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 CORNELL 
 
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 LIBRARY 
 
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 3 1924 022 252 864 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tliis book is in 
 tlie Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924022252864 
 
NEHUSHTAN 
 
 A ROMANCE 
 
 I^o/ne, I^ule apd I^uip. 
 
 BT 
 
 J. R. ROE, M. D. 
 
 St. Louis: 
 
 CHRISTIAN PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
 
 1894. 
 
/ 
 Copyiiglited, 1894, by 
 
 CHRISTIAN PUBLISHING COMPANY. 
 
PREFACE. 
 ' 'To the pure all things are pure. ' 
 
The undersigned Special Committee, appointed by Council No. 40, to ex- 
 amine and report upon a worlc of Action styled ' 'Nehushtan, ' ' would respect- 
 fully submit the following report : 
 
 That we regard the said production as a very creditable story — believe 
 that it would do much good in exposing the evil nature and harmful tenden- 
 cies of Romanism on domestic life — and that the A. P. A. organization may 
 safely commend it to the American people. 
 
 J. A. Dearborn. 
 Kansas City, Mo,, Aug. 29th, 1893. A. W. Kokendopfer. 
 
 L. F. McClure. 
 
 J. A. Dearborn, Esq. , City. 
 
 Dear Sir and Friend: — The following is a copy of the proceedings of the- 
 Advisory Board relative to the request of the acceptance by the American 
 Protective Association of the dedication of the romance , " NEHUSHT AN : ' ' 
 
 Moved, seconded and carried that the report of the Committee of Council 
 No. 40, recommending the acceptance of the dedication of th^ romance be 
 accepted, and that the Advisory Board recommend its adoption by the Amer- 
 ican Protective Association, and the Deputy Supreme President be request- 
 ed to take favorable action on above resolution. 
 
 By order of the Advisory Board, 
 
 J. M. Katzmairt, Secretary. 
 
 The foregoing is a correct copy of the action of Council No. 40, and of 
 the Advisory Board of the Councils of Kansas City, Mo. , In reference to the 
 worls of friend Dr. J. R. Roe, styled "Nehushtan," andlhereby commend 
 his production to the favor of all A. P. A. 's to whom it may be presented. 
 
 J. A. Dearborn, 
 State President of Missouri. 
 Kansas City, Mo., Feb. W,h, 1894. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Chapter I. 1 
 
 Chapter II. - - 1 
 
 Chapter III. - - 3 
 
 Chapter IV. - ... 4 
 
 Chapter V. - - ... 5 
 
 Chapter VI. ... 6 
 
 Chapter VII. - - - - 7: 
 
 Chapter VIII. - - 8 
 
 Chapter IX. 9 
 
 Chapter X. - - 10 
 
 Chapter XI. - 11 
 
 Chapter XII. 13 
 
 Chapter XIII. - 14 
 
 Chapter XIV. 16 
 
 Chapter XV. 17 
 
 Chapter XVI. 18 
 
 Chapter XVII. 19 
 
 Chapter XVIII, - 30 
 
 Chapter XIX. - S3 
 
 Chapter XX. - - 33 
 
 Chapter XXI. - 25 
 
 Chapter XXII . - 35 
 
 Chapter XXIII. . - - 38 
 
 Chapter XXIV. 28' 
 
 Chapter XXV. . - 30 
 
 Chapter XXVI. 31 
 
 Chapter XXVII. - - 33 
 
 Chapter XXVIII. - - 34 
 
 Chapter XXIX. . - 85 
 
 APPENDIX. - 36 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 CHAPTEK I. 
 
 AT a time, no matter when, and a place, no 
 matter wliere, but at a time and place a 
 child was born whose name was Melton and who 
 was christened Maud. A beautiful child was 
 Maud Melton. The child grew and developed 
 into a more beautiful woman, with a mold of char- 
 acter in perfect fitness and adjustment to form and 
 feature. 
 
 Maud's mother, Mitylene Nekoda, was the 
 daughter of a Hebrew father and a German Cath- 
 olic mother. As a consequence there was no 
 common ground of religious unity possible be- 
 tween them. 
 
 Daniel Nekoda was reared under the forms and 
 ceremonies of that peculiar people as adminis- 
 tered by a Jewish rabbi. Under his belief the 
 Christ had never come. He still believed in the 
 sacrifice of atonement by the blood of bullocks 
 
 and rams, and would have insisted on the regular 
 
 (11) 
 
12 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 observance of the whole ceremonial law but for 
 the lack of the ancient synagogue and altar. 
 
 His wife, whose maiden name was Lucretia 
 Shryoc, had befen reared in obedience to a rigid 
 construction of the Roman Catholic idea as pro- 
 mulged by the Pope of Rome and practiced by the 
 priesthood. 
 
 They hold that the divinity of Christ is a funda- 
 mental doctrine of Christianity ; that Christ sent 
 certain men to teach the world the Christian re- 
 ligion, and, therefore, he must have desired that 
 all men should accept Christianity ; that some of 
 its truths are beyond the pale of human reason, 
 and that if men were bound to believe, the teach- 
 ers must have been divinely protected from error 
 in teaching. The story of Bethlehem is cited. 
 Anyone could have seen the Child, but the recog- 
 nition of that Child's divinity was not so easy. It 
 demanded an infallible witness. That witness 
 could not be the Bible, for the reason that it is 
 interpreted to suit the convenience of the reader, 
 and that the Catholic Church is the infallible wit- 
 ness and absolute authority, from which there is 
 no appeal. It is thus seen that Daniel Nekoda and 
 his wife, in the matter of religion, were at cross 
 purposes, which the birth of children would soon 
 develop into a warfare for the supremacy and 
 right to mold their religious belief. 
 
 There were but two children, John and Mitylene. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 13 
 
 John preceded his sister by ten years, and when 
 she made her debut into the world he was proba- 
 bly prouder and happier over the event than 
 either one of her parents. There had been a 
 struggle between his parents over him ; his mother 
 wanting him baptized into the Catholic Church in 
 his infancy, and his father opposing it, but de- 
 manding circumcision. The result was that neither 
 had *their way, and John grew up left to himself 
 very much, so far as his parents were concerned. 
 However, a rich maiden aunt who loved him drew 
 his affections to herself, and proved hers for him 
 by her actions during and at the close of life. 
 
 It was not because his parents thought him 
 incorrigible, but jealousy was the demon of evil. 
 If one noticed the boy a little more than usual, 
 the other was jealous of the attention. Thus he 
 was left severely alone, and so he grew up long- 
 ing for some one to love other than his parents 
 and aged maiden aunt — some one near to him and 
 nearer his own age, over whom he could begin to 
 exercise a watchcare — the right "as a brother's 
 keeper ; " therefore, the coming of his sister was a 
 matter for rejoicing with him. 
 
 The long struggle between his father and mother 
 over his religious training had been so heated and 
 warlike in its nature that he had lost all faith in. 
 the religious tenets of both ; and, young as he 
 was, he determined to save his sister, as she grew 
 
14 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 up, from the influence of both priest and rabbi. 
 
 About the time he reached his majority some of 
 the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, the advanced 
 ideas of modern Spiritualism, fell into his hands 
 and were greedily devoured. Thus for the lack of 
 something better at the time Spiritualism took 
 hold -of John Nekoda. 
 
 A triangular contest for the control, education 
 and religious training of the eleven year old 
 daughter and sister now arose, notwithstanding 
 the mother's success in having her baptized in 
 infancy. The upholstering of furniture was losing 
 its lustre by the jealous and too frequent contact 
 of ministerial cloth. The carpet had to be cleaned 
 once each quarter because of the indecent haste 
 of these guardians of the soul's interests in their 
 eflforts to utilize all their opportunities to increase 
 the numerical strength of their isms and mysti- 
 cisms, which forbade them time to use the scraper 
 and rug placed at the door. 
 
 One day it was the rabbi, with his defunct 
 dogma of Abraham's seed — the chosen. The next 
 it was the priest, with his audacious assumption of 
 infallibility and authority of the Roman Catholic 
 Church. They had but one purpose, and that was 
 an old time ruse of Satan himself. 
 
 After these spiritual watchdogs would leave, 
 there would follow a family rehashing of Judaism, 
 Romanism and Spiritualism. But John held the 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 15 
 
 vantage-ground over all. Parents, priest and 
 rabbi were eager, anxious and somewhat threat- 
 ening in their demands, which made it all the 
 more dreadful for the girl. Their religious views 
 being antagonistic, were destructive of each other. 
 Meanwhile the brother was not idle, but worked 
 all the time through her love for him. He was 
 able to gratify his sister in all reasonable desires, 
 for he had just come of age, and also into a snug 
 little sum of money bequeathed to him by his 
 aged maiden aunt, who had also thoroughly edu- 
 cated him and prepared him to take care of it, 
 and fitted him for the association of the learned 
 men of his day. 
 
 He had formed a plan in his mind whereby he 
 would be able to save his sister from the annoy- 
 ances of these religionists, father and mother in- 
 clusive, by carrying her beyond their contact and 
 influence. He regarded his father and mother as 
 unintentionally her enemies, and, in their relation 
 to her, able to do her more harm than an outsider, 
 for the reason that there was no prospect of an 
 early end of the trouble, as neither one of her 
 parents would yield to the other. Even on the 
 hypothesis that one of them would finally tire out 
 and succumb to the stubborn .will of the other, 
 what would she gain by it? Judaism or Roman- 
 ism — one taken away when Christ was nailed to 
 the cross, the other a counterfeit product of that 
 
16 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 cross. Either one worse than no religion at all, 
 because its tendency is to make the true faith of 
 none effect. 
 
 Therefore, to get her away and keep her until 
 her character could be formed was the purpose of 
 John Nekoda. Then he would not fear their in- 
 fluence. But he did fear his ability to overcome 
 her objections to his scheme on account of her 
 deep affection and natural fealty to her parents ; 
 and even though hating the religious views of 
 both, she might still cling to them in spite of his 
 good intentions. In this case the more persistent 
 Roman purpose and push would dominate over all 
 opposition, and her life would be sacrificed to the 
 Roman Church with but little hope of redemption. 
 However, parental influence seemed about evenly 
 balanced, the one serving as a checkmate to the 
 other, while neither feared the more powerful in- 
 fluence of the son, who wrought through the secret 
 spring of love. 
 
CHAPTEE II. 
 
 THEEE had been a very boisterous day at Daniel 
 Nekoda's residence. Mr. Sheva, the rabbi, 
 was there ; Father Hethlon, the priest, was there. 
 The house of Nekoda were assembled, as they 
 had often been before, to receive a dish of Juda- 
 ism and Romanism, sauced with a little modern 
 Spiritualism. 
 
 Mr. Sheva was positive that the Lord God had 
 chosen his people — the Israelites — to be the re- 
 cipients of his greatest blessings ; that their king 
 — Christ — was promised them, and though he had 
 not yet come, they looked for him to come in 
 the fullness of time ; that the Jews will at his 
 coming dominate the world, which will at that 
 time be brought under the law, and will no more 
 follow after strange gods. 
 
 "But the Lord, who brought them up out of 
 Egypt with great power and a stretched-out arm, 
 him shall ye fear and him shall ye worship, and 
 to him shall ye do sacrifice. And the statutes, 
 and the ordinances, and the law, and the com- 
 mandments, which he wrote for you, ye shall ob- 
 serve to do forever. 
 
 2 (17) 
 
18 NEHV8HTAN. 
 
 " Romanism," continued Mr. Sheva, " is the great 
 JN'ehusMan of the world — a brazen thing indeed, 
 for its authority is built on the most bare-faced 
 assumption — principles antagonistic to the spirit 
 •of holiness and purity contained in the promise. 
 1 may not discuss with a Romanist, but I may 
 soon tell the people what the world owes to 
 Romanism." 
 
 " You are to be pitied, Mr. Sheva," said Father 
 Hethlon, " to talk about looking for the appear- 
 ance of Christ — your king — slain by you wicked 
 Jews nearly two thousand years ago. Your igno- 
 rance at this day and age is inexcusable. Why, 
 sir, the smallest child in any of the Protestant 
 churches knows more about the reign of King 
 Jesus than you seem to know." 
 
 "True, Father Hethlon, we make no claim of 
 infallibility ; neither is our God so vile as to sell 
 seductive privileges." 
 
 "You have the right view, Mr. Sheva," said 
 Daniel Nekoda, " we are of the seed of Abraham. 
 The promise is to Abraham and to his seed." 
 
 "Yes," said Father Hethlon, "you are both 
 doubtless descendants of his bastard son by 
 Hagar, the mother of a nomadic race whose wan- 
 dering minds are in exact relation to their moving 
 dispositions. If we are to believe the Protestant 
 world, who are offshoots of the Catholic Church, 
 and who must be eventually brought under sub- 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 19 
 
 jection to her authority even at the cost of rivers 
 of Mood, your race, save such as lived up to the 
 Mosaic code and died before Christ, have no part 
 nor parcel in this matter, and vrill continue to 
 wander on to the end." 
 
 " That," said Mr. Sheva, " is an idea that be- 
 longs to Romanists, which you would shift to the 
 shoulders of Protestants. Protestants are more 
 liberal, for they are willing that we should be 
 saved through obedience to Christ, believing that 
 he has already come ; but your dogma of absolu- 
 tion from sin by the priest is necessary to every 
 one who would escape from purgatory. Thus you 
 propose to make heaven possible through filthy 
 lucre. Oh, Nehushtan ! Nehushtan ! " 
 
 "This talk of you dogmatists," said John 
 Nekoda, "is about on a par with the churches 
 you build on it ; the superstructure is necessarily 
 weak, because there is neither bond nor strength 
 ia the foundation. If you desire to know where 
 and how wisdom and life are to be found, the first 
 thing for you to do is to lift your own souls into 
 the realm of honor, purity, love and truth. Futur- 
 ity and its mysteries are known to the angels 
 because they are pure. You will never be per- 
 mitted to see into the divine arcana until you 
 purify yourselves, for the pure in heart only shall 
 see God. One of the grandest endowments of the 
 human mind is the faculty of intuition. It may 
 
20 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 be cultivated until it becomes a safeguard and 
 guide to all of those who believe and trust in it — 
 a real Grod within you. It is the sole reliance and 
 only hope of the untutored heathen." 
 
 " Then," replied Father Hethlon, " you deny the 
 divinity of Jesus Christ. Spiritualism is a kind of 
 Pelagianism or Swedenborgianism." 
 
 "Anyone possessed of a high order of intui- 
 tion," said John Nekoda, " is, for the spiritualist, a 
 Christ — anointed — inspired to teach. Mediumship 
 brings such a one in communication with the in- 
 habitants of the supernal sphere. The Christ 
 quality may exist in many degrees. The name 
 Christ, as applied to Jesus, was not a personal 
 name, but Christ, the anointed, consecrated, in- 
 spired to teach. He was Christ a teacher, above 
 every other ; because of his high order of intuition 
 hb knew more of the spirit world than any others 
 of his day or since." 
 
 " Ah ! John, John," said Father Hethlon, " thou 
 wast not so born ; much learning hath made thee 
 mad." 
 
 "Whether you were so born or whether it is 
 your lack of learning, doth not appear, but cer- 
 tainly one or both hath wrought a great hypocrite 
 out of Joel Hethlon." 
 
 "John, my son, you must not offer insult to the 
 holy father in your mother's presence." 
 
 " Mother, this, as I understand it, is a free-for- 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 21 
 
 all fight. The holy father must not come into 
 your presence to insult your family. He is en- 
 titled to no more respect than other men, and will 
 receive the same treatment. He sets up a claim 
 of rights and privileges in your family which my 
 father, your husband, denies, and which will, be 
 contested to the bitter end. I feel it my especial 
 duty to protect my sister and my mother from an 
 emissary of Satan as from the old devil himself. 
 
 "Where is my father? Are you not assuming 
 rights that belong to him ? Do you not see, good 
 mother, that in encouraging and upholding this 
 priest you ignore your husband and join his 
 enemy ? " 
 
 " But, my son, your father has his representa- 
 tive here in the person of Mr. Sheva, the rabbi." 
 
 " True, but Mr. Sheva is here to persuade, and 
 not to command. Your holy priest claims the 
 right, under the Pope, to dictate, as Romanists 
 have done in the past, and will continue to do 
 until the Pope's power is taken away, when the 
 beast and false prophet are taken. You and the 
 laity all over the world have no choice but to 
 obey. You are like an animal, in harness, the 
 yoke is on your necks, and there is a goad to prod 
 you forward, and like the animal you wade on 
 through the mire, ' a slough of despond,' that is 
 widening and deepening into an eternal gulf of 
 destruction." • 
 
22 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 " O, my son, you are condemning God's holy 
 priest." 
 
 " I condemn no man, but I do condemn ttiat 
 Satanic principle of deception in men that claims 
 the right to dicfate to me the religious views I 
 mpst accJept, whether or no." 
 
 "My son, you. speak without kno^yledge, or un- 
 derstanding." 
 
 " Do I, mother ? Then let the priest answer me. 
 Ask him for a brief history ' of Hildebrand — 
 Gregory Vlt How his legates were sent about 
 through .t}^ provinces, depriving pastors of their 
 lawful partners, and by various high-handed acts 
 forced the churcHes from royal authority to bind 
 them to the pdntifical throne. Princes, priests 
 and people were.„held in abeyance to make the 
 Pope a universal, monarch. It was Rome alone 
 that every priest was to fear. The kingdoms and 
 principalities of the earth were to be her domain. 
 
 "Let that priest recount some. of the crimes of 
 the crusaders when unoffending Jews were burned 
 alive in their synagogues, and human blood ran 
 in rivers. The power of the church accomplished 
 that which the Empire had failed 'to' effect. The 
 Germans laid at the feet of a bishop the tribute 
 their fathers had refused to the mightiest generals. 
 Instead of a crown the Pope imposed a yoke on 
 their princes. The kingdoms of Christendom, 
 already subject to the spiritual Empire of .Rome, 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 23 
 
 became her serfs and tributaries. Thus everything 
 was changed in the church. At the beginning it 
 was a society of brethren, and now an absolute 
 monarchy is reared in the midst of them. All 
 Christians were priests of the living God, with 
 humble pastors for their guidance ; but a lofty 
 head is uplifted from the midst of these pastors ; 
 a mysterious voice utters words full of pride •, an 
 iron hand compels all men, small and great, rich 
 and poor, freemen and slaves, to take the mark of 
 its power. The holy and primitive equality of 
 souls before Grod was lost sight of. 
 
 " I ask you. Father Hethlon, is not what I have 
 stated a true history, as far as it goes ? And is it 
 not true that Rome is the greatest criminal in the 
 world ? " 
 
 " I will not answer you, John ; you are crazy." 
 " You dare not answer. Father Hethlon." 
 "I will witness to the truth of your statement," 
 said Mr. Sheva to John. 
 
 " Mother, will you get Father Hethlon to talk ? 
 Don't you see that he is injuring your cause by 
 his silence ? Mother, ask that priest concerning 
 the damnable practice of the sale of indulgences 
 authorized by -the Pope, teaching and licensing 
 people to commit sins of the most degrading char- 
 acter in order to raise money, claiming power 
 from God to forgive those sins, but do not ask or 
 expect me to stand quietly by and see my sister 
 
24 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 brought under the influences and control of that 
 canker of the human soul — Romanism." 
 
 " My son, your mother was reared under that 
 influence. What have you to say with regard to 
 my conduct in life ? " 
 
 " Nothing, mother ; you are naturally good, but 
 had you been reared under the true Christian doc- 
 trine, whatever that may be, there is no telling 
 how much better you might have been than you 
 are. There is no doubt that your ancestors were 
 Christians, for the Catholic Church at first was the 
 true apostolic church, but the primitive Catholic 
 Church and the Roman Catholic Church are very 
 different things ; for while one is apostolical, the 
 other is apostatical. It is, therefore, reasonable 
 to believe that there have been Christians in the 
 Roman Catholic Church all along the period of 
 its existence, notwithstanding their chances seem 
 narrowed down to a mere shadow, according to 
 II. Thess. 2 : 3-12, for it would be a difficult matter 
 to worship God truly through Christ, at the same 
 time holding to a church with its crowned head 
 authorizing acts more debasing than those that 
 swept Sodom and Gomorrah out of existence, be- 
 cause ascribed to the Creator of all good. 
 
 " All liberty, religious and otherwise, is taken 
 from the people, save that which is sold for a price 
 or is by an act of grace of his highness, the Pope 
 — papacy — even him whose coming is after the 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 25 
 
 working of Satan witli all powiU' and signs and 
 lying wonders." 
 
 " What do you know," answered his mother, " of 
 your so-called Christian liberty ? " 
 
 "Nothing, thanks to your Romanism; but I do 
 thank Grod for America, American liberty, the 
 American system of education, and American 
 freedom of the conscience in matte.vs of religion. 
 What I do not know would make a. large book, 
 but the possibilities open to me in free, liberal, 
 Christian America, promise a large reduction in 
 the size of the book." 
 
 While John Nekoda was pouring hot shot into 
 the unwilling ears of Father Hethlon and his 
 mother, it was a comforting thought to Mr. Sheva 
 and John's father that he had shown himself equal 
 to the occasion ; hence, they listened with the 
 pleasing thought that he would succeed in doing 
 what they had failed to do. Therefore, they held 
 a council, soon after, in which they decided to 
 encourage John' in the future until the priest 
 should be routed, and then rely on moral suasion 
 for their own success, and failing in that, to set a 
 guard on watch that the daughter should not be 
 carried off to a convent. 
 
 Father Hethlon and Mrs. Nekoda held a private 
 consultation, also, in which the priest expressed 
 the opinion that, in order to their success, it would 
 be necessary to shut Mitylene up in a convent, 
 
26 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 unknown to her father, brother, and "that old 
 skinflint Jew — the rabbi." 
 
 "Do not so speak, holy father, for Mr. Sheva is 
 a nice, good man, and the friend of my husband. 
 We have but little to fear from them ; but John, 
 my son, is the master spirit, and it is he who will 
 prove a foil to our plans if he cannot be out- 
 witted. I would only consent for Mittie to be 
 decoyed away after trying once more to persuade 
 her to accept by her own free will. If she ever 
 gives a promise that will be sufficient ; her brother 
 could not get her to break it." 
 
 " Then do not delay, bat get her promise at 
 once, if it is possible, and settle this matter. 
 However, suppose you cannot secure her promise, 
 are we to lie still and let heretics send her inno- 
 cent soul to lasting purgatory ?" 
 
 " No. In case of failure, we will have to entrap 
 her by some scheme of your devising, holy father, 
 Daniel succeeded in keeping John out of the holy 
 Catholic Church. I am surely justifiable in wish- 
 ing to keep Mitylene in it." 
 
 " Of course you are justified in using any means 
 — ^you hear, sister ? — any means to secure that end. 
 In losing John the church loses the best half. 
 This is Grod's country — our country. The Church 
 of Eome intends to take it, in time, and the Pope 
 will plant his palace here at the capital of this 
 country, and when he shall curse the United States 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 27 
 
 then he will need soldiers — Catholics ; hence, I 
 say, in losing the son the best half is lost." 
 
 " Yet, holy father, the other may be the mother 
 of Catholic sons." 
 
 " True, but a bird in hand is worth two in the 
 bush. No living man can tell when the Pope may 
 pronounce the curse and call for soldiers. He is 
 Christ's vicar, and will do it when he has had a 
 revelation of Christ's will." 
 
 " I will talk with her. If she can be induced 
 to express a preference for the Catholic religion 
 I am sure Daniel is too strongly imbued with 
 American ideas to interefere by force. John is 
 American in every part of his make-up. He lives, 
 moves and has his being in Americanism. He 
 breathes it, smells it and feeds on it. It is in his 
 blood, and his brains are made of it. He is satur- 
 ated with it, and sweats it from the pores of 
 his skin; he looks it from his eyes and runs it 
 off in harangues bj the yard from his tongue. 
 You see it in his proud step as he walks. It 
 is in his politics, his religion and his life. He 
 swears by it and will die for it, for he is thorough- 
 ly anchored to it. He is honest and sincere in 
 his motives, and would rise up to antagonize 
 any one who would try to force her into a church 
 against her will. If she decides in our favor 
 that will put a quietus on him, no matter how 
 much he may be disappointed. "Without her 
 
28 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 consent John would only yield her up with his 
 life. I know my sou, Father Hethlon. We have 
 a man to deal with who is much more capable 
 than you suppose." 
 
 " I have no desire to grapple ' with your son 
 in any manner, for I believe he does not under- 
 take anything without knowing his power to 
 accomplish it; therefore I think your plan is 
 the most feasible. To tell the truth, I was not 
 posted on the matters that John charged against 
 the Church of Rome and dared not attempt an 
 answer until I could look into them. I know 
 his assertions , can be wiped away as easily as 
 the moisture from a pane of glass, and I shall 
 proceed to do it as soon as I can find time to pre- 
 pare for him." 
 
 "I do hope you will, Father Hethlon, and at 
 the same time demolish his ideas of Spiritual- 
 ism." 
 
 " Oh, you need have no fears concerning his 
 Spiritualism, for he will abandon that himself 
 for something more tangible and realistic. His 
 spiritualistic ideas are merely fancies and borrow- 
 ed for the time being. They have nothing to 
 back them, and his character of mind will not 
 tarry long in such a wild and airy waste." 
 
 "Do you think, Father Hethlon, he could be 
 induced to come to the Church of Rome?" 
 
 "No. It is hard to tell just what he will 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 29 
 
 take up in lieu of it ; but I predict it will 
 be either skepticism, Universalism or Campbell- 
 ism." 
 
 " May the Holy Virgin Mary protect and keep 
 him from the last, especially." 
 
 While these two separate councils were being 
 conducted in different parts of the same house, 
 and at the same time, there was still a third fol- 
 lowing upon the heels of those mentioned, which 
 is of the utmost importance to a clear under- 
 standing of the situation. 
 
 John Nekoda had proceeded to hitch Joshua, 
 one of his three horses, to a buggy, and had 
 taken his sister for a drive. They had intend- 
 ed going to one of the numerous parks, but soon 
 'found themselves so much engrossed with the 
 subject which had been discussed in the house 
 that neither one took note of time or course. 
 
 The conversation began by questions asked 
 by the brother, as follows : 
 
 "Does my sister Mitylene love me?" 
 "Of course I love my only brother." 
 "How much do you love me, Mitylene?" 
 " Oh, it is not divided with outsiders." 
 "Is there anyone you love as much?" 
 "Yes, papa and mamma." 
 
 " But do you love me as much as you do either 
 father or mother?" 
 
 " Yes, brother, I cannot divide my affections 
 
30 NEBJJSHTAN. 
 
 SO as to measure so much for each of you; but 
 I love each one of you with my whole heart." 
 
 " Well, my dear little sister, I love you so 
 much that I have determined to give my best 
 efforts in life for you, as also the fortune my 
 aunt was so good as to give me by will." 
 
 " Oh, my brother, you shall not do that." 
 
 "Listen, Sister, I am so set on one purpose 
 that, if I am defeated in it, *I shall have little 
 left to encourage me to live." 
 
 " O John, my brother, what is it ? Something 
 troubles you. Let your little sister be your 
 comforter and help. How gladly will I do any- 
 thing for you." 
 
 " That is it exactly, Mittie. I want you to do 
 something for me, as it were, blindly, trusting" 
 entirely to me." 
 
 " Dear brother, I do trust you implicitly and 
 think you should have the same trust in me." 
 
 "I will trust you. Babe; but I did not wish 
 to burden your mind with reasons and explana- 
 tions." 
 
 "I am sure, brother, you would not ask any- 
 thing that would not be for my good." 
 
 "Certainy not. I will tell you, and what I 
 say must be a secret between us." 
 
 " Why, certainly ; but you almost scare me with 
 your strange precaution." 
 
 "Little sister, I will ask you a question that 
 
NEHVSHTAN. 31 
 
 you may answer now. How would you like the 
 idea of being shut up in a distant convent with- 
 out the knowledge of your father and brother, 
 "whom you love and who love you so much?" 
 
 " Oh, I do not want to be a Catholic. Look 
 into mother's sad face. I do not believe she has 
 ever seen a single day of real happiness in her 
 life. Surely no one would want me to go to a 
 convent against rtiy inclination." 
 
 " Yes, as I passed by the window this very 
 evening to get the horse and buggy, I unexpect- 
 edly heard words forming into just such a plan. 
 First, you will be importuned, and if that fails 
 you are to be decoyed away from home, then 
 forcibly taken to a convent and there shut in from 
 the outside world until you learn obedience." 
 
 " O brother John, you surely must be mistaken, 
 my own mother could never do that !" 
 
 "My dear sister, there are no family rights of 
 any kind that a priest will respect." 
 
 "O brother, you will not let them take me! 
 How could my mother conspire to destroy the 
 happiness of her own child ?" 
 
 " Mittie, it is not because our mother is wanting 
 in natural affection ; on the contrary, she loves 
 us both, but it is because of the blind and passive 
 submission to which the laity of the Church of 
 Rome are forced from their infancy until it be- 
 comes second uature, a real part of them. I would 
 
32 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 take on myself .any inconvenience or suffering, 
 even death, rather than see the little sister I 
 love as my own life come under that influence. 
 
 " If our mother begins to persuade you to enter 
 a convent you may know that what I heard is 
 true, and that, on failure to secure a promise 
 from you, they will seek to carry forward their 
 plan by deception and force. Whenever the 
 appeal is made to you I wish to know it as 
 soon as possible thereafter." 
 
 " You shall. I will not go to a convent ; I will 
 run away first!" 
 
 " If such proposal is made and you refuse, there 
 is but one course left for us to pursue. I have 
 desired to go West to invest my money, and, 
 meantime, I want you to have a good educa- 
 tion. In times past people were wont to come 
 East to be educated, but now the necessity is not 
 so great. Again, I want you to be free to form 
 your own religious sentiments without any un- 
 due influence. While I do not hold any fixed 
 religious views of my own, yet I can see the 
 great defects in those of both my father and 
 my mother. My Spiritualism was only set up 
 as an oflfset to theirs. I desire that both you and 
 I shall learn the truth of such matters before we 
 accept religion at all. We certainly can live a 
 moral life until we can learn the way of salva- 
 tion, if there be such way, and I am persuaded 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 33 
 
 that there must be. Therefore, it is necessary 
 that I take you away from home without the 
 knowledge or consent of our parents. I am cer- 
 tain that the end justifies the means, especially 
 where there is no other choice left us. Tliey shall 
 not know where we go, but, once located, they 
 shall know how we are, but not where. I will 
 arrange to give them as little trouble as may be 
 possible. When the danger line is past we will 
 retarn to them and take care of them. Father's 
 business will take care of them now, and he is 
 amply able to take care of it. I shall go to that 
 great growing Western city situate on the Father 
 of Waters." 
 
