in easy distance of the church1 only sixty have attended regularly and over two hundred have been to that service only occasionally4 ,yet we call ourselves disciples of ,christ6 ,we say we believe in ,his blessed teachings2 we say we believe in prayer2 but in the face of all these professions we turn our backs with indifference on the very means of spiritual growth and power which the ,church places within our reach4 ,if ,christ were to come to the earth to-day1 ,he would say unto us3 ',woe unto you1 church members1 hypocrites6' ,he would say unto us3 ',woe unto you1 young disciples in name1 who have promised to love and serve ,me1 and then1 ashamed of testifying before men1 have broken promise and prayer1 and ridiculed those who have kept their vows sacredly6' ,he would say to us men who have made money and kept it to ourselves3 ',woe unto you1 ye rich men1 who dress softly and dine luxuriously and live in palaces1 while the poor cry aloud for judgment and the labourer sweats for the luxury of the idle6 ,woe unto you who speculate in flesh and blood1 and call no man brother unless he lives in as fine a house and has as much money in the bank6 ,therefore ye shall receive the greater condemnation6' ,o ,self6 god of the earth yet6 ,with two thousand years of the ,son of ,god written into the world's history1 still goes up the cry of those who perish with hunger1 who break into the sanctuary of their souls1 because they cannot get work to do1 and are weary of the struggle of existence4 ,self6 thou art king2 not ,jesus ,christ6 ,but oh1 the shame of it6 the shame of it6 ,were it not for my belief in the mighty forgiveness of sins1 ,i would stand here to-night with no hope of ever seeing the paradise of ,god4 ,but resting in that hope ,i wish to say to you who have beheld the example of my selfish life1 ,i repudiate it all4 ,in the world ,i have passed as a moral citizen and a good business man2 in society there has been no objection to my presence1 on account of my wealth and position2 in the church ,i have been tolerated because ,i gave it financial support2 but in the sight of that perfect ,crucified ,lamb of ,god ,i have broken the two greatest laws which ,he ever announced4 ,i have been a sinner of the deepest dye2 ,i have been everything except a disciple of ,jesus ,christ4 ,i have prayed for mercy4 ,i believe my prayer has been answered4 ,i am conscious that some here present may think that what ,i have said has been in poor taste2 that it has been an affront to the object of the meeting or an insult to the feelings of those who have called the audience together4 ,in order that the people may know that ,i am sincere in all ,i have said1 ,i will say that ,i have placed in the bank the sum of #aj1jjj dollars1 to be used as the committee may deem wisest and best for the education of children in bereaved homes1 or for any other help to those who need it4 ,this money is ,god's4 ,i have robbed ,him and my brother man all these years4 ,whatever restitution ,i can make in the next few days ,i desire to make4 ,but the great question with us all1 my friends1 is not this particular disaster4 ,that will in time take its place as one event out of thousands in the daily life of this world4 ,the great event of existence is not death1 it is life4 ,the great question of the world is not the tariff or the silver question1 or the labour question1 or temperance1 or this or that or the other4 ,the great question of the whole world is selfishness in the heart of man4 ,the great command is1 ',seek ye first the kingdom of ,god4' ,if we had done that in this town1 ,i believe such a physical disaster as the one we lament would never have happened4 ,that is our great need4 ,if we go home from this meeting resolved to rebuke our selfishness in whatever form it is displeasing to ,god1 and if we begin to-morrow to act out that resolution in word and deed1 we shall revolutionise this town in its business1 its politics1 its church1 its schools1 its homes4 ,if we simply allow our emotions to be stirred1 our sympathies to be excited to the giving of a little money on this occasion1 it will do us and the community little permanent good4 ,god wants a complete transformation in the people of this nation4 ,nothing less than a complete regeneration can save us from destruction4 ,unconsecrated1 selfish money and selfish education1 selfish political power and selfish genius in art1 letters1 and diplomacy will sink us as a people into a gulf of annihilation4 ,there is no salvation for us except in ,jesus ,christ4 ,let us believe in ,him and live in ,him4 ,i have said my message4 ,i trust you have understood it4 ,i would not