HomeMy WebLinkAboutExeter Advocate, 1900-4-19, Page 2tiA
LTOS
RCYAANCE..
BY
J C,3 Er4
e$ TR ANGIE,
wom-reQ.,
(Copyright, 1859. by the Author,]
And then the thought came to her.
Why tell him at all? Why eay anything
about it? Wily break tap and destrey
their intense happineas? Nothing could
be wider apart than the lives led by
Nclward Conway and Alan Stacey's
wife. Why admit that she had seen the
news that part of the crew of the Ari-
khama had beep rescued? Just now,
when Alan was showing signs of over -
Work and about to take a holiday, it
would be cruel to deal him such a blow
A few weeks Imager in her sunshine
would make no difference to anybody
but herself. Alan would never know—
Edward Conway need never know—
that she had been aware all along that
three men belonging to the Arikhama
had been rescued off an taninhabited
island in the Pacific ocean. Why should
she say anything? Why shatald she not
at least let Alan finish his book—the
greatest book he had ever done—take his
holiday, and, if the blow fell then—why,
be would be the better prepared to
meet it. It would be bad enough if Ed-
ward Conway discovered her and the
secret could not be kept any longer.
Having thus made up her mind to
keep the news which had reached her
to herself, she acted immediately. She
destroyed the torn sheet of the paper
,
She hrew it into the fi,re.
and thrust the part which remained
carelessly into the rack with the other
journals, trusting to her own wit to
keep Alan from wishing to look at it
during the day. It was an off day with
the young lady wbo typed to her dicta-
tion, so that she was free of any tie of
work She set herself to do some nee-
dlework in order that she might look oc-
cupied wizen Alan made his appearance,
and she sat near the window stitching
industriously, while her mind went Over
and over again each shreds of self
justification as she could find to salve
her conscience. She told herself thet it
was not as if she had gone into an ir-
tegular union with her eyes open.
She had truly and honestly believed
lierself to be Edward Conway's widow,
and 'her marriage with .Alan was her
real marriage. What was it they said?
"I require and charge you both, as ye
will answer at the dreadful day of jedg-
men t, when the secrets of all hearts shall
be disclosed, if either of pea know of
any impediment why ye may not law-
fully be joined together in matrimony,
ye do now confess it." Then came these
impressive words.. "Those whom God
hath joined together let no man put
asunder." Surely, surely, God had join-
ed them; surely, surely, it bad been by
the permission of God that such a blaze
of pure and innocent joy and glory had
come into her life; surely she would be
doing right to continue such a union.
The nroat fanatical and bigoted lover of
conventionalism could never wish that
she should go back to live the life of
shame and degradation which had been
hers during those few months after her
firet marriage—after that barbarous sale
of herself into which she had been driven
by circumatances absolutely beyond her
control.
Alan Stacey came down presently,
and when Mary noticed how haggard
and ill he was looking she thanked
heaven that she had kept the news of
Edward Conway's survival to herself.
She 'exerted herself in every possible
way to please him, coaxing
him to eat
wheo lanchtinie came and being seem-
ingly in the gayest and brightest of
spirits Bu t nothing served to rouse him
from the dull depression which seemed
to have taken possession of him.
"I believe you ought to have staid
in bed," she said at last as he sat mop-
ing and shivering over the fire.
"No; I'm laotter up," he answered,
'The book is weighing on your mind.
dearest.
"Horribly," he replied, "horribly I
feel as if I should never finish it."
"Oh, don't say that! You've been
burning the candle at both ends, You
cannot do this work and go to fancy
dress balls at the stun° time. Why not
let us slip away and finish it quietly
somewhere? Supposing that we pack
up and go to some quiet little place
where we catt work in peace and corn -
fort, and after that we will go off on
oar long holiday."
He caught at the suggestion eagerly
"That's a good idea, Mary, " he re-
plied; "that's a very good idea. You'll
take little Miss Winning,ton down with
you 2''
"Oh, yea, because there's a good lot
tO do yet. Oh, yes, wo would have her
down there with tia. But the change,
the freela air, the Sea, the restfulnees,
would all be very good for you and
wonld help yon to finish it veith half
the effort it Would be if We Staid at
ileum. Shall wo go off at once?"
"As epon es ever you like," he re -
plied " \Vienne snail WO go? Let tie try
on part of cornwall.