 " Oh, brother, I do hate to think of leaving 
 them. Papa would never allow me to be forced 
 to accept anything repugnant or contrary to my 
 wish." 
 
 " That is true, Babe, but it will not be left to 
 his judgment. We cannot afford to separate 
 them, for we love them in spite . of their relig- 
 ion. It will all come out right in the end, for our 
 intention is to do good. Right is right, under all 
 circumstances. Jonah was unwilling to go to 
 Mnevah ; but he was not able to dodge the re- 
 quirements." 
 
 " Then, should I not obey my mother ?" 
 
 " The difference is that her command is human 
 
 and opposed to the divine, while in the other the 
 3 
 
34 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 command was divine and opposed to the human." 
 "Well, brother, I could never be a Catholic, 
 either willingly or by force, yet it is a terrible 
 thing to run away from one's parents ; but, terrible 
 as it is, it is preferable to a convent." 
 
 " True, but the terror is in a measure removed 
 by the company of your brother. Now, my dear 
 little sister, let us be as wise as serpents and as 
 harmless as doves. You must not show by word 
 or look what is on your mind, for the discovery 
 of our scheme would increase our ^difficulties. A 
 good general does not blow his plans. You 
 understand ; mum is the word !" 
 " I do," she answered. 
 
M 
 
 CHAPTER III. ' 
 
 ITYLENE Nekoba was auxious and restless 
 the night succeeding the drive with her 
 "brother. Her mother looked at her strangely. She 
 had discovered her several times during and after 
 the evening meal observing her with a searching 
 but steady look that seemed unusually contem- 
 plative. It was a sorrowful look, yet with a set 
 of the mouth and closeness of lip that gave a pre- 
 monition of unconquerable will and determina- 
 tion. It seemed as if she were thrusting a knife 
 to the heart of one she loved. She could but com- 
 pare her to one burned at the stake for the cause 
 she espoused. Very soon after supper Mitylene 
 pleaded a headache as an excuse for retiring 
 early. It is true that she had a headache, but her 
 heart was in a more pitiable plight. Her mother 
 excused her, saying that she had intended to 
 talk with her, but could postpone it. 
 
 Mitylene then knew that another day would not 
 pass ere she would hear that which would prove 
 a knell to the further association and happiness 
 of home life, stinted, even, as had been its meas- 
 ure. 
 
 (35) 
 
36 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 She kissed her mother good-night with a sadness 
 of heart she had never before experienced. The 
 embrace of her father was with unusual warmth, 
 a circumstance which did not escape her mother's 
 notice, and, though it was like driving porcupine 
 quills into her mother's heart, yet she said noth- 
 ing and steeled herself to the purpose before her. 
 John, though reading, read not from the print 
 before his eyes, but from the type revealed in the 
 actions of those present. His mental conclusion 
 was that he should prepare for action without fur- 
 ther delay. 
 
 As soon as his mother had left the room, his 
 father wished to thank him for the back-set given 
 to that "pesky priest." He said to his son that, 
 while they did not harmonize religiously, yet he 
 was thankful for any means of downing Hethlon, 
 and wished he would give the priest a few more 
 doses, in the hope that it would cause him to cease 
 from meddling with their home affairs. 
 
 "Although I oppose Romanism," replied John 
 Nekoda, " with its Satanic head and despotic rule, 
 yet I cannot accept a religion resting in a law that 
 was nailed with Christ to the cross. The Jewish 
 religion belongs on the other side of the cross. 
 The religion that I can accept must be on this 
 side of the cross, or I shall have none of it. But 
 should I be reduced to a choice as between Juda- 
 ism and Romanism, I would a thousand times 
 
NEHUSHTAJS. 37 
 
 prefer the former to a blind submission to the 
 Church of Rome. I understand your position, 
 father, and promise you that I will save my sister. 
 I can do it only in my own way, and it must be 
 without question. If that is satisfactory to you, 
 let us say no more." 
 
 " It is, my son. I can trust to your judgment." 
 When Mitylene Nekoda had entered her own 
 private room she drew forth from its secret hiding 
 place a neat, compact copy of the Bible — a present 
 from her brother — and, turning to the sixth chap- 
 ter of Daniel, read it carefully through ; then, fall- 
 ing upon her knees with her head resting on her 
 couch, she offered up a simple, earnest prayer — 
 not to the holy Virgin — but to the God of Daniel. 
 In that prayer she did not neglect one of the 
 family or friends. It was an honest and sincere 
 prayer, so earnest and free from superfluities that 
 it is worthy to be recorded as she remembered it 
 years afterwards. 
 
 "Lord! behold thy little handmaid. Do thou 
 with her according to thy holy will and purpose. 
 Show me this night in a vision the guide that 
 shall lead me. Oh ! dear God, I am a little girl, 
 and want to do right before thee. The way seems 
 dark if I look forward. I turn to the right and 
 the left, but there is no light. I look backward 
 and see only a dreary waste. What can I do ? 
 O Lord ! I pray thee for light. Wilt thou, dear 
 
38 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 God, hear the prayer of a little girl for her 
 mamma, and keep her from doing wrong to her 
 little daughter? Wilt thou drive the old priest 
 away from her, so that he cannot talk to persuade 
 her to send her poor little girl away oflf to that 
 horrid convent? 
 
 " O God ! forgive mamma, for she would not do 
 wrong if she did not think it was right. O God ! 
 bless mamma and papa, and keep them well and 
 safe for me, that I may see them another day. O 
 Lord! bless all my friends, Maggie and Bessie, 
 and God bless the little sick girl, next door, and 
 make her well. Bless Mr. Mentor for the music 
 he gave me, and for taking me to the theatre ; and 
 bless Dr. Beech for making me well. God bless 
 brother John and guide him and keep him from 
 doing wrong ; and, O God ! bless poor little me, 
 that wants to do right if I only can know how. 
 And if what my brother wants me to do is wrong, 
 show it to me and prevent me. O God ! help us 
 all to do right, for Jesus' sake. Amen ! " 
 
 Mitylene arose from her knees with the audible 
 expression, "I believe God heard me, and will 
 grant my prayer, because I meant it all for gooH." 
 
 She now leaped in bed and was soon sleeping 
 as soundly as though her mind had never seen 
 trouble, so ready is nature to repair the drafts 
 made upon her. 
 
 In the midst of many dreams there was one so 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 39 
 
 vividly pictured on her iiiind that she never forgot 
 it. 
 
 She v?as wandering over a strange country in 
 virhich new scenes were constantly coming into 
 view, Sometimes she was groping along in dark- 
 ness, with but a faint ray of light now and then. 
 Bewildered and lost she plodded along, occasion- 
 ally meeting one with a familiar face, of whom, 
 she would inquire her way. Most of them pointed, 
 back to the way whence she came. They seemed 
 indifferent about helping her out of her difficul- 
 ties. Many streams were passed as she pursued 
 her way to a destiny she could not fathom. 
 
 Suddenly a strange looking creature intervened 
 to obstruct her passage. He came, meeting her in 
 the road, wriggling along, first taking one side, 
 then the other, his great tail trailing in the dust, 
 and occasionally thrusting his red forked tongue 
 into it, as condiment for toads. The beast resem- 
 bled the picture in her mind of the great red 
 dragon with many heads and horns, and yet he 
 had the voice and face of a man, and the likeness 
 of Father Hethlon. There were seven several 
 names written between the eyes of its seven heads. 
 The central name was, the Dragon. On each side 
 were three names, the serpent, the man of sin, the 
 son of perdition. On the other side, the false 
 prophet, that wicked, and the beast. The voice 
 commanded her to come with it. 
 
40 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 She Started, reconsidered, then refused to go 
 farther ; whereat she was pierced through with a 
 spear and hung upon the horns of the beast, and 
 carried to a pit or den of lions. There she heard 
 a decree read by the voice, that she should be cast 
 into the den to be torn to pieces by the lions. She 
 looked into the yawning cavern, and beheld the 
 hungry, crouching lions snarling and showing 
 their teeth — and oh, horrible ! — one of them had 
 the long hair and face of a woman — ^her own 
 mother. She shut her eyes at this moment and 
 screamed as the dragon cast her in ; but, ere she 
 liad fallen half of the distance, a great eagle 
 swooped down and caught her, bearing her aloft 
 with his great oatstretched wings. Now she was 
 seated upon the back of the bird, and carried 
 rapidly along, sailing over hills and dales, on, on, 
 over many waters, small and great, to a vast wil- 
 derness, and, alighting in a land of great rivers 
 and fertile plains and beautiful flowers, the eagle 
 placed her on her feet. Then she looked at this 
 valorous bird, and behold, its face and voice were 
 familiar to her as it spoke and said, "Mitylene, I 
 am your guide. Awake, you are free, my sister." 
 
 She really did awake at that very moment, to 
 find the dawn of morning dimly creeping in 
 through the uncurtained space of the windows. 
 Thinking awhile of her dream, the interpretation 
 flashed into her mind as the illumination from a 
 
NEHVSHTAN. 41 
 
 meteor entering into the atmosphere of a strange 
 planet. 
 
 " Ah ! I see it all," she reflected. " The Church 
 of Rome represented by the priest is the dragon, 
 my own mother is the lioness in the den, and 
 brother John is the full-fledged, strong young eagle 
 that carried me over many waters. Waters, as I 
 have heard it said, represent people, according to 
 Bible prophecy. I asked God to show me my 
 way, and this is the way he has done it. I be- 
 lieved that he wo^^ld, and now if I were to fail to 
 avail myself of what God has shown me, I think 
 he would not bless me. Accordingly I am to 
 accompany my brother among strange people. 
 This seems like a decree from God. I have heard 
 Father Hethlon talk to mother about the decrees 
 of the Pope, and that none dared disobey them. 
 I do not want any of his decrees. I would rather 
 have decrees from Daniel's God. He lives forever. 
 I can depend on his promises. Though given in a 
 day for a thousand years in the future, I am sure 
 of their fulfillment ; but Popes die, and can't keep 
 promises or enforce decrees. Priests are the tobls 
 of Popes, and are useful in destroying the happi- 
 ness of families and eating up their substance, as 
 they have done for ours. Brother John says that 
 liberty and liberality are adjuncts of true Ohris- 
 tianity, and that they do not proceed from force ; 
 but Father Hethlon says they do. Brother John 
 
42 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 says that it is the result of enlightenment; but 
 Father Hethlon holds that it is from ignorance. 
 Brother says a Christian must live a pure life ; 
 Father Hethlon says he may commit the worst 
 sins, and if he will only pay enough for the priv- 
 ilege, he is saved. So that whether a man sin or 
 does not sin, if he be a Roman Catholic, he is 
 saved, but if he is a Protestant he is lost forever. 
 Therefore, says brother John, the power of restitu- 
 tion is not in the blood of Christ, but in the 
 Church or Pope of Rome, according to the priest. 
 Now what is a little girl to do ? I have trusted to 
 the God of Daniel, and brother says that he is the 
 only God. I will follow the decree of Daniel's 
 God shown in the dream, for I believe my brother 
 knows better than the priest, and that he is more 
 reliable than the Pope. If my brother calls for. 
 me to go with Mm, I will go." 
 
 At that moment she heard a call from below 
 stairs which said, " Mitylene ! Mitylene ! get up, 
 darling, and prepare for breakfast. Mother will 
 need you all the morning." It was her mother 
 who called, and the tone of voice was kind and 
 pathetic. 
 
 " Oh ! how can I distrust that loving mother ? " 
 soliloquized Mitylene, as she felt the tender vibra- 
 tions emanating from the words, "darling" and 
 " mother," " mother will need you," and she began 
 to think in how many different ways mother might 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 43 
 
 need her. " Oh ! there are a hundred ways, but, 
 most of all, for very self, because she was her 
 mother's own and only little daughter. And sup- 
 pose my mother should get sick and need me to 
 hold the cooling cup to her fevered lips ! I hear her 
 call me now, as it were, — 'Come, Mittie, come ! ' I 
 see her pale, wan features ; I hear her wail out 
 again and again, ' Come, Mittie, come to your 
 mother; come back home, darling. Your mother 
 loves you ; she forgives. Oh ! my child, I must 
 see you before I die. Forgive your mother, Mity- 
 lene, my daughter ! ' " 
 
 At this point in her reverie she heard the real 
 voice from the foot of the stairs once more, " Mity- 
 lene ! Mitylene, dear ; you will be late, and your 
 breakfast will be spoiled." 
 
 "I am coming, mamma." And, in a minute 
 more, she came, and, kissing her parents and 
 brother, took her accustomed seat at the table, 
 while her father offered thanks. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Mittlene's eyes sought her mother's face. She 
 observed the same intense look fixed upon 
 her as of the evening before. It was a kind of 
 accusing gaze, so it seemed to Mitylene, which 
 seemed to say to her, " I have borne you, nourish- 
 ed you and watched over you day and night, yet 
 you will desert me. Oh, my child, how can you 
 do it ?" 
 
 Mitylene's own conscience was probably as 
 responsible for these reflections as were her 
 mother's looks, for she doubted the propriety of 
 the contemplated course of her brother ; but the 
 idea of going to a convent overruled every other 
 consideration. 
 
 As John arose from the table, he asked his 
 sister if she wished to drive with him in the re- 
 freshing air of the morning. His mother answer- 
 ed that she wished Mittie to help her do a little 
 cleaning up in the forenoon. 
 
 That settled it, for they both knew what kind 
 of a cleaning it was to be. 
 
 "All right, Babe," said John, "we will take an 
 
 (44) 
 
NEHU8HTAN. 45 
 
 outing this evening. I will not hitch up until 
 then." 
 
 Soon he was walking thoughtfully toward the 
 banking house where he kept his funds. He ar- 
 ranged with his bankers to transfer his money to 
 a St. Louis bank when so ordered. This was 
 simply a notice of intention. 
 
 He next went to see a gentleman who desired 
 to purchase his horses for a friend at Trenton, 
 New Jersey. He agreed to drive the pair of horses 
 over to Trenton that the friend might look at' 
 them. 
 
 Daniel Nekoda was a good man morally, and 
 would have been a good Christian but for his 
 Judaism which had been instilled into him in 
 childhood; and, though he was, seemingly, still 
 under the law, he did not observe to do the law, 
 and so thousands of Jews are neither Israelites 
 nor Christians. Daniel Nekoda might have been 
 a good copy of the father of the patriarchs, but 
 would have lacked the cunning to barter for a 
 birthright. There was no deception in him. He 
 was a kind father, and did nothing to influence 
 others, save by moral suasion, except in the case 
 of an enemy, and then he argued that it was 
 right to fight the devil with tire. He spoke kindly 
 to each one of his family, and went to his shoe 
 store soon after John left for the bank. 
 
 Now that the household had gone their own 
 
46 NEHVSHTAN. 
 
 chosen ways, Mrs. Nekoda, after giving some gen- 
 eral directions to the cook and housemaid, called 
 Mitylene into her room, where she seated herself 
 in an armed rocker facing that side of the wall 
 where there was suspended from a hook, neath 
 an alabaster crucifix, a picture of the Virgin Mary 
 and the young Child Jesus. Looking and point- 
 ing to the picture she said : 
 
 " Mitylene, twice a day, since you were born, 
 have I kneeled down before that picture and re- 
 'peated the Ava Maria in your behalf." 
 
 "Mother, it is written, Thou shalt worship the 
 Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." 
 
 "Mitylene, where did you learn that?" 
 
 " I read it in a book last Sunday. " 
 
 " "Where did you see the book ?" 
 
 "I have it ; brother John gave it to me." 
 
 " The son of a Jew, for what is he buying books 
 to give you, when he knows that I supply you 
 with all the books you should have? Go and 
 fetch me the book !" 
 
 " Mamma, what do you want with it ?" 
 
 " Don't ask me what I want with it, but bring 
 it, instantly." 
 
 This was said in such an imperative manner 
 that Mitylene proceeded to her room and brought 
 the pretty thing — a beautifully bound copy of 
 the Bible, with a nice silver clasp, her brother's 
 present — and handed it to her mother. She took 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 47 
 
 it and looked it through in a minute, then, hand- 
 ing it to Mitylene, requested her to turn to the 
 passage she had quoted. Mitylene opened the 
 Taook at Matthew 4: 10, saying, as she returned it 
 to her mother, "Brother John has been reading 
 with me, and oh, mother, there are so many pretty 
 stories in it !" 
 
 "Mitylene, do you know that the devil is in 
 this book ?" 
 
 " Of course I know it, for the very quotation I 
 gave you was Christ's answer to the devil up in 
 the mount when he offered Christ all the king- 
 doms of the world if he would worship Mm." 
 
 "I cannot allow you to keep this book, daugh- 
 ter." 
 
 " Oh, please, mamma, do not take it from me ; 
 it is my brother's present, you know, and I want 
 to keep it for that reason." 
 
 " You cannot have it, and you need not say 
 any more. What would Father Hethlon say ?" 
 
 " I don't care what he says, for he is working 
 for him that tempted Christ in the mount." 
 
 "Hush, child, you are very ignorant." 
 
 " I know it, mamma ; but one don't need to be 
 wise to see that." 
 
 " Stop, and listen to me, Mitylene. In infancy 
 you were baptized into the holy Catholic Church ; 
 why do you seek to become a Protestant ?" 
 
 " Oh, mamma, I am not seeking anything, but 
 
48 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 to know God and my duty to him. Mamma, 
 brother John says it is blasphemy to call the 
 Roman Catholic Church holy." 
 
 "I have told you that you are a Catholic. 
 Never mind brother John." 
 
 " Mother, I tell you that I am not now, nor can I 
 ever be ; a believer in the Roman Catholic prac- 
 tices, and will none of it. Why did Luther leave 
 them if they are the true church ?" 
 
 "Because the devil himself is an apostate." 
 
 " And so is the Pope of Rome, for brother John 
 told me so." 
 
 " I wish you would hush such nonsense, Mity- 
 lene ; there is but one true church, and in order 
 that you may have all of her advantages and 
 blessings, it is my wish that you shall enter a 
 convent, and, when you are older and learn more, 
 you will see that your mother was right." 
 
 " Mamma, you are always honestly right, but 
 in fact religiously wrong. Brother John — " 
 
 " Don't you quote brother John to me, for I have 
 had enough of that to last for a full lenten 
 period." 
 
 " Mamma, Father Hethlon could not refute what 
 brother John charged against his church yester- 
 day. If so old a priest cannot withstand the boy, 
 what could the priest do when the boy becomes a 
 man?" 
 
 " The priest cannot engage in such discussions 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 49 
 
 without a grant from the bishop as for any other 
 indulgence. The laity do not understand the word 
 of truth, and it is the business of the priest to give 
 it to them as he receives it from the head of the 
 church — the Pope." 
 
 "Mamma, why not get it from God ?" 
 
 "Because the Pope is God's lieutenant with the 
 power of Christ delegated to him." 
 
 " What will be done, mamma, when the Pope 
 dies ?" 
 
 " They will elect another Pope to fill his place." 
 
 " Who will elect him, mamma ?" 
 
 " Why, the cardinals, of course." 
 
 " Who are the cardinals, mamma ?" 
 
 "The cardinals are the princes of the Pope's 
 council." 
 
 "Now, mamma, will God swear in the Pope 
 when elected and delegate his powers to him ?" 
 
 " Mittie, that is the established rule of the 
 church, that every newly elected Pope takes on 
 himself the same obligation of his predecessor." 
 
 " Mamma, I cannot be a Catholic, and it is no 
 use to send me to a convent. Brother says the 
 Pope's claim of infallibility is absurd." 
 
 " We will not discuss it further now, daughter, 
 for you know nothing of what you talk. That 
 makes it the more necessary that I exercise my 
 parental authority for your good. If I do not, I 
 
 4 
 
50 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 will surely go to purgatory, and all your father's 
 wealth will not be sufficient to pay me out." 
 
 " Yes, mother, in that something tells me that 
 you are right," said John Nekoda, who, entering 
 the room at that moment, had heard the last re- 
 mark, "once in the real purgatory and no com- 
 ■bination of wealth or priestly officiousness could 
 get you out. The God of Daniel could not do it 
 then, much less the Pope of Rome." 
 
 "I was speaking to Mitylene, my son." 
 
 " "Why not to me as well as my sister V 
 
 " You are of age and she is not." 
 
 "Have you lost interest in my well-being be- 
 cause I have come into the mastery of myself, or 
 was that expression a mere placebo ?" 
 
 " Neither, my son ; I have lost my influence 
 with you, that is all." 
 
 " Admitting that to be true, what does it prove, 
 mother?" 
 
 " I should not like to say." 
 
 "Then, I will not; let it pass. However, I 
 will ask you this question, mother. Who is the 
 author of truth, the God of heaven or the Pope 
 of Rome?" 
 
 "Oh, I must not discuss these matters with 
 you, my son. Father Hethlon disapproves." 
 
 "Father Old Nick! Excuse me, mother. He 
 seems to approve in the case of this child, there- 
 fore I insist on an answer to my question." 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 51 
 
 " Of course, God is the author of truth." 
 
 "Right, mother, and, of course, the devil is a 
 liar and the father of it. Then why not take truth 
 at the hands of its Author? Do you think the 
 Pope can improve on it ?" 
 
 " N"o, I do not ; but he can interpret it, my son, 
 and this is needful on account of ignorance among 
 the lay members, says Father Hethlon." 
 
 " The naked, unvarnished truth is an interpre- 
 tation of itself. It is the povrer of Grod, and not 
 the Pope, unto salvation to every one that believes. 
 Ignorance is the power of the Pope unto the 
 Church of Rome, and everlasting ruin to every 
 one who is so perverse and indifferent as to pre- 
 fer a lie to the truth." 
 
 "You talk strangely, John, for one who was 
 so recently advocating Spiritualism." 
 
 " There is nothing inconsistent with my Spirit- 
 ualism in what I have just stated. However, in 
 advocating it I knew that it was as good as either 
 Judaism or Romanism ; in fact, shake all three 
 beliefs up in a lottery wheel, no matter what you 
 draw out, it is a blank and worthless." 
 
 "You are full of prejudice, John, and I am 
 sorry for it, because I desire to send your sister 
 to a convent for education and religious train- 
 ing and would be glad to have all the family 
 concur in my view." 
 
52 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 "You will not send her if she does not wish, 
 to go ; you would not force her ?" 
 
 " Why not ? She is incompetent to choose for 
 herself, and, if she were, she has not the right. 
 There is no occasion for force, I presume. My 
 simple command should be sufficient." 
 
 "You are mistaken, mother. She is competent 
 and you must not do it, but let her speak for her- 
 self." 
 
 " Must not ? John, do you interfere with your 
 mother's right of authority ?" 
 
 " Perhaps I do not interfere with my father's 
 right, which you seem to ignore. I cannot believe 
 that you are so harsh as to take Mittie away 
 without her own consent and her father's also. I 
 lay your notions to Joel Hethlon." 
 
 "Father Hethlon, my son." 
 
 "Perhaps you are right, mother. Will you 
 explain how the priests have earned the title of 
 fathers ?" 
 
 " No, I cannot. You seem to be wise beyond 
 one of your years, and, probably, you can give an 
 explanation more satisfactory, to yourself, at 
 least." 
 
 "Then hear my explanation, mother, drawn 
 from a history of the Church of Rome in the mid- 
 dle centuries of our Christian age, when it was 
 as earnestly maintained as it is now that the 
 Pope being in the place of God could not err. 
 
NEHU8HTAN. 53 
 
 The things I shall say to you, mother, you have 
 never heard, and your church authorities would 
 never permit you to hear them if they could 
 help it. For that reason I hope you will give 
 me your undivided attention." 
 
CHAPTEK V. 
 
 f f ly /I OTHER, you must take the statements I give 
 i V 1 you as a few of the facts connected with 
 church history — tidbits of Roman Catholicism in 
 the days of its supreme power and glory. To tell 
 all the misdeeds of ecclesiasts when they were 
 changing the apostolic or Catholic Church into 
 the apostatic or Roman Catholic Church, and ex- 
 changing God for a Pope, would make a story of 
 sufficient length to compete with that which, as 
 the story goes, won the king's daughter, one with- 
 out end. 
 
 " The kingdom of heaven had disappeared, and 
 men had opened in its place on earth a market of 
 abominations. That profound spirit which had 
 pervaded religion, and the sacred and solemn 
 recollections of the church had passed away. The 
 things and times which appeared most suitable to 
 bring the truly religious to devout reflections and 
 love were dishonored by buflfoonery and heathen- 
 ish profanations. 
 
 " The Humours of Easter held a large place in 
 the church. At the festival of the resurrection, 
 
 claiming to be joyfully commemorated, preachers 
 
 (54) 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 55 
 
 went out of their way to put into their aermons 
 whatever might excite the laughter of the people. 
 One preacher imitated the cuckoo ; another hissed 
 like a goose ; one dragged to the altar a layman 
 dressed in a monk's cowl ; a third related the 
 grossest indecencies ; a fourth recounted the tricks 
 of the Apostle Peter, among others how, at the inn, 
 he cheated the host by not paying his reckoning. 
 
 " The lower orders of the clergy followed the 
 example, and tnrned their superiors into ridicule. 
 The very temples were converted into stages, and 
 the priests into mountebanks. Faith had died, 
 and moral conduct with it. The proclamation and 
 sale of indulgences powerfully stimulated an igno- 
 rant people to immorality. 
 
 " Could anything else be expected from a doc- 
 trine invented with a view to the profit to be 
 gained from it ? The venders of indulgences were 
 naturally tempted to further the sale of their mer- 
 chandise by presenting them to the people under 
 the most attractive and seductive aspect. All that 
 the multitude saw in them was a permission to sin 
 according to their inclinati®n. What disorders ! 
 what crimes in those ages of darkness in which 
 impunity was acquired by money ! What might 
 not be feared when a small contribution to the 
 building of a church was supposed to deliver from 
 the punishments of a future world? What hope 
 of revival when the communication between God 
 
56 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 and man was at an end, and man, afar off from 
 God, moved only in a circle of pitiful ceremonies 
 and gross practices in an atmosphere of death ? 
 
 " The priests were the first who felt the effects of 
 these corrupting influences. Desiring to exalt 
 themselves, they had sunk themselves lower. In- 
 fatuated men! They aimed to rob God of a ray 
 of his glory, and to place it on their own brows ; 
 but their attempt had failed, and they received 
 only a leaven of corruption from the power of evil. 
 The annals of the age swarm with corruption. In 
 many places the people were well pleased that the 
 priests should have a woman in keeping that their 
 wives might be safe from their seductions. 
 
 "What scenes of humiliation were witnessed in 
 the house of the pastor ! The wretched man sup- 
 ported the mother and her children with the tithe 
 and the offering. His conscience — little as it was — 
 was troubled. He blushed in presence of his peo- 
 ple, of his servants and before God. The mother, 
 fearing to come to want when the priest should 
 die, provided against it beforehand and robbed the 
 house. Her character was gone ; her children were 
 a living accusation of her. Such was the family 
 of the priest. Thus these vile priests became the 
 fathers of hundreds, aye, thousands of illegitimate 
 children, notwithstaniding the purification order of 
 Hildebrand that pastors and their wives should be 
 separated. The Pope, at the same time, excited 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 57 
 
 the people against the married clergy." (Dan.ll: 
 17, 37.) 
 
 " Now, my dear mother, I know you are ignorant 
 of these matters, but such is a brief history of 
 the Church of Rome's conduct. If a full history 
 of their misdeeds should ever be written, it would 
 make a hundred volumes, each one larger than 
 both the old and new Scriptures combined." 
 
 " Surely, my son. Father Hethlon was right, 
 'much learning hath made thee mad.' I do not 
 believe your statements concerning the holy Cath- 
 olic Church to be true." 
 
 " No, mother, you would believe a hundred false- 
 hoods from the factory of the Pontiff rather than 
 one truth sanctioned by the Word of Almighty 
 God, uttered by a Protestant, even though he were 
 your own son. A Romanistic lie is preferred to a 
 Protestant truth." 
 
 " Son, I will no longer listen while you abuse 
 the religion of a long line of righteous ancestors." 
 
 " Mother, I am not aiming to abuse anyone in 
 trying to remove erroneous ideas from your mind. 
 Will you read a book or two I can furnish you ? " 
 
 "No, I will not. It would be sacrilege, and 
 would open wide the gates of purgatory for me." 
 
 " My dear mother, is it possible that you are so 
 blind as not to be able to see the object of the 
 interdiction of books, save such as these holy 
 fathers of illegimate children permit ? " 
 
58 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 " Mitylene, you can go. If your brother is dis- 
 respectful to his own mother, I do not wish his 
 sister to be witness." 
 
 " I like the spirit of that, dear mother. I like 
 the watchfulness and oversight manifested in it. 
 Apart from Romanism, it is all right. But the 
 judgment that would place that heavenly sacrifice 
 on such a Satanic altar is defective, unchristian 
 and wrong. You are not willing that my sister 
 should learn the truth, lest her knowledge should 
 defeat your object of making a Romanist of -her. 
 She has a quick mind and is intelligent in advance 
 of one of her age, and could not fail to under- 
 stand the truth of the damaging charges brought 
 against the Church of Rome, and that they are 
 irrefutable. Your priest knows it, and you would 
 know it if you had the moral courage to break 
 your bonds and take the word of truth for your 
 guide, instead of the Church of Rome. It is that 
 ' brazen thing,' with its blasphemous claim of in- 
 fallibility, that I hate — the Church of Rome with 
 its Pope, cardinals, bishops and priests, who, by 
 their indecencies in the name of religion have 
 widened and deepened their purgatory into a gulf 
 which will not only swallow them up, but millions 
 of their deluded followers as well. My sister shall 
 have an education, and be free to act for herself. 
 If your Father Hethlon consults his personal good 
 he will leave off his further meddling." 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 59 
 
 " Hold your tongue, my son. Such talk is not 
 only irreverent, but imprudent and unsafe." 
 