say otherwise if ,i knew that ,i should step off this platform now and stand before the judgment seat of ,christ4 ,god help us all to do our duty6 ,time is short1 eternity is long4 ,death is nothing2 life is everything4 ,five years after this speech of ,robert ,hardy to the people of ,barton in the town hall1 one who was present in the audience described the sensation that passed through it when the speaker sat down to be like a distinct electric shock which passed from seat to seat1 and held the people fixed and breathless as if they had been smitten into images of stone4 ,the effect on the chairman of the meeting was the same4 ,he sat motionless4 ,then a wave of emotion gradually stirred the audience1 and without a word of dismission they poured out of the building and scattered to their homes4 ,robert found ,george waiting for him4 ,the father was almost faint with the re-action from his address4 ,george gave his arm1 and the two walked home in silence4 ,thus ended ,robert ,hardy's fourth day4 ,,friday--,,the ,,fifth ,,day4 ,we must pass hastily over the events of the next day in ,robert ,hardy's life4 ,the whole town was talking about his surprising address of the night before4 ,some thought he was crazy4 ,others regarded him as sincere1 but after the first effect of his speech had worn off1 they criticised him severely for presuming to preach on such an occasion4 ,still others were puzzled to account for the change in the man1 for that a change had taken place could not be denied4 ,how slow men are to acknowledge the power of ,god in the human heart6 ,mr4 ,hardy went about his business1 very little moved by all this discussion4 ,he realised that only two days more remained4 ,he spent the afternoon and evening at home1 but was interrupted by several calls4 ,after tea the entire family gathered in the room where ,clara lay4 ,she was living1 but was still unconscious4 ,as ,mrs4 ,hardy was saying something to her husband about his dream and the events of the day before1 ,clara suddenly opened her eyes1 and distinctly called out the words3 ,father6 what day is it8 ,it was like a voice out of the long-dead past4 ,mr4 ,hardy1 sitting by the side of the bed1 replied quietly1 while his heart beat quickly3 ,this is ,friday night1 dear child4 ,another question came1 uttered in the same strange voice3 ,father1 how many more days are left for you8 ,to-morrow and ,sunday4 ,the voice came again3 ,i shall go with you then4 ,the eyes closed and the form became motionless as before4 ,it was very quiet in the room at the close of ,robert ,hardy's fifth day4 ,,saturday--,,the ,,sixth ,,day4 ,those words of ,clara1 ,i shall go with you then1 filled the family with dismay4 ,mr4 ,hardy bowed his head and groaned4 ,mrs4 ,hardy1 almost beside herself with grief and terror1 flew to the side of the girl1 and with beseeching cries and caresses tried to bring back to consciousness the mind that for a moment or two had gleamed with reason and then had relapsed into that mysterious condition in which it had been lying for three days2 but all in vain4 ,the eyes were closed2 the form was rigid4 ,the others1 ,george and ,will and ,bess1 grew pale1 and ,bess cried1 almost for the first time since the strange week began4 ,robert was the first to break the grief with a quiet word4 ,he raised his head1 saying3 ,i do not believe ,clara is going to die when ,i do4 ,why1 father1 what makes you think that8 cried ,alice4 ,i don't know2 ,i can't give any exact reason4 ,i only know that ,i don't believe it will happen4 ,god grant that she may be spared to us1 said ,mrs4 ,hardy4 ,o ,robert1 it is more than ,i can bear6 ,only to-day and to-morrow left6 ,it can't be real4 ,i have battled against your dream all the week4 ,it was a dream only2 ,i will not believe it to be anything else4 ,you are not ill2 there is no indication that you are going to die4 ,i will not1 ,i cannot1 believe it6 ,god is too good4 ,and we need you now1 ,robert4 ,let us pray ,god for mercy4 ,robert shook his head sadly but firmly4 ,no1 ,mary2 ,i cannot resist an impression so strong that it has become conviction1 that in some way ,i shall be called from you ,sunday night4 ,i have struggled against it1 but it grows upon me4 ,god is merciful4 ,i do not question ,his goodness4 ,how much did ,i deserve even this week of preparation after the life ,i have lived8 ,and the time will not be long before we shall all meet there4 ,god grant that it may be an unbroken company6 ,mr4 ,hardy spoke as anyone in his condition would4 ,the children drew about him lovingly4 ,bess climbed into his lap and laid her face against her father's1 while the strong man sobbed as