"Well, (leer, there's that little, place
that the Alec Dngdelee went to. They
Said the inn was bo eomfortable and
the cooking eo good and the little place
eo primitive awl yet so sweet, and
boating and fishing and cycling and all
that sort of thing you could do in pee-
fection. Don't you tbink that would do
for us? Ynes know we cannot have a
place too quiet until we are through the
book"
"1 think it walla do eplendidly
Couldn't we telegraph today and go
down tonaorrow ? Have we any engage-
Inents?"
"We have no dinners; nothing that
we couldn't easily break."
"Have we the addrese of the inn?"
"Oh, yes; it is called the Yoevya
Arms.' "
She rang the bell and the 'went to
the writing table to get the book of tel-
egraph forms.
"I roust send a wire to Miss Win-
nington. Of course, if she is not quite
able to come tomorrow, she might corne
down the day after, which perhaps
wonld be rather better Oh, John, we
are going down to Cornwall tonlorroW
for a week or two, I'veant you to send
some telegrams off at once and to ar-
range all Mr, Stacey's things."
"Very good, ma'am. You will take
the machines down?"
"Oh, yes! And what about your fish-
ing rod, Alan? There is very good fish-
ing down there, so the Dugdales said,
"Then I had better take nay tackle.'
"Will this do, Alan? 'Have you
rooras vacant, two bedrooms, two sit-
ting rooms? Wanted for toraorrow. lim-
ply paid."'
"That will do," said he.
She sail -titled also a message to Miss
Winniugton. and when John had de-
parted and she was looking down the
engagcusent book to see whether any
noted of exense would be necessary Alan
Stacey got up and began walking rest-
lessly about the room. At last he stop-
ped in front of her table.
"What are you doing now?" he
asked.
"I was just looking, whether I should
have to write to any one—excuses, you
know."
He stood with Ms hands thrust deep
down into his trousers pockets eying
her approvingly.
"You're a wonderful little woman,
Mary," be said in a very tender tone.
She smiled at at him and put out her
hand to touch his.
"I'm glad you think so," she said in
rather a quavering voice.
"Oh, my dear, my dear, I always
think so I ' he said passionately. "It was
the tackiest day of my life when I met
you."
"And what," said she, "do yon
think that it rnest have been for me?"
She was at that moment on the very
point of breaking down and telling him
everything. Then the sound of the sob
in her own voice frightened her, No,
she could not, niust not, dared not, tell
him just now—now, when he had the
weight of a great book upon his mind,
the anxiety of a large contract before
hins, when he was in a measure nerve
hroken and anxious and depressed. No;
she must keep the secret, at least for a
time. It would be selfish to do other-
wise. She owed it, even if it was a sin,
as a small return for all that Alan
Stacey had poured out at her feet. She
owed it to him. In this instance silence
was her duty.
CHAPTER XIV.
FROM THE CORNER WINDOW,
As the train steamed out of Padding-
ton station on the following day Mary
gave a great sigh of relief, and .Alan
Stacey, whose spirits had gone up as high
as the day before tbey had been low—for
he was, like all people of buoyant dis-
position, subject to great alternations
of tensperament—anaved his seat over to
the one beside her and put his arm
round her waist '
"Little woman," he said, "it is aw-
fully jolly to be going out of London
again, isn't it, even although we are
not going, for a holiday? By Jove, that
was a good idea of yours. What a wise
little head you've got! I should have
gone on fagging my heart out in that
used up atmosphere, and you came with
your wonderful woman's wit and solved
the question in an instant You women
are wonderful creatures."
She did not say very much. She nes-
tled up close against him with curiously
mingled feelings On the one hand she
felt that she was leaving her troubles
behind her; on the other that she was
only putting off the evil day for a little
time. She felt that she wns safe and yet,
that she was insecure. She had gained
breathing time, a resting place, but
that bus day she would have to tell Alan
Stacey the truth was as inevitable as
that one day she would bane to die.
"By the bye, did you remember to tell
John to send the papers after us?"
"No, I did not tell him," said Mary.
She flushed up a vivid, guilty scarlet,
foe, truth to say, she had purposely re-
frained from instructing the intelligent
John on this point.
"Ohl Well, of course we can easily
write and tell him to send them, '' said
Alan. "All the same, I don't know
whether newspapers are not rather a
bore than other wise.