 " "What do you mean, mother ? Are you think- 
 ing of an inquisition for your own son ? Let me 
 tell you that I would be burned at the stake, 
 rather than see Mittie under the influence and 
 tutilage of one of your holy fathers. It shall 
 never be." 
 
 " It shall, my son." 
 
 "Good day, mother; your challenge is accept- 
 ed." 
 
 Thus ended 'the strange conference between 
 mother and children. The blind trust and belief 
 of this otherwise good woman in the Roman Cath- 
 olic Church and the priest as the exponent of her 
 doctrines, is the strongest proof of the power and 
 lasting influence of impressions made on the minds 
 of the young. Romanists are alive to that fact, 
 and hence begin early. The overwhelming array 
 of damaging and galling charges recited by her 
 son, whose honesty, love and learning she could 
 not doubt, was not sufficient to satisfy the mother. 
 Somehow the antiquity of the church seemed to 
 be of the first importance in her estimation in set- 
 tling the authenticity of its apostolic origin, with 
 no thought of the possible apostasy. This old 
 story of the antiquity of the Catholic Church told 
 by the priests could never become threadbare so 
 long as it was preached as if it were a part of the 
 
60 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 gospel itself. It were next to impossible f»^ the 
 laity to learn of the apostasy of the Roman Cath- 
 olics from the true Catholic Church, since they 
 were deprived of all the sources of information on 
 the subject, to the end that they should not know 
 the truth; for knowledge is power. Only let in 
 the light of God's Word to touch the mind and 
 hearts of men, and the Roman Hierarchy will fall 
 forever. This fact is clearly understood among 
 them from Pope down to priest, and is an eflfort to 
 keep down the sword of the Spirit, considered as 
 important as any other part of their scheme of 
 robbery and dissoluteness. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 JOHN Nekoda had driven Ms pair of horses to 
 Trenton, and had been there for a week 
 negotiating the sale of some shares inherited by 
 his aunt's will in a manufacturing business, and 
 at the same time he exhibited his horses to a 
 probable purchaser. 
 
 Mrs. Clarissa Nekoda had gone out shopping, 
 leaving the house in charge of her daughter. 
 Five hours later, and at dusk, a carriage drove 
 up, seemingly in great haste. The man who 
 drove inquired for Miss JS'ekoda. Mitylene an- 
 swered, "I am she." Then, said the man, in a 
 tone showing much agitation : 
 
 " Yez hav no time to lose, fer ez I wuz tould yer 
 mither is in great disthress and hez nade of yez 
 to kum quick if yez want to seay her. She is 
 able to spake yet." 
 
 Believing her mother had received serious 
 injury from some accident, Mitylene hastened to 
 put on her bonnet, and, drawing -a light wrap 
 over her shoulders, got into the carriage, when 
 the door was closed by the driver. As he jumped 
 upon the box and started off she called to him to 
 
 (61) 
 
62 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 know if her mother was much hurt, but he did 
 not, or pretended not, to hear her. She took hold 
 of the door fastening, intending to open it and 
 question him about the nature of her mother's in- 
 jury, but found that she could not open it. She 
 was whirled away as fast as a good pair of 
 horses could safely go. There was nothing left 
 for her to do but wait as patiently as she could 
 under the anxiety she suffered on account of 
 her mother. Though the man had not said where 
 she was, she could not be far away, as she had 
 only gone out shopping, and it was an unusual 
 thing for her mother to spend a whole afternoon 
 in shopping. 
 
 Thus reflecting, she leaned over in the corner 
 against the easy back, resting her head in her 
 hand, her elbow supported by the end cushion, 
 and, but for her anxiety, she would have slept, as 
 a feeling of drowsiness almost overcame her. 
 She was not aware of the large-mouthed bottle of 
 chloroform with a sponge stopper that had been 
 placed under the seat on which she rested. This 
 anxiety about her mother was not diminished as 
 she thought of her father when he should return 
 from the store and find neither wife nor daughter 
 at home, but 'instead a report of a disaster, of the 
 extent of which he could know nothing. Also her 
 brother might return from Trenton, in which case 
 there certainly would be a commotion in the house. 
 
NEHVSHTAN. 63 
 
 She blamed herself for not getting information and 
 leaving word for them, but now it was too late, for 
 she observed that they were driving upon the 
 Jersey City ferry. She was perplexed and a little 
 vexed, as well ; but she had no way to solve this 
 somewhat mysterious proceeding, and hence must 
 await the finale. 
 
 The carriage moved oS the boat with its puffing 
 and paddling and ringing of bells. Away it whirl- 
 ed again through streets that were strange, till 
 the irregularity of houses and road told her that 
 they were in the country. Alarmed at this, she 
 called to the man to know where lie was taking 
 her? 
 
 " Yez will know soon," was his answer. 
 
 " I want to know now," was her reply. 
 
 She was powerless to stop the man or to get 
 out. Things must have their course. Tired and 
 worn, she leaned back to think, but dozed and 
 slept instead, and in a momentary dream she 
 saw the lioness once more. She was awakened 
 by the stopping of the carriage. The door open- 
 ed and she was told to get out. She was be- 
 wildered on awakening to find herself once more 
 in a city. 
 
 " Where is my mother ?" she asked, as she step- 
 ped out of the carriage. 
 
 " Show her up, Mike," said Tim Keister, " and 
 
64 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 then kum and help me wid me horses, fur I must 
 fade them a bite afore goin back." 
 
 " Kum this way," said Mike Keister, with the 
 same brogue on his tongue in which his cousin, 
 had spoken. 
 
 She followed him up a flight of stairs and was 
 ushered into a room and the presence of a lady 
 dressed in a dark wrapper, gathered about the 
 waist. 
 
 " Is this Mitylene Nekoda ?" inquired the lady,, 
 in a kindly voice. 
 
 " It is she, thank you." 
 
 " I am Sister Ann of St. Convent of Mon- 
 treal, Canada." 
 
 " My mother sent for me ; where is she ? I was 
 told that she was hurt in some way." 
 
 " No, that is a mistake ; your mother is not hurt 
 in the least, but is in great distress of mind on 
 your account. Her friends think that if she fails 
 to carry out her purpose with regard to her only 
 daughter she will lose her mind. The sym- 
 pathy of many friends has been enlisted in her 
 behalf, and now she sends you to me. You are 
 to go with me to the nunnery and remain till your 
 mother comes to see you, which will be very soon. 
 You need have no fear, for the Mother Superior 
 is so kind and lovely that all the inmates adore 
 her. After you stay awhile, if you do not like 
 it, then you shall return home if you wish it." 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 65 
 
 lu an instant — quick as a flash of lightning — 
 Mitylene sprang out at the door, closing it after her 
 and turned tlie key, lodging Sister Anna inside. 
 Throwing the Icey to tlie far end of tlae hall, 
 and running down and out on the sidewalk, she 
 crossed the street and hastened away as fast as 
 she could walk. She was too smart to run, or 
 she would have done so. She pushed on in one 
 straight direction southward for two hours, until 
 the street she followed of the city of Newark had 
 changed into a country road. On this she con- 
 tinued till she could go no further, so tired, 
 worn out and sleepy was she. By the light of 
 the waning moon she saw a lot by the road- 
 side in which there was an open shed and cows 
 lying around. On a remnant of hay left in the 
 manger where the cows had fed she made her 
 bed, thankful indeed, in the sense of resting, to 
 imitate the Child whose star arose over Bethle- 
 hem in Judea. The last thing she heard was the 
 heavy outbreathing of the bloated kine as they 
 quietly chewed the cud. 
 
 Sister Anna, never before having had occasion 
 to act in haste, was too slow in her motion to 
 intercept, either in thought or action, the move- 
 ment of Mitylene Nekoda, and had the mortifica- 
 tion of finding herself a prisoner in a room on. 
 the second floor of the dwelling of a private Catho- 
 lic family, who, at the time, were on the ground 
 
66 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 floor, and in the rear part of the building, with, 
 closed doors. Her calls were unheard. In vain 
 she pounded on the door. Half an hour later, 
 when Mike and Tim Keister returned from the 
 care of the horses, Sister Anna was released and 
 related the story of her imprisonment in a dis- 
 tracted and regretful manner, showing that she 
 felt the mishap greatly. 
 
 Tim Keister, a member of Father Hethlon's 
 church of New York City, was terribly put out. 
 He cursed and swore he would not lose the ten 
 dollars he was to have for that night's work. 
 Father Hethlon should pay it or he would report 
 him as a kidnapper. 
 
 "Now," said he, "what a noight uv it I shill 
 Lev fur meself, a huntin' afther thot bit uv a 
 girrel ; thin to be a goin back to the ould praste 
 and her mither wid a sthory loike thot. And 
 what shill become uv me poor souel if the ould 
 praste shill git maad and have the good Pope to 
 sind down his curse on me ?" 
 
 " Could you not get three or four friends to help 
 search for her ?" asked Sister Anna, " for it is 
 possible to find her. She will be lost in this 
 strange city. I am very sorry." 
 
 " By the howly Moses, I hev a couple uv them. 
 I kin git Pat Lonegan, if he is not gone to bed, 
 and me cousin Mike here." 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 67 
 
 " Go about it this minute," said Sister Anna, 
 " for there is no time to lo?e." 
 
 " Tim and Mike sought Pat, and they all three 
 went on the search, but after two hours of useless 
 tramping returned. 
 
 At daylight Tim had hitched up and driven back 
 to New York City, and, leaving his team at the 
 stable, went home to get his breakfast ; then, with 
 Mrs. Nekoda, who had slept at his house, proceed- 
 ed to Father Hethlon's parsonage. It was quite 
 early in the morning when he reached the parson- 
 age, and he wished from the bottom of his heart 
 before Father Hethlon was done with him that he 
 had never accepted the job. It had required 
 nearly a week to arrange for carrying Mitylene 
 off. 
 
 "This failure," said Father Hethlon, "shall fall 
 on your own head where it bqlongs, Timothy 
 Keister. I will pay you nothing for your services, 
 for it has resulted in dafmage, in that we have 
 lost time and money and lost the girl whom you. 
 were to take and keep securely without harm to 
 her. You have violated your contract and sacred 
 promise. No one can reckon the harm that may 
 result because of your failure. She may be lost 
 to the Church of Rome, and that is to be lost for- 
 ever. You have committed a sin, Timothy Keis- 
 ter, for which penance and pay will be needed to 
 absolve you from its punishment." 
 
68 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 " Howly father, forgive me, it wus not meself, 
 but thot Sister Anna what wus sent fur the girrel 
 thot let her gifc awiay. Besoides thot, I hev lost the 
 half uv yesthurday and all uv last noight, and 
 the toil uv me horses into the bargain ; surely thot 
 is woreth the tin pittiful dollars ye wus to give 
 me." 
 
 " Hold your tongue, Timothy Keister, lest a 
 great curse fall on you." 
 
 " Let yer howlyness keep the curse from me 
 and keep the money yerself fur me broken prom- 
 ise. I am an unfaithful dog and a sinner thot 
 ort to be kilt intirely." 
 
 " Ah ! that is right, Timothy Keister ; that will 
 procure absolution from your sins-. Now go help 
 seek the lost without delay and fail not, at your 
 peril, until otherwise directed." 
 
 " I go, howly father." 
 
 "This is an unfortunate affair. Sister Clara," 
 said Father Hethlon, "I shall look into it without 
 delay." 
 
 " Oh, my poor child ! what dire need and dis- 
 tress of body and mind she must suffer now, and 
 all because of the acts of her own mother. If it 
 was for the good of the holy Catholic Church, as 
 you suggested, Father Hethlon, then why has 
 God permitted her to escape? Why is not the 
 power of the Pope sufficient to protect us as well 
 as forgive our sins or curse us ? The Christ of 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 69 
 
 the Protestant world fed five thousand hungry- 
 people with a few loaves and fishes." 
 
 " How did you learn that, Sister Clara ?" 
 
 " I learned it from their Bible." 
 
 " Sister, how often have I warned you, and all 
 the membership, against keeping that book — a 
 work of the devil — in your houses and reading the 
 same V 
 
 " I have never owned the book and never read 
 a word in it until a few days ago. I found 
 Mitylene quoting Scripture from it. Notwith- 
 standing it was the gift of her brother, I demand- 
 ed the book and got it from her. I only looked 
 through it to see what it was like, and remember 
 seeing in it what I quoted to you." 
 
 " You must bring it to me. Sister Clara. I will 
 have our version put in the same cover, then you 
 can return it to her." 
 
 " It seems from Timothy's Keister's statement, 
 Father Hethlon, that you had promised him only 
 ten dollars. I gave you twenty, the amount you 
 said it required. You have paid him nothing. I 
 shall pay him." 
 
 "You shall do nothing of the kind. I return 
 you ten dollars and keep ten for my services. 
 These careless and recreant Catholics must be 
 taught that the Catholic Church will not toler- 
 ate failure in the execution of any work assign- 
 ed to them. They must be trained to execute 
 
70 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 orders by all means, for, when the time comes, in 
 the judgment of the Pope, when we shall take 
 this country we will need efficient soldiers. Tim 
 Keister will remember this experience till the 
 day of battle, l^ow, Sister Clara, you had bet- 
 ter go home and take rest. Then we must look 
 up Mitylene. You need not be alarmed about 
 her; she is very bright and will turn up all 
 right. I will see you to-morrow." 
 
 "Mrs. Nekoda did not go directly home, but 
 returned by way of Keister's who had already 
 gone to Newark to renew the search, so Mrs. 
 Keister informed her. She left ten dollars for 
 him, and gave his wife five dollars to buy a new 
 frock and some shoes for her little girl. It was 
 near the noon hour when she reached home, hop- 
 ing against hope that she would find her daughter 
 there. As she was being driven home she could 
 but think of the holy father's dishonesty in brow- 
 beating Tom Keister out of his money, and how 
 humbly he acknowledged a wrong of which he 
 was not guilty. This furnished her with con- 
 siderable food ' for thought. She was so com- 
 pletely enthralled in the meshes of Romanism 
 that she measured and tested everything by it. 
 The mark of the beast was visible in every motive 
 and motion of her life. The walls around Rome 
 held the most sacred things of life for her. But 
 the act of Father Hethlon with poor Keister^ 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 71 
 
 with the failure, and the passage of feeding the 
 five thousand, had made a breach in the wall 
 which would require time and effort to repair. 
 Though it should never be known, the repair 
 was likely never to be completed, for there was 
 no hiding the deception and dishonesty of his 
 act. 
 
 Now her mind turns upon her own deception 
 towards her daughter. This made her sick at 
 heart. She saw the enormity of her own sin by 
 seeing it in others, yet she had been taught 
 that her act was justifiable, according to the 
 church rules, when outsiders are the opponents. 
 Mitylene had been baptized in infancy, and, 
 though she denied the faith, must be consider- 
 ed as a Catholic. This was where the pinch 
 came in ; she could have wished that she had 
 never been baptized, since she denied the faith ; 
 then she would not have this sin upon her head. 
 Poor, misguided woman ! What a noble example 
 of Christian fortitude, love and piety thou 
 wouldst have been had thou received light from 
 the great fountain of truth instead of the Church 
 of Rome, which has compelled thee to attempt 
 the heathen sacrifice of thy own daughter! 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 MiTTLENE awoke with the rising sun, thanking 
 the God of Daniel for a cowshed rather than 
 a convent, and took to the road again. Soon there- 
 after happened one of those peculiar events that, 
 once experienced, is never forgotten. 
 
 She had been wandering along in doubt and 
 distress about getting back home. She knew that 
 she was moving in the opposite direction, hence 
 was going rather slow. She was afraid if she re- 
 turned by way of Newark, that she would be 
 taken by some of the minions and hirelings from 
 whose hands she had escaped the night before. 
 For two hours she had plodded along while think- 
 ing, and had about concluded to retrace her steps, 
 when she saw something in the distance coming 
 towards her in the road. On its nearer approach 
 she saw that it was a man in a buggy driving a 
 pair of horses. Then she thought they moved and 
 looked like Prince and Ben Lomond, her brother's 
 horses, and there, too, was her brother John, re- 
 turning from Trenton, whither he had gone a week 
 before. 
 
 He was driving at a rapid gate at the moment 
 
 (73) 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 73 
 
 he recognized his sister, who had stepped to one 
 side and waved her kerchief at him. He stopped 
 so suddenly that the horses were brought back on 
 their haunches. His surprise was manifest both 
 in looks and words, as he reached his hand and 
 lifted her up beside him. " Now, in the name of 
 wonder, yes, and wander, too, how came you to be 
 wandering away here, twelve miles from home ? 
 Come, the horses shall walk until you have told 
 me." 
 
 She told him all she knew of the story, just as 
 it had happened to her. He listened attentively 
 till she was through, and continued silent and 
 thoughtful for a time, while the horses dropped 
 into a tardigrade movement as if it were a benefit 
 especially given to them. 
 
 At last he said, " Mittie, there is but one way 
 out of the difficulty, unless you are willing to be 
 shut up in a convent." 
 
 " Oh ! no, no ! Never let them take me there." 
 
 "They shall not. You cannot return home. I 
 will find a place for you with some good friends I 
 have in Jersey City, where you will be safe for the 
 few days it will require for me to get ready for 
 our departure to the great West. Are you willing 
 to do that ? " 
 
 " Anything in preference to a nunnery. I will 
 bear the separation as well as I can, since my 
 mother desires it. She would send me among 
 
74 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 Strangers ; I would rather go with you and be free. 
 Poor papa, I do hate to leave him, he is so patient. 
 Brother, manage to make it as easy for them as 
 you can, and tell them that one of these days we 
 shall have a reunion." 
 
 " Nobly spoken, little sister. Kow I shall drive 
 directly to the residence of my friends, Robert and 
 Anna Shirley, in Jersey City. You will be per- 
 fectly safe with them." 
 
 When John Wekoda arrived at home, after leav- 
 ing his sister with his friends, he found considera- 
 ble confusion and tumult within. 
 
 Of course, when his father came in from his 
 business on the previous evening and learned from 
 the cook and housemaid of his wife's continued 
 absence since noon, and the later call of the car- 
 riage for his daughter with the meager story of an 
 accident of some kind, he was much exercised over 
 it, and his anxiety increased with the hours 
 throughout the night. There was not a single 
 word left for him as to the nature of the case, or 
 where he might find them. The fact that word 
 was sent only to his daughter and not a word to 
 him aroused his suspicions that, in some way, the 
 priest was responsible for it. Notwithstanding 
 his poor opinion of Hethlon, he could not believe 
 him willing to take such a risk unless he had 
 been encouraged in some way by the sanction and 
 help of his v/ife. He walked the floor half the 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 75 
 
 night, then lay down, not to sleep, but to lie there 
 grappling with the intangible — a mysterious force 
 greater than the head of the house, and bent on 
 its destruction. 
 
 Why his wife wanted to force Romanism on 
 their children he could not understand. He would 
 have been glad had they been willing to accept 
 the Jewish code, but not against their will. While 
 reviewing, during that long night, his course of 
 action, he found that it had been as much, or 
 more, to keep them out of the Roman Catholic 
 Church as to bring them into the Jewish. He 
 shuddered at the thought of his son's indignation 
 when he should return, if it should prove to be 
 true that Mitylene had been decoyed away from 
 home. He was almost as anxious . for his return 
 as that of his daughter, .because of his strength 
 and helpfulness in emergencies. John had so 
 much of the self-confident, go-ahead, sensible man 
 about him that he would delve to the bottom of 
 this mystery and find his sister ere he let up in 
 the pursuit of his object. 
 
 Daniel ISTekoda di'd not go to his shoe-store next 
 morning, but visited the rabbi instead. Mr. Sheva 
 was unable to suggest any course of action, but 
 thought it would be best to await further develop- 
 ments. Daniel Nekoda returned home a very dis- 
 consolate man. His wife returned about noon, 
 preceding their son by an hour. 
 
76 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 She did. not give the report to her husband that 
 she had hoped when she left, for she expected to 
 be able to say that she had sent Mitjlene to a 
 place where he could not reach her; but Mity- 
 lene's escape had knocked all the independence 
 out of her. 
 
 She saw the enormity of the act she had com- 
 mitted against her child and husband, and craved 
 the aid of both husband and son to go quickly 
 and search till Mittie was found. 
 
 This was the dilemma in which John found his 
 parents. He, however, told his mother that she 
 must make a clean breast of the whole .matter and 
 give the names of those who had aided her. This 
 she refused to do, for fear that her impetuous son 
 might bring them to account for it. Her refusal 
 was construed by both John and his father to 
 mean that she would again try to carry out her 
 design towards Mitylene at the first opportunity, 
 for that and nothing else would be in keeping 
 with the spirit of Romanism. Wherever he may 
 be, the beast pokes up his horns to push only 
 for the devil. A converted Catholic is a Catholic 
 still, and fits that familiar couplet: — 
 
 ' 'Convince a man (Eomanist) against his will. 
 He's of the same opinion still. ' ' 
 
 After dinner John hitched up and drove his 
 father to the store. On the way he told him to 
 give himself no uneasiness concerning Mitylene. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 77 
 
 that he knew where to find her, as good fortune 
 would have it. He bound his father by a promise, 
 and then laid his plans before him, to all of which 
 he gave his assent as being the best under the cir- 
 cumstances. The only things John kept secret was 
 the place where his sister was staying and the place 
 of their destination. He imposed the duty of ex- 
 planation to his mother on his father, saying that 
 it would give them an opportunity of reconciling 
 themselves jointly to the new condition. 
 
 A week later John N"ekoda and his sister were 
 flying toward the great West. After traveling in 
 divers ways, of which the last and longest was by 
 steamboat, St. Louis, that wealthy, plodding, quiet 
 and prosperous city, was reached. Board and 
 lodging were secured in a private family, and 
 Mitylene entered the public school in less than a 
 week after their arrival. 
 
 Letters passed regularly once a month back and 
 forth between the parents and their children, 
 through the Shirleys, who acted as go-betweens ; 
 for John had determined that there should be no 
 further interruption on account of religion. These 
 letters contained all the information needful re- 
 garding their general welfare. 
 
 Mr. Shirley usually took the letters and deliv- 
 ered them in person to Mr. Jfekoda at his shoe 
 store. On delivery of the first one, Mr. Nekoda 
 asked to know where John and Mitylene were 
 
78 NEHVSHTAN. 
 
 located, but, learning from Mr. Shirley that the 
 fact was entrusted to him as a secret, he said he 
 would not himself violate such a pledge, nor ask 
 it of another. 
 
 Thus Daniel Nekoda and wife knew of the well- 
 being of their children, but nothing more. They 
 could not go or send any one to them without the 
 mediatorship of Robert Shirley. John Nekoda 
 had taken these precautionary measures to cut off 
 from his sister's ears that Romanistic and blas- 
 phemous doctrine of infallibility. His actions 
 show how great was his interest in the matter. 
 He regarded all Catholics as traitors to this gov- 
 ernment, and its sworn enemies, at the instance of 
 the Pope. And their profession of friendship is a 
 huge deception because of the mental reservation, 
 that when the Church of Rome says kill, they will 
 butcher its Protestant officials and subjects as 
 mercilessly as one would shoot a sheep-killing 
 dog, for they are taught that to kill a heretic is 
 no crime, and that all opposers of the Church of 
 Rome are heretics. 
 
 Mitylene continued at the public schools of St. 
 Louis for three years, and, at the age of fourteen, 
 her brother placed her in one of the colleges for 
 young ladies located in a central Missouri town 
 which has been called the Athens of Missouri. 
 Here she spent four years in hard study, that she 
 might be able to satisfy her brother's fondest ex- 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 79 
 
 pectations. Meanwhile, John had been engaged 
 in real estate speculation, and had gained quite a 
 handsome fortune. His rent roll was large, and 
 the yearly income from it was very considerable. 
 In addition to his St. Louis property he had several 
 thousand acres of land situated in south Missouri, 
 bordering on Arkansas, and about the center of 
 the State east and west. Here he contemplated a 
 grand and noble work, which it will be a pleasure 
 to describe hereafter. 
 
 Mitylene's music teacher at college was a young 
 Virginian, a gentleman of culture and refinement, 
 bearing the euphonious name of Melton. Wilford 
 Melton possessed one quality of nature that des- 
 tined him to look on many strange scenes and coun- 
 tries. He had a roving disposition, and had traveled 
 over nearly every State and Territory of the Union, 
 stopping here and there, in time varying in length 
 from one mouth to several, according to his fancy 
 for the place and people, and teaching music, both 
 vocal and instrumental, for the triple object of 
 plenty, pleasure and pastime. He was a very 
 quiet, thoughtful man, of pleasing address and 
 easy manners. While conversing on his favorite 
 themes, music and theatricals, he became enthusi- 
 astic, and dwelt on the accomplishments of his 
 favorites in a manner that showed him to be a 
 connoisseur in those arts. 
 
 He had taken the position of professor of vocal 
 
80 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 and instrumental music at the college where Mity- 
 lene entered. Until then he had met with no 
 musical talent above ordinary. His cultivated ear 
 and taste were quick to detect in the voice and 
 fingers the talent and touch that promised a high 
 degree of attainment in the profession. 
 
 In Mitylene's voice he heard a warble that 
 astonished no less than it pleased him. He was 
 rejoiced to recdgnize in her a lavish bestowal of 
 this gift of nature, and he believed it but just and 
 fair that she should have every advantage for the 
 cultivation of her Grod-given talents. For once, in 
 all the years of his rambling life, he felt that he 
 could be tied to a place indefinitely. He now had 
 something to do, and he meant to do it with a 
 right good will. 
 
 Why should he not care for the wealth back at 
 his home in that pretty city on the James, gath- 
 ered by the industry and frugality of his father ? 
 And why not care to lay up for himself? Thus 
 far he had saved up only a pittance of two thous- 
 and dollars. 
 
 There was a light glittering from the eyes of 
 this pupil that promised to illumine his mind 
 along a path-way he had not before thought of 
 traveling. He must save money for the possibili- 
 ties of the future., 
 
 TJiis child, a girl of fourteen years, was the first 
 to awaken in his mind and heart that new impulse 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 81 
 
 which arms men for the grandest achievements in 
 life. He had now a new purpose that would stim- 
 ulate him to go forward with a will never before 
 experienced. 
 
 He determined to finish his comedy or farce of 
 musical wonders while pleasantly employed in 
 developing the sweetest voice he had ever heard, 
 and the most delicate touch and intricate finger- 
 ing to which a Chickering had ever responded in 
 one so young. 
 
 Mitylene's love of the drama was little less than 
 rapture. Now, she could only gratify the passion 
 when she visited her home in St. Louis during 
 vacation. 
 
 On these occasions Wilford Melton accompanied 
 her as the invited guest of John Nekoda. There 
 was another fact to which "Wilford Melton was not 
 insensible, a likeness in the tastes of teacher and 
 pupil which brought them together more frequent- 
 ly and caused them to linger longer in each other's 
 company than time and emergency would indicate 
 as needful, unless it were to compose a duet for 
 their united rendering through life. Each of them 
 had discovered a touch that was not all in the 
 fingers — a heart touch. 
 
 Mitylene graduated at the end of the session of 
 the fourth year, being then eighteen years of age. 
 
 Several parts were assigned to her on the pro- 
 gram of the closing exercises. She finished by 
 
82 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 reading an original essay on The Human Con 
 science in Religion — witness against Rome. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 CONSCIENCE. 
 
 • 'My concience hath a thousand several tongues, 
 And every tongue brings in a several tale, 
 And every tale condemns me for a villain. ' ' 
 
 "/"Conscience is the dictator on the throne of 
 V_> human reason, the bolting-cloth in the mill 
 of the gods, the weigh-master of individual 
 thought, and the adjuster of individual actions 
 to the standard of right according to knowledge, 
 which is conscience educated. 
 
 "Conscience is the general of thought and the 
 precursor of action. 
 
 " Thought, though discursive, cannot proceed a 
 single step without conscience. 
 
 " Thought is a miner, while conscience is the pro- 
 prietor of the mine. 
 
 " Conscience is the master, thought is the ser- 
 vant, education — knowledge — is the power and 
 Christ is the hope of the world. These, working 
 together for good in a life here, will insure a 
 maximum of happiness in the life to come. 
 
 " Ignorance is almost void of conscience, and is 
 the power of Satan 'unto the churches of all isms, 
 
 (83) 
 
84 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 especially Romanism. This, working with the 
 selfishness that supports it, will insure the maxi- 
 mum of suffering hereafter. 
 
 "What shall be said? that there is no prom- 
 ise without enlightenment? Hardly that, but 
 that the promise to such is suspended by a very 
 slender thread ; if the thread reaches the Christ on 
 Calvary at Jerusalem, no matter how fine it is, it 
 will hold that to which it is tied. On the other 
 hand, if it ties to the infallibility of the Pope 
 at Rome, it will be broken, though welded by 
 chains of steel. 'I am the light of the world,' 
 said He of whom it was said, ' Never man spake 
 like this man.' How could Christ be .the light 
 of the world if men — the world means men with 
 reason, without which they are animals, and con- 
 stitute no part, of the world addressed by the 
 Savior — if men, I say, have no intellect to take 
 hold of the announcement? Suppose you were 
 to preach to an ox, ' I am the light of thfe world,' 
 or ' Come unto me, all ye that labor and are 
 heavy laden, and I will give you rest,' what effect 
 would it have on him ? The man of sin who holds 
 out a bundle of fodde will surely gather all 
 the cattle in his church, and they will continue 
 under the yoke of delusion unto death. 
 
 " There is not a shadow of a doubt that since the 
 days of miracles the power of the word of truth 
 has been best served through the intellect. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 85 
 
 " How could men be profited by the word of truth 
 if it did not take hold of their minds and con- 
 sciences, keeping pace with the ever present desire 
 to know? To judge of moral qualities is the office 
 of the conscience. As is the education, so will 
 be the conscience. These are bound together as 
 the Siamese twins, and to separate them is to 
 destroy both. This is the fort or stronghold of 
 the Eomanists, to keep the conscience debased by 
 keeping the laity in ignorance ; instead of the 
 Gospel, to preach the Pope's infallibility and 
 vicarship and power to forgive sins. 
 
 " It does not matter how little the education of 
 the human conscience, it is ever ready to appro- 
 priate that little to some purpose, good or bad. 
 In either case the record is made upon the heart. 
 'Take therefore the talent from him and give 
 unto him which hath ten talents.' 
 
