by academic degrees had come among them. This progressive and advanced teacher, however, warned them that in the midst of all their advancement they would find that Israel's God was their God, and that they would have to obey Him, and live clean, faithful, fruitful lives, so as to one day hear the "Well done," and enter into the Master's joy.

CHAPTER III.

SECRETARY-TREASURER THOMPSON'S DEATH—A
SURPRISE FROM THE FAR-OFF EAST.

The most pious and trusted of all the tabernacle officials was John Thompson, who, though not handsome in the outer man, was in soul beautiful. Indeed, his homeliness was at one time the subject of a good joke, when an old friend of Mr. Melvin's, who was a noted scientist, in visiting him, attended a Sabbath service, and seeing him (that is, Mr. Thompson), said to a bystander: "I have long sought for the missing link to establish the development theory, but the last place I ever expected to find it was in Mount Zion Tabernacle, and yet there it is!"

In spite of jests, however, the secretary-treasurer had the qualities of mind and heart which go to make the true man, and when word was borne to his pastor that he was seriously ill, Mr. Melvin lost no time in reaching his couch. The first question he asked was, "Are you suffering much, Brother Thompson," who, in reply, said: "I am suffering great bodily pain, but though heart and flesh fail I am trusting in the living God." The fifteen minutes that followed were too sacred to record, and when the minister left the sick man's chamber it was noticed that his face looked as if he had been treading on the borderland of Paradise. Next day, as our clerical friend was entering the home of his afflicted official, he met the medical doctor who had been in attendance, and asked him if there was any hope for his friend. The doctor said that if his trouble had been attended to in time his life would have been saved, but now no power on earth could do more than prolong it for a few days. Mr. Melvin saw that what the man of skill said was correct, as he had frequently noticed that Mr. Thompson was in poor health, if appearances went for anything, and altogether he was so busied with his duties and deeds of charity that he neglected himself until there was no chance for medical science to give him, as it would have done under Providence, if consulted in time, years of usefulness. Next time the pastor visited his dying parishioner, he received some good advice from one who was not nearly so learned as himself. Said he: "If your sermons possessed the spirituality which they do philosophy and common-sense, the congregation would soon receive a great spiritual uplift." Mr. Melvin was a very sane man, and heeded not the rebuke except to profit by it. Indeed, it was a marked compliment to him that his teaching was endorsed by the best man in his congregation while on the verge of the heavenly kingdom.

Next day the minister called again to see his faithful officer, and on inquiry found that his hopes still rested upon his Saviour's blood and righteousness, and in the conversation which followed Mr. Thompson said: "How little in this hour do stocks, bonds and mortgages, houses and lands, trouble one. The only house of which I can now think is the one to which I have a clear title through a loving Saviour's sacrificial death, and it has not been formed by human hands, for its builder and founder is God." As Mr. Melvin bade farewell to his friend on this occasion, he saw that he was steadily sinking, and would soon be in the house of many mansions. About two o'clock next morning the door-bell at the parsonage was so vigorously rung that everybody was awakened, and a message was handed in, asking the pastor to go, if possible, at once to Mr. Thompson's, as he was just dying.

Mr. Melvin dressed quickly and passed out into the darkness of the night, soon arriving at the home of the dying man. One glance showed that the sands had almost run out, but upon his feeling the hand-clasp, the sick man revived for a time and said, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, the things which God has in store for those that love Him." After uttering these words he seemed to be exhausted, and sank down deeper into his pillow. Mr. Melvin watched him, and after a time saw his lips move, and placing his ear close to them, caught the words, "Home at last, home at last." Then the lips ceased to move, and all could see that the ransomed spirit of the redeemed man had passed beyond the river.

The people of Carsville and of the world had now an evidence that character and true worth could not be measured by outward appearance. During the hours that the body of the sainted Thompson lay in state and was deposited in God's acre the flags were flying at half-mast, and every business place was closed. In spite of unattractive exterior the people of all languages and creeds in the place recognized the fact that a broad-minded man, full of loving sympathy for all classes and creeds, was not dead, but had been translated.

Mr. Melvin always looked with a certain measure of suspicion upon holiness people, believing that there was more hypocrisy than sanity in all that sort of thing, and called to mind the case of Sambo who professed it, and when asked by his good old-fashioned class-leader, who knew his weakness, if he had during the past week stolen any ducks, said, "No, massa." "Any geese?" "No, massa." "Any turkeys?" "No, massa." "Bless the Lord, Sambo, you are on your happy way to heaven." As the leader passed on to admonish the next, Sambo turned to his neighbor and whispered: "If massa had said chickens he had me; I was at de roosts of Widder Simpkins last week."

Mr. Thompson had, however, never professed it, but his life gave evidence that he possessed it, and his pastor thought it wise never to mention that much misunderstood word "holiness" again.

Shortly after the burial of the secretary-treasurer there came to Carsville a straight military-looking young man with an indifferent air, who procured employment at the foundry, and whom the minister noticed in the congregation, intercepting him at the close of the service to find out who he was and to welcome him. The person was Leonard Devoau, who had returned from Manchuria, where he had fought in the Russian army at Port Arthur and Mukden, escaping from the former to the latter disguised as a Chinaman, where he took part in the world's greatest battle. Mr. Devoau said that he was born at Ottawa, the capital of the Dominion, and always loved adventure, and it was this love that led him to enlist in the Russian army, and pass through the frightful scenes at the above places.

Mr. Melvin was much impressed by the bearing of the young stranger who had returned from Manchuria so recently, and invited him to the parsonage so that they might get better acquainted. During the course of the evening he asked his guest if he was fond of soldiering, and in reply was told that when he left Canada he was in love with the idea, and even after the awful experiences of Port Arthur, where he was often for hours together in a perfect hell of fire, he thought he would love a fair fight in the open, and accordingly broke for Mukden. He told the minister, however, that this great battle, including the retreat, was even worse than the siege, as in the former large bodies of them had frequently to face about and charge with the bayonet to press back the hordes of Japanese who were continually driving in upon them.

Mr. Devoau said: "When you think of the fact that we could never meet our enemies when we were not outnumbered from two to three to every one of our own men, you will concede that we never had a fair chance, but put them man to man and they could never withstand the Russians in a bayonet charge. The disparity in numbers is very evident from the fact that the Russians had only 300,000 infantry and 26,700 cavalry at Mukden, while opposed to this was a