"Yon see," said she apologetically,
"eve generally go to hotels where there
are papers,
'Oh, yes, yes, yes, it's all right. I
dare say we shall bo much better with-
out them if we find that the Powys
Arms is not so ineettrioUe as to have a
ILondon paper Let us try it at all
events.
1 So they started on their pilgrimage
without SO nnich as a neily paper to
toll them what was going o0 in the
woeld.
It seemed strange to iviary herself
that she was not more eager to know
ftirthee news or filo ahryivors of the
Arilthatna, bet she was truly happier
not to know. From that moment ahe
filing hereell into the present with an
energy widen vses inteneelY
and Alan Stacey was more hopeleeelY
in love with her than ever,
She had arranged with Miss Win-
aingiion to be in readiness to eome if
she ehould send fax her, eo that they
made acquaintance with the little Cur
-
'Ash fishing village without the re-
straint of a third person. They were
like two happy children. The weather
was lovely, the air soft and eweet, and
they tramped over the golden sands and
prowled aanong the rocks, as if never a
care existed in the world or ever could
do.
"Yon like this place, sweetheart?'
he said to her on the evening of their
first day.
"I love it," sho answered. "I shonld
like to stay here always, Alan, I don't
believe that a place like the Sycamores
is good for you. It is too fiat, too much
ehut iia; there is not air enough fax a
brain worker. Let us give up London
and settle ourselves in some such place
as this, where we can live more of the
ideal life and make up the waste as fast
as we create it, I believe it would be
good for both of ns. There is that sweet
old place we passed among the trees to-
day Fancy having that for one's own.
Fancy asking one's London friends to
come down and spend a week in such a
place as this! What joy it would give!"
"Yes, but Should we have any Lon-
don friends to ask if we aettled our-
selves here altogether?"
"Why not? You have friends all over
the world. You are not dependent upon
London. Of course you would have your
friends just the same."
"And you would really like to leave
Fulham, to have no resting place in
town 1"
"I am afraid I would, Alan. Yon
see, I ani not like you. Yon were born
to it You are well used to the rush and
turmoil of life. I feel sometimes as if I
could not get air, as if I were choking."
"Everybody feels it in London, my
dear, and when you've got/air and are
not choking yon feel bored to death;
you feel you would give anything to be
back again in the place where things
hum, to be in the thick of the fray. It
is vegetation to spend all your life in a
quiet place, even a paradise like this.
But I tell you what we naight do. I've
had my doubts about the Sycamores for
souse little time. We might move into
a flat—comparatively small—and take
a cottage down here solely fot work.
That would pay better than setting up
our tent in any such place as this alto-
gether."
"A cottage one could turn round in,
Alan."
"Oh, yes! I take it house rent is not
very expensive here. At all events we
will look round at all the cottages and
aee -what kind of places are going. And
we must see first whether I can work
in the dead stillness of a country life.
Somebody or other called it 'dead still-
ness,' didn't they? I once wept down
into the country to do a very special bit
of work that I wanted in a hurry. I
went down with Goggle Eyes to a earns
in Surrey. I came back at the end of a
week dead beat, and indeed I never
passed a week in such a continnal din
in my life I Did you know before elsat
horses never go to sleep?"
"Oh, nonsenE;e1"
"It is trne,' said he soleranly.
"Horses never get to sleep, or, if they do,
they walk in their sleep. My bedroom
was at right angles with the eta Nee
*sere tbe farm horses lived. They kick -
el the walls and the mangers and the
floor all night long. I need to go in and
look at thetn foddered down knee deep
in straw, all still, silent, quiet, except
for the 'stilling- of the chains through
the iron rings of the mangers Bur as
soon as I got into bed they all began.
and they were never still for one min-
ute until cock crow—never! At half
past 8 or earlier the poultry yard began.
.And then between the coming of the
laborers and the flirting of the young
women—I don't know what they did.
because the men did the milking—and
tbe stentorian voice of the farmer bel-
lowing his ordees I never got any rest
at all, Goggle Eyes slept through it.
He said it was heavenly, it was so tran-
quil, I believe Goggle Eyes would sleep
through the last judgment."