he thought of all the years of neglected affection in that family circle4 ,the rest of the evening was spent in talking over the probable future4 ,george1 who seemed thoroughly humbled now1 listened respectfully and even tearfully to his father's counsel concerning the direction of business and family matters4 ,the boy was going through a struggle with himself which was apparent to all in the house4 ,ever since his mother had seen him kneeling down in the night watch1 he had shown a new spirit4 ,it remained to be seen whether he had really changed1 or whether he had been merely frightened for the time being into good behaviour4 ,saturday morning found the ,hardys weary with the agitation of the week1 but bearing up under a strange excitement which only the prospect of the father's approaching death or removal could have produced4 ,robert could not realise that his week was almost at an end4 ,why1 it seemed but yesterday that he had dreamed after the ,sunday evening service6 ,as on every other day1 he asked himself the question1 ,what shall ,i do8 ,only when he had prayed could he answer the question4 ,then the light came4 ,who says prayer is merely a form8 ,it is going to ,god for wisdom and getting it4 ,it is crying out for light1 and lo6 the darkness flees4 ,it is spreading out our troubles and our joys and our perplexities and our needs1 and finding ,god ,himself the best possible answer to them all4 ,robert ,hardy had been learning this of late1 and it was the one thing that made possible to him the calmness of the last two days allotted him4 ,the day was spent in much the same way that the other days had been spent4 ,he went down to his office about ten o'clock1 and after coming home to lunch went down again1 with the intention of getting through all the business and returning home to spend the rest of the time with the family4 ,along towards three o'clock1 when the routine work of the shops was disposed of1 the manager felt an irresistible desire to speak to the men in his employ4 ,those in his department numbered about eight hundred1 and he knew how impossible it would be for him to speak to them individually4 ,he thought a minute and then called ,burns in and gave an order that made the foreman stare in the most undisguised wonder4 ,shut down the works for a little while and ask the men to get together in the big machine shop1 ,i want to speak to them4 ,burns had been astonished so often this week that1 although he opened his mouth to say something1 he was able to repress his wonder4 ,after staring blankly at his employer for a minute1 he turned and went out to execute the order4 ,the great engine was stopped4 ,the men from the casting rooms and the carpenters' shops1 and the store-rooms1 and the repairing departments1 came trooping into the big machine shop1 and sat or leaned on the great1 grim pieces of machinery4 ,as the shop filled1 the place began to take on a strange aspect never seen there before4 ,mr4 ,hardy crossed the yard from the office1 followed by the clerks and minor officers of the road1 all curious to hear what was coming4 ,mr4 ,hardy mounted one of the planers and looked about him4 ,the air was still full of gas1 smoke1 and that mixture of fine iron filings and oil1 which is characteristic of such places4 ,the men were quiet and respectful4 ,many of them had heard the manager's speech of ,thursday night at the town hall4 ,most of them were aware that some change had taken place in him4 ,it had been whispered about that he had arranged matters for the men injured in the ,sunday accident so that they would not suffer for anything4 ,the grimy1 hard-muscled1 hard-featured crowd of eight hundred men all turned their eyes upon the figure standing erect and pale-faced on the great planer1 and he in turn looked out through the blue murky atmosphere at them with an intensity of expression which none in that audience understood4 ,as ,mr4 ,hardy went on with his speech they began to understand what that look meant4 ,my brothers1 began the manager1 with a slight tremble in the words so new to him1 as this may be the last time ,i shall ever speak to you1 ,i want to say what ,i feel ,i owe to you4 ,for twenty-five years ,i have carried on the work in this place without any thought of the eight hundred men in these shops1 except as their names were on the pay roll of the company4 ,it never made any difference to me when your wives and children grew sick and died2 ,i never knew what sort of houses you lived in1 except that in comparison with mine they must have been very crowded and uncomfortable4 ,for all these twenty-five years ,i have been as indifferent to you as a man