 " A little education is dangerous in the egoist, 
 and through him to the altruist also. Education 
 may be compared to the child learning to walk, 
 every tumble constitutes a lesson which is noted 
 and witnessed. The effort is repeated with the 
 new guard of experience brought in to aid in the 
 next trial. 
 
 "A competent witness must know for himself ; 
 hearsay will not do. Belief is based on evidence, 
 and conscience renders an inward judgment ac- 
 cordingly. There is ever present the principle of 
 
86 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 truth and its opposite, a lie. Truth is never put 
 for a lie, but a lie is often put for the truth. 
 Truth is right from the beginning and has every- 
 thing to lose and nothing to gain, while a lie, 
 being always wrong, has everything to gain and 
 nothing to lose in their continual antagonism. 
 
 " This is a mixed world — 'It takes all sorts to 
 make a world' — in which there is an unceasing 
 warfare between the true and the false. 
 
 " It follows that one may have some of the true 
 and also some of the false. To gain his purpose 
 the devil offers the enjoyment of sin for a season 
 and the glories of this world. Christ offers his 
 life and blood a willing sacrifice. One is of self- 
 ishness and is Satan, the other is of godliness and 
 is God. 
 
 " Conscience cannot always know that a lie is 
 not the truth by reason of this mixture and the 
 absence of light, 'for the light shineth in darkness 
 and the darkness comprehendeth it not;' there- 
 fore the liar, without any moral right, is the rob- 
 ber, while the truth with, all moral right, is the 
 loser ; yet, truth is mighty, and at the ' time of 
 the end' its prevalence must become universal 
 and its triumph complete. 'For that man of 
 sin, the image of the beast, the son of perdition, is 
 then to be revealed, even him whose coming is 
 after the working of Satan with all power and 
 signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivable- 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 87 
 
 ness of unrighteousness in them that perish, be- 
 cause they receive not the love of the truth that 
 they might be saved. And for this cause Grod 
 shall send them strong delusion that they should 
 believe a lie.' 2 Thes. 2: 1-12. 
 " What evidence does this son of perdition — the 
 Pope of Rome — present to establish his right to 
 rule over the consciences of men ? Not a scintilla 
 that could be entertained by the law governing 
 witnesses. Nothing but his unsustained claim 
 of vicarship and infallibility, which, had it been, 
 true, would have been forfeited by the sale of 
 indulgences, that purchasing with money the right 
 to rob, steal, lie and murder, and, more and worse, 
 that this should procure salvation. This is in 
 perfect keeping with the devil's plan of gaining 
 the world, and experience teaches that he is sys- 
 tematid in his work. 
 
 " There is but one standard or test of religious 
 belief. All others are false,'and their name is 
 legion, yet they have but one head. The true is 
 built on Christ, 'For other foundation can no 
 man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ' 
 — the Christ who said unto the sea, 'Peace, be 
 still,' and the wind and the sea obeyed him, for 
 it was the voice of God. The lame walk, the 
 dumb speak, the blind receive their sight and the 
 deaf their hearing. Evil spirits are cast out and 
 the dead live again. 
 
88 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 " When did pope or priest ever make the 
 lame to walk or restore sight to the nerveless eye ? 
 When did the Pontiff open the ears of the deaf 
 or put speech in the tongue of the dumb ? At what 
 time did that man of sin, the Pope of Rome, sit- 
 ting in the temple of God, showing himself that 
 he is God, put breath in a dead body and raise it 
 to life again ? Never, at any time. No, the Pope 
 claims to be equal with God, ,but he cannot perform 
 a single miracle. He cannot raise the dead nor 
 save himself from death. The Pope is nothing 
 but a man. He has accepted the glories of this 
 world offered by Satan and refused by Jesus. 
 The Pope must die, and, like other men meet his 
 account, for the grave levels all distinctions. He 
 must depend on the Christ he has robbed and 
 falsified over and over again for his own resurrec- 
 tion. He — Popedom, that man of sin, the son of 
 perdition, the beast — will be resurrected, for, after 
 the first resurrection, the rest of the dead live not 
 again till the thousand years are finished. When 
 that other book was opened, then death and hell 
 delivered up the dead which were in them and 
 they were cast into the lake of fire. This is the 
 second death. 
 
 " The Church of Rome is characterized in the 
 Apocalypse as ' Mystery, Babylon the great. . . 
 Babylon is fallen. . . . And I heard another 
 voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 89 
 
 people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and 
 that ye receive not her plagues.' 
 
 "It appears that even among Romanists Grod has 
 a people, for he warns them to come out of her. 
 They have had nearly two thousand years in 
 which to come. If they have not come out in that 
 time it is not likely that they ever will, except on 
 the eve of the great battle ; then all who are Chris- 
 tians will desert the Pope in spite of him. 
 
 '"He that is not with me is against me.' Prom 
 this it may be justly inferred that Christ will 
 accept all those who are honestly and sincerely 
 trying to be with him, however slight the hold, 
 if it is the best they can do. That quotation is 
 peculiarly adapted to the people of the United 
 States of America. Connect it with their system 
 of education and the solution of the question is 
 before you. 
 
 " There is no doubt that many Catholics have 
 their faith founded in Jesus Christ independent 
 of the Pope, holding to the early traditions of the 
 true Catholic Church before the apostasy. All 
 who are trying to serve the Lord without enthron- 
 ing the Pope in the place of God will doubtless 
 be saved. 
 
 " Your humble essayist is sorry to say that she 
 is personally acquainted with some who are per- 
 fectly sincere in their belief in the Church of Rome, 
 who have never seen the inside of a Protestant 
 
90 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 Bible or church, who take every word of the priest 
 as so much gospel, and who live in mortal fear 
 of doing something that will call down on them 
 the curse of the Pope. They are in every other 
 respect good people, but their lives are miserable, 
 for the dread curse and purgatory haunt them 
 as a ghost. 
 
 " Popedom will never yield save by the power of 
 the sword. It is true that the sword of the Spirit 
 is the first great power, but that makes soldiers 
 of men through the right education of conscience. 
 There is no doubt that they will be needed, for the 
 finale of this age-lasting antagonism will close 
 the present dispensation with a great battle in 
 which all the nations of earth shall take part. 
 Victory shall perch upon the arms of God's people. 
 There will be but two parties, one for, the other 
 against God. 
 
 " I close with this quotation from Bishop Spauld- 
 ing, an honored dignitary of the Bomau Catholic 
 Church. In speaking of the controversies then 
 agitating the religious world, he said : ' The 
 time will come when the great contest will be 
 between that people in this country who stand 
 for an infallible church, and that other people 
 who stand for an infallible Book.' An infallible 
 church or an infallible Book — which ? 
 
 " I thank you for your kind attention." 
 
 Mitylene took her seat mid great applause. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 91 
 
 This essay, given by one so young, was thought 
 to be an indication of deep thought and applica- 
 tion. Some thought it was too mature for one of 
 her age, and suspected that her brother John had 
 written it. He had suggested the line of her 
 argument, but she was the true author. 
 
 The time had arrived when Mitylene was to 
 take leave of her host of friends. It was a sore 
 trial, but the severity was mitigated greatly by 
 the promise given by many of them to visit 
 her at her home in St. Louis. 
 
 Her brother was present at the closing exercises 
 and was now ready to take her to his new home, 
 for he had built a nice residence out at the west 
 end of Franklin Avenue. 
 
 Prof. Melton accepted an invitation to visit 
 them soon. 
 
 Grood-byes were exchanged, and Mitylene N'e- 
 koda accompanied her brother to " Adoken 
 Place," the name John had given to his new 
 home. 
 
 In all the four years of Mityleue's college life 
 she had not failed to attend church services regu- 
 larly, save from illness or inclement weather. 
 This church-going punctuality had begun with 
 her school life in St. Louis, where her brother was 
 a constant attendant. The profound attention he 
 gave to the preaching, and a close study to the 
 word of truth, served to fix his religious views. 
 
92 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 Now, for seven years Mitylene had heard the 
 Gospel preached in its purity, and if she had 
 ever been tinctured in the least with Judaism or 
 Romanism there was not a vestige of either re- 
 maining. She was a zealous Christian and an 
 earnest worker in the Sunday-school, which was 
 then just fairly beginning its work in this coun- 
 try. 
 
 "Wilford Melton, because of the roving life he 
 had led, had never given any serious thought to 
 Christianity, though a strictly moral and upright 
 man. After beginning his work at the college he 
 found it necessary to spend his Sundays in a 
 manner befitting his position. Besides that, all 
 of his pupils attended preaching at some of the 
 churches, and that seemed the proper thing for 
 him to do. However, it does not matter what 
 the motive was, whether idle curiosity or other 
 attractions, that acted on him ; whateverthe motive 
 that induces one to attend often on the preached 
 word, in time the good seed will find lodgment and 
 growth that must eventually bear fruit. Thus it 
 proved in the case of Wilford Melton, for he was 
 brought into the fold of the Good Shepherd dur- 
 ing the second year of his professorship. 
 
 Mitylene's essay had wonderfully impressed 
 Prof. Melton, so much, indeed, that he could not 
 forego inquiry as to the cause that suggested that 
 subject to her mind just in the beginning of its 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 93 
 
 development — a theme that had puzzled the most 
 scholarly men of the age. 
 
 Then she told him her story. How her mother, 
 under a mistaken notion of what constituted her 
 duty to her family and the Church of Rome, 
 through the officiousness of the priest, had tried 
 to spirit her away from home against her wish. 
 
 The circumstances she related suggested to his 
 mind the idea of dramatizing the incidents of her 
 capture, escape and rescue. The idea grew and 
 developed until the original thought became a pur- 
 posed scheme in the form of a grand drama that, 
 by its characters, should present the two great 
 antagonists of the world, Good and Evil. The head, 
 representative of Evil, to be a man with a mouth 
 speaking great things and wearing a crown with 
 a serpent coiled around it, while his princes 
 should wear cowls with some representative of 
 the crotalus family coiled about them, — some hav- 
 ing diamond-shaped heads, and some with a but- 
 ton shake on the" end of their tails, indicating the 
 poisonous nature of their teaching-bites to human- 
 ity, — all to be dressed in scarlet and purple robes. 
 The different acts were to cover the significant 
 events in the conflicts and usurpation of power of 
 the Church of Rome, as well as the prophetic vis- 
 ions concerning her downfall and final end. 
 
 To the production of this drama Prof. Melton 
 determined to direct all the powers of his mind. 
 
94 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 This necessitated the surrender of his professor- 
 ship. It is needless to say that his resignation 
 was accepted with many regrets. 
 
 About the time Mitylene had started to college 
 her brother made a trip to the blue grass region of 
 Kentucky for the purpose of buying some saddle- 
 horses, brood mares and a span or two of good 
 drivers. As he walked down the street towards 
 the wharf, carrying a pair of saddle-bags contain- 
 ing a change of clothing, he was accosted by a 
 small boy carrying a basket of cakes (much too 
 large for him) with the request : " Good sir, won't 
 ye buy some gingercakes? they are good and 
 sweet and not a bit too much ginger. If yez be 
 goin fur a thrip, ye kin ate thim betwane toimes." 
 
 "Thank you, my little man," said John Ne- 
 koda, " your suggestion is a good one ; give me 
 a half-dollar's worth." 
 
 The cakes were stuck down into his capacious 
 saddlebags. 
 
 According to his statement, those gingercakes 
 satisfied his desire for gingerbread for the rest of 
 his life. 
 
 "I had not been an hour on the boat," said he, 
 " when I thought of the little boy's remark, ' ye 
 kin ate thim betwane toimes,' and immediately 
 repaired to my stateroom, where I munched ginger- 
 cakes until I became thirsty. After going to 
 the water-tank and slaking my thirst, I walked 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 96 
 
 around by the boat's guard and gazed from the 
 moving vessel at the trees on the bank, some of 
 which seemed to be loaded with gingercakes, the 
 while I thought of my saddlebags and their sweet 
 contents. Often ' betwane toimes ' during the 
 day I visited my room to nibble at those cakes ; 
 and if you will believe me, in my dreams that 
 night I walked on streets paved with gingercake 
 bricks. 
 
 " I did not eat anything the next day, but on 
 the third day I dumped a lot of sweet fish bait 
 into the Ohio River. Those cakes plunged to the 
 bottom of the river like sure-enough bricks. I 
 am sure no fish ever found them except it was a 
 mudcat. 
 
 " Well, despite my cake founder, I reached Ken- 
 tucky in good plight, and was not long in secur- 
 ing the desired stock. While there I also bought 
 the unserved time of a bound girl (African), the 
 mother of a child — a small boy — which she led 
 by the hand. Their names were respectively 
 Nancy and Jockton. 
 
 "It was inconvenient for me to bring them 
 with me, having to look after my stock. There- 
 fore, learning that Mrs. Mary Paxton, who lived 
 in Lincoln county, Missouri, was then in Ken- 
 tucky to receive the part of an estate coming to 
 her, I made haste to see her, if it were possible 
 for her to take charge of Nancy and her child. 
 
96 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 She very kindly consented to bring them, a month 
 later, along with three slaves she was to bring 
 of her own. 
 
 . " Gathering my stock, I came straightway to 
 St. Louis. Knowing when Mrs. Paxton would 
 start, I figured out the tinCie when they would 
 reach St. Louis and was on the lookout for the 
 Ohio River steamers. 
 
 "On the second morning that I went down to 
 the wharf I learned that the boat had arrived 
 and that the passengers I sought had been trans- 
 ferred to the Vocent, an upper Mississippi River 
 steamer. 
 
 "There I found Mrs. Paxton, who was begin- 
 ning to be a little anxious lest I should not 
 show up to receive Nancy and her boy before 
 the time for the boat to leave, and thus force 
 her to make some other disposition of them. 
 
 "I was standing on the hurricane deck talk- 
 ing with her, when she waved her handkerchief 
 to a boy on shore who was carrying a basket. 
 He caught her signal and was soon by her side, 
 when, lo! who should it be but my quandam 
 little friend with his basket full of 'ginger- 
 bricks.' She said to him very kindly indeed, 
 ' Little boy, how do you sell your cakes ? ' 
 
 "I paid Mrs. Paxton for the expense Nancy 
 and her boy had been to her, and after accept- 
 ing a very friendly invitation to visit her at her 
 
NEHU8HTAN. 97 
 
 home, I left her dickering with the boy for 
 gingercakes for her slaves, which she declared 
 were in great favor with all blacks." 
 
 The distiny of that little boy will be told in 
 a future chapter. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 JOHN Nekoda had continued in the real estate 
 business, and his wealth was becoming im- 
 mense. Besides that, some of his lands in south 
 Missouri were found to contain vast mines of 
 lead, zinc, iron and onyx stone. Some of these 
 mines were yielding him more than his property 
 in St. Louis. He had planned to make a great 
 fruit farm on some of his lands, but the facilities 
 for marketing the product were insufficient to 
 warrant the undertaking yet awhile. 
 
 It was not long after he brought his sister home 
 from the college until she had the house in per- 
 fect order, for she had secured an excellent house- 
 keeper and cook in the person of a Swedish wo- 
 man, a widow not yet of middle age. 
 
 Mitylene found in the character and qualities 
 of Clara Entremets a treasure indeed. She had 
 a place for everything and kept everything in 
 its place. Her chief accomplishment was in the 
 excellency of the dishes she prepared for the 
 table. John Nekoda declared that she was a 
 world-beater. He abbreviated her name, saying 
 that it was meet that she be called Mets, instead 
 
 (98) 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 99 
 
 of Entremets, since she met all the wants and 
 requirements of the household, giving full meas- 
 ure, heaped up and running over. Thus it came 
 about that the housekeeper was known and an- 
 swered to the name John had given her from the 
 start. 
 
 Nitylene learned to love her dearly, so kind, 
 true, good and useful was she ; and withal she 
 was very intelligent and a Christian. She de- 
 clared that Mats' management had turned home 
 into heaven, and she feared that already there 
 was creeping into her nature a disposition to rebel 
 against that certain future call to leave it, and 
 give up the known for the unknown. 
 
 Viola Varner, Mitylene's waiting-maid, was 
 an American hybrid product from parental stocks 
 of French and Scotch-Irish grafting. She had 
 but little of the Irish humor and tongue, being 
 unusually quiet. She had the kindly character 
 and stubborn, attend-to-your own-business quality 
 of the Scotch, the vanity and love of display of 
 the French, and the mixed beauty of all three of 
 these types. She was an orphan, fifteen years 
 of age, with plenty of confidence in herself and 
 suspected everybody of being honest. She had 
 no secrets of her own and was never guilty of 
 having one to keep for another. This faculty was 
 destined to undergo a great change, for she was 
 yet to carry a heart-secret that should only be 
 
100 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 wrested from her under the very shadow of death. 
 
 Her greatest weakness was an inordinate love 
 of flowers, particularly their fragrance. In fact 
 perfumery was a standing item in the inventory 
 of her toilet articles, or, rather, her bill of fare, 
 as she first tasted everything with her nose. 
 
 A muskrat, drawn by the scent of a parsnip, 
 will swim a mile up stream and enter a trap bait- 
 ed with it; but this monomaniac would double 
 the distance twice over, in some roundabout way, 
 in order to pass a known rosebush in bloom that 
 she might load herself with its fragrant roses. 
 
 There was nothing within the range of her ex- 
 perience that gratified her so much as to sniff 
 the sweet odors of flowers and cover her person 
 with blossoms. Many hearty laughs did Mity- 
 lene enjoy at the flowery extravagance of this 
 natural May queen. Whether she waS in full 
 bloom or had but a baker's dozen tagged to her 
 clothing, she was bound, by the governing idio- 
 crasy, to make a draw on each' specimen, lifting 
 her trappings and bending her neck and head 
 this side or that in order to bring her beauties 
 within reach of her nostrils. At every inhalation 
 satisfaction was expressed by a word, sound or 
 grunt that cannot be intelligibly written — euhm, 
 euhm — which me^ns, yum, yum, I have all and 
 you have none. 
 
 Seeing this disposition to flowers, flounce and 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 101 
 
 flavor, Mitylene dubbed her Vophsi, a name she 
 wore ever afterward. 
 
 The essence of cinnamon was a great favorite 
 of Vophsi's. She also had an unctions tendency 
 which led her to use highly perfumed poma- 
 tums. This habit the young men designated 
 by the term "loud" — whatever that may mean. 
 However, the explanation given was that those 
 who used much perfumery were afflicted with a 
 mine of ill odors and sought to destroy them with 
 perfumeries rather than by fumigation. 
 
 This was not exactly true in Yophsi's case, for 
 she was neat and tidy, and had only a rather high 
 touch in the senses of taste and smell. 
 
 On the day that Wilford Melton was to arrive, 
 in answer to the invitation given at Columbia, 
 Mitylene sent Vophsi to the greenhouse with an 
 order for some cut flowers. The flowers came, but 
 no Vophsi. The whole evening had passed. 
 Mitylene was anxious and had looked out at the 
 door for her at least one and twenty times. Her 
 hair was to be put up — an art in which Vophsi 
 excelled — ^but Vophsi had not returned. 
 
 "Within the next hour, he who was more to her, 
 in a certain sense, than any other person, would 
 be there. In the four years of her acquaintancje 
 with Prof. Melton she had always appeared be- 
 fore him neatly and tidily dressed, even as a 
 pupil, " and," uttering her thoughts aloud, " he 
 
102 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 sliall SO see me always or not see me at all, for 
 I am persuaded that Ms highest regard could 
 never be drawn towards a person who would be 
 careless in dress. I detest a careless and slovenly 
 person. Prof. Melton was at all times as bright 
 and clean as a new pin, and it is fair to believe 
 that he exemplifies in himself what he likes to 
 see in others. Oh, I wonder what can be keeping 
 Vophsi ? I cannot wait any longer. I will go 
 and see Mrs. Mets." 
 
 With this resolve she walked into that loveliest 
 of kitchens where savory meats were preparing 
 for supper for the expected guest. " Good Mets," 
 she said, " what shall I do ? There is but a short 
 time left. Vophsi has not returned, and my hair 
 is so heavy ; could you manage to put it up for 
 me ? I am real sorry to trouble you." 
 
 "Just wait a minute, my angel, till I finish 
 basting this meat and I will do it up for you 
 almost as well as Vophsi. Nancy, do not let 
 anything burn, whatever you do." 
 
 " I won't, ma'am," answered free Nance. 
 
 After a few minutes of dextrous manipulation, 
 Mets told Mitylene to go look in the mirror and 
 see if it would do. She came back delighted, and 
 kissed her, remarking, "Dear Mets, it is per- 
 fection. It seems to me that you can do every- 
 thing. I would not be surprised if you were to 
 sit down at the piano on some occasion and treat 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 103 
 
 ns to some of Beethoven's or Liszt's symphonies 
 and sonatas. Now I shall be ready to receive in 
 fifteen minutes, come who may." 
 
 It was not long after this till she saw her 
 brother driving the pair of fine horses up the 
 street — call it street, though far out, and his lot 
 comprised ten acres — in a sweeping trot. As she 
 looked at them — a beautiful pair of chestnut- 
 sorrels, a favorite color with her brother — she was 
 reminded of the time when he drove that other 
 pair, Prince and Ben Lomond, seven years before, 
 and picked her up on the highway after a night's 
 lodging under the cow-shed. 
 
 Her thoughts grew sad as she remembered the 
 events of that occasion. A very strong desire 
 and purpose to visit her parents came over her 
 as she arose to meet her brother and Prof. Melton 
 at the door. The pleasant greeting was. followed 
 by an incident so ludicrous that Mitylene could 
 not refrain from laughing heartily. As she gave 
 her hand to "Wilford Melton and bade him wel- 
 come, her eye caught sight of an object following 
 in the rear, so strange that it was difficult to de- 
 termine whether it was a human being or an 
 ancient shrub from the hanging gardens of old 
 King N^ebuchadnezzar of Babylon. However, it 
 proved to be Yophsi. She was bedecked from 
 head to foot with specimens of every floral species 
 propagated by the florist where she had gone 
 
104 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 with the order. Besides that, she wore a crown 
 fashioned of cardboard and covered with flowers, 
 save a small space over the forehead on which 
 the name of the florist in gilt letters was quite 
 visible. They had taken advantage of her 
 idiosyncrasy and sent her forth as a walking 
 advertisement. They had paid well for it, for 
 there was ten dollars' worth tagged to her. 
 
 " Now, Miss Mitylene," she said, as she came 
 up, " arn't I got the 'fumery ?" 
 
 " Yes, indeed, child, you have got the 'fumery," 
 sad Mitylene, midst the general laugh. 
 
 "Euhm, euhm ! just smell. Miss Mitty." 
 
 "Oh, you are in great flavor; there is no 
 doubt of that. Gro now and disburden. Leave 
 off your stifling aroma, and be ready to attend 
 on the table." 
 
 It was arranged for Prof. Melton to room and 
 board at "Adoken Place," for John Nekoda's 
 ipse dixit had been uttered, and he was to con- 
 tinue as Mitylene's music teacher, especially 
 thorough bass. Prof. Melton was at work on 
 his great drama. This, with Mitylene's lessons, 
 kept him pretty constantly employed. 
 
 Mitylene's college friends had come and gone 
 with the summer and fall. Migratory birds 
 were leaving for the Sunny South. The squawk 
 of wild geese could be heard in the night time 
 in answer to the old honker in the lead tluit 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 105 
 
 said, " All is well," as he forged ahead, tacking 
 wind and cloud in his flight from the domains 
 of the ice-king of the North. 
 
 Mitylene was preparing to visit her parents in 
 New York City, for her brother had said, " Get 
 ready, Babe, and we will go to see the old folks 
 at home." 
 
 This announcement, at the breakfast table one 
 morning, had set Wilford Melton to thinking. 
 His own people were living in that beautiful little 
 city on the banks of the James, save a married 
 sister in Jersey City, near the very door of the 
 parental home of his friends. Why should he 
 not visit his own people at the same time? It 
 would be dull for him to remain in the absence 
 of his best friends. However, there was some- 
 thing deeper, more powerful and lasting, that was 
 father to the thought and demanded recognition 
 at this time. 
 
 Yielding to the sentiment, he called Jock — Jock 
 was the twelve-year-old negro boy, the son of 
 free Nance who lived in the back yard and did 
 chores for the household, but principally for Mrs. 
 Mets — and gave him a note to take to Mitylene, 
 asking her to give him a little more time for the 
 exercises for that day, as some of them would be 
 new and probably difficult. In consequence of this 
 note she reported an hour sooner than usual, and 
 
106 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 together they repaired to the music hall, adjoining 
 second floor parlor. 
 
 This music hall was constructed according to a 
 descriptive plan given by Prof. Melton to the 
 architect, at the request of John Nekoda, on a 
 former visit of Melton's. There was no carpet, 
 rug, tapestry or anything else on the wall or floor 
 which was not a part of it. The floor was double, 
 the top one being of hard wood. The wainscot- 
 ing was of hard woods so joined by their colors 
 as to represent fancy work. The walls and ceil- 
 ings were plastered and papered in imitation of 
 red cedar. The windows were tall and narrow, 
 with a single pane of glass in each sash. The 
 ceiling was. sixteen feet high in the center, draw- 
 ing some of its extra height from the garret. The 
 construction of this room was an experiment, 
 acoustic principles being considered. The corners 
 were ronnded like a cremona violin. The arched 
 ceiling gave the full-breasted swell and volume. 
 The length was double the breadth, and the cen- 
 ter on each side was contracted somewhat by 
 the semi-circular encroachment of small verandas. 
 There was a stage four feet above the floor for 
 the instruments and the performers, situate at 
 the opposite end of the hall from the parlor. 
 Thus the sound rolled down in waves to those 
 in the parlor, each sound having its distinct finish 
 so blended with others that the listener got them 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 107 
 
 singly and all together. It was like many tones 
 coming from different directions, and, yet, every 
 one catching the ear as so many sweet and 
 heavenly strains from a distance, thus silencing 
 the heedless tongue and commanding attention, 
 as if one should look beyond some flowery laby- 
 rinth for the graceful approach of a company of 
 angels. That parlor was connected with the 
 music hall by a large lifting door, balanced by 
 weights. It was finely finished and furnished. 
 The family pictures and those of friends were 
 hung there, but the finest paintings and works 
 of art were hung in parlor number 1, on the first 
 floor. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 PEOP. Melton had gone through with the les- 
 son, and Mitylene remarked, as they walked 
 into the parlor, that the lesson seemed shorter 
 than usual. 
 
 " Let us take a seat on the divan," said he, " for 
 I have a new lesson for you if you are ready to 
 take it now." 
 
 " You are preceptor ; it is yours to know and 
 command, and it is mine to obey." 
 
 "I appreciate your confidence in me by the 
 promise of obedience on your part, but I could not 
 think of holding you bound by it until you re- 
 affirm it after hearing me." 
 
 " Then I must hear you, for I would lack nothing 
 in my duty to my teacher." 
 
 " Mitylene, the lesson is a heart lesson. You 
 have been teaching it to me for four years. I be- 
 lieve I have learned it, and learned it well. I am 
 ready to take my degree, but it is conferred on 
 pairs only. I love you, Mittie. Will you consent 
 to make one of a pair with me ?" 
 
 " I will not pretend to misunderstand you, Prof. 
 Melton, for it would be untrue, but whatever sen- 
 
 (108) 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 109 
 
 timents I may entertain towards you — and they are 
 not unkind, — I think they should not be expressed 
 now. You are aware of the manner of my com- 
 ing away from my parents ; that it was without 
 their consent, and, notwithstanding the apparent 
 justification of my act, I have felt a desire to re- 
 turn and reconcile them to myself, and, if need be, 
 submit myself altogether to them, save my relig- 
 ious conscience. By returning to them a better 
 child than I took away, I would prove that I had 
 never ceased to love them, and prove iny religion 
 by humbling myself and begging their forgive- 
 ness. I would make my marriage, should such an 
 event ever take place, the means of a restoration 
 of confidence all around, and a day of rejoicing 
 for ' the old folks at home.' " 
 
 " That is a noble thought and purpose, Mittie, 
 and worthy of your heart. I appreciate your mo- 
 tives and thank you for permitting me to infer that 
 I may be an instrument to aid you in bringing 
 about that joy and reconciliation. Will yoa tell 
 me whether my inference is a correct one ? Please 
 answer yes or no." 
 
 " I think I had better not answer categorically, 
 Wilford, for that would be to make a sham of my 
 free offering to them. I must return to them free 
 and untrammeled. If you could come and see me 
 at the home of my par'ents — " 
 
 " 1 am satisfied, Mittie," he answered. She had 
 
110 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 called his first name for the first time. It indicated 
 to him the answer he might expect when the time 
 came. "However," he continued, "I do not care to 
 be left here alone after my life has gone from me. 
 I think I shall go and visit my folks in the old Do- 
 minion." 
 
 " "Why, certainly, Wilford, that will be delight- 
 ful ; we can all go together." 
 
 John Nekoda, having once made up his mind to 
 ^ thing, was not likely to let any grass grow under 
 his feet before he acted. A week had passed since 
 he had said, " Get ready, Babe," a pet name given 
 to his sister when she was a wee bit of a thing, 
 and now all things were ready. 
 
 Mrs. Mets was left in charge of the house, with 
 Jock and Jock's mother for protection. Vophsi, 
 with her irrepressible cinnamon, was to go as maid, 
 for Mitylene could not handle the great wealth of 
 hair that adorned her shapely head. Vophsi was 
 absolute mistress of the art, and could so arrange 
 Mitylene's hair that the weight was so evenly dis- 
 tributed that it never wearied her ; but if some 
 awkward person put it up, a headache was sure to 
 follow, as she had learned, to her sorrow, many 
 times while at college. 
 
 On a bright, frosty morning, they boarded a fine 
 Ohio River steamer, which, within a week landed 
 them in Cincinnati. Another two days took them 
 to Wheeling, Va., thence by stage, they came to 
 
NEHUSHTAN. HI 
 
 Cumberland, Pa., and thence by rail to Baltimore, 
 where there was a separation, Prof. Melton going 
 to Richmond, but promising to see them when he 
 should Visit his sister in Jersey City. 
 