However, the Powys Arms proved to
be an ideal working place for Alan
Stacey. He flourished and throve, and
the work grew apace, and Mary was
more than ever set upon establishing a
. little seaside home of their own, a little
retreat to which they could at any mo-
ment retire from the world.
At the end of three weeks the book
was finished, and little Miss Winning --
ton went back to London. Alan Stacey
and Mary, however, staid on at the
curious, old fashioned inn, spending
their days in boating and fishing and
trying to make up their minds in what
part of the world they should geed
their holiday, If he had a preference, it
was for a yacht, but Mary did not fall
very enthusiastically into the scheme,
and he had always a lingering fear that
she might have a special reason for not
wishing to be on the sea. Therefore he
forbore to press her to consent to this
arrangement, for Alan Stacey wonld
have done anything rather than in any
way have reminded Mary of the great
tragedy which had freed her from
her first husband. They talked of the
Italian lakes, of the regularly beaten
Riviera track and lastly of Biarritz,
with excursions over the Spanish fron-
tier. Upon that they practieally decid-
ed, yet they lingered in the little fish-
ing village from sheer inability to tear
themselves away.
And during all this time they had
never seen a London newspaper. Sev-
eral times Alan Stacey had said in joke
that they might as well be dead and
buried for all the news they had of the
world, and almost every day he declared
that he meet write to John and tell
hint to send on the papers But as Mary
did not write it somehow remained un-
done, and they continued in their ig-
noraece of passing events.
So nearly a month slipped by.
when they were sitting on a rock
we tebi ng the son sink slowly dome into
the Water
said Mary, "but it has been
charmine hem 1 don't," with a great
sigh—"fdon't think that the time has
been wasted."
"My dear child, no time could he
wasted to me that has been spent with
you. What a thing to say1 Of course it
has not been wasted. This place has
served our turn well, but we both want
change, you as well as 1 Donrou know,
two or three times lately I have thought
you looking quite careworn. and you
baVe nothing., ' looking at her anxious-
ly and searchiagly----"you have nothing
to be careworn about?"
"Nothing," said Mary: She coulcl
feel the sob in her throat; she wonder-
ed that he did not hear it. "I think
yon are right, she said, after a mo-
ment, "and that it is time thar we
were moving on. Von have quite decid-
ed on Biarritz, Alan?"
"As well as any other place, We
have never been there. They say it ia
bright and gay and exbilarating. If we
don't like it, we can MOVO OD SOIlle-
where elsa "
"Then we will go home tomorrow 1"
"I think we may as well," he replied.
So she set about packing up her fete
belongings. She had taken only the
most plain and simple serge gowns with
her. A single trunk held everything
that she had. She packed a good deal
that evening, and in the morning she
got up early and finished it off before
breakfast time.
"I will just run down to the village,"
said Alan, "and settle up with Jan
Trevethick, and by that time you will
be ready for breakfast."
"Yes, I shall be ready," said Mary,
aniline at him.
Tr° BE COMM:MD.1
t,itg
PUT THE WAITER TO FLIGHT.
Hiperience In Hotels Taught the
Drummer How to Deal With Him.'
A large man with a jolly, smooth shav-
en visage walked into a restaurant in the
business district and ordered a steak a la
creole. In due time it arrived and was
deposited piping hot on his table, where-
upon the large man proceeded to tuck a
napkin under his collar and attacked the
dish with a quiet 'gusto that was exhila-
rating to witness. He had disposed of
perhaps a third and was working his way
steadily through the remaiqer when his
waiter sauntered up from *hind and
leaned confidentially over his shesulder.
"Steak all right, sir?". he a.sed in a
tone of professional solicitude. ;
"Eh," exclaimed the large man, l' °king
startled, "what's that?"
"I just asked whether the steak w s all
right," replied the waiter.
The large man laid down his knife dpd
fork. "What do you think is the meteor
with it?" he inquired in an anxious
dertone. '
"Why—why—nothing, I guess," said
the waiter, beginning to get disconcerted.
"I was only asking, you know." e
"But atet prompted you to ask?"
urged the other. "I insist upon knowing
what excited your suspiciontetbat this
steak was not what it sheuld-lie?"
"Oh, I dunno," ntuitered the waiter
miserably. "I justetaked, that's all."