possibly could be to men who work for him4 ,it has not occurred to me during this time that ,i could be anything else4 ,i have been too selfish to see my relation to you and act upon it4 ,now ,i do not call you in here to-day to apologise for twenty-five years of selfishness--not that alone2 but ,i do want you to know that ,i have been touched by the hand of ,god in such a way that before it is too late ,i want to call you all 'brothers4' ,i ask that when you think of me hereafter it may be as ,i am now1 to-day1 not as ,i have been in all the past years4 ,it is not for me to say how far or in what manner ,i have trampled on the brotherhood of the race4 ,i have called myself a ,christian4 ,i have been a member of a church4 ,yet ,i confess here to-day that under the authority granted me by the company ,i have more than once dismissed good1 honest1 faithful workmen in large bodies1 and cut down wages unnecessarily to increase dividends1 and have thought of the human flesh and blood in these shops as ,i have thought of the iron and steel here4 ,i confess all that and more4 ,whatever has been un-,christian ,i hope will be forgiven4 ,there are many things we do to our fellow-men in this world which abide--the sting of them1 ,i mean4 ,the impress of my selfishness is stamped on this place4 ,it will take years to remove it4 ,i might have been far more to you4 ,i might have raised my voice1 as a ,christian and an influential director of this road1 against the ,sunday work and traffic2 ,i never did4 ,i might have relieved unnecessary discomfort in different departments2 ,i refused to do it4 ,i might have helped the cause of temperance in this town by trying to banish the saloon2 instead of that ,i voted to license an establishment of crime and poverty and disease4 ,i might have used my influence and my wealth to build healthy1 comfortable homes for the men who work on this road2 ,i never raised my finger in the matter4 ,i might have helped to make life a happier1 sweeter thing to the nearly one thousand souls in this building2 but ,i went my selfish way1 content with my own luxurious home and the ambition for self-culture and the pride of self-accomplishments4 ,yet there is not a man here to-day who isn't happier than ,i am4 ,in the name of the good ,god1 who forgives our sins for ,jesus' sake1 ,i wish you the wish of a man who looks into the other world and sees things as they really are4 ,i do not desire you to think of my life as a ,christian life4 ,it has not been such2 but as you hope to be forgiven at last1 forgive all wrongs at my hands4 ,you are living in the dawn of a happier day for labour4 ,there are ,christian men in business1 and some few connected with railroads1 who are trying to apply the principles of ,christianity to the business and frame of the world4 ,my probable successor in these shops is such a man4 ,god is love4 ,i have forgotten that myself4 ,i have walked through life forgetful of ,him4 ,but ,i know that ,he is drawing the nations and the world together to-day in true sympathy4 ,the nations that are persistently defiant and disobedient to ,god shall perish4 ,the rulers who haughtily take ,god's place and oppress the people shall be destroyed4 ,the men of power and intelligence and money who use these three great advantages merely to bless themselves and add to their own selfish pleasure and ease1 shall very soon be overthrown4 ,i would give all ,i possess to be able to live and see a part of it come to pass4 ,men1 brothers1 some of you younger ones will live to see that day4 ,love ,god and obey ,him4 ,envy not the rich4 ,they are often more miserable than you imagine4 ,true happiness consists in a conscience at peace with ,god and a heart free from selfish desires and habits4 ,i thank you for your attention4 ,you will know better why ,i have said all this to you when you come in here again to work next ,monday4 ,my brothers1 ,god bless you4 ,god bless us all6 ,when ,robert stepped down from the planer and started towards the door1 more than one black hand was thrust into his with the words1 ,god bless you1 sir6 ,he felt a strange desire to weep4 ,never before had he felt that thrill shoot through him at the grasp of the hand of his brother man4 ,his speech had made a profound impression on the men4 ,many of them did not understand the meaning of certain sentences2 but the spirit of ,mr4 ,hardy was unmistakable1 and the men responded in a manner that touched him deeply4 ,he finally went into his office2 the big engine started up again1 and the whirr and dust and clamour of the shops went on4 ,but men bent over their work there1 in the gathering dusk of the winter day1 