 " Why, Wilford Melton," said Mitylene, " how 
 singular that you never told me that you had a 
 sister living there. What is her name ?" 
 
 " Shirley," he answered. 
 
 " Anna Shirley ?" 
 
 " Yes, Anna and her husband, Robert Shirley." 
 
 "Prof. Melton, I am almost offended at you for 
 not having told me this before." 
 
 "I am sure that I was right, Mittie, for I did not 
 want you and your brother to feel that you were 
 under obligations to me through the kindness of 
 my sister and her husband." 
 
 " Then you are not our friend. I never want to 
 put myself under obligations to an enemy ; but I 
 am ready and willing to be so placed to my 
 friends. This is a test of your friendship." 
 
 " Yes, I think it is, for it proves that I was con- 
 siderate of your feelings. You will allow me the 
 benefit of any doubts .until we can visit my sister 
 together, and if she tells you that she would have 
 held me guiltless for making capital for myself 
 out of her kind act, then I am ready to do penance 
 at your bidding." 
 
 " Agreed. When shall we see you, Wilford ?" 
 
 " In a fortnight, probably. I will let you know 
 
112 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 by mail when I have arrived at the residence of 
 my sister." 
 
 " Thank you. Pleasedo so." 
 
 John Nekoda and his sister reached home the 
 next morning, giving their parents a great and joy- 
 ful surprise. It is impossible to describe that 
 scene. The alternate laughing and weeping of that 
 mother, the praise she lavished on her children 
 and the abuse she heaped upon herself for driving 
 them away from home ; that her darling should 
 grow up among strangers and come back to her a 
 beautiful lady ; to think and believe her a bad 
 mother while she had pined, heart-broken, all 
 these years for her baby ! " Holy mother of God, 
 forgive me!" she said. 
 
 The last sentence brought a sigh from Mitylene. 
 
 Daniel Nekoda, the quiet, venerable patriarch, 
 after having embraced his children, being too full 
 for speech, stood there with never a word, while 
 the tears rolled down his cheeks until the time 
 when he said, " John, my son, you have nobly re- 
 deemed your promise. My children, you have 
 made your father happy in his old age." 
 
 Oh, that was a scene too touching and overpow- 
 ering for the witness of a sympathetic heart. 
 Quietly draw the curtain and leave it as a family 
 affair. 
 
 Vophsi had laughed and cried in her tender 
 sympathy. John and Mitylene Nekoda had been 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 113 
 
 at their father's house about fifteen days, when 
 they received a letter from Wilford Melton, an- 
 nouncing his arrival at his sister's in Jersey City, 
 and of his intention to visit them two days later. 
 The pledge was fulfilled according to promise. 
 Ever since the coming of John and his sister, they 
 had been persuading their parents to return with 
 them to St. Louis and make their home at Adoken 
 Place. 
 
 This brought both Mr. Sheva and Father Hethlon 
 into the consultation, and the old religious dispute 
 was stirred up as a consequence. Let it be said 
 here for John Nekoda that he waS not a man to 
 remain in doubt as to the truth of any proposition 
 if there were any means of getting at it. There was 
 so much conflict in the theology of diflferent relig- 
 ionists that he determined to know for himself, be- 
 lieving that there was a touchstone of truth locked 
 up in the sacred pages of holy writ which could 
 be revealed if the proper key was applied. He 
 accepted no theory, but demanded that a sufficient 
 number of facts should be verified to give authen- 
 ticity to assertion, and even then that a gap be 
 left open for probable .overthrow, until all the 
 proofs had been brought in. Once a principle 
 had been established, he never let it go. On this 
 plan he proceeded with all of his investigations. 
 
 He sought a first cause. God was the answer. 
 His principle love ; his object, something to love ; 
 
114 NEHVSHTAN. 
 
 Ms means of obtaining it, creation. To accom- 
 plish the purpose of creation the things created 
 must have laws to 'govern them. That of itself 
 determines the fact of right and wrong by a law 
 of necessity that sent forth these two entities from 
 the dawn of creation to antagonize each other 
 through all time. 
 
 They have appeared under different names at 
 different periods, but the actuality was and will 
 ever be the same. Christ is the example of right, 
 Satan of wrong. As principles, both deserved 
 their just deserts from the beginning ; but free 
 agency — the right to choose — makes responsibility 
 individual, and renders the subjects of the prince 
 of either kingdom worthy of his reward, and con- 
 demnation just. 
 
 Having reached this conclusion, John Nekoda 
 saw Romanism in its true light, arrayed under the 
 prince of the power of darkness. He had exam- 
 ined the leading religious orders of the day, and 
 the result was that he was a Protestant of that 
 order which accepted the plain word of truth with- 
 out any admixture of humanism. He was satis- 
 fied with the plain texit of the commission given 
 to the apostles by the Lord Jesus Christ, for he 
 was the Christ who was to come, according to the 
 (Scriptures. 
 
 " And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white 
 Jiorse ; and he that sat upon him was called faith- 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 115 
 
 ful and true, and in righteousness he doth judge 
 and make war." " And he hath on his vesture 
 and on his thigh a name written, King of kings, 
 and Lord of lords." 
 
 Father Hethlon, since the day John Nekoda 
 handled him so roughly, had prepared himself, 
 hoping to meet him and have the victory over him, 
 especially as he felt that his mother had weak- 
 ened in her faith in the holy cause by reason of 
 the failure on his part to disprove her son's strong 
 assertions. However, he had counted without his 
 host in believing that John Nekoda had given the 
 eight years of his absence exclusively to the ac- 
 cumulation of money. He would have done well 
 to avoid a.second conflict with the boy, as he still 
 viewed him. 
 
 Prof. Melton was introduced to the parents of 
 his friends. He formed an excellent opinion of 
 Daniel Nekoda. His demeanor was that of a man 
 conscious of right motives and motions, and who, 
 therefore, had nothing to fear from friend or 
 foe. As Wilford Melton observed that tall, up- 
 right man of three score years, his yet unsilvered 
 locks, dark, calm, clear eyes and patrician bear- 
 ing, he was led, in thought, to associate him with 
 those grand old patriarchs and leaders of that pe- 
 culiar people to whom a peculiar idea has clung 
 and will cling " till the mists have cleared away." 
 
 Turning to the wife, and comparing the aged 
 
116 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 pair, he could not discover in her that self-com- 
 placency that sits so well upon elderly people, and 
 which seems to say to the world, " I have done 
 what I could, I have fought a good fight." "The 
 lineaments of her face are good," he thought,-" and 
 indicate a disposition to kindness ;" yet there was 
 something that contrasted severely with the ex- 
 pression that dominated the brow of her husband 
 — something that seemed to hang as a shadow 
 with never a ray of light — something like the 
 skeleton in a closet. 
 
 Melton knew that Mitylene had seen the shadow, 
 and that it was casting a gloom over her that was, 
 in a measure, destroying the pleasure of her visit. 
 This was a matter of personal interest to Wilford 
 Melton, for he could make no calculation as to 
 when such an influence would have an end. 
 
 There was a difference of twenty years in the 
 ages of Daniel Nekoda and his wife, and, though 
 she looked nearly as old as her husband, the 
 chances were in favor of her continuance long after 
 he had gone hence. 
 
 Therefore it was probable that the mother's 
 home would be with her daughter, and that a life 
 influence, such as she was exerting at this time, 
 would be destructive of the happiness of her 
 daughter also. Something ought and should be 
 done. He revolved the matter over and over in 
 his mind, and finally determined to consult John 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 117 
 
 Nekoda ; for well he knew that his astute and 
 penetrating mind had taken hold of the situation. 
 He was convinced that it would only be necessary 
 to break down his mother's belief in Romanism. 
 He would do all . he could toward that end. He 
 doubted the effectiveness of their means, even if 
 their arguments were unanswerable. 
 
 " You are at liberty, Melton," said John, " to 
 use any means you think necessary to lift this pall 
 of despair from my mother's mind and conscience." 
 
 Wilford Melton asked Mitylene to help him keep 
 a pledge he made to his sister that he would bring 
 her over to see them. That same evening found 
 them at supper with Robert and Anna Shirley. 
 Mrs. Shirley covered the little runaway, as she 
 called her, with kisses, and fairly went into ecsta- 
 cies over her fine hair. 
 
 The two days spent on this occasion at the Shir- 
 ley's were pleasurable to all of them. Prof. Mel- 
 ton and Mitylene gave a musicale to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Shirley and a few of their friends and neighbors, 
 that was unsurpassed by anything of its kind ever 
 heard by those present. 
 
 Wilford and Mitylene took a walk on the sec- 
 ond day, going away out to a small church, where 
 they sat down and conversed long and seriously. 
 Leaning back against the trees of the avenue lead- 
 ing into the cemetery, he told Mittie of the con- 
 versation with her brother. If that plan failed. 
 
118 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 then he was left to work out his purpose as best 
 he could ; for her brother said he had caused his 
 mother so much trouble that he felt no inclination 
 to do more than try to destroy her blind faith in 
 the priest and Romanism. 
 
 " To begin on the plan, it is necessary that I 
 shall propose for your hand in marriage. That 
 will be sure to bring up the other subject ; but it is 
 necessary first to get your consent, as I should not 
 like to take an unwilling bride." 
 
 " Yet it seems that you and my good brother 
 have arranged the matter without consulting me. 
 I am a silent partner. Suppose I still keep silent." 
 
 " No, Mittie, we have only discussed the ways 
 and means of the restoration of your mother's 
 happiness. I see and know you have seen that 
 cloud hanging over her mind. It must be destroyed 
 or it will destroy." 
 
 " Yes, Wilford, I have seen it, and I thank you 
 for the interest you are taking in the matter. I 
 could not be willing to do less than your wisdom 
 suggests for my mother's sake. So if you and 
 brother think it best to ask of them my hand, I 
 give consent freely, since you know who has the 
 keeping of my happiness. But you speak of 
 something else in case of their refusal. I confess 
 that I do not know to what you refer, but, what- 
 ever it may be, I leave it to you and my brother." 
 
 " Thank you, Mitylene, my life." 
 
o 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 N the first evening after the return of Wilford 
 and. Mitylene from the Shirleys' in Jersey 
 City, and when, by concert of action, all the fam- 
 ily were gathered in the parlor for a pleasant 
 evening, Prof. Melton in the most polite and defer- 
 ential manner addressed Mitylene's parents on the 
 subject nearest his heart, saying : 
 
 " My dear Mr. and Mrs. Nekoda, may I ask you 
 to kindly consider the words I shall use in address- 
 ing you at this time ? I assure you that they are 
 laden with the hopes of more than one human 
 soul. 
 
 " It is nearly five years since I met your daugh- 
 ter, then a bright girl of fourteen years of age, 
 just entering college. I soon discovered that her 
 musical talents were vastly superior to the ordi- 
 nary, that there was as much in her tongue as in 
 her fingers, and more in both than is often found 
 in one person. While doing my best to improve 
 her talents, other chords, at first unknown, have 
 been touched and vibrated until two hearts are at- 
 tuned to harmonize perfectly with each other. We 
 have waited patiently for this opportunity to ask, 
 
 (119) 
 
120 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 your consent to our union and your blessing to ac- 
 company consent. I may add that I am of old 
 Virginia stock, of good family and name, possess- 
 ed of a fair, but not a great portion of this world's 
 goods." 
 
 Daniel Nekoda, who had been favorably im- 
 pressed with Prof. Melton from the beginning, was 
 the first to speak. 
 
 "I think," said he, " that you have fairly earned 
 your bride, and ought to have her. It would be 
 cruel to withhold her from you, as our ancient 
 kinsman, Laban, withheld Rachel from Jacob. 
 I have no Leah for you. Take Mitylene, and 
 may the blessings of the Grod of Abraham, and 
 of Isaac, and of Jacob rest and abide with you 
 forever. Amen! So mote it be. Amen!" 
 
 Then turning to his daughter, he addressed her 
 personally : 
 
 " Mitylene, my daughter, I love you as only a 
 father can love his daughter. I have your best in- 
 terests at heart. I approve of your choice for a 
 husband, but, aside from that, under the laws of 
 grand America, you are free to choose, indepen- 
 dently of both your father and mother." 
 
 John Nekoda understood why his father had 
 thus addressed Mitylene. 
 
 " That is true, my father," she answer6d, " but, 
 as I took time that was rightly yours, I come to 
 make it good to you by putting my entire self — 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 121 
 
 save conscience — under bondage to my parents." 
 
 " No, my child, it shall not be. Perhaps more 
 has been done for your good than would have been 
 had you remained at home. True, we lost the 
 comforting influence of the presence of our chil- 
 dren, but that is the fate of all parents, sooner or 
 later. If the children do not leave them, they 
 leave the children." 
 
 " Father," said John Nekoda, " you have spoken 
 wisely and well. I propose to remedy the latter 
 trouble by carrying mother and yourself off home 
 with me to live in ease and comfort the rest of 
 your days. Now, mother, only your sanction is 
 lacking. I endorse Prof. Melton as in every sense 
 worthy of Mitylene's hand, and I am happy to say 
 she is just as worthy of his. I should have been 
 ashamed to ask you to bestow in marriage a hand 
 less worthy than she accepts. As father has just 
 remarked, Mitylene is not legally bound to obey 
 you, but, as an act of grace, she comes and asks 
 you to formally dispose of her. What will you 
 say ? Speak out, mother." 
 
 " Holy mother of Grod! I know not what I should 
 say. Give me time, I will see Father Hethlon. I 
 suppose it will be all right, but I would not like to 
 give my word until I have seen him." 
 
 At this speech there was a look from one to an- 
 other all around, for every one in the room saw 
 how complete was the thraldom of that poor 
 
122 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 woman to the priest, or rather to the Church of 
 Rome. There was nothing to do but wait. 
 
 " When can you see this oracle of motives, the 
 priest?" asked her son. 
 
 " I will see him to-morrow morn, and will see 
 you again of this matter at this same hour to-mor- 
 row eve." 
 
 "Thank you," added Wilford Melton. "And 
 may the Lord bless you." 
 
 In answer to this she made the sign of the cross 
 over her breast. Just then Mitylene moved nearer 
 to her mother, and taking her hand, talked to her 
 in a low, pleading tone which seemed to affect 
 both of them very much. While this was going 
 on. Prof. Melton had turned to John Nekoda, and, 
 in an undertone, asked what reason his mother 
 could have for wishing to see the priest, as Cath- 
 olics do not always oppose, but sometimes sanc- 
 tion the marriage of their members with those who 
 are not Romanists, claiming the power to hold 
 their own, and at the same time to use the oppor- 
 tunity to gain others." 
 
 " That is true only when there is great wealth, 
 to be gained by the marriage to a heretic. In fact 
 a Catholic has policy in everything he does. 
 Mitylene is not a Catholic by her baptism in 
 infancy. I do not think my mother has any mo- 
 tive other than to avoid priestly censure, for I 
 think she lives in more fear of him than of death 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 123 
 
 itself. She will bring him into the house at the 
 time set for the answer to-morrow evening. There 
 is no telling what the answer will be. ■ They are 
 likely to want a Catholic ceremony, and to that 
 neither of you would ever consent." 
 
 Just at that moment, when John finished speak- 
 ing, his mother said to him, "If the priest 
 shows gof'd reason why I should not give my con- 
 sent to this marriage, then I will be compelled to 
 withhold it." 
 
 " But, my dear mother, who is to be judge of the 
 quality of his reasons, whether good or bad? Sup- 
 pose that we should tackle his reasons, and show 
 them to be fallacious ; that the claim he makes 
 cannot be maintained by him, but can be dis- 
 proved by us, w^hat will you then say, mother ? Is 
 it possible that you cannot trust your own son ?" 
 
 " O yes ; but then he would excommunicate me 
 and curse me to my lasting and eternal ruin." 
 
 " Mother, his officiousness has already been a 
 curse to you, but if I prove to you that the Pope 
 has no such power from God, will you then agree 
 to be advised by me, your own son, who loves you 
 for yourself and because you are his mother ? 
 Will you, mother dear ?" 
 
 " O my son ! If I could make that promise I 
 would, but it would be equivalent to the curse I 
 fear so much. O my son! do you know any- 
 thing of that fearful curse? I know you do 
 
124^ NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 not. I have it here as pronounced against 
 
 . Insert my name for his and you will know 
 
 something, of my trouble. The priest told me 
 when he gave me that copy, that he on whom the 
 curse fell was blighted forever, and that his life 
 was a torment to him, day and night, while he 
 lived. Read it soa — read it." 
 
 THE pope's OUESE. 
 
 " By the authority of the God Almighty, the 
 Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and the undefiled 
 Virgin Mary, Mother and Patroness of our Savior, 
 and of all celestial Virtues, Angels, Archangels, 
 Thrones, Dominions, Powers, Cherubim and Sera- 
 phim, and all the Holy Patriarch, Prophets, and of 
 all the Apostles and Evangelists, of the Holy In- 
 nocents, who, in the sight of the Holy Lamb are 
 found worthy to sing the new song of the Holy 
 Martyrs and Holy Confessors, and of all the Holy 
 Virgins, and of all Saints, together with the Holy 
 
 Elect of God, may she, , be damned. We 
 
 excommuqicate and anathematize her from the 
 threshold of the Holy Church of God Almighty! 
 "We sequester her that she may be tormented, de- 
 spised and delivered over with Dathan andAbraam, 
 and with those who say unto the Lord, ' Depart 
 from us ; we desire none of thy ways ;' as a fire is 
 quenched with water, so let the light of her be put 
 out forever more, unless it shall repent her and 
 make satisfaction. Amen. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. ■ 125 
 
 " May tlie Father who creates man curse her ! 
 May the Son, who suffered for us, curse her ! May 
 the Holy Ghost, who is poured out in baptism, 
 curse her ! May the Holy Cross, which Christ, for 
 our salvation, triumphing over his enemies, 
 ascended, curse her ! 
 
 " May the Holy Mary, ever Virgin and mother 
 of God, curse her ! May St. Michael, the Advo- 
 cate of the holy souls, curse her ! May all the 
 Angels, Principalities and Powers and Heavenly 
 Armies, curse her ! May the glorious band of the 
 Patriarchs and Prophets, curse her ! 
 
 " May St. John the Precursor, and St. John the 
 Baptist, and St. Peter and St. Paul, and St. An- 
 drew, and all other of Christ's Apostles together, 
 curse her ! And may the rest of the Disciples and 
 Evangelists, who, by their preaching, converted 
 the universe, and the holy and wonderful company 
 of Martyrs and Confessors, who, by their works, 
 are found pleasing to God Almighty. May the 
 holy choir of the Holy Virgins, who, for the honor 
 of Christ, have despised the things of the world, 
 damn her ! May all Saints from the beginning of 
 the world to the everlasting ages, who are found 
 to be beloved of God, damn her ; may she be 
 damned wherever she be, whether in the house or 
 in the alley, in the woods, or in the water, or in 
 the church! May she be cursed in living and 
 dying ! 
 
126 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 " May she be cursed in eating and drinking, in 
 being hungry, in being thirsty, in fasting and 
 sleeping, in slumbering and in sitting, in living, in 
 
 working, in resting, and in , and in blood 
 
 letting ! May she be cursed in all the faculties of 
 her body ! 
 
 "May she be cursed inwardly and outwardly! 
 May she be cursed in her hair; cursed be she in 
 her brains and her vertex, in her temples, in her 
 eyebrows, in her cheeks, in her jawbones, in her 
 nostrils, in her teeth and grinders, in her lips, in 
 her shoulders, in her arms, in her fingers ! 
 
 "May she be dammed in her mouth, in her 
 breast, in her heart and purtenances, down to the 
 very stomach ! 
 
 "May she be cursed in her and in her , 
 
 in her thighs, in her and her , and in 
 
 her knees, in her legs, in her feet and her toe 
 nails ! 
 
 " May she be cursed in all her joints and articula- 
 tion of the members, from the crown of her head 
 to the soles of her feet may there be no sound- 
 ness! 
 
 '.' May the Son of the living Grod, with all the 
 glory of his majesty, curse her ! And may 
 heaven, with all the powers that move therein, 
 rise up against her, and curse and damn her, 
 unless she repent and make satisfaction. Amen ! 
 So be it. Be it so. Amen ! " 
 
NEHU8HTAN. 127 
 
 "Tes, mother, the alls and holies seem to 
 make that a fearful curse to realize ; but let the 
 Pope curse, there is nothing to fear from it, as 
 gold and silver produce a very fallible impres- 
 sion on his accusing mind. You could buy out 
 at any time if you chose to throw pearls before 
 ewine. That threatened curse is a hoax — a great 
 bugaboo — intended to act on the credulity of the 
 people. Therefore, the Pope is a pretender, a liar 
 and deceiver, whose curse is to be feared only as 
 one might fear the murderer and traitor. He has 
 it in heart and mind to do evil to all human 
 beings who do not submit themselves to his rule, 
 as though he were some great one in whom the 
 Creator is well pleased. By his self-assumption 
 he is self-doomed, and that is the doom of his 
 submissive and deceived followers. 
 
 " The harmony and simplicity of all nature are 
 against the Pope. Common sense is against him, 
 divine inspiration is against him, equity and jus- 
 tice are against him, and truth is opposed to him. 
 
 " All the'jblissful beatitudes are opposed to the 
 Pope. No heavenly angels are at his call. 
 Jesus Christ and his apostles have warned 
 against him. ' And the kingdom and the great- 
 ness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, 
 shall be given to the people of the saints of the 
 Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting king- 
 
128 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 dom, and all dominions shall serve and obey 
 Mm.' 
 
 "At that time, mother, the brazenness of the 
 claims of the Church of Rome with its crowned 
 head will be seen and known, for then deception 
 will no longer deceive. 'For the mystery of 
 iniquity doth already work ; only he who now let- 
 teth will let, until he be taken out of the way." 
 ' Come out of her, my people.' ' Come out, 
 mother.' " 
 
 " Oh, my son, if I could see it as you see it — a 
 delusion — then I could have peace and joy of my 
 life ; then I should be happy through my husband 
 and children ; but the priest tells me that this is 
 impious and sacrilegious, and that the church 
 takes precedence over all other considerations." 
 
 " Wait, mother, and let the priest tell his own 
 story, and we will prove that there is nothing in 
 his Romanism but bald assertion. I presume you 
 intend that he shall be here ?" 
 
 "Yes, if you do not object." 
 
 "I do not object, mother; fetch on your oracle. 
 I ask you whether you are willing that your cause 
 shall stand or fall on Father Hethlon's ability to 
 maintain his claim ?" 
 
 " If I say yes, then there is the dreadful curse. 
 And if the holy father does not like my answer, 
 when I go to confession he will make me pay for 
 the violation of duty." 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 129 
 
 '■ Mother, do you believe me to be honest and 
 truthful?" 
 
 "Oh, yes, my son, you are all that. I do not 
 doubt your honesty in the least." 
 
 '• Then let me tell you in all sincerity that I 
 have learned a way to get rid of the Pope's 
 anathemas without paying one cent, though he 
 rain them down in encyclical showers till the 
 papal sea runs dry." 
 
 "Oh, if I only knew that his power to curse 
 could be taken away ! I fear you cannot do it ; 
 you cannot prove me that. You think you can, 
 but you will surely fail. I will ask the priest." 
 
 " Mother, why will you believe what the priest 
 tells you without proof, and yet demand proof 
 from your own son, who can have no motive to 
 mislead you ?" 
 
 " My son, the true knowledge and unction from 
 the Holy Ghost comes only through the vicar of 
 Christ and his ministers. The Pope is the only 
 authority." 
 
 " They assert it, but cannot prove it. In fact, 
 it is false, yet you accept it for truth without 
 proof, and that is more than you have ever done 
 for me." 
 
 Thus closed that preparatory meeting. Wilford 
 Melton was sorely troubled concerning the state 
 of this woman. Never had he witnessed such 
 fear, submission and absolute distress of mind. 
 
 9 
 
130 NEHU8H1AN. 
 
 He was satisfied that it was the fearful doom of 
 the Pope's curse with which the priest had con- 
 tinually threatened her in case she preferred her 
 children to the Church of Rome. Rome first, and 
 children afterwards ; Rome, then husband ; but 
 Rome, the unchangeable, first, last and forever. 
 
 Rome, the unchangeable, is bound by the unani- 
 mous consent of the holy fathers, but it is a 
 remarkable fact that there is no unanimity be- 
 tween the holy fathers. One holy father writes 
 to prove that what another holy father has written 
 is wrong and heretical. The Popes and the 
 church forged the false liturgies of St. Peter, St. 
 Mark and St. James to prove that the sacrifice of 
 the mass, purgatory, prayers for the dead, and 
 transubstantiation were believed and taught from 
 the very days of the apostles ; yet, the same 
 church which had invented these apostolic litur- 
 gies afterward accepted the false decretals of 
 Isedore, and forged many additions and interpo- 
 lations to the writings of the holy fathers in order 
 to make them say the very contrary to what they 
 intended. 
 
 A priest — "the noblest Roman of them all" — 
 who long since obeyed the call to "Come out of 
 her, my people," in speaking of this very subject, 
 said: 
 
 "How many times, when alone, studying the 
 history of the shameless fabrication, I said to my- 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 131 
 
 self, ' Does the man whose treasury is filled with 
 pure gold, forge false coins or spurious pieces of 
 money V No. How, then, is it possible that my 
 church does possess the pure truth, when she has 
 been at work during so many centuries to forge 
 such egregious lies, under the name of liturgies 
 and decretals about the holy mass, purgatory, the 
 supremacy of the Pope, etc. ?" 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 AT the time appointed for hearing the answer 
 of Mitylene's mother in respect to the pro- 
 posed marriage, Father Hethlon, true to the in- 
 stincts of his nature and the craft of his calling, 
 was on the ground. 
 
 Mr. Sheva, the rabbi, was present, by invitation 
 of Daniel Nekoda, to witness, as he said, the 
 breaking up of that brazen thing, Joel Hethlon. 
 
 John Wekoda introduced Prof. Melton to Father 
 Hethlon and the Rabbi, then turning to his mother 
 said: 
 
 "Mother, it is the time appointed for your 
 answer. Speak out ; but remember that Mitylene 
 is of legal age and has the right to choose and 
 act for herself. To ask your consent to her mar- 
 riage is an act of grace on her part that should 
 be considered by you and treated in the same 
 spirit in which it is ofifered. I shall expect my 
 mother to be fully up to the requirements of 
 courtesy and love in granting the request of Prof. 
 Melton, and thus let peace, harmony and love 
 reign forever." 
 
 "Father Hethlon will answer you, my son." 
 
 (132) 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 133 
 
 " Sir priest, you can proceed, as I understand 
 from my mother's reply that she still concedes 
 your right to control her mind, soul and body ; 
 but mind you well, if you fail to show just cause 
 for your intermeddling with the affairs of this 
 family it will be an omen of misfortune for a 
 Roman priest." 
 
 "Thank you, John. I see that the years of 
 your sojourn in the West have not quenched the 
 fire of your disposition ; but you are fair and 
 honorable, since you warn me beforehand. Fore- 
 warned, forearmed, and hence I shall try to avoid 
 the misfortune, whatever it may be. 
 
 " I will state, first, that no marriage is valid un- 
 less the parties are united according to the rules 
 prescribed by the court of Rome, whether they be 
 Catholic, Jew or Protestant. All other marriages 
 are simply a wholesale system of concubinage 
 and the children of such are bastards. The Pope 
 has the right to annul state laws, constitu- 
 tions, treaties, etc., and to absolve from obedience 
 thereto. Therefore, laws of marriage under this 
 government are a violation of the divine law, 
 which is the highest law governing in all cases. 
 The church has the right over the children of 
 Catholic parents, and especially of a Catholic 
 mother. Mitylene was baptized into the holy 
 Catholic Church in infancy. Besides that, she, 
 I am informed, very recently placed herself, of 
 
134 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 her own free will, under the control of her mother, 
 and, by that act, has rebound herself to the 
 church, virtually giving the church the manage- 
 ment 'of her marriage. 
 
 " If she is willing to conform to that rule and 
 to subscribe to the certificate I have prepared 
 for her, and Prof. Melton is willing to subscribe 
 to the certificate for non-Catholics, then the mar- 
 riage will not be opposed." 
 
 "Read your certificates,' said Melton. 
 
 " Let the young lady first withdraw," said the 
 priest. 
 
 "Father Hethlon, this is not a private con- 
 fessional. 'To the pure all things are pure.' 
 Mitylene will remain in the room and hear what 
 you have to say with less disgust than she 
 could listen to it in a private confessional where 
 she could not resent an insult," said John 
 Nekoda. v 
 
 " As you please," answered the priest. "I 
 read the certificate for non-Catholic. 
 
 "I, the undersigned non-Catholic, , be- 
 ing desirous of contracting marriage with 
 
 before a Catholic priest duly authorized by a 
 
 special dispensation from the Right Rev. , 
 
 Bishop of New York, do promise, in the presence 
 
 of the Rev. Joel Hethlon, and , viritnesses 
 
 attending for this purpose, that all of the chil- 
 dren, male and female, born of my marriage 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 135 
 
 with shall be baptized and educated in 
 
 the Catholic religion, and, moreover, that I will 
 by no means whatever hinder or obstruct the 
 said children in the exercise of the said relig- 
 ion. I also promise that in the solemnization of 
 my marriage there shall be only the Catholic 
 ceremony. 
 
 " In testimony whereof I have signed this docu- 
 ment in the presence of the Rev. Joel Hethlon and 
 
 said witnesses, , on this day of the 
 
 month, in the year . 
 
 YOUNG lady's CBETinOATE. 
 
 '•I, the undersigned, about to marry , do 
 
 faithfully promise that, by exhortation, instruc- 
 tion, example and prayer, I will do all in my 
 
 power to convert the aforesaid to the one 
 
 true fold, the holy Catholic and apostolic Church. 
 
 "I, the undersigned, do hereby certify that 
 and have signed the foregoing in 
 
 my presence, and, for reasons assigned, I recom- 
 mend that the dispensation be granted. 
 
 " Given at New York City this day of 
 
 18 — . Joel HETHLOisr, Pastor of St. ." 
 
 "Then, Father Hethlon," said Prof. Melton, 
 " from your leading statement you hold that the 
 Church of Rome does not recognize the laws of 
 
136 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 the United States Government as having any bind- 
 ing force in any case in opposition to the man- 
 dates of Rome." 
 