"But I had maelecno complaint," mused
the large man/knkting his brows and
facing around' in his chair. "There's
some mystgrf; here, sure. Did, you ask as
a matter,ef private curiosity or as a"--
Beforie he could conclude the sentence
the waiter broke away and fled headlong
to the kitchen, The large man chuckled
and resumed his attack OD the steak.
"It's like this," he said later to a man
who had witnessed the incident and was
curious about it. "You see, I'm a drum-
mer, and I live mostly at hotels and res-
taurants. There are lots of things about
such a life that wear on a man, and one
of them is the way some waiters keep
worrying you all through a meal for fear
you'll forget they're on earth when it
comes time to settle and tip. There is no
earthly reason why any waiter should
ever inquire whether a dish is satisfac-
tory. If it isn't, the guest will notify
him; and he's there to remedy it. So
when one of them begins asking me con-
fidentially whether this or that thing is
all right I usually squelch him with the
little formula you have just listened to.
It never fails to put 'ern to flight."—New
Orleans Times -Democrat. -
Smoke Signals.
Tem—I believe Jack is engaged.
Dick—What make you think so?
Toni—He's taken to smoking 5 cent
ebeare.—Types.
Masculine Intuition.
She—There is one thing more I must
know, Mr. Hankinson, before I can an-
swer your question. Are you in favor
of granting to woman her natural and
inalienable right to vote, or do you be-
lieve in still grinding her under the
heel of masculine tyranny?
He—Well, Dorothy, dear, I don't
know, of course, how you feel about #,
but I have always been in favor of
woman suffrage,
She—Then, George, I am yours. ---Che
cago Tribune.
Niee
.....7.711111•110..1111,
Mrs. Newlywed (to cook, Whom she
has just engaged at registry office)—
You see, my husband is so verygiartle-
Mar about his food.
Cook (sympathetically) — Ther all
alike, mem. My old man was just the
"We really ought to reake a
slme: I never coolsed nothiek to please
move,
sweetheart'' said Alan one afteenoou In Pay
, HOUSES FOR HOGS
tcomrniziLlsfrritoo: DoiryNuitil ansstis EN- 4
WARMIli. tr•
. ,
6.6.........40.40••••••.......4
No animal on the farni can be shel-
tered more cheaply and satisfactorily
at the time of parturition than the
brood sow, says John M. Jamison in
The National Stockman. This state-
ment will cover a greater part of the
large Swine producing area of the Unit-
ed States. Two Important features
only are to be considered as absolutely
necessary—warmth and dryness. These
can be had by the use of different ma-
terials, cheap or expensive, as suits the
fancy and pocketbook of the builder.
A single shelter or house for each sow
we think much preferable to the struc-
ture that will hold several agimals. It
is advisable for a herd of brood sows to
farrow as near the same time as possi-
ble. When this is accomplished, the
houses can be put two or three :d;
apart and will answer the purpose as
ee
well as if a greater distaneenntevd
there are dividing fences between
them. It Is hard to get a lot of sows
separated so far apart but that they
will hear the herdsman when he com-
mences to feed anti all be on the alert.
This expectation for a share of the
feed is against the large house that will
accommodate a nuniber of sows, as a
sow will often leave the nest at farrow-
ing time to go to the feed trough, usu-
ally to the detriment of her litter.
If separated from her companions
far enough for them to be fed without
disturbing her, it is much better.
Again, if separated in this way, it le
much easier to keep litters from mix-
SINGLE NOUSE' FOR sows.
Ing until such a time as there is, no
danger of the strong pigs stealing from
the weak.
In a herd of sows there is often one
that is not as good a milker as the oth-
ers. In a case of this kiud nature does
not limit the number of pigs to suit the
supply of milk. She is as apt to pro-
duce as nunaermis a litter as the best
milker in the herd. The result is that
those little fellows are always hungry
and spend much of the time pulling at
their mother. If the sow is in a house
with several others with litters, these
hungry, restless fellows will Cause
much unrest with the others. We have
often noticed that when one litter of
pigs begins to trail after their dam
for their feed the litters of the herd
are almost sure to take up the cry and
in a short time all the sows are down
and the pigs sleeking. When the sows
and their litters are separated until
the pigs are at least 1 month old, it is
much easier to feed each sow properly
and get the eeegs to. eating. And, more
than this, it is conducive to hater
thrift and, health.
• For single houses to be used in this
way we should.want them portable or
of material that could be torn to
pieces and, removed when not in use.