who felt a new heart-throb at the recollection of the pale face and sincere word of the man who had broken a selfish silence of a quarter of a century to call them brothers4 ,o ,robert ,hardy1 what glorious opportunities you missed to love and be loved6 ,with all your wealth you have been a very poor man all your life until now1 the next to the last day of it6 ,there is little need to describe the rest of this day4 ,robert went home4 ,everyone greeted him tenderly4 ,his first inquiry was for ,clara4 ,still in that trance-like sleep2 would she never wake8 ,mrs4 ,hardy shuddered with fear4 ,she had spent much of the day in prayer and tears4 ,the evening sped by without special incident4 ,james ,caxton came and joined the family circle4 ,his presence reminded ,mr4 ,hardy of the old quarrel with the young man's father4 ,he said to ,james that if anything should prevent him from seeing his father the next day1 ,james might tell him how completely and sincerely he wished the foolish quarrel forgotten1 and his own share in it forgiven4 ,so that day came to a close in family conference1 in tears1 in fear and hope and anxiety and prayer4 ,but ,mrs4 ,hardy would not lose all hope4 ,it did not seem to her possible that her husband could be called away the next night4 ,,sunday--,,the ,,seventh ,,day4 ,alice1 with the quickness of thought that always characterised her1 planned that all the rest should go to church while she remained with ,clara4 ,will was able to go out now4 ,so1 for the first time in months1 ,robert and his wife and ,bess and the two boys sat together in the same seat4 ,george had not been to church for a year1 and ,will was very irregular in his attendance4 ,the opening services seemed especially impressive and beautiful to ,mr4 ,hardy4 ,he wondered how he had ever dared sit and criticise ,mr4 ,jones' preaching and his reading of the hymns4 ,to be sure1 he was not a perfect speaker2 but his love for his people and for all men and his rarely good everyday life were so remarkable1 that they ought to have counted for more than they ever did4 ,it is astonishing how many good deeds and good men pass through this world unnoticed and unappreciated2 while every evil deed is caught up and magnified and criticised by press and people1 until it seems as if the world must be a very wicked place indeed1 and the good people very scarce4 ,mr4 ,hardy joined in the service with a joy unknown to him for years4 ,he had come to it from the reading of his ,bible instead of the reading of the morning paper1 and from prayer instead of from thoughts of his business or a yawning stroll through his library4 ,his mind was receptive of the best things in the service4 ,he entered into it with the solemn feeling that it was his last4 ,when the minister gave out the text1 ,for we must all appear before the judgment seat of ,christ2 that every one may receive the things done in his body1 according to that he hath done1 whether it be good or bad1 ,mr4 ,hardy started1 and leaned forward intently1 feeling that the message of the preacher was peculiarly for him and strangely appropriate to his condition4 ,the first statement of the sermon arrested his attention and held him irresistibly to the end of the argument3 ,the judgment seat of ,christ will not be a dreadful place to a man whose sins have been forgiven in this world2 but if he comes up to it seamed and scarred and stained with sins unrepented of and unforgiven because he has not asked ,god to forgive him1 it will be a place of awful fear to his soul4 ,there are men here in this audience who are as ready to die now as they ever will be2 they have made their peace with ,god2 they have no quarrel with their neighbours2 their accounts are all square in business2 they are living in loving relations with the home circle2 they have no great burdens of remorse or regret weighing them down2 if ,god should call them this minute to step up to the judgment seat1 they would be ready4 ,but there are other men here who are not at all ready for such a tremendous event4 ,they may think they are1 but they are mistaken4 ,how can they stand before the greatest ,being in all the universe and have no fear1 when they are unprepared to answer ,his questions3 ',why did you not confess ,me before men8 ,why did you not do as ,i commanded and bear the burdens of the weak instead of pleasing yourself8' ,what will they say then8 ,it is true that ,christ is all-merciful1 all-loving4 ,but will it make no difference with a soul whether it comes up to ,his judgment seat out of a life of selfish ease and indulgence or out of a life of self-sacrifice and restraint8 ,when every possible offer