 " It does not. The right of the holy Catholic 
 Church is paramount to all other rights, individ- 
 ual or collective, state or national. The author- 
 ity exercised by states belongs to the Church of 
 Rome or the Pope — tlie vicar of Christ. He per- 
 mits them only for a time. The Pope can annul 
 all legal relations of those in ban, especially their 
 marriages. The Pope can release from every 
 obligation, oath or vow, either before or after 
 being made. And he has the right to absolve 
 from oaths and obedience to the persons and the 
 laws of the princes he excommunicates. 
 
 "He who kills one that is excommunicated is 
 no murderer in a legal sense. The execution of 
 papal commands for the persecution of heretics 
 causes remission of sins." 
 
 "Are these sentiments universal among Catho- 
 lics ?" asked Prof. Melton. 
 
 " The church is a unite on all questions of 
 divine law. The laity have not the right to dis- 
 sent." 
 
 "Do you know. Father Hethlon," said John 
 Nekoda, " that the sentiments you have expressed 
 are treasonable to the United States Grovernment, 
 and that priests, bishops or whosoever else shall 
 give utterance to such sentiments, are traitors. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 137 
 
 and liable to be arrested, tried and punished with 
 death? Ah! no! They do not think of the pit 
 they are digging for themselves ; but as certain as 
 prophetic language speaks the truth, so surely 
 shall they find the doom so fearfully pictured 
 by those inspired men. Do you know, Reverend 
 Father, that you are guilty, with all your clan, 
 of that sin that is unto death, in ascribing the 
 power of remitting sins to the Pope and to the 
 execution of papal commands rather than to the 
 blood of Christ, the Lamb of God that taketh away 
 the sin of the world ?"' 
 
 " The Church of Rome, under the Pope, is infalli- 
 ble and cannot err," answered Father Hethton. 
 
 "No, he did not err," replied John Nekoda, "in 
 separating pastors from their families and oblig- 
 ing them to devote themselves nndividedly to the 
 church, enforcing a law of celibacy which was 
 destined, with the aid of the confessional and 
 sale of indulgences, to work seduction and crim- 
 inal intimacy between priests and female con- 
 fessants,, often culminating in the ' most holy and 
 righteous Father's ' being kicked out of the house 
 by the outraged husband. You, sir, have the 
 brazen-facedness to present certificates for the 
 signatures of Christians, binding them to aid in 
 condemning unborn children to the- pits of hell 
 which you have dug and are digging for your- 
 selves. It were better that you and all who op- 
 
138 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 pose God should writhe in the fires of eternal 
 damnation seven times heated, than that one 
 single innocent should fall into your hands." 
 
 "Let your friend talk, John, for his tongue is 
 more civil than yours." 
 
 " All right, Father Hethlon ; Ibut if you wish me 
 to be silent you must not open the ring for un- 
 gloved hands, for I never use gloves. Prof. Melton 
 is more lenient than I, and more conversant with 
 your church history. I will keep quiet if you will 
 respect my pets, but I will not allow you to 
 trample truth and morality under your unhallowed 
 feet. I yield the floor to him." 
 
 "Then, I would ask this question, Father 
 Hethlon," resumed the Professor. " Do you deny 
 the fact of the sale of indulgences, established 
 about the eleventh century by John, surnamed the 
 Faster, Archbishop of Constantinople, and pushed 
 more earnestly by Gregory VII, and reaching the 
 zenith of its power about the fifteenth century ? " 
 
 " No ; I do not deny it, Prof. Melton. It is true. 
 It was only possible through the sale of indul- 
 gences to save the people, for the tendency was to 
 do evil continually. This scheme was devised to 
 save them from sin by taking away the law as to 
 themselves." 
 
 " Who devised the scheme, Father Hethlon ?" 
 
 " The Pope's counbil, of course." 
 
 "That is what I supposed; but- the scheme of 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 139 
 
 redemption, with Christ as the Redeemer, never 
 proposed salvation from sin by licensing sin, the 
 thing to be saved from. The Pope's schemes and 
 Christ's schemes are diametrically opposed to each 
 other, and irreconcilable by the Bible or by the 
 syncretism of Calixtus or any other man." 
 
 " You must remember that the Pope is Christ's 
 vicar, and cannot err, Prof. Melton." 
 
 " I cannot remember a thing that does not exist 
 and is untrue, and as the thing you state, in 
 fact, in morals and in philosophy, is untrue, I can 
 not remember it. If one of these schemes is true, 
 the other must be false. The true is of Christ, 
 wherein all things harmonize ; the false is of Satan 
 or his representative, the Pope, wherein all is 
 inconsistency and confusion, casting out devils by 
 the prince of devils. The house is divided against 
 itself and must fall, for you claim to procure for- 
 giveness of sins by selling permission to sin. 
 Now, you will not deny this, that there was a 
 price fixed on the various sins ; that incest was to 
 cost five grochen ; and that murder, infanticide, 
 adultery, perjury, burglary, etc., had their prices 
 fixed on them." 
 
 " It is true, but I have given you the reasons," 
 replied Father Hethlon. 
 
 " And the reasons given by you are condemna- 
 tory of your church, showing that it is founded on 
 
140 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 the lies of Satan. Will you tell me who was John 
 Tetzel ? " 
 
 " John Tetzel was a native of Leipsic, Bachelor 
 of Theology, Prior of the Dominicans, Apostolic 
 Commissioner and Inquisitor, who filled the office 
 for the sale of indulgences, beginning about the 
 year 1500." 
 
 " Correct ! Your statement accords with history, 
 Father Hethlon. Now, I think it will be some- 
 what interesting to quote a little, here and there, 
 from the harangues of this bellowing ass — the 
 Pope's commissioner — John Tetzel, as he cried 
 his merchandise to the expectant and eager rabble 
 that gathered around him and the Pope's strong 
 iron box with a slot in it through which the 
 money was dropped." 
 
 "Indulgences," said he, "are the most precious 
 and sublime of God's gifts. This cross (pointing 
 to thel-ed cross which he carried around with him 
 and had set up before the altar) has as much 
 efficacy as the cross of Jesus Christ ! Draw near, 
 and I will give you letters duly sealed, by which 
 even the sins you shall hereafter desire to commit 
 shall be forgiven you. 
 
 " I would not exchange my privileges for those 
 of St. Peter in heaven, for I have saved more souls 
 with my indulgences than he with his sermons. 
 There is no sin so great that the indulgence cannot 
 remit it, and, even, if any one should (which is 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 141 
 
 doubtless impossible) ravish the holy mother of 
 God, let him pay — let him only pay largely, aad 
 it shall be forgiven him. 
 
 " Even repentance is not indispensable ; but more 
 than all this, indulgences save not the living 
 alotie ; they also save the dead. 
 
 " Ye priests, ye nobles, ye tradesmen, ye wives, 
 ye maidens, and ye young men, harken to your de- 
 parted parent and friends who cry to you from the 
 bottomless abyss, ' We are enduring horrible tor- 
 ment ; a small alms would deliver us ; — you can give 
 it and you will not.' ' The very moment,' continued 
 Tetzel, ' that the money clinks against the bottom 
 of the chest the soul escapes from purgatory, and 
 flies free to heaven.' Do you. Father Hethlon, 
 deny the truth of these statements ? " 
 
 " I do not. Had the people committed those sins 
 against the law without securing the privilege in 
 some way, it would have sent their souls to perdi- 
 tion. That way was through the interposition of 
 the Pope, vicar of Christ." 
 
 " That claim is as false as the Pope — the man 
 of sin himself," said John IS'ekoda. 
 
 " John, my son, keep to your pledge," said Mrs. 
 Nekoda. 
 
 " Before proceeding further," said Prof. Melton, 
 " I wish to present one of Tetzel's letters of abso- 
 lution." 
 
142 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 A DIPLOMA. 
 
 "Our Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on thee, , 
 
 and absolve thee by the merits of his most holy 
 suflPerings ; and I, in virtue of the Apostolic power 
 committed to me, absolve thee from all ecclesias- 
 tical censures judgments and penalties that thou 
 mayest have merited ; and, further, from all ex- 
 cesses, sins and crimes, that thou mayest have 
 committed, however great and enormous they may 
 be, and of whatever kind, even though they 
 should be reserved to our Holy Father, the Pope, 
 and the Apostolic See. I efface all the stains of 
 weakness, and all traces of the shame thou mayest 
 have drawn upon thyself by such actions. I re- 
 mit the pain thou wouldst have had to endure in 
 purgatory. I receive thee again to the sacraments 
 of the church ; reincorporate thee in the com- 
 munion of the saints, and restore thee to the inno- 
 cence and purity of thy baptism ; so that, at the 
 moment of death, the gate of the place of torment 
 shall be shut against thee, and the gate of para- 
 dise, of joy, shall be opened unto thee. And if 
 thou shouldst live long, this grace continueth un- 
 changeable till the time of the end. In the name 
 of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 
 Amen. 
 
 " The brother, John Tetzel, commissary, hath 
 signed this with his own hand." 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 143 
 
 "Now, Father Hethlon, do you believe that this 
 Tetzel had power to absolve from sins? That 
 he was honest and believed it himself? " 
 
 "I do ; for he had his authority from the Pope, 
 who, as Christ's vicar, is infallible." 
 
 "Therefore, you would say his agents cannot 
 err in doing his bidding." 
 
 "Exactly." 
 
 " Now, listen. Father Hethlon. A gentleman of 
 Saxony who had heard Tetzel at Leipsic, being 
 disgusted with his impostures, asked the monk 
 if he was authorized to pardon sins in intention." 
 
 " ' I have full power from the Pope to do so,' 
 answered he: 
 
 " ' I want,' said the gentleman, ' to take some 
 revenge upon an enemy without attempting his 
 life.' 
 
 " The letter of indulgence was given for thirty 
 crowns. Shortly after the monk set out for Leipsic. 
 The gentleman, attended by his servants, laid wait 
 for him in a wood between Juterboch and Treblin, 
 fell upon him, gave him a beating, and carried off 
 the rich chest of indulgence money the Inquisitor 
 had with him. 
 
 "Tetzel brought an action before the judges, but 
 when Duke George read the letter, signed by 
 Tetzel himself, which exempted the gentleman 
 beforehand from all responsibility, he ordered that 
 the accused be acquitted. 
 
144 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 " Now, you think that this man Tetzel was honest 
 and believed what he preached. See this honest 
 believer, the moment he is caught in his own snare, 
 appealing to the law he has outraged, for redress. 
 There is but one voice, Father Hethlon, among good 
 men, and that is that the agents of the Church of 
 Rome, from priest to papal head, with some honor- 
 able exceptions, are as corrupt as the powers of 
 darkness can make them ; that the Pope has ex- 
 alted himself and magnified himself above every 
 Grod, and has spoken marvelous things against 
 the God of gods, and has prospered until the indig- 
 nation is about accomplished. ' Neither has he 
 regarded the God of his fathers, nor the desire of 
 women, nor regarded any God, for he shall magni- 
 fy himself above all.' No, no. These pure pastors 
 should have no desire of women. The devilish 
 scheme of Hildebrand against nature, pretend- 
 edly for good, is fully exemplified by the results 
 growing out of the private confessional." 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 "/^p all the machinations of evil," said John 
 V-/ Nekoda, " Satan never invented a scheme 
 more devilish and effective than auricular confes- 
 sion. Father Hethlon ! Grood Father Hethlon, will 
 you answer me this question ? What is the pen- 
 alty for divulging the secrets of the confessional ?" 
 
 " Death is the penalty, John. I would prefer to 
 finish this discussion with Prof. Melton, for he is 
 less abusive than thou art wont to be." 
 
 " Mother, sister, do you hear ? Death is the 
 penalty for the revelation of one single word or 
 act in the confessional of these holy fathers 
 authorized by the Pope's council — sacred college 
 — nidus of Satan — hell's nest — where priest-craft 
 hatches its damnable and damning brood of 
 ophidians — serpents with perforated and erectile 
 fangs filled with deadly venom — a brood of vipers 
 — lecherous priests — reeking with the odors of their 
 pollutions, licentious and unchaste in every 
 thought and purpose, offering indignities to puri- 
 ty and innocence, who by the practice of their 
 hellish arts, by threats of cursings and purgatory, 
 by excommunication without absolution and by 
 
 (145) 
 
146 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 the penalty of death for a revelation of their acts, 
 often succeed in the ruin of confessants, without 
 fear of punishment at the hands of the outraged 
 husband or brother ; for well do they know that 
 the death penalty clause will protect them from all 
 danger, though they should invade the most secret 
 affairs of the family. 
 
 "Mental reservation is obliterated and every 
 thought, purpose, hope, emotion or desire must be 
 laid bare, thus interposing the priests themselves 
 between husbands and wives as the repository of 
 secrets she dare not tell without incurring the 
 death penalty. Did Satan ever plan a more in- 
 sidious attack on the purity of women, and this, 
 too, under the blasphemous claim that it procures 
 forgiveness of sins ? Every little circumstance at- 
 tendant on sin, of thought or act ; every minor de- 
 tail must be given without any concealment, for, 
 otherwise, the confession is no confession at all. 
 Is that true, Father Hethlon ?" 
 
 " Yes. Concealment is sin in itself. 'Without 
 the confession of his sins,' says Father Ambrose, 
 ' no man can be justified from his sin.' But I sup- 
 posed, John, that you were too thoroughly Ameri- 
 can to double team and fight me two against one." 
 
 " Excuse me. Father Hethlon, I never strike a foe 
 after he cries enough. So gird on your belt and 
 finish with Prof. Melton. If I, thoughtlessly, jump 
 into the contest again, I will try not to strike be- 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 147 
 
 low it, although the seat of life in a priest is be- 
 low that point, and I have always been taught to 
 fight the devil with fire." 
 
 " Father Hethlon," resumed Prof. Melton, " how 
 many married women and girls who have arrived 
 at the age of puberty, have you in your pastorate?" 
 
 " There are one hundred married women and 
 about one hundred and twenty-five girls of that 
 age ?" 
 
 " How many times do you confess them in a 
 year, altogether ?" 
 
 "I do not remember; probably one thousand 
 times." 
 
 "Which confess oftenest, the married or the 
 single women ?"• 
 
 " The married, ten to one. Some of them come 
 regularly once a week, some oftener." ^ 
 
 " They, I suppose, are very bad ones and very 
 pestiferous ?" 
 
 " No, they are not. Usually they have been un- 
 fortunate in their marriages, and family difficul- 
 ties have arisen where the advice of the priest was 
 needed as well as the confession, for he is a doctor 
 of souls." 
 
 ' 'When the devil a doctor would be 
 A devil of a doctor among saints is he. " 
 
 " Oh, excuse me for the slip of the tongue," said 
 John Nekoda. 
 
148 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 " I suppose," said Melton, without noticing 
 John's intervention, " that the priest's knowledge 
 of the confessant's life, obtained through the con- 
 fessional, enables him to discern those who need 
 confession oftenest?" 
 
 " Yes. He can draw them out and learn that 
 fact easily," replied Father Hethlon. 
 
 "Is it your experience, good Father, that the 
 old and superannuated, the sickly, the ugly and the 
 unsocial need confession as often as others ?" 
 
 " They do not." 
 
 " Why is that, Father Hethlon ?" 
 
 " They are more disassociate with the world — 
 because of disposition and condition — than the 
 more lively women, hence have less incentive to 
 thought, word and deed." 
 
 " You have the right to ask questions, I sup- 
 pose, concerning matters of the most secret and 
 delicate nature, though it bring blushes to the 
 cheek of the confessant before you ?" 
 
 "I have that right." 
 
 " If the answers to questions put by you indi- 
 cate feelings, sensibilities and passions not before 
 suspected, you would be remiss in your duty 
 should you fail to further investigate and develop 
 such and such desires and passions in order to the 
 application of the proper remedy for the cure of 
 the evil, according to your diagnosis ?" 
 
 " That is correct. It is my duty to learn all of 
 
NEHU8HTAN. 149 
 
 everything. The manner of getting at it is left to 
 my own discretion altogether." 
 
 " By this special privilege you are able to probe 
 the very core of the heart's sacred precincts, and 
 gather from the wife secrets she would not tell her 
 husband, and from the daughter things she would 
 divulge to her mother only. I also suppose that 
 any request or command of the priest at such time 
 carries the whole power and force of the Church 
 of Rome with it, so that no confessant would dare 
 disobey; for both the curse and death penalty 
 stare them in the face." 
 
 " The penitent must detail every thought and 
 feeling, what caused them, the effect of them, 
 whether any of those feelings concern men ; if so, 
 whether the thoughts were of a chaste and moral 
 character, or of an amorous nature. If of the for- 
 mer kind they will take care of themselves, but if 
 of the latter kind they will need to be cautiously 
 and often dealt with, for the penitent is threatened 
 with great danger." 
 
 " So, when the amorous kind have been found 
 out, you say it is needful that they should confess 
 often ?" asked John. 
 
 " It certainly is, on account of the perils that 
 surround them." 
 
 " Every question asked at such a time is a kind 
 of feeler for the succeeding one and determines its 
 character, does it not ?" again questioned John. 
 
150 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 " That is it exactly. John Nekoda you would 
 make — " 
 
 " No, I would not make — but I am acting with 
 Melton as father confessor to Father Hethlon, for 
 he undoubtedly needs to ' fess up,' to use the 
 idiom of Jock, my sooty errand boy in far off St. 
 Louis." 
 
 Just at this stage of the conversation Vophsi 
 made her appearance, announcing to Miss Mity- 
 lene that the cook had rung the bell for supper 
 the third time. Thus ended the protracted conver- 
 sation. 
 
 Prof. Melton bantered Father Hethlon to a sec- 
 ond discussion in which there were other ques- 
 tions of practice in the Church of Rome on which 
 he would be glad to receive light from such excel- 
 lent authority. 
 
 " I will gladly meet you and the family in a 
 pleasant fireside talk, at any time, provided that 
 said discussion is conducted by you personally. 
 It is very unusual for a priest to be engaged in 
 such discussions, but, several years ago, I ob- 
 tained, through the bishop, permission to argue 
 such matters when, in my judgment, it seemed 
 needful." 
 
 " Very well," answered John Nekoda, " you 
 need not think you will fare better by that de- 
 mand, for Prof. Melton knows a thing or two, and, 
 as I said before, is better posted than I.' 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 151 
 
 " Yes, John," answered Father Hethlon, " and, 
 as I said, better mannered." 
 
 " Yes. He is the personification of politeness," 
 replied John. 
 
 The next day after this conversation, Mitylene 
 and Prof. Meltoti went over to Jersey City to spend 
 a few days with the Shirleys. They had sent a 
 carriage for them. Vophsi accompanied them on 
 this occasion. The evening being bright and 
 pleasant she preferred to ride outside with Nat 
 Wiggins, Mr. Shirley's hostler and man of all 
 work, for the benefit of the fresh air, something for 
 which she had certainly never sufiered, to judge 
 from the color in her cheeks. 
 
 Wilford Melton availed himself of the oppor- 
 tunity to place before Mitylene his conclusions 
 concerning a matter over which he had thought 
 much recently. 
 
 " Mitylene, by your voluntary act of placing 
 yourself under parental orders, you have pad- 
 locked and bound yourself, hand and foot, so far 
 as your mother is concerned. I can see she will 
 never yield her consent to our marriage with the 
 priest to prompt her, unless it conform to the Cath- 
 olic idea, and that, I think, you as well as I could 
 not accept. Your mother's life is a miserable one, 
 being completely under the control of Father 
 Hethlon. Notwithstanding the exposure of the 
 false and wicked character of the practices of the 
 
152 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 Church of Rome by your brother, she will cling to 
 it while she lives. The further discussion of the 
 subject, as agreed, yoji will find to make no mate- 
 rial change. Therefore, if you are willing to 
 accede to the only remedy left for your safety, 
 in any event, we will be quietly married to- 
 morrow out at the little church, you remember, 
 where we sat down under the leafless trees on our 
 former visit. This time, Vophsi should go with 
 us and no one need know, save four persons. 
 Then we should be ready for any emergency." 
 
 How little he knew of the emergencies that 
 would arise to bring that event to his mind ! 
 
 "I will think of it, Wilford, until morning. 
 To-morrow is Tuesday. It would be better to wait 
 another day. I fear that what you have said in 
 regard to my mother is only too true." 
 
 " Your mother can be cured only by some cir- 
 cumstance that will snap asunder every chord that 
 binds her to Romanism, and leave her without a 
 vestige of hope in it ; so that she shall be forced 
 to look some where else, to look entirely upon new 
 scenes ; read new books, form acquaintances, 
 whose manners and customs are new. Therefore, 
 the thing to be done is for John to take your par- 
 ents home with him, and, after getting there, to 
 exact or draw a promise from her that she will not 
 form the acquaintance of any priests or make any 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 153 
 
 church relations with them. Once he gets a prom- 
 ise from her there will be hope. 
 
 " But, what shall we do in the interim ? I have 
 promised my brother George to put some money in 
 the tobacco business with him and will remain in 
 Richmond a while when I return there, at least, 
 until I can see the business under way. After 
 that I will return to St. Louis to finish my writ- 
 ing. There, now, you have my plans, but I am 
 uneasy and unhappy as never before about the 
 unsettled state of affairs between us, since you 
 tied your hope to your mother's favor. I have 
 loved you from the first day we met. There has 
 never been a thought in the purpose of my life 
 since then that you were not in it. I love you 
 with my whole heart, Mitylene, and when that is 
 said by one who is not given to very much demon- 
 stration it should count for something." 
 
 " It does count for a great deal, Wilford, as you 
 may have seen that my ways have been fashioned 
 after your ways. You will not find fault with me 
 for wishing to be most like (ihat I like most." 
 
 "No, I shall never find cause to blame you, Mit- 
 tie. I know your love and trust for me are equal to 
 my own for you, and that neither time, nor dis- 
 tance, nor any other thing can obliterate them." 
 
 Wilford Melton was an optimist, accepting all 
 things as for the best in the end. He possessed a 
 large degree of manliness in the endurance of 
 
154 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 that whicli fell to his lot. These very excellent 
 qualities, however, were to cost him many years 
 of silent suffering. 
 
 They staid two weeks at the Shirley's. In fact 
 they were back and forth for six weeks. On their 
 return to New York, at the end of a fortnight, 
 Father Hethlon seemed to know it right away, for 
 he sent word, the same evening, that he would call 
 on the next, which he did, saying that he came to 
 renew the conversation, and felt himself willing 
 and able to meet the questions which might be 
 propounded to him. 
 
 In truth, he had been preparing himself for the 
 occasion, and flattering himself into the belief that, 
 because of the mildness of Prof. Melton's manner, 
 he ^would bring him to accept the Catholic cere- 
 mony, which he would consider to be a grand vic- 
 tory over John Nekoda. 
 
 The conduct of the priest was so unusual, in 
 courting discussion, that it was believed by John 
 Nekoda, his father and Mr. Sheva, that he had 
 some ulterior object in his mind ; that he had 
 determined on this bantering manner and display 
 of self-confidence, because his late experience 
 gave him good reason for doubting his ability to 
 do the very thing he had just declared his readi- 
 ness to do ; that this action on his part was felt 
 to be necessary to deceive some one into the 
 belief of the inerrant doctrine of the Church of 
 
NEHVSHTAN. 1^5 
 
 Rome ; that he put on a bold face and confident 
 air, that, if it were possible, he might deceive even 
 the inventor of the black arts, much more unsus- 
 pecting saints. 
 
 Only let Mrs. Nekoda's belief in the Church of 
 Rome, through its representatives, be destroyed, 
 and the brazen thing would be broken for her 
 never to be lifted up again. It is only when 
 darkness, ignorance and blind superstition over- 
 shadow the minds of the people, shutting out 
 the light and the truth, that Romanism can hope 
 to flourish. 
 
 The hope of the Christian world is that the 
 light of the Gospel shall cover all the earth, and 
 that all isms shall give place to " the faith once 
 delivered to the saints." 
 
 The theme of conversation which followed was 
 suggested by a remark of John Nekoda, that the 
 percentage of illiteracy in countries where Roman- 
 ism predominated is much greater than it is in 
 countries where Protestantism is in the ascend- 
 ency. 
 
 " That is very true," answered Prof. Melton. 
 
 " Will you name some of these countries ?" 
 asked Father Hethlon. 
 
 "Yes, sir. Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Spain, 
 Hungary, Austria, Prance, Venezuela and Brazil, 
 where 90 per cent of the whole population of 
 those countries are Catholics and (30 per cent are 
 
156 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 illiterate. On ,the other hand, Germany, Den- 
 mark, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Yictoria, 
 Great Britain, and the United States, in which 80 
 per cent are Protestants and ooly 4 per cent of 
 illiteracy exists. Can you disprove these state- 
 ments, Father Hethlon ?" 
 
 "No, sir. I am not prepared to disprove 
 them." 
 
 " It speaks well for Protestantism and a liberal 
 system of education," said Prof. Melton; "yet, 
 Father Hethlon, your popes have declared that 
 freedom of worship and liberal education are 
 both principles contrary to the laws of God 
 and the church." 
 
 " If they said, contrary to Roman policy," spoke 
 John Nekoda, " they would not have lied. Home, 
 Rule and Ruin, is a trinity that this Govern- 
 ment will do well to remember until the time of 
 the end, for at that time Michael, the prince of 
 the people of the saints, shall stand up for the 
 right, and in that battle of the great day of God 
 Almighty, Rome will not last as long as would 
 a snowball in hell." 
 
 " John, my son, you utter condemnation to your 
 own mother." 
 
 " My mother condemns herself. Drive out this 
 hideous nightmare and open yoiir heart to the 
 Gospel of God's dear Son, mother, and you will 
 become a new creature." 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 157 
 
 " What is the opinion, Father Hethlon, among 
 Roman Catholics," asked Prof. Melton, "of the 
 proposed public school system of the United 
 States r 
 
 " The opinion of the whole Catholic world is 
 that of the Pope. His decrees are based on di- 
 vine law ; his expressions as the vicar of Christ 
 are explanations of that law. The Catholic ear 
 is ever open for the instructions he gives out 
 through the bishops and priests. The Catholic 
 heart is ever ready to respond to the Pope's 
 decrees, and the Catholic hand will do the Pope's 
 bidding or die in the effort, for the Roman Catho- 
 lic citizens of the United States owe no allegiance 
 to any principle of its government which is con- 
 demned by the Pope. The Pope declares that 
 all education not directed and controlled by the 
 Roman Catholic Church is a damnable heresy." 
 
 " I infer from your language," replied Melton, 
 " that it is the purpose of Roman Catholics to 
 oppose and destroy all systems of education 
 other than those under Catholic control ?" 
 
 " The end of all education should be to make 
 Christians. That can only be accomplished under 
 the management of the Roman Catholic Church. 
 All other schools, public, individual or whatnot, 
 make heretics instead of Christians. Your sys- 
 tem of education and your boasted religious 
 liberty are equivalents, and both will be wiped 
 
158 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 from the face of the earth whenever it can be done 
 without endangering the existence of the Catholic 
 Church. 
 
 "Protestantism, and governments formed by 
 Protestant people, have no inalienable rights, nor 
 acquired rights which the Church of Rome must 
 respect. The Roman state and church wink at 
 the claims of the United States Government of 
 heretics, for it is expedient for the purposes of 
 Rome that this Protestant nation go on in their 
 blind confidence of security while Catholics pre- 
 pare for the great conflict." 
 
 " Then you Catholics expect a violent conflict ? 
 At what time. Father Hethlon ?" 
 
 " When the Pope shall anathematize the Gov- 
 ernment of the United States. I know not when 
 that shall be, but I know that it will be, and that, 
 too, not far in the future. By that act of the 
 Pope every Roman Catholic will be absolved from 
 his oath of allegiance to the United States Gov- 
 ernment. What I say here in a private conversa- 
 tion, must be regarded as private and not intended 
 for the public." 
 
 "What will follow the Pope's pronuncia- 
 mento ?" asked Melton. 
 
 "What will follow, do you ask? Everything 
 will follow for which we have worked and suflfered 
 and waited. At that time Catholics will rise up 
 in the strength of right and might, and take this 
 
NEHUSHTAN. I59 
 
 country, and the Pope of Kome will plant his 
 palace here." 
 
 " I have one hundred thousand dollars the Pope 
 can have," put in John Nekoda, " whenever he 
 succeeds in making his palace stand on American 
 soil. 
 
 "I intend to ask Congress to pass a law that 
 no church shall exercise the right to worship in 
 any manner which does not recognize the supreme 
 law of the land by keeping the United States flag 
 unfurled from the church spire. That honorable 
 ensign ' rag,' as some of you are pleased to call 
 it, we flaunt in your faces. Dare to insult it, and 
 be shot down like dogs or be hanged as traitors, 
 neither more nor less than what you arfe, every 
 mother's son of you. I use the phrase, ' mother's 
 son of you,' qualifiedly." 
 
 " I will not talk with you, John, for you have 
 a too harsh tongue in your head." 
 
 " I admit," replied John, " that my tongue is 
 not quite so oily as one who has spent his life 
 in the confessional among handsome, voluptuous 
 confessants. There are no set speeches or studied 
 phrases of doubtful meaning to be construed ac- 
 cording to the humor of the hour in what I have 
 to say, Father Hethlon." 
 
 "I think you stated, in substance," said Mel- 
 ton, " that the Church of Rome has the right to 
 
160 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 deprive the national 9,nd state authorities entirely 
 of the government of the public schools." 
 
 " Yes, for the reason that the false idea of the 
 liberty of conscience, freedom of thought and 
 speech, inculcated in such schools, make heretics 
 instead of Christians." 
 
 "Is it the purpose of the Church of Rome to 
 educate children ?" 
 
 " Oh, certainly." 
 
 " Then why is it that in Italy, the very strong- 
 hold of Romanism, with the capital city of the 
 church and empire in its midst, where the Pope, 
 ' sitting in the place of God,' showing himself that 
 he is God, I say, why is it that of these twenty 
 millions of Catholic people only one-sixth of them 
 can read and write ? Of every six hundred 
 five hundred of them can neither read nor write ? 
 Is that where ' nobody's child ' came from ? I 
 fear, Father Hethlon, that your statement is not 
 supported by facts." 
 
 " Of course I meant spiritual education." 
 
 "How much easier way is there to educate 
 spiritually than to teach people to read and then 
 put the Bible in their hands ?" 
 