The latter is the least expensive and
within the reach of every farmer 'able
to own two or more brood sows.
Hogs Need E.xereise.
Breeding hogs need a little exercise
every slay to keep them in the very best
condition, says The American Culti-
vator, but how are they to get it in
this climate, when the yards and all
sports out of doors are covered with
S1101,V for three mouths at a time? Lf
even, a wheelbarrow load a day of good
fresh horse manure is thrown in a yard
for any three that are yarded together,
they will spend muelt time in rooting
it over, especially if they find a grain
of corn or a few oats in it often enough
to keep them interested. We do not
want fattening hogs to have anything
to induce them to root, nor would we
allow the breeding stock to sleep on
the manure heap, which is one of the
reasons why we do not advise keeping
hogs in a barn cellar. Another is that
we do not like a manure 'miler tinder
the barn. The barn cellar, if there is
one, may do to store roots in and to put
away carts, plows and other heavy
tools if it is dry enough, but then we
would like a good cement tioor.for It.
Another reason is that we want the
animals to have sunlight when they
can, and if the hogs are in a separate
building with an open yard they will
be out a great deal when the weather
Is pleasant, even In winter, if It is cold.
We want to keep the SOW gaining a
little every day from the time she is
bred until she farrows and yet to guard
against her being too fat. This can
easily be regulated by the food given,
if a little care is taken.
Goat Culture.
Goat culture in the United States is
enjoying a boom. The hardy, thrifty
nature of these animals has made them
wen adapted to the climate and con-
ditions of the southwest, where great
herds of them are raised. It Is esti-
mated that there are 300,000 Angora
goata In this country. The average
fleece weighs 'about three pounds,
though some exceptional clips have
reached 18 pounds. There is a good
market for the fleece and .skine, and
the carcass, what fat, is not a bad
substitute for Mutton. The incluetry
has grown rapidly within the past few
years and is. tio longer confined to the
west and sonthwest —Drovers! ,Jour-
nal.
111111 SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON IV, SECOND QUARTgR, INTER-
NATIONAL SEITi.eiS, APRIL 22.
Text of ille Lesson, /Luke i1X, 1-10.
siQou,,pry verses, 9, 10 --Golden Test,
PH. CM. /3 -- Commentary Prepared
by the Rev, D. M. Stearns.
ICOpyriOlt, 1900, by D. 5,1, Stearns.]
1, "Now when He had ended all His
satenes in the audience of the people, He
l,iltored into Capernaum," This city be -
venni His center he Galilee, from which
1 le went forth, to which He returned and
where He wrought many of
tvosks and said that if Sodom had had
the same privileges it would not have
been destroyed, but that Capernaum, hav-
ing been eealted to heaven thy her privi-
leges), ehoted be brought down to hell
—because she did not profit by them
fMath. xi, 23). Whether the name sug-
gests that this was the villege of Nahutu,
the prophet, or not we cannot say, but as
Nainun signifies "coniforn"and also
p0111111100' 11 it is interesting to think of the
comfort that would have come to Caper -
n5 um it may she Innl truly repented and
received (jhsist Jesus and in Him the
Father of Mercies and the God of all
comfort !II Cor. i, 3). '
2. "And a certain centurion's servant,
who was dear unto him, was sick and
ready to die." In last week's lessor/ it
xvas an only daughter %vim was the prey
or the adversary, sick and dying. Now it
is a faithful servant of a Roman cen-
turion. This dear servant makes us
think of Abraham's servant, t� whom he
intrusted all that he had; and of Joseph
as the slave of Potiphar, having full
chargidof all that he had; also of Onesi-
ems, who became so dear to Paul that he
said to Philemon, "Receive him as my-
self" f Phi. IT). ,
3., "And when he heard of Jesus he
sent unto Him the elders of the Jews be-
seeching Him that He would come and
heal his serva.nt." The account in Mat-
thew reads as if the centurion himself
came to Jesus, but this account in Luke
gives us to understand that all Was done
through' those whom the centurion sent.
There ia DO diserepaucy, for that which
one does through another who represents
bim is certainly done by himself. Com-
pare 11 Coe v, 20. Some one must have
told. else how could the centurion have
heard? He may have heard of the evil
spirit east out of the man in the syna-
gogue or of the healing of Siruon's wife's
mother and thus 1111Ve had faith wrought
in him, for faith cometh by hearing
about God and His works (Rom. x. 17).