of mercy is held out to men on earth and they will not accept it1 will it be all the same as if they had availed themselves of it1 when they come before the judgment seat of ,christ8 ,why1 that would be to mock at the meaning of the ,incarnation and the ,atonement4 ,it would be to cast scorn and contempt on the agony in the ,garden and the ,crucifixion4 ,it would make unnecessary all the prayer and preaching4 ,what possible need is there for men to preach a gospel of salvation unless there is danger of condemnation8 ,if we are all going to be saved anyway1 no matter whether we accept ,god's love in ,christ or not1 of what use is the ,church8 ,why should we be anxious any more about our children8 ,what difference does it make whether they go to the bad here in this world1 if in the world to come they will all be saved8 ,for eternity will be so much grander and sweeter and more enduring than time1 that we might as well take it easy here and not pay much attention to the message1 ',god so loved the world'--that is1 if we are going to be saved anyway4 ,why should we care very much if it does say in the revelation of ,god's ,word that the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment1 if we don't believe it8 ,why1 the wicked will stand just as good a chance of eternal glory as the good1 if the judgment seat of ,christ does not mean a separation of the good from the bad4 ,let us close our churches and go home4 ,let us eat and drink and dance and be merry1 for to-morrow we die2 and after death the judgment1 and after the judgment glory and joy and power and peace and life eternal in the presence of ,god4 ,it is true we scorned ,him on earth1 but that will make no difference2 ,he will receive us just the same4 ,it is true we refused to believe in ,his only begotten ,son after all ,he suffered of shame and agony for us2 but that makes no difference2 ,he will say1 ',enter thou into the joy of thy ,lord4' ,it is true we made fun of ,christians1 and mocked at prayer and sneered at faith2 but that is not much to be afraid of4 ,it is true we hated our neighbour1 and would not forgive an insult2 but that is a little thing4 ,it is true when the ,holy ,spirit pleaded with us a year or six months ago to confess ,christ in public we told ,him to leave us2 we were ashamed to do it in the presence of men1 to confess ,him who spread out ,his arms on a cross of bitterest agony for us2 but for all that we feel sure that when we march up to the judgment seat of ,christ ,he will treat us just the same as ,he treats the disciples who have laid down their lives for the ,master4 ,then let us tear out of the ,bible every line that speaks of retribution or punishment or judgment--for we don't like those passages3 they hurt our feelings1--and let us leave only those words that speak of love and mercy and forgiveness3 for those words are the only ones that can be true2 for those words don't make us feel uncomfortable4 ,away with everything that hurts our feelings1 that makes us anxious1 that sends us to our knees in prayer1 that makes us confess ,christ and live a life of self-denial and service6 for when the judgment seat is prepared and ,christ sits down there and we appear before ,him1 ,he will receive us just as we come before ,him--the pure and the impure2 the self-sacrificing and the selfish2 the humble and the proud2 the believer and the unbeliever2 infidels and scoffers and cowards and despisers of ,god's love on the earth2 all the class of men who point to weak and imperfect ,christians as an excuse for their own weak lives2 the drunkards and the liars and the oppressors of the poor2 the people who heard a thousand sermons full of ,gospel truth and despised them because of some imperfection in delivery or elocution2 all those men who went through life the betrayers of the home2 the selfish politicians1 who betrayed their country2 the men who read the ,bible and believed only the parts that didn't hurt their sensitive feelings2 the young men who lived fast lives and sowed wild oats because a wicked and false public sentiment made them think it was excusable and perhaps necessary2 and all other men and women who lived as they pleased1 regardless of ,god and eternity--when all these shall appear before the judgment seat of ,christ ,he will look upon them all alike1 and with a smile of gracious pardon will reach out ,his almighty arm and sweep them all together into a heaven of eternal bliss1 there to reign with ,him in glory and power1 world without end6 ,but is this what ,christ taught the world8 ,suppose what we have said is true3 it turns ,his whole life into a splendid mockery4 ,foolishness and