THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, MAY 11, 1899.
2
was cloudy and forboding, and just grass,’ and I do not think that
gainsaid
or
denied.
However,
to
K a te ’ s R eligion.
mine is any exception. Please tell
pass to something else, 1 called to as she was about to start out the
me something new. You’ll die,
see if you would like to go to the rain began to fall quite heavily.
BY SUSAN H. WIXON.
“Look at that now!” said she. too, I suppose. In fact, all of us
spelling match tonight at the Town
ATE, a bright, intelligent Haq an(j
me hear off the prize “It’s real mean to rain when I are dying already.”
“Wh-at!” said Kate, with staring
girl of fifteen, after three of the champion speller. Will you want to go out,” and jerking off
her hat she threw it across the eyeballs.
weeks of “seriousness, ’had gO?”
“ Why, see here, my Christian
made a public profession of re-
uNo> j thank you; our regular room, and commenced stamping
friend, you jammed your thumb
ligion. At the time of which I evening meeting is tonight, and if about in ungovernable rage
“What’s the matter now?” in­ and have lost the nail. That nail
write she had just returned from j g() anywhere I shall go there.”
an afternoon prayer meeting in a
“Very well, then I’ll go down and quired Rosa Hopkins, who came was a part of your living body, and
particularly holy frame of mind, get Louj8e Arundel to go. Let me running in to get out of the rain, it is dead and gone, is it not? Did
and felt that she was about as good have a drink of water first, though, her face radiant with health and you want to save the horrid black
thing? You know, in school, when
a Christian girl as you could find As Rip Van Winkle says in the exercise.
“Oh! I’m mad, and don’t know we went through with our physi­
anywhere about.
play, ‘Here’s to your good health,
ology, we learned that particles of
After tea her mother requested y0U ahj your fam’lies. May you who to be mad at!” said Kate.
Rosa gave one of her prolonged our bodies are constantly passing
her to wash the dishes, a work that ¡jve iong an(j prosper!’ Good even-
. « • •
whistles.
off and being replaced by new
Kate looked upon with disdain, ing to you.”
“If
you
are
disappointed
in
not
atoms. I suppose our faculties are
‘‘Good evening, Rosa; hope you’ll
and just at this time it did not at
have a pleasant time tonight. zoing out on account of the rain, I just as surely being renewed as our
all accord with her devout spirit.
“Dishes! Wash the dishes! Me!” Come again soon, do, when you can uess you’ll have to be mad at the jodies. Somehow, I can’t think of
elements, if that will do you any hem as existing separately from
she said, in a tone of contempt.
stay longer.”
“Certainly,” said her mother.
As the door closed on Rosa Hop­ good; but you need not think they our bodies, or our bodies existing
“ I am very tired, and you have kins, Kate said, “There, I’m glad will care, for they won’t—they just without them. If you knew I was
hateful, good-for-nothing sweep right on unmindful of our going to a house where there was
had a good deal of leisure of late. that
It will assist me somewhat if you whistling girl has gone. I hope smiles of satisfaction or frowns of danger of my taking the smallpox,
will attend to the dishes while I she will not come here again very anger. But where were you going? you wouldn’t tell me to keep away
For anything important? If so, and save my soul, would you? But
prepare the bread for rising.”
soon!”
“ Why, Kate!” said her mother, jut on your waterproof and rub­ you would advise me to keep out of
Kate, I am sorry to say, had an
infirmity of temper not easily con­ “I am surprised at your want of bers and go on.”
danger and save my body. I don’t
“I
was
going
out
on
a
religious
trolled, and though it did not break truthfulness. To talk thus, after
know much about souls, myself,
enterprise,”
said
Kate.
out at this particular time, it an- inviting Rosa to call again so cor-
never having seen one, but there is
“Never
mind,
then,
that
can
nounced its presence by a low and , dially. I hope my child is not
considerable to know about these
probably
wait,”
said
Rosa.
“Now,
significant mutter, a defiant toss learning to be a hypocrite.”
tangible bodies of ours.”
Kate,”
she
continued,
“just
you
and twirl of her head and stamp­
Guess if I am,” said Kate, spite­
“ But you ought, to follow the
look
here,
and
let
me
tell
you
ing of her two small feet. The ex­ fully, “ I shall not be obliged to go
‘Divine Law,’ ” said Kate, seriously.
something confidentially. Your re­
pression of her face was not angelic far from home to take a lesson!
“Goodness gracious, Kate! What
as she poured the dish-water. She
Her mother made no reply to ligion isn’t worth two cents! When
do you know, or anybody else,
went through the process of wash­ this rude speech, and Kate, feeling you have learned to control that
about Divine Laws? You’ve got
ing and wiping the dishes in very uncomfortable, thought she abominable temper of yours prop­
the greatest mess of nonsense in
silence, and as she was carrying would go up to her room and pray erly you’ll begin Jo get religion,
your head! You talk about Divine
them to the pantry, the cat being for a better heart. As she knelt and not before.”