4, 5. "He lovetb our nation, and he
bath built us a synagogue." Thus spake
these messengers, telling Jesus what a
good and worthy man the centurion. was.
They did not know the centurion, they
did not know themselves, and they did
not know God. They did seem to know
that their own Scriptures taught that
"all our righteousuesses are as filthy
rags" and that whatever God does He
does it not for our sakes nor for our good-
ness, but for His own name's sake (Isa.
leis, 6; Dent. vii, 7; Ezek. xxxeet 22;
Jer xiv, 7). He does not look for good
or worthy*people for whom He may do
somewhat. for there are none apart from
His righteousnesses, but for the helpless
and needy who have faith in Him.
6. 7. "1 am Dot worthy that Thou
shouldst enter under my roof; neither
thought I myself worthy to come unto
The." As Jesus went with the messen-
gers and came near to the centurion's
house he sent friends ne Jesus with this
MeSSflf.Te. „He knew himself and knew
our Lord better than the Jews did. All
sense of fitness or worthiness on our part
only praises a barrier between God and
our souls. He resisteth the proud, but
gives grace to the humble (I Pet. v, 5).
We are not worthy. No one under heav-
en is worthy. The Latnie of God alone is
worthy. whether it be to open the little
book (Rev. v, 1-7) or to redeem a S0111 Or
10 do the very least thing that can be ac-
ceptable in the sight of God. Apart from
Filth there is no life, and there 'can be no
acceptable service (I John v, 12; John
xv, 5). "Say in a word, and my servant
shall be healed." This centurion must
have been a friend of or have known the
nobleman of Capernamn, whose son was
healed with a word from Jesus While He
was yet at Cana (John iv, 46-53).
3. "For I also am a man set under au-
thority, having under rue soldiers." He
had superiors whom he obeyed, and he
had rimy under biro who obeyed him. He
was accustomed to obey and to be obey-
ed. If mortal men shall be obeyed, how
lunch more shall the Son of God be obey-
ed? And if evil spirits obey Hine surely
He can control disease. He had atready
done it for many in this very city of
Ca9l.)eJrriesauusrain* arveled at him and said unto
the people, I say unto you 1 have not
found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
He might well expect to find faith M Is-
rael, for He had not dealt with any other
nation as He had with them. I -Ie alone
by His great power had brought them
out of Egypt, had divided the sea before
them, had fed there from heaven for 40
years, had given them the land of Ca-
'naan, a land flowingwith milk and hon-
ey, so that they as a people had every
reason to place unbounded confidence in
Him, but the faith He looked for He
found not in Israel as He found it in this
gentile centurion. In Luke xviii, 8, Ile
asks the question, When the Son of Man
cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?
He probably refers to His coming in
glory (Math. xxv, 31) with His saints.
In Math. viii, 11, 12, it is written that
our Lord here said that many would
come from east and tvest and enjoy the
kingdom with Abraham and Isaac and
Jacob, while many who expected to en-
ter the kingdom would be cast into outer
darkness. If we have faith in God,'We
shall enjoy the kingdom with Film. '
10. "Aud they that were sent, return=
ing to the bouse, tonna the servant whole
that had ,beeu sick." attain viii, 13, says
that "Jesus said unto the centurion, ,Go
thy way, and as thou hast believed, so
be it done unto thee. And his servant
was healed in the EielfSaMe hour." See
Math. xxi, 22; Mark xi, 23, 244 and 611
the instances vvhere faith brought heatheg .
and blessing. Think of Daniel coining
out of the lion's den with no manner of
but upon him heestuse he believed in his
God (Dan. vi, ,23). Thiik of Asa con-
quering a mighty host of Ethiopians be-
cause he relied on the Lord (II Chron.
xvi, 8) and say where is faith in God to-
dayI Do we know anything of this sim-
ple, absolute confidence in God which asks
and receives (John xiv, 13, 14), which
fears n� man beau se it fears God, which
seeks no favors from teen because of reli-
IIDCP 11900 the most high God, possessor
of heaven and earth; which, because of
abidiug in Hini asks and receives what It
will Om (!od may be glorified (John zv,
7, Pi).