absurdity could go no further than to create a life like ,his and to put into ,his mouth such teachings as we have received1 if at the judgment seat all souls1 regardless of their acts in this world1 are received on an equal footing into eternal life4 ,and where is there any room in the teaching of ,christ for a purgatory8 ,do we believe that there is one8 ,is it not the plain teaching that after the judgment the destiny of souls is fixed for ever8 ,but what could man wish more8 ,will he not have opportunity enough to accept the mercy of ,god before that time8 ,does he not have opportunity8 ,if any soul appears at the judgment and complains that he did not have a fair chance1 will that gracious ,judge condemn him if his complaint be true8 ,we know ,he will not4 ,but the facts of the judgment are these3 at that time1 whenever it is1 upon the souls of men will be passed for their acts in the earthly life a verdict that will determine their everlasting destiny2 and that verdict will be both just and merciful4 ,for the ,crucified ,one could not pronounce otherwise4 ,those who have despised and neglected and disbelieved and refused to confess ,him1 shall be separated from ,him for ever2 but those who have confessed and believed and tried to live like ,him1 shall be in ,his presence continually4 ,there will be a division of souls4 ,it will not be based on wealth or position1 or birth or education1 or genius1 but on ,christlikeness--on that divine and eternal thing we call character4 ,everything else shall go away into destruction1 into death1 into punishment1 into banishment from ,god4 ,banishment from ,god will be hell--a hell not made by ,god1 but by man himself1 who had an opportunity--nay1 a thousand opportunities--every day of his life to accept the bliss of heaven1 but of his own selfish choice rejected every one of them and went to his own place4 ,but some soul starts up and says1 ',you are not preaching the ,gospel2 you are preaching fear1 hell1 torments4 ,is this your boasted love of ,god8' ,yes2 for what am ,i preaching1 if not the love of ,god1 when ,i say1 ',god so loved the world1 that ,he gave ,his only begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth in ,him should not perish1 but have everlasting life8' ,is there no danger of perishing8 ,why did ,christ come then8 ,why did ,he say the things ,he did8 ,why did ,he speak of the condemnation of the wicked and unbelieving if that were not a part of the ,gospel8 ,the ,gospel is glad tidings2 but what makes it glad tidings8 ,the danger we are in4 ,what is salvation8 ,it is the opposite of being lost4 ,we cannot have one without the other4 ,so ,i am preaching the ,gospel here to-day when ,i say1 ',we must all appear before the judgment seat of ,christ4' ,there will be no fear to us then if we believe in ,him1 if we have lived ,his life here1 if the things done in the body are good4 ,and more than that3 as long as this earth life continues1 ,god's mercy is with us every moment4 ,it is possible some soul is here who for years has lived selfishly within his own little round of pleasure4 ,he looks back on a life of uselessness1 of neglect of all that ,christ did for him4 ,he this day hears the voice of ,god4 ,he listens2 he repents2 he cries out1 smiting on his breast1 ',god be merciful to me a sinner6' ,what then will ,god do8 ,will ,he reject him because he is old in sin8 because he has wasted beautiful years8 ,when he appears before the judgment seat will ,christ say1 ',you repented too late on earth6 ,you cannot be saved now'8 ,no6 even if after a hundred years of shame and sin a soul with its outgoing breath1 in genuine repentance and faith in the ,son of ,god1 cries out for mercy1 that cry will be answered and he will be saved4 ,what less of glory and power such a soul may experience in the realms of glory1 we may not be able to tell4 ,but he himself will be saved4 ,is not ,god merciful1 then8 ,let no man depart from this house of ,god fearful or despairing4 ,the earthly life is full from beginning to end with the love of an ,almighty ,father4 ,shall men complain because they cannot have all of this life and all of the other too in which to repent and be forgiven8 ',now is the accepted time2 behold1 now is the day of salvation4' ',to-day if ye will hear ,his voice1 harden not your hearts4' ,men of ,barton1 you have heard the word of ,god proclaimed from this desk to-day4 ,young men1 will you wait until you are old in sin and shame before you will repent and be saved8 ,how do you know you will live to be old men8 ,and what a life to live1 even if you were sure of a hundred years1 to pour out the dregs at last as an