“Don’t talk to me, Rosa Hop­ Law, and you get as mad as fire at
in her path, she gave the innocent beside her bed and lifted her voice
animal a kick that sent him to the in prayer for a better state of mind kins! You’d better be trying to everything that does not suit. I
other side of the room, and her and feeling, a sweet hush seemed to save your soul!” was Kate’s re­ may not be very bright, but I
frankly aud honestly confess that
hands slipping, down went three fall upon her, but in the midst of joinder.
“Soul! How do you know I have I cannot comprehend anything but
cups, the same number of saucers her prayer her mother called to
natural law. When I get to be di­
and all the plates ker smash.
her and said, “ Kate, my dear, if one? How does anybody know he
“Bango!” said Rosa Hopkins, en­ you are not particularly engaged, I has one? What is it like? These vine, whatever that may be, per­
tering at that moment, and espying wish you would help me a little are pertinent questions, that I, for haps I shall understand what you
the catastrophe she whistled a long, with the sewing, that is, if you one, should like to have answered. mean hv Divine Law.”
“ You ought to try aud fit your­
low whistle.
have not decided to go out this To have a thing implies a separate
Rosa was what is called a evening. Here are a couple of entity, if I may so speak, that can self for another world, Rosa.”
“ worldly-minded” person, good-na­ sheets that must be turned, and if be described, located, bounded, dis­ “Another world? Dear, dear!
tured and obliging, but with one you will do that, while I do the sected, its use shown, as the heart, It is as much as I, yon, or any­
great fault; as her mother declared, mending for the week, we shall get liver, organs of hearing, seeing; the body else can do to get in trim for
she would whistle. Rosa said it along nicely.”
hand, its mechanism, and so on. this world. I did not fit myself
was natural for her to whistle, that
Now, of all things Kate disliked You are like a good many others, for this one, and I don’t think
like the boy in school, “it whistled to “turn sheets,” but her mother Kate, who talk volubly about some there is any need to make special
itself!”
was an economical woman, and thing they know nothing whatever preparations for any other world,
Kate could not produce the when the sheets were worn in the about. Now, what on earth is the particularly as we cannot know
shadow of a whistle, and had no center, she always turned them in use of talking and fretting about a what will be required of us if we
admiration for the accomplishment order to get the greatest possible matter of which we krow abso­ ever find ourselves there. I cannot
in Rosa.
lutely nothing? Look at this love conceive of what I might have to
amount of wear out of them.
“ What’s up?” inquired Rosa.
“There,” said Kate, jumping to ly rose, analyze its sweet fragrance do in another world any more
Kate picked up the broken crock her feet, it’s always so! I can’t so aud tell me whence it came anc than I knew beforehand what I
ery, but did not deign to answer much as pray in peace now, but whither it goeth. I tell you, when should have to do in this world.
the question. Instead, she re- mU8t, he disturbed at my devo- we have learned what there is to Now, Kate, confidentially, between
uarked, as she had often doue be- tions” ; and she screamed at the know in this world, and especially you and Rosa Hopkins and the
fore,
top of her voice, “I ’m going to the whether we have a soul or not, gate-post, what does any living be­
“ W histling girls and crowing hens
then will be time enough to talk o ing know, actually know, about
meeting. So, there!”
Always come to some bad end.”
And she went to meeting and saving the soul. How do you the climate, business, occupation,
“ Now,
Kate,”
Rosa, “you
U ti »
ci vL>•
K said
c i 1 Li
XVLie*ci•
y Li Li J
.
• .
• > ci i_ •
i
,
’
. .
, , , spoke, it was said, “Oh! so beauti- know but I may be like an Undine, people, and so forth and so on, of
can’t scare me with any such old if ,, ’ t
,
T
. . .
'fully, that all hearts were melted soulless? or, if I possess such an any other hemisphere or sphere
gossip as that. I say and maintain , ..
,
. „
appendage, or it possesses me, from than this little globe on which we
who listened to her.”
that
am I to save it? Pray tell stay? The astronomers tell ns a
Two or three days afterward she what
‘W histling girls and hens th a t crow
»
,
Take their comfort as they go.’
little about the worlds overhead,
had engaged to go out and solicit me.
“One of these days you’ll die!” but they don’t say we shall go there
“There may not be much ele- subscriptions for the Young Men’s
to live by and by. It seems to me,
gance about the couplet, but there Christian Association in aid of a said Kate, solemnly.
“Shouldn’t wonder! ‘All flesh is Kate, that if we live properly in
is a truth about it that cannot be » prospective fair; but the weather
K
in
a
*