 " That would not do, for they would interpret 
 for themselves, and that would make heretics of 
 them. I think I stated this once before." 
 
 "How did it happen that the first Roman 
 Catholics escaped being called what you call 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 161 
 
 heretics, as they had the same interpreter as 
 Protestants ?" 
 
 "The apostles of Jesus Christ taught the Catho- 
 lic doctrine of Christianity." 
 
 " Very true, Father Hethlon ; but you know full 
 
 well that the apostolic teaching is not the Roman 
 
 Catholic teaching. You have taken Jesus from 
 
 the cross and put the Pope's indulgences in his 
 
 stead." 
 11 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 A PLAN had been perfected by which Wilford 
 Melton and his brother-in-law's family were 
 to visit their old home in Virginia. Mitylene was 
 prevailed on to make one of their party. 
 
 Wilford had just received a draft from St. Louis 
 on New York for five thousand three hundred and 
 twenty dollars, all the money he had left there on 
 deposit. This he intended to use in forming a 
 partnership with his brother at Richmond in the 
 tobacco business. 
 
 There were fewer railroads at that day than at 
 the present time, consequently they took passage 
 for Richmond by the coast steamer Hampton, un- 
 der the command of Capt. Worley. The distance 
 by coast and river was over four hundred miles. 
 
 The vessel left the dock at 'New York at four 
 o'clock in the evening and had a nice run of sev- 
 eral hours down the coast, but just after they had 
 passed Cape Henlopen, at the entrance of Dela- 
 ware Bay, a heavy northwest gale set in, with 
 lightning, thunder and rain that soon turned into 
 ,snow and a terrible blizzard. 
 
 The sea was quickly lathered into foaming, roU- 
 
 (162) 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 163 
 
 ing billows of a most threatening aspect. The 
 vessel became almost unmanageable, and it was 
 expected every moment that she would be capsized. 
 
 The captain gave orders to close reef sail and 
 lash to masts. Every one on board was in a high 
 state of excitement and commotion. The first 
 mate's stentorian voice was distinctly heard as he 
 rehearsed the captain's command for the crew. 
 
 In the actions and manners of the passengers 
 could be seen their several characters. Some of 
 them were wild with excitement and alarm. Some 
 were praying, and some were cursing. Some were 
 crying and others were laughing, though in some 
 cases it was a forced laugh — a kind of a make-be- 
 lieve laugh — as though they were not alarmed, 
 like the boy that whistles without a tune while 
 passing a graveyard after dark. 
 
 Some were screaming and wringing their hands, 
 while a few — a very few — were self-possessed, al- 
 though fully aware of their danger. They, as 
 Christian philosophers, had studied the grand ob- 
 ject of human existence, and felt that, at best, it 
 is a poor thing without its higher sequence ; that 
 one only begins truly to live after dying ; that the 
 present looking through a glass darkly, is, as it 
 were, a mirage of the real good and bad that shall 
 overtake all in the hereafter. The Richmond vis- 
 itors being educated in that higher law of eternal 
 existence, were of the latter class. 
 
164 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 Robert Shirley watched every movement of the 
 officers of the vessel with much concern, but said 
 little. He went back and forth, steadying himself 
 by seizing any fixed object he could lay hold on. 
 He was no coward, but the idea of his wife and lit- 
 tle daughter being engulfed by those mad waves 
 affected him more than to have faced an armed 
 company of foes in mortal combat. 
 
 His wife, though suffering from great fear, never 
 opened her lips nor left her seat, but sat still with 
 their little girl clasped in her arms, cheek to 
 cheek, quietly awaiting their doom, like the inno- 
 cent animal awaiting the sacrificial knife. She 
 would meet her doom with true Christian heroism. 
 
 Wilford Melton and Mitylene Nekoda were 
 seated not far from her, conversing in a tone of 
 voice only heard by each other. Both of them 
 seemed cool and collected. Her hand rested in 
 his, while their eyes could find no better resting- 
 place than each other's faces, so that when his 
 eyes searched hers for the language of the heart 
 at that momentous period, he was answered with 
 a smile — nothing too much nor too little — percepti- 
 ble and delicate, but strong in the trust and love 
 of its object. 
 
 He spokt^ once more of the great depth of his 
 love, just when fate seemed to interpose the most 
 powerful obstacles to the full consummation of 
 his happiness. The conversation was rapidly 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 165 
 
 passed over by them, for this was a time for 
 thought more than speech. 
 
 Wilford Melton, while holding that precious 
 hand, oflfered a low prayer in behalf of his party 
 and all on board, but willing to trust all to Him 
 who notes the sparrow's fall. 
 
 A night and a day had passed — a aay of fog 
 and darkness. The second midnight came, and, 
 with it the greatest fury of the storm. Its power 
 was momentarily increasing. Both passengers 
 and crew were worn out. 
 
 Mr. Shirley, weary with tramping and tumbling 
 back and forth, was forced at last to stop, and sit- 
 ting down beside his wife, he put his arms around 
 her and their child, as though to protect them from 
 the fearful power of the raging storm. 
 
 The coarse voice of the mate could still be 
 heard, now and then giving orders, while the ves- 
 sel was wildly plunging, first upon one end, th,en 
 the other, or rolling from side to side. The pas- 
 sengers were holding to any permanent object 
 within reach, to save themselves from being 
 thumped and bruised to death. Some remained in 
 their staterooms. The fires of the engine were 
 drowned out, and the vessel was being driven be- 
 fore the merciless wind and wave helplessly and 
 with little hope of surviving. 
 
 Mid these wild scenes of danger to human life 
 there was an incident so strange and ridiculous 
 
166 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 that reason in seeking an explanation through 
 every phase of eccentricity known to human char- 
 acter is driven to the invariable answer to all in- 
 soluble conundrums, " I give it up." Prof. Melton 
 said it was a manifestation of the ruling passion 
 strong in the face of death. 
 
 Vophsi, who had remained in her stateroom 
 most of the time during the storm, came stagger- 
 ing out as if nothing unusual was transpiring, be- 
 decked all over her head, shoulders and bust with 
 Mitylene's cast-away bouquets of the last three 
 days preceding their start on the Hampton. 
 
 This display was not equal to the one Wilford 
 and Mitylene had witnessed once before, but it 
 was more for the lack of opportunity than inclina- 
 tion. She had done the best she conld under the 
 circumstances to give herself the appearance of a 
 tri-colored oleander bush, if this inapt comparison 
 is pardonable. 
 
 Mitylene was troubled over it. " May the Lord 
 have mercy and touch her understanding," said 
 she. " Is it possible that Vophsi is entirely heart- 
 less and void of all the sensibilities usually found 
 in one possessing such beauty of feature and 
 form ?" 
 
 The vessel was plunging and leaping at a fear- 
 ful rate, and the timbers were cracking as if she 
 would part asunder. And now was heard the 
 order " to man the pumps." Then Robert Shirley 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 167 
 
 spiaiig up to go and inquire what it meant. He 
 returned soon with the information that the ship 
 had sprung a leak, and that the hold was filling in 
 spite of all efforts to calk it. The men at the 
 pumps worked hard by turns, while the work of 
 tamping the fissure was continued. 
 
 The Hampton had been driven far out to sea, a 
 fortunate circumstance of the storm, in one sense, 
 for had the gale been landward the vessel would 
 have been wrecked in twenty minutes after the 
 onset. Now, it seemed, that she had escaped that 
 evil only to find a greater one a few hours later, 
 for she was surely settling down, and, at the pres- 
 ent rate, her doom would be sealed by the time 
 the sun should reach a span above the eastern 
 horizon. 
 
 Great as were the dangers that threatened them, 
 there was hope so long as each part of the vessel 
 remained intact ; but now all hope of her safety 
 was gone. It was only a question of a few hours 
 when the Hampton and all who should remain on 
 board, must go down to the bottom of the sea, 
 although the storm was now beginning to abate 
 somewhat. 
 
 There were two life boats capable of carrying 
 twenty-five passengers and six oarsmen each. 
 These Captain Worley ordered to be made ready 
 for the women and children, of whom there were 
 forty on board. They were directed to get ready 
 
168 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 for an uncertain voyage. After all the women and 
 children were in, there was still room for ten men, 
 five in each boat. 
 
 This was directed by the captain to be filled by 
 married men with families. There was one lady 
 who refused to go aboard the life boat, but the 
 captain said he could not respect her wish to re- 
 main, and would put her aboard by force if she 
 did not obey his order. 
 
 Wilford Melton gently put his arm around Mity- 
 lene, pressed her to his bosom and kissed the 
 pleading lips held up to him. Then he* handed 
 her into the arms of Robert Shirley, standing up 
 in the boat beside his wife and child, saying, " It 
 is best so, love. We shall meet again. I commit 
 her to your special care, Robert ; for the rest I 
 trust to a kind and beneficent God. Good-bye," 
 he said, as the boat was let go. Mitylene sprung 
 to her feet, but Robert Shirley threw his arm about 
 her lest she should fall overboard. As sue saw 
 the gap widening between them, she stretched out 
 her arms toward him and wailed out in a pitiful 
 tone, " O Wilford ! with you ! with you !" 
 
 The second boat was just ready to push off when 
 a passenger got in, contrary to orders, for he had 
 no family with him. When ordered to come back, 
 he refused, and was overpowered and put off by 
 force, all the while calling down curses of all the 
 holy saints, and the holy Virgin Mary upon them, 
 
NEHUSHTAN. ^ 169 
 
 for, said he, " Tim Keister wuz wureth tlie saven 
 fur his childers ez much ez tlie loil^s uv them thots 
 gone in tlie boat. May the howley St. Michael 
 dhrown ivery mother's son of tliim !" 
 
 No notice was given to his howls, though he 
 continued them in the form of a lamentation over 
 the loss of Tim Keister in the unfortunate steamer 
 Hampton. 
 
 " A most respictable gintleman as iver lived or 
 doid. A honest man thot niver did no harrem to 
 a living souel. Och ! me poor Biddie will grave 
 herself to death intirely, and the childer'l be a 
 cryin' fur bread and their poor father kinnot kum 
 to thim, becase he'l be at the bottom of the dark, 
 deep seay. Och ! me loif must be dhrowned out 
 of me body, and niver a praste on board to abso- 
 lute me poor souel to help me out uv purgatory. 
 Father Hethlon is in New York and I am ruined 
 intirely. Thirty-foive dollars fur a praste ! It is 
 all Tim Keister kin call his own now, but he'll 
 give it to be absoluted this blissed minute." 
 
 " Here ! come this way," called Prof. Melton, " I 
 am a priest and can ' absolute ' you as well as 
 Father Hethlon." 
 
 " If ye be a praste absolute me quick, afore I 
 am gone to the bottom uv the seay, and am ate up 
 by the great wales." 
 
 " You must pay and make confession before I 
 can absolve you." 
 
170 - NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 Prof. Melton knew that the Captain had the 
 men at work cutting away such parts of the ves- 
 sel as could be most quickly appropriated for the 
 construction of a couple of rafts, and he thought 
 to while away the time in studying the character 
 of this heroic Roman submissionist. 
 
 " Confess," said Melton ; " time is flying. It 
 will soon be too late." 
 
 " Prove to me thot yez bea a praste, and bea 
 quick, too, fur she is a-goin." 
 
 " I will. Can you read and write ?" 
 
 " Biddie, me wife, she lorned me to write Tim 
 Keister, thot's me, and by the howly Moses thot's 
 the onliest wored I kin rade." 
 
 " Then I shall have to read for you." 
 
 " Thot's right, if yez be a edecated praste." 
 
 " This book," said Prof. Melton, as he drew 
 forth a pocket edition of the Bible, " is a book of 
 instruction for us, given by Him that loved us, and 
 washed us from our sins in his own blood, and 
 hath made us kings and priests unto God and his 
 Father." 
 
 " Yez belong to a howly prastehood, and, by the 
 love uv the howly mother of God, I'll confess to ye 
 and bea absoluted by yez ; yet, but though, the 
 howly Father Hethlon did sind me fur to watch ye 
 and the purty girrel what ye sint away in the 
 boat." 
 
 " Did Father Hethlon do that ?" 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 171 
 
 " Yis, he did, bedads. He sint me to 'coy off 
 the girrel siven years or more ago, and niver a cint 
 did he pay me fur it, though I thramped and trav- 
 eled purty much all the noight, and, besoids thot, 
 one uv me horses slung a shoe and got lame into 
 the bargain." 
 
 "Never mind what you did then. I suppose 
 Father Hethlou absolved you from those sins?" 
 
 "He did, bedads, and absoluted himself, too, 
 from paying of me the tin dollars he wuz to 
 give me, and absoluted me from his howly curse 
 whin I tould him to kape the money." 
 
 " For what purpose were you to watch the 
 young lady and myself?" 
 
 " Fur to see if yez were agoin to get morried, 
 and to sthop it by 'cusin ye uv of bein a mor- 
 ried man." 
 
 "So, you are a spy on my actions." 
 
 "Yis, I am thot same." 
 
 ""Why should Father Hethlon wish to pre- 
 vent the supposed marriage ?" 
 
 "He said thot ye wus tied to one woman 
 already, and thot this one wus a purty Catholic 
 girrul, and he wus after haven her, cause thot 
 wharfore yez be a non-uv-a-Oatholic." 
 
 " What was the inducement for you to do 
 this dirty work of the priest's ? What were you 
 to get if you did it ?" 
 
172 • NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 "I wasn't to git nuthin if I did it, but I wus 
 to git sumthin' if I didn't do it." 
 
 "What was that?" 
 
 "Purgatory. Sides thot, foUer ye up and let 
 him know all ye did. He said ef I didn't he wud 
 hev me rested fur kidnappin' the girrel. He tould 
 me how to coy her off, sayin ' ye must come so- 
 and-so,' to her." 
 
 " Will you swear to that, Mr. Keister ?" 
 
 " Yis, by the howly St. Patrick, I would ; but 
 the fish of the seay is bound to ate me up 
 intirely." 
 
 " Perhaps not." 
 
 Just at that moment the boat lurched, and Tim 
 Keister threw down all his money, crying, " Abso- 
 lute me, absolute me quick ; she's agoin' !" 
 
 Just then Captain Worley called to Prof. 
 Melton, saying, " Come, Professor, all things are 
 ready." 
 
 Wilford Melton turned again to Keister, who 
 was pleading to be "absoluted," and said, "Tim 
 Keister, you are absolved from obligations to 
 longer remain on this doomed vessel. Come, 
 get on the raft and live." 
 
 " Och ! but I'll do thot same. I'll be doomed if 
 I dont. Mr. Melton, ye's be a bether praste thin 
 Father Hethlon, for ye's absolute me and giv me 
 money back agin." 
 
 Surprises will never cease. In the excitement 
 
NEHVSHTAN. I73 
 
 of sending forth the boats of living freight the 
 absence of Vophsi had not been observed. 
 
 After her " blooming " appearance before men- 
 tioned, she went back into her berth and stayed 
 there, to come out only when the vessel had roll- 
 ed over on one side. A few minutes before she 
 was lying in her berth, with her ears stopped and 
 her head covered up, trying to shut out the fright- 
 ful thought of the great calamity that threatened 
 her. It was a mistaken idea that she was without 
 feeling. , 
 
 Some of the leading points of her disposition 
 have been mentioned. Here is another. When 
 she felt deep sorrow she never shed tears, but she 
 would cry and smile or laugh through her tears 
 in her sympathy and joy over the happiness of 
 others. When she suffered she would go to her- 
 self to avoid sharing her sorrow with a second 
 party. Those who are willing to endure their own 
 trouble make reliable friends. Tears will wash 
 trouble from the heart, as well as dirt from the 
 eye ; but when the feelings are so deeply stirred 
 that the emotional nature is paralyzed, there will 
 be no tears of relief. 
 
 Vophsi was faithful and true to those she serv- 
 ed, and would as soon expect the sun to cease 
 giving his light as to believe them capable of 
 intentional wrong. That the boats had gone off 
 without her was not a circumstance of special 
 
174 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 thought, save only that she might have been with 
 her young mistress to help her. Otherwise she 
 felt that the choice of situations was hardly worth 
 the tossing of a coin. 
 
 She went on the raft with Prof. Melton. Tim 
 Keister also was on the same raft, and became 
 Melton's serving man, whom he thenceforth des- 
 ignated as the "praste." Captain Worley said 
 that the Hampton went down in latitude 25 de- 
 grees 10 minutes north, and longitude 69 degrees 
 50 minutes west, or about four hundred miles 
 east of Cape Hatteras and six hundred miles from 
 New York City. Of the two boats sent out from 
 the sinking Hampton, with their living freight 
 of human souls, one of them was picked up after 
 twenty-four hours of floating. The men who 
 manned the boat were so fatigued by their long 
 struggle with the storm that they were compelled 
 to sleep and rest as a necessary preparation for 
 a, westward pull of four hundred miles. Had they 
 been nearer land they would not have taken the 
 first rest, but would have struggled on for land 
 lest they should be caught in another gale. 
 Knowing the distance was too great to row with- 
 out recuperation, they acted wisely in resting 
 first. Thus good luck fell to them, for they 
 were sighted by the Cordon, a merchant vessel 
 of New York City, returning home from a foreign 
 country. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 175 
 
 The second boat was nrot so fortunate. Those 
 who had charge of it worked their oars all the 
 day without resting, and were caught in a cyclone, 
 as the bottled statement, found tacked to the 
 boat, gave it. 
 
 In forty-eight hours after those of the first 
 boat were taken aboard the Cordon they were 
 back on terra firma. 
 
 Mitylene went directly home, more dead than 
 alive, and feeling much as though she would be 
 better off were the former state altogether true, 
 for she was suffering the most poignant grief on 
 account of the dear ones whom she left on that 
 doomed vessel. All the very plausible stories 
 invented about their certain escape fell flat on 
 her ear when she compared their weakness to 
 such power as she herself had witnessed while 
 on board the Hampton. That they would con- 
 struct some kind of a raft or float and get 
 away might be true, as it was possible ; but even 
 should they get off on a raft they might not be 
 so fortunate in being picked up as those of her 
 craft had been, or might be caught in another 
 storm that would swamp their float in five min- 
 utes. How much she suffered on account of her 
 own thoughtlessness could not be understood by 
 another. 
 
 "But for my negligence," she said, "Vophsi 
 would not have been left aboard of that sinking 
 
176 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 ship, but safe with me. True, that might have 
 "been at the cost of some poor man's life ; one, 
 too, whose family were dependent upon him. Oh, 
 had they but left me there instead of such a 
 one ! But they were deaf to my pleadings and 
 tore me away from him whom I can but idol- 
 ize. Rather than have left them to perish, I 
 would have preferred a like fate with them. 
 Shall I ever know their fate? It may be never, 
 and so for me never to know happiness again. 
 "I should have kept that bit of paper my- 
 self; but Vophsi, the only witness has it, and 
 may never testify, and he may never return. 
 What will become of me ? I can prove noth- 
 ing. Oh, my God, I am sorry. No, I retract 
 those words, for I would rather it should be so 
 than never to have been. I trust Thee, O my 
 God. I trust Thee as truly now as once before, 
 when in this room I prayed to the God of 
 Daniel. To that same and only true God I pray 
 ever for their safety, and that they may re- 
 turn in the day that seemeth good to Thee, 
 whether it be soon or late." 
 
CHAPTEK XV. 
 
 JOHN Nekoda was unabating in his efforts to 
 gain information relative to those left on the 
 Hampton, and whether any incoming vessels to 
 ports ' of the United States had any news of the 
 remainder of her passengers and crew. 
 
 Two months had passed, and not a word had 
 been received concerning them. Some few floating 
 fragments had been picked up that were supposed 
 to have belonged to her. That was all. A year 
 afterwards the papers gave an 'account of a bottle 
 which had been picked up and brought to Charles- 
 ton, South Carolina. The bottle was tightly 
 corked and contained information from one of the 
 floats, but as a year had passed since the bottle had 
 been given to that uncertain carrier, and as noth- 
 ing more had been heard, the account was read by 
 a few and forgotten. The statement was from the 
 hand of Captain Benjamin "Worley. It said : 
 
 " Two floats were constructed from the Hamp- 
 ton. The larger one carried fifteen men, the small- 
 er one, from which I write, seven men and one 
 woman. On the twenty-second day off the Hamp- 
 ton, we saw, at a great distance, what we believed 
 
 12 (177) 
 
178 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 to be the larger raft. We have been floating forty 
 days. Four of our men have died of typhus fever. 
 Prof. Wilford Melton is very sick veith it, but his 
 fever appears to be giving away. Should he die, 
 it will be better than starvation, the condition to 
 which we are now reduced. Tim Keister and the 
 girl called Yophsi, are both well and hearty, and 
 willing to do anything within their very limited 
 means. The young lady who is in the best health 
 of all, came near losing her life yester eve in at- 
 tempting to reach a pitiful flower that came float- 
 ing by in a bunch of seaweeds. Tim stretched 
 forth his hand in time to prevent her from a salt 
 bath. Keister has been complaining, but has 
 ceased, and I think, he will escape the fever, prob- 
 ably to starve. 
 
 " If that is to be the end of this voyage, I pity 
 the poor girl, Vophsi, for she will certainly be the 
 last to yield to the grim monster. I feel that I 
 shall be down with this fever. I am very weak 
 and full of pains. Besides this, our provisions 
 have long since been reduced to a mere taste for 
 each one daily. The water supply had been ex- 
 hausted, but a shower last night gave us about two 
 gallons, caught from the canopy that we had 
 raised to protect us from the rain and scorching 
 sun. Unless we get relief very soon, we must all 
 perish. Three ships have been sighted within the 
 last five days, but they were far away and did not 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 179 
 
 see us. We must have passed near some island 
 in the night for the flower sought by Vophsi 
 looked quite fresh. 
 
 " Keister caused a smile on Melton's face, which 
 at this time counts for a round laugh, when he re- 
 ceived his allowance to-day, by this comic speech: 
 ' Begorra, Mr. praste Melton, I wud give ivery cint 
 uv thot absolutin money this blissid minute fur a 
 good fresh pair uv turtle's eggs.' His comic say- 
 ings and Irish wit have served a good purpose dur- 
 ing our long and wearisome float. I give this bot- 
 tled message to the waves, believing that when it 
 is recovered we will be beyond bodily suff'ering. 
 
 " Benjamin Woelby, 
 " Com. Late Steamer Hampton." 
 
 In the year that has passed since John Nekado 
 returned to his home in St. Louis, several events of 
 interest in connection with this story have taken 
 place. 
 
 He had brought his parents home with him. 
 They were much pleased with St. Louis, so much, 
 indeed, that his father soon made sale of his prop- 
 erty in Kew York City, and, with his son's help, 
 invested the proceeds in unimproved plats of 
 ground in the suburbs of the city. 
 
 Mitylenehad remained with Robert and Anna 
 Shirley. She hoped against hope that on some 
 bright day Wilford Melton would step in to sur- 
 
180 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 prise his sister, and that poor Vophsi would ac- 
 company him. . 
 
 Of all the persons living — if they were living — 
 in those two were centered her most intense 
 thoughts, feelings and hopes of happiness. There 
 was a third person, who, had he been living, could 
 have rendered a lasting service to Mitylene. Un- 
 fortunately, the excitement and exertion of the 
 Rev. John Littlejohn at the conflagration of his 
 church, brought on an attack of pneumonia that 
 closed his witness till the end of the days. 
 
 How thoughtless in her, simply because she had 
 no convenient receptacle for that small bit of 
 paper, given to her that day at the little church in 
 Jersey City, to hand it to Vophsi, saying, " Take 
 care of this Vophsi," and then forget it. 
 
 Thus it came to pass that the loss of the evi- 
 dence of her legal marriage to Wilford Melton was 
 brought about, and the means of establishing the 
 legitimacy of little baby Maud was not now in 
 her power. 
 
 Her word alone was all sufficient among her 
 friends. Besides that, Robert and Anna Shirley 
 had suspected a private marriage, even before that 
 last heart-rending separation at the waterline of the 
 sinking Hampton, and Wilford's commission, " I 
 commend her to your care, Robert." 
 
 However satisfactory to her friends these facts 
 were, yet there was the big, meddlesome world. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 181 
 
 That great senseless and heartless creature has a 
 way of his own, and that is, always to take sides 
 with the " they says," — a relentless and unfeeling 
 set, who know more of other people's 'business than 
 of their own — professional slanderers, who, feel- 
 ing their own mistakes, hate the innocent because 
 they were not accommodating enough to be guilty. 
 The liar and the slanderer hate you because you 
 are better than they. They seek to drag you down 
 to their own level, as they cannot climb up to 
 yours. 
 
 Scandalous tales had been started about Mity- 
 lene. She treated them with supreme indifference, 
 but Robert and Anna were terribly worried over 
 them. Robert cautiously set about an investiga- 
 tion to learn where they originated. He first 
 sought Abel Sheva, the rabbi, and a true friend of 
 Daniel Nekoda and family. He said that he had 
 heard the stories and had traced them to Joel 
 Hethlon, or, which was the same thing, to her who 
 handles his dishwater. He wound up by saying 
 that the case was so very like the fable of the 
 wolf and the lamb that came to drink from the 
 same stream, that he concluded to drop the matter, 
 being satisfied that the character of the wolf was 
 well known. 
 
 Robert Shirley, after that, ceased to trouble him- 
 self and went about his business. It was about 
 this time that a letter came to Mitylene from her 
 
182 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 brother John, announcing his approaching mar- 
 riage with his housekeeper. He said Mets had 
 simply overcome him with her cookery, and " he 
 would be stewed if he did not intend to keep her." 
 
 Invitations were enclosed for his old-time friends, 
 Robert Shirley, wife and daughter, who were urged 
 not to fail him. Baby Maud, mentioned in the 
 opening chapter of this story, was now six months 
 old, and as bright and beautiful as her mother had 
 been before her. The invitations were answered 
 with their acceptance and a promise to be there a 
 few days beforehand. 
 
 Before going, they desired to visit their relatives 
 in Richmond. Since the time of that attempted 
 visit by coast steamer which had proved so disas- 
 trous, connection with that city had been effected 
 by rail and the trip rendered both short and easy. 
 
 Mitylene accompanied them. When the father 
 and mother of Wilford Melton saw their son re- 
 produced in the features of his child, tears of 
 buried grief broke out afresh. They seemed to 
 feast their eyes on little Maud. Oh ! how they 
 loved the child ! 
 
 The family of George Melton, Sr., consisted of 
 himself and wife, Wilford, the eldest, Anna and 
 George Jr., the latter being yet single and living 
 with them, or rather taking care of them, for he 
 had charge of all the business. 
 
 There was much talk about the missing one, and 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 183 
 
 hopes, which in reality were the deepest prayers, 
 were expressed that the mercy of a kind Provi- 
 dence would yet restore him to them in the flesh. 
 Before the party started to attend the wedding fes- 
 tivities of John Nekoda, Mitylene was urged to 
 return and make her home with them. 
 
 " Then Wilford's child will be with us. Edna 
 Shirley has been our pet, but there is room for lit- 
 tle Maud, also. Besides, Edna can only come to 
 see us occasionally, as she will be going to school 
 henceforward. Come with us, dear Mitylene, for 
 the love of the lost, that our love and sympathy 
 may be united in keeping fresh and green the 
 memory of him who was so deservedly beloved 
 by us all." So spoke George Melton, Sr. 
 
 " Beloved of my husband, and for this, yet not 
 all, beloved of my own, I thank you with all my 
 heart. I should be pleased to come and live with 
 you. I cannot say just what I ought to do until I 
 think more about it. If my Maudie lives, I will 
 educate her in the same school in the west where I 
 myself was educated, finishing at Columbia, where 
 I know by experience she will receive the best of 
 care and training. I could live here until Maudie 
 is old enough to go to school, and be as happy as 
 it is possible for me to be anywhere. I have lived 
 a long time, for one of my age, apart from my 
 parents, and I think I have caused them heart- 
 aches more than enough. If I can see any way, in 
 
184 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 justice to my dependencies, to make some repara- 
 tion for the heart-pangs I may have caused them, 
 I feel that it is my dlaty to do so." 
 
 " If Joel Hethlon knew tbat you had uttered that 
 statement at this date," said Robert Shirley " he 
 would be in St. Louis almost as soon as you will." 
 
 " I .did not refer to religion, Robert. In any 
 other request made of me by my parents I shall 
 do their bidding, for I am now ready to believe 
 that children should obey their parents, right or 
 wrong. The only loop-hole for me is that my par- 
 ents themselves did not agree. What a great mis- 
 fortune for children that parents do not always 
 agree !" 
 
 " I see how the matter stands," said Mr. Mel- 
 ton, " and I think you are right. When you have 
 reached St. Louis, it may be that, after you have 
 considered the matter with your parents, it will 
 not be inconsistent with their views for you to re- 
 turn to us." 
 
 " It may be that I can be with you, at least a 
 part of my time." 
 
 " Yes, yes ; so it may and pray we so." 
 
 The wedding of John Nekoda and Mrs. Clara 
 Entremets — ^John never could leave off calling her 
 Mets — was a grand affair. It is not the purpose 
 at this time to say much more than that the mar- 
 riage w^as in every way appropriate. She was a 
 handsome, or rather a fine looking woman — a fact 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 185 
 
 not at lirst discovered because of her application 
 for the place she had been filling so well. In the 
 varied duties devolving upon her since coming into 
 that house she had shown so much capacity for 
 her work that it could not be overlooked by one of 
 John Nekoda's observing nature. As he often 
 said, he saw character written all over_her face, 
 and beauty never before seen. Education and ac- 
 complishments of which he- had not dreamed were 
 brought to light by the ingeniousness of John 
 Nekoda ; for she was very reserved and not in the 
 least inclined to vainglorious display, but at the 
 same time she was gracious in complying with any 
 reasonable request, and that, too, in her most 
 graceful manner. If she had a genuine request to 
 do a thing, for instance, to sing or play, she did 
 not expect or wait for insistence, as many have 
 witnessed to their disgust. Among refined people, 
 if compliance does not follow a single request, it 
 would be justly regarded as an act of rudeness or 
 ill-breeding to repeat it, because it is impossible 
 for one to know the reasons for the refusal. 
 