offering to ,christ just to escape hell6 ,o all men1 hear ye this day the message of ,christ6 ,he is a ,saviour of sinners4 ,it is not necessary that any man go away from this service unsaved4 ,you may believe here and now4 ,won't you do it8 ',believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and thou shalt be saved4' ,then go home and pray1 rejoicing4 ,and if the ,almighty call you out and away from this prison of clay into ,his resplendent presence this very night1 what will you have to fear8 ,not one thing4 ,you have put your trust in ,him4 ,your sins are all forgiven4 ,you can appear before ,his judgment seat and await your verdict with a calm and joyful soul4 ,for you know as you gaze into the loving countenance of your ,redeemer and ,judge that when ,he turns and speaks to you ,he will say1 ',come1 ye blessed of ,my ,father1 inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world4' ,truly ,god is love6 ,the prayer that followed the sermon seemed to bring all the souls in the church very close to ,god4 ,the events of the past week had stirred the town deeply4 ,the awful disaster so near them2 the speech of ,mr4 ,hardy in the town hall2 rumours of the experience he was having--all these had prepared the audience for just such a sermon on ,sunday morning4 ,men bowed their heads and prayed in that house who had not done such a thing sincerely in many years4 ,robert had many inquiries concerning himself and ,clara to answer at the close of the service4 ,he finally went up and thanked the minister for what he had said1 and spoke as he never had spoken before in encouragement of his pastor's work4 ,but it seemed to him that he must hasten homewards4 ,the time was growing short2 he must have the rest of it with the dear ones in the home4 ,what need to describe the details of the afternoon8 ,robert ,hardy had the joy of knowing that all his children were with him1 and at dark ,james came over and asked if he might join the circle4 ,he did not know all that ,mr4 ,hardy had gone through1 but the children had told him enough to make him want to be with the family4 ,why1 come right in and join the circle1 ,james6 ,you're one of us1 cried ,mr4 ,hardy cheerfully4 ,so ,james drew up his chair1 and conversation was continued4 ,they were sitting in the room upstairs1 where ,clara lay facing an open fire4 ,the doctor had called in the middle of the afternoon1 and brought two other skilled surgeons and physicians at ,mr4 ,hardy's request4 ,it was a singular case1 and nothing special could be done4 ,this was the unanimous opinion after deep consultation1 and after remaining some time the doctors had withdrawn4 ,when it grew dark1 ,alice started to turn on the lights1 but her father said3 ,let us sit in the firelight4 ,so they drew close together1 and in an awe looked upon him who seemed so sure that4 ,god would call him away at midnight4 ,who shall recount the words that were uttered8 the exact sentences spoken8 the fears and hopes and petitions and tears of the wife8 the commands of the father to his boys to grow up into the perfect manhood in ,jesus ,christ8 the sweet words of love and courage that passed between him and his wife and daughters8 ,these things cannot be described2 they can only be imagined4 ,so the night passed4 ,it was after eleven o'clock2 the conversation had almost ceased and all were sitting hushed in a growing silence1 when ,clara spoke again1 so suddenly and clearly that they were all startled and awed by it3 ,father6 mother6 where have ,i been8 ,i have had such a dream6 ,where are you8 ,where am ,i8 ,mrs4 ,hardy arose1 and with tears streaming down her face kneeled beside the bed and in a few words recalled ,clara to her surroundings4 ,the girl had come out of her strange unconsciousness with all her faculties intact4 ,gradually she recalled the past1 the accident1 the dream of her father4 ,she smiled happily on them all1 and they for a while forgot the approach of midnight and its possible meaning to ,mr4 ,hardy--all but himself4 ,he kneeled by the bed1 at the side of his wife1 and thanked ,god that his dear one was restored4 ,suddenly he rose to his feet and spoke aloud1 quietly1 but clearly3 ,did you not hear someone calling8 ,his face was pale but peaceful4 ,he bent down and kissed ,clara1 embraced his sons1 drew his wife to him1 and placed his hand on ,bessie's head2 then1 as if in answer to a command1 he gently kneeled down again by his chair and as his lips moved in prayer the clock struck once more the hour of twelve4 ,he continued kneeling there1 nearer ,god than he had ever been in all his life before4 ,thus ,robert ,hardy's ,seven ,days came to an end4