 Again, she never performed more than was re- 
 quested of her, nor did she sit and drum on the 
 keys of an instrument waiting to be asked for 
 more of that of which the company were already 
 tired. She was too well conceived, prepared and 
 finished to fall into the foibles so common to 
 humanity. 
 
186 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 John Nekoda, at this time, was possessed of con- 
 siderable wealth, while she had nothing. That 
 fact furnished one of the very best reasons for 
 their union. Had she possessed the wealth and 
 he nothing, it would have been just as appropriate. 
 There is more room for protest where both are rich 
 or both poor, for in such cases the opportunity for 
 graciousness on the part of one and of thankfulness 
 on the part of the other, does not exist. 
 
 It is the godly part of human nature to be hum- 
 ble and willing, and pleased to be placed under 
 obligations to those who are beloved. It is never 
 pleasant to hear the expression, " I will not be 
 under obligations to such an one," for the thought 
 of one who cannot be trusted is associated with 
 the expression. It does not originate in that love 
 which declares that it is more blessed to give than 
 to receive. 
 
 John Nekoda and his wife fully appreciated 
 these sentiments, and made them potent factors in 
 the production of their own happiness and in hap- 
 pifying all those who were fortunate enough to be 
 associates with them at their hospitable home. 
 
 The investment of Daniel Nekoda's money had 
 proved very profitable, so much so that he was 
 rapidly becoming a rich man, a fact agreeably 
 contemplated by that aged gentleman, for Mity- 
 lene and the little granddaughter would be amply 
 provided for. 
 
NEHVSHTAN. 187 
 
 Little Maud had not been in the house a week 
 before she had established her claim to the love 
 and attention of every member of the household. 
 
 Robert and Anna Shirley extended their visit 
 sufficiently long to catch the St. Louis fever, and 
 vrhen they returned home it was to sell out with 
 the view to a change of place. 
 
 " St. Louis," wrote Robert to John Nekoda, 
 " seems to be such a staid, quiet, industrious, 
 thorough-going city. Everybody, seemingly, 
 attends strictly to his own business. The dark 
 and horrible deeds, so common to cities, are of less 
 frequency there. I did not hear of a single mur- 
 der during the six weeks of our sojourn with you." 
 
CHAPTEK XVI. 
 
 MiTYLENE remained six months with her parents 
 and brother. In that time so many letters 
 came from the Melton home, entreating her to 
 come and live with them, that she was constrained 
 to leave her own family and go to them. 
 
 She remained with Wilford's people five years, 
 until George Melton, junior, was married and 
 brought his wife home. 
 
 Maudie was now old enough to start to school. 
 And, once; more, Mitylene returned to St. Louis, 
 this time with the purpose of staying, at least 
 till Maud, now in her seventh year, should receive 
 her education. Maud was a handsome little girl, 
 and as bright as she was pretty. 
 
 She and her little cousin, Wilford Nekoda, now 
 beginning his sixth year, entered the public schools 
 of St. Louis. Maud's mother made it her special 
 duty to instruct and assist the two children in 
 their studies. The result was that they out- 
 stripped their class-mates, leaving them far be- 
 hind. What she did for her child and nephew in 
 the interest of their secular education, she also did, 
 in their spiritual training. 
 
 (188) 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 189 
 
 Every Lord's day found her at the Sunday- 
 school, teaching a class in which Maudie and 
 Wilford were found. Fortunate indeed were the 
 children that formed her class ! Not one of them 
 left after Sunday-schools was over, to run* on the 
 streets, but all remained in during services. 
 
 One evening Mrs. Melton was astonished by this 
 strange question from her little daughter, after her 
 return from school. 
 
 " Mamma, is the Bible a sectarian book ?" 
 
 " No, my child. What ever put the idea of that 
 question into your mind, Maudie ?" 
 
 " Teacher said so." 
 
 " Maudie, did your teacher tell you that the 
 Bible is a sectarian book? If so, tell me her 
 exacts words." 
 
 " She did, m^-mma ; and she gave me a book and 
 told me to memorize all she marked for me, and to 
 be sure and not let any one see or read the book ; 
 but I guess she meant no one except my mamma, 
 'cause good little girls tell their mammas every- 
 thing." 
 
 " Get me the book, Maudie." 
 
 When Mitylene Melton opened the book Maud 
 brought her, she -was very angry, you may be sure. 
 A few extracts will be sufficient to show the 
 character of the book, as well as the just cause 
 for Mrs. Melton's anger. She had fought that 
 " brazen tiling," Romanism, in her own childhood ; 
 
190 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 had fought against it and ran away from its 
 damning influence in her own youth. Its fetters 
 had hound her dear mother, soul and body, rob- 
 bing her of the freedom of conscience, depriving 
 her of .the power and right to know anything be- 
 yond the one source, the infallible Pope of Rome, 
 which the word of truth shows to be the man of 
 sin* by such indubitable proofs that it is a wonder 
 that he himself is not able to read his own final 
 downfall and destruction. 
 
 "Yes, my darling child, by the love of that 
 husband whom I have loved since first we met, — 
 that father whose image you bear, both physical 
 and spiritual, — and by the help of our merciful 
 Father who gave his only begotten Son, that we 
 may believe on him and live, I will save you from 
 the power and influence of that daring pretender, 
 deceiver and destroyer." 
 
 Mitylene took the book Maud brought her 
 and read the marked passages, which were as 
 follows : — 
 
 EXTRACTS. 
 
 "I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary, 
 ever Virgin, to blessed Michael, the Archangel, 
 blessed John the Baptist, and the holy apostles 
 Peter and Paul, and all the saints to pray to the 
 Lord God for me." 
 
 * Papal Rome. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 191 
 
 '' Well, there is no Christ in that," commented 
 Mitylene Melton, " but "blasphemy of that kind 
 that hath never forgiveness." 
 
 Turning over a few pages, Mitylene read again 
 from the book in the form of questions and ans- 
 wers, which shows how insidiously Romanists go 
 about their work of proselyting. Thus, by getting 
 a child to memorize, they fix an idea in its young 
 mind which is most difficult to remove. 
 
 Question. " How do you know that the priest 
 has the power of absolving from sins committed 
 after baptism ?" 
 
 Ansioer. " I know that the priest has the power 
 of absolving from sins committed after baptism, 
 because Jesus Christ granted that power to the 
 priests of his church." 
 
 Ques. " How do the priests of the church exer- 
 cise the power of forgiving sins ?" 
 
 Ans. " The priests of the church exercise the 
 power of forgiving sins by hearing the confessions 
 of sins and granting pardon for them as ministers 
 of God and in his name." 
 
 " Now," said Mitylene, "I will see what the New 
 Testament says, for which this I have read is 
 substitued." 
 
 " But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy 
 closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to 
 thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father 
 which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly, 
 
192 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 . . . . for your Father knoweth what things 
 ye have need of before ye ask him." (Matthew 
 6 : 6, 9.) " And when ye stand praying, forgive, if 
 ye have aught against any ; that your Father also 
 which is in heaven may forgive you your tres- 
 passes." (Mark 11 : 25.) 
 
 Here are some more marked passages for the 
 little girl. 
 
 Ques. " Have Protestants any faith in Christ?" 
 
 Ans. " They never had." 
 
 Ques. " Why not ?" 
 
 Ans. " Because there never lived such a Christ 
 as they imagine and believe in." 
 
 Ques. " In what kind of a Christ do they be- 
 lieve ?" 
 
 Ans. "In one whom they can make a liar," 
 etc., etc. 
 
 Ques. " Will such a faith in such a Christ save 
 Protestants ?" 
 
 Ans. "No sensible man will assert such an 
 absurdity." 
 
 Ques. " What will Christ say to them on the 
 day of judgment?" 
 
 Ans. "I know you not, because you never 
 knew me." 
 
 Ques. " Are Protestants willing to confess their 
 sins to a Catholic bishop or priest, who alone has 
 power from Christ to forgive sins?" 
 
 Ans. "No; for they generally have an utter 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 193 
 
 aversion to confession, and therefore their sins 
 will not be forgiven throughout all eternity." 
 
 Ques. " What follows from this ?" 
 
 Ans. " They will die in their sins, and are 
 damned." 
 
 Mrs. Melton, the next morning after finding the 
 book in the hand of her little daughter, accom- 
 panied the children to the school. She directed 
 her steps to the office of the principal and asked 
 
 him to call in Miss , the teacher of her 
 
 daughter, occupying room No. 4. 
 
 When the young lady made her appearance, 
 Mrs. Melton made the following statement : 
 
 " Prof. T , my daughter and nephew are sent 
 
 here to receive the elementary principles of an 
 education, and, above all things, not to learn 
 Roman Catholic theology. That young lady, as 
 teacher of my child, has placed this book of false 
 religious doctrine of Satan in her hands, with in- 
 structions to keep the book from the knowledge of 
 her mother, alike with others ; and, furthermore, 
 to memorize passages she has marked for her. 
 In deference to the demands of Rome the Bible is 
 excluded from the public schools, and here the 
 sneaking deceivers come to supply its place with 
 such stuff as this book contains. I pray for the 
 day when the Bible shall be taught in the schools. 
 I now demand the immediate and unconditional 
 dismissal of this proselyter, as teacher in this 
 
 13 
 
194 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 school, and, in fact, from all public schools of this 
 city. Let her go where she belongs, among 
 Romanists. I want a teacher placed over my 
 child who will not interfere with the religious 
 views which I am trying to inculcate. This book 
 I will keep, as it is a witness in the case." 
 
 "Please let me have my book," pleaded Miss 
 , the teacher. 
 
 " I certainly will not." 
 
 " You can retire Miss D " said Prof. T . 
 
 After she had left the room, the piincipal said 
 that he would suspend her immediately ; that he 
 would appoint a substitute from a higher class for 
 the day, that he would report the matter at once 
 
 to the superintendent, that Miss D 's place 
 
 would be filled the next morning, and that the 
 superintendent would call a meeting of the board 
 to take action in the case. "Hoping this will be 
 satisfactory, Mrs. Melton, I ask you to send your 
 daughter right along and I will see that there 
 is no more Romanism injected into her young 
 mind. She is one of the brightest pupils of her 
 age in this school. I am sorry this thing hap- 
 pened. I never suspected any of the teachers of 
 being Romanists. I shall find out all of them 
 ere another day passes." 
 
 " I am glad it happened, since the Romanist 
 was here ; otherwise she might have remained to 
 do her deadly work." 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 195 
 
 " Your are right in that view of the case, Mrs. 
 Melton." 
 
 There was no more school trouble. Maud and 
 Wilford continued to advance in their studies. 
 Everything was done that could in any way 
 help them forward. Plenty of exercise was in- 
 dispensable ; so they had their play-grouiid in 
 the back lawn. Besides that, Jock was never so 
 happy as when he was permitted to take the 
 children for a drive, and to talk all the time of 
 the various places of note as they passed them. 
 Jock's store of information seemed to be inex- 
 haustible. He was now nineteen years of age. 
 He and his mother, free Nance, still lived in the 
 little cottage in the rear of John Nekoda's dwell- 
 ing. 
 
 Jock seemed as much concerned about the 
 progress and success of the two children as if 
 he had the whole responsibility upon his own 
 shoulders. Jock's vernacular was altogether 
 "Jock-u-lar" though no joke, as he said for the 
 twentieth time, " I dun tells you dat dat little 
 Maud am agwine, ter make a heart smasher widout 
 a tryin' to, she am ; an dat boy Wilford am 
 bounter make'r mark in de worl' dat'U puzzle sum 
 folks fohter keep up wid him." 
 
 Time might prove Jock's prophecy to be true, 
 but allowance must be made for the character- 
 istic partiality of the negro for the whites with 
 
196 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 whom he makes his home ; for he learns to look 
 on them as related to him in some way or other. 
 So strong is his devotion that, in many instances, 
 he has been kno\yn to sacrifice his life in the 
 protection of members of the family in which he 
 served. That shows an admirable quality and 
 reflects credit on him. 
 
 The days were passing by, and the time came for 
 Maud to go through a similar course to that her 
 mother had taken. Columbia, the Athens of 
 grand old Missouri, was to be her home. Her 
 training and education were to go on under the 
 auspices of the college. 
 
 Maud is already a baptized believer, and has 
 been a constant attendant at Sunday-school. Her 
 sweet soprano voice has gained her a position in 
 the church choir, where she has been singing for 
 the last two years. She never missed church 
 service if she could possible help it, " For, to lose 
 a sermon," said she, "is a loss that can not 
 be repaired entirely, though one could hear the 
 same thing later, for a good sermon is like money 
 at interest, increasing and growing with time." 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 WHERE am I?" 
 "Bedads, Misther Melton, yez bea along 
 wid what's lift uv^ us from the reck, and starvation 
 and the pistelint faver. Howly St. Mary, but I'm 
 right glad to see ye a-kummin around agin." 
 
 Tim Keister had scarcely finished his droll 
 answer before Wilford Melton had gone to sleep 
 again, in which condition he continued, quietly 
 and restfully, for three hours or more. When he 
 awoke again he asked the same question as be- 
 fore — ♦ 
 
 " Where am I ? " 
 
 "Begorra, good praste, ye be here in Melbourne, 
 and a divil uv a long ways from home it is, too." 
 
 " Where is Captain Worley ? " 
 
 " Captain Worley, the poor, misguided mon, 
 made a great mistake, in thryin' Jonah's expari- 
 ment to rhide ashore in the belly uv a great wale." 
 
 "Is he dead?" 
 
 "Yis. He died on that miserable craft thray 
 months ago, and not a praste aboard able to abso- 
 lute his poor soul from purgatory." 
 
 " Do you know — was she saved ? " 
 
 (197) 
 
198 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 " Yis, Mr. Melton, Vophsi is here, and a divil of 
 a flowery girrel shes bea, too. She hez them stick- 
 ing about her own banting, till there is not any 
 more room, and now she's a chinkin, the cracks in 
 the house wid them, till the stink uv them hez 
 killed the frishness uv the air. For me own part, 
 I had to sit outside wid a good pdipful uv tobacca 
 half me time, to kape frum bein overcum intirely, 
 while I wus a-watchin' uv ye. But, no how differ- 
 int, she is a divil uv a good girrel to wait upon 
 ye, praste Melton. She's out, this blessed minute, 
 a-fixin' sumthin' noice fur yez to ate. Its a noice 
 girrel, it is, and if Biddie only knowed what a foine 
 cook we hev, Mr. Melton, she would not weary 
 herself about Tim Keister a-havin' uv sumpthin' 
 fit to ate." 
 
 " I am glad of Vophsi's safety, and I know her 
 faithfulness, but I meant to inquire — you have 
 been here so long — have you heard — she went in 
 one of the boats ? '* 
 
 " Ye mane the lady ye kissed, much loike I'd be 
 afther doin' wid Biddie the minute uv the first 
 chance ? " 
 
 "As you like, Keister, but, tell me, have you 
 heard any news of them ? " 
 
 " Och, Misther Melton, the docthor says as how 
 at ye mussinfc talk, fur, bedads, ye hev been a 
 moighty sick mon. Here kums Vophsi wid a 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 199 
 
 sarcer uv chiken soupe fur ye to ate, and that'll 
 be a great deal bether for ye thin talkin'." 
 
 The fact was, Dr. Gilbert, the English physician 
 who was called to attend, had brought them a 
 copy of the London Times, which gave an account 
 of a boat picked up by an English vessel which had 
 a bottle tacked to it by straps, containing a state- 
 ment which was very imperfectly made out, for the 
 bottle was poorly corked and had filled with water. 
 They were in a storm, and expected to be lost, as 
 there was no help for them at hand. The account 
 stated that the boat belonged to the lost Hampton. 
 Here followed a list of the names of all those who 
 were on it. Some of them were legible, some were 
 obliterated, and some were partially destroyed by 
 the action of the salt water. 
 
 Among them were the names of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Shirby. In these the letter S and the letter b were 
 not distinct. The name following theirs showed 
 only three letters, which were either Mel or Mil ; 
 the rest was entirely soaked out. 
 
 After some days, when Prof. Melton was strong- 
 er, the paper was given to him. When he 
 read the account he fainted and fell back on his 
 couch like one dead. Keister ran for the doctor, 
 while Vophsi drew the pillows from beneath his 
 head and soon had the satisfaction of seeing him 
 re'^ve. The doctor came and gave him a stimu- 
 
200 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 lant and went away, saying, he guessed it would 
 not recur again, as he had heard the worst. 
 
 Prof. Melton had read the name Shirby, as Shir- 
 ley. In reality it was neither, but Kirby. 
 
 " Then," said he, " the Mil might be Mit, for 
 Mitylene, the rest being missing, br, at that fear- 
 ful moment, she might have given her name as Mel- 
 ton, the last part being missing." 
 
 This latter thought filled his heart with deep 
 emotion, and a profound sense of his loss. During 
 the same evening he asked Tim Keister for an ac- 
 count of their own rescue, and Captain Worley's 
 death. 
 
 Tim shall tell it in his own way, with Vophsi 
 listening to verify his statements. 
 
 " Bedads, Misther Melton, it is not a story ez one 
 loikes to spake uv, but bein' ez the girrel and me 
 silf is the onliest ones left, saven yerself, ez is able 
 to spake, ye'll hev to be satisfied wid our var- 
 shin." 
 
 " That is all right Keister, proceed. I want you 
 to tell me all, while I listen. I don't feel able to 
 talk." 
 
 " It wor loik this, Misther Melton. We wus out 
 uv ivery blissed thing but bread and wather, and 
 we had moighty little uv that. When it rained 
 we caught a little wather off the canerpy 
 and spread clane rags and squazed them out. Our 
 good praste Melton wus moighty sick, and the 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 201 
 
 faver stimulent kept ye up widout atin onything 
 much of the panada-bread soaked in wather. 
 
 " Bout the time yez own faver breaked, the good 
 Captain Worley's faver kum to its klimax. Ye 
 naded sumphtin' uv which we hed nuthin to build 
 yez up, fur the faver wus gone and the stimulent 
 wuz gone wid it, ez well ez 'bout ail uv ye z 
 strength, and bread soupe turned against ye in- 
 toirely, and ye went crazy ez a bed-bug. 
 
 " 'Bout thot same toime, ez I said, the captain 
 wus ragin' wid the faver, and I wus a givin' him 
 sum uv the bread-wather to drink, when he said, 
 ' Tim, this faver is a consumin' fire and is a barn- 
 in' uv me up intoirely. Purty soon ye'll slide me 
 off on a board. The briny deep hez been me home, 
 the briny deep shill be me grave.' 
 
 "Thot sounded loike inspired portry, and I felt 
 sorry loik, and I spake loik this : ' Och, captain, 
 bea it fur away frum ye. Its too bad thot good 
 praste Melton is not able to absolute ye, captain.' 
 And, by the howly Moses, he said he had been 
 absoluted, and thot guv me alarem, fur I'm sure it 
 was a angel thot come to him in the noight. 
 
 "When another day wus a-goin', the captain 
 ups and goes, too, and we hed to slide him into 
 the seay ez aisy ez we could. Thot wus the end uv 
 good Captain "Worley, pace to his souel. 
 
 " Now, praste Melton, I hev sumpthin' more to 
 tell, whurin to it, this girrel is mixed up a moighty 
 
202 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 big sight. When ye wus crazy, and a-starvin fur 
 sumpthin' to ate, kos bread-wather wasn't enuf to 
 kape ye aloive, thin this blessed girrel, wot loiks 
 flowers — and herself a-bein' ez purty a flower ez is 
 a-bloomin' in the worell — said to me a moighty 
 funny thing. She said, said she, 'Tim, kin ye 
 blade me ? ' 
 
 " Thin I answered, says I, . ' I don't know nuthin' 
 'bout venersection meself, bat I ken blade ye ; bat 
 don't ye go fur to gittin' sick.' Then she said ez 
 how ez Misther Melton wus a-starvin', and to blade 
 her, and she wud put sum salt and pepper and 
 soaked bread, and make a blood puddin, fur to 
 nurish and kape ye frum starvin, Misther Melton. 
 By me souel, I believe the puddin' would be royal 
 food, fit fur the Queen of England or the President 
 of the United States. I tould her thot the stomach 
 av a sick man moight find fanlt wid the richness 
 uv the diet, bat thot niver a bit uv it should be 
 wasted, fur I wud ate it meself to kape me from 
 a-gettin sick. 
 
 " Howsumever, we kept a-puttin' it otf till eavn- 
 in', thin she made me cord her arem, and she hed 
 a bowel, some salt, and a spoon ready fur the stir- 
 in' uv it, and me knife wus sharped, and I was 
 a-narvin' meself up fur the blqody wurek, wid me 
 trimblin' finger a feelin' fur the vein, while Vophsi 
 hild out her arem, with her face lifted ap towards 
 heaven, and her eyes closed, loik one who hed for- 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 203 
 
 got the Pope, and was a-communin' wid her God, 
 and she looked fur the worell loik an angel moight 
 look ; and ez I pointed me knife to the vein, Misther 
 Melton, it wus yerself thot had been asleep and 
 woked up thot very moment, a-cryin' out, ' A ship ! 
 a ship ! ' and the sacrifice opened her eyes and 
 cried, ' A ship ! a ship ! ' Thin I turned meself 
 around frum the lamb I wus about to butcher, and 
 lookin' out over the main, I ci'ied, ' A ship ! a 
 ship ! ' But, Misther Melton, it wus yerself thot 
 had dramed it, fur ye kudn't see a ship frum whur 
 ye wus a-layin' inside uv the tent. 
 
 " Howsumever, it wur a thrue drame, praste 
 Melton, and not much doubt it kept me frum be- 
 kumin a reglar kanibal, kase ef I ever hed got a 
 toste uv thot puddin' it moight hev bin all the wus 
 for Vophsi. I wud a-turned out a reglar vampire. 
 
 " Shure enuflf, the ship wus a-runnin straight 
 down at us, and, in 'bout half an hour more, we 
 wus on board the Cossacs, a large English vessel 
 on its way frum Liverpool to Melbourne. We got 
 here in 'bout ten days, after floatin' forty-nine 
 days. Ye hev been bether and wus, but niver 
 seemed clear in yez mind till ye woked up tuther 
 day, a-sayin' ' Where am I ? " 
 
 " Well, Tim Keister, I shall try to repay you for 
 the great kindness you have shown to me in my 
 helpless condition. As for this noble-hearted girl, 
 it shall be my pleasure to adopt her as my own 
 
204 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 daughter, and devote my life to her good, as a 
 father works for the happiness of his own child. 
 I can only keep you with me by adopting you, 
 Yophsi. My wife, as you know Mitylene was, for 
 you was our only witness, has perished on that 
 unfortunate boat. Had she been permitted to re- 
 main with me, as she wished to do, she might 
 have been here with us now. Or had we made 
 known our secret then, things would have been 
 different. If you are willing to be adopted by me, 
 Vophsi, I will attend to it as soon as I am able, 
 and, j udging from the way I have been gaining 
 during the past week, it will not be long. What 
 do you think of it ? " 
 
 " Prof. Melton, as you know, I am an orphan. I 
 expected to live my life with Miss Mitylene. She 
 was so good and kind to me. Now that she is 
 gone, to whom shall I go, if not to her husband ? 
 I am not afraid to trust him whom she loved. I 
 would have given my life for hers. I would give 
 it for anyone that I knew she had truly loved. I 
 know she loved you as her own life. Take and do 
 with me according to the love I bore her. I fear 
 you will find me a strange daughter, for things 
 that seem to attract girls generally, I do not care 
 for. I will try to deserve the kindness you be- 
 stow on me and observe to do the things you teach 
 me. I know you to be a Christain, and that is a 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 205 
 
 guaranty to me, for Miss Mitylene taught me the 
 value of that trust." 
 
 " Very well, Vophsi, that is settled. Where is 
 my large pocket-book? Let us see how much 
 capital we have. I had over five thousand dollars 
 with me when I went aboard of the Hampton, in- 
 tending- to invest it in business with my brother 
 George. It will be a great disappointment to him, 
 but Providence has directed otherwise, and I yield 
 to the inevitable." 
 
 " I have your pocket-book. Professor Melton, 
 with every dollar in it. Tim has bought all we 
 have consumed since we have been here." 
 
 " Then we are pretty well off, and since we, in 
 the providence of God, are thrown on this land of 
 kangaroos, sheep and gold,, it might prove profit- 
 able to investigate it. The mines are good and we 
 might strike it rich. Besides, a sheep ranch is a 
 good business." 
 
 "By the howly Moses, Misther Melton, I'm in for 
 thot, and it moight bea one uv these foin days, Tim 
 Keister kin go home to Biddie and the childers a 
 rich man, bedads." 
 
 On the following day, Wilford Melton wrote let- 
 ters to send home ; one to his brother George, one 
 to John Nekoda, and one for Tim Keister to his 
 wife. None of these letters, nor any of their sxib- 
 sequent letters, e^er reached their destination. It 
 would take too much space to explain why and 
 
206 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 how Father Hethlon, through his servile tools, 
 managed to intercept them. It is enough to 
 know that he succeeded in .doing it, and that 
 he personated Tim Keister's wife in answering 
 the letter sent by him from Australia. In that 
 letter she (he) advised Keister to stay there if 
 he had a chance to make any money, and that 
 she would maintain the family herself. The let- 
 ter also stated that Mitylene Nekoda, the Shir- 
 leys, and many others, were lost with the boats 
 in trying to reach land after leaving the Hamp- 
 ton, as fragments of the Hampton's boats had 
 been found since the disaster. The letter was re- 
 ceived by Keister, and believed to be genuine. Of 
 course the meager paper account of the loss of Mel- 
 ton's wife and friends was confirmed by it. 
 
 Prof. Melton gained strength rapidly, and, in a 
 month's time, had entirely recovered. In the 
 meantime he had been gathei'ing information 
 concerning both the mining business and the 
 sheep industry, while awaiting the replies to his 
 letters. None ever came,, for the reason already 
 given, save the Hethlon forgery to Keister. After 
 that letter was received. Melton proposed to Keis- 
 ter that he would either pay his way back to New 
 York, or buy a small, well-stocked sheep ranch, 
 and give him a certain part of the profits and in- 
 crease to attend to them. The latter proposition 
 was accepted by Keister. Such a ranch was se- 
 
NEHVSHTAN. 207 
 
 cured in New South Wales, near Bathurst, on the 
 head-waters of the Macquarie river, a branch of 
 the Darling, and about 125 miles from Sidney. 
 
 Wilford Melton, as stated in the beginning of 
 this story, was of a roving disposition, and was as 
 much at home in one place as another. All that 
 was needful to hold him at a place was something 
 to interest and employ his mind. If such was not 
 discoverable he did not tarry long. Here he found 
 a new field of labor that he believed would prove 
 interesting and remunerative. His great loss 
 seemed to set him against the land of his birth. 
 Its belongings had conduced to his greatest suffer- 
 ings, and he felt no desire to return to it and be 
 reminded daily of his irreparable loss. 
 
 There was another peculiar feature of his char- 
 acter shown in the fact that, in all his wander- 
 ings over the states of his own country, he 
 rarely communicated his whereabouts to the 
 folks at home. Even then he told them but lit- 
 tle of where he had been, what he was doing, 
 or where he was going next. He had no enemies 
 and but few intimate friends ; for he was a reti- 
 cent man, with no inclination to cultivate the ac- 
 quaintance of any, save those who came into his 
 life naturally, in the course he had chosen, and as 
 most befitting his disposition and judgment. He 
 was a perfect gentleman, faultless in manners, 
 cultivated in mind, and the embodiment of kind- 
 
208 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 ness. Though he never slighted a courtesy he 
 never trenched upon it. 
 
 Before going up to purchase the ranch near 
 Bathurst, Wilford Melton had legally adopted as 
 his own daughter, Viola Varner, changing her 
 name to Vophsi Varner Melton, age sixteen years. 
 The name Vophsi, which Mitylene had given her 
 because of her peculiar fondness for fragrant flow- 
 ers, being substituted for Viola. 
 
 He placed her in an English school, and took 
 boarding in a private family for both of them. 
 He was offered and accepted the professorship of 
 vocal and instrumental music in the English acad- 
 emy. However, before entering on his duties he 
 visited Balarat and bought some mining interest 
 there, and also at Sandhurst, in the Murray river 
 country. 
 
 Thus it may be seen that, with these mines, the 
 sheep ranch and his professorship, he had his 
 hands full. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 AT the expiration of four years Vophsi graduat- 
 ed with credit to herself and satisfaction to 
 her teachers and her adopted father. He had 
 taught her music, so that, now, she became his 
 assistant, and continued as such for two years, 
 which plan enabled him to give more of his time 
 to the mines. During these two years he built a 
 dwelling house on his ranch near Bathurst. The 
 material used in the walls was a kind of white 
 stone that is soft when first taken out of the quar- 
 ry, and easily worked, but which, on exposure to 
 the air, becomes seasoned and hardened. Six 
 years had elapsed since the purchase of the ranch, 
 when Wilford Melton took his daughter, Vophsi, 
 and visited the place. Tim Keister and the young 
 man, Charles Simpson, who had been employed 
 by Melton to help Keister and to keep an account 
 of the business, were occupying the new dwelling 
 house. 
 
 The books were opened, and, without going into 
 a detailed statement, it suflaceth to say that the 
 net profits were something over fifteen thousand 
 dollars.' The sales of the clip and carcass were 
 
 14 (309) 
 
210 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 nearly equal; whereas, with better facilities for 
 marketing, the sale of mutton should have greatly 
 exceeded the sale of wool. The stock on hand 
 was nearly five thousajid ewes and fifteen hundred 
 wethers. Their rule was to sell the sheep for mut- 
 ton as fast as they aged. 
 
 Tim Keister now had five thousand dollars and 
 one-third of the stock. 
 
 The partnership was renewed, to continue four 
 or more years. At the time of the next settle- 
 ment Keister was to have one-third of the profits 
 and stock, Simpson one-third, and Melton one- 
 third. 
 
 During the two months spent at the Bathurst 
 ranch by Wilford Melton and his handsome 
 daughter, two things were determined on. The 
 first was that Tim Keister should go to America 
 for Biddie and his four children : the second, that 
 Prof. Melton and his daughter should travel over 
 some of the European countries, and, especially, 
 to visit Egypt, the Holy Land and Rome. 
 
 Charles Simpson was to be left in charge until 
 Keister's return, when he would again share the 
 burdens. Simpson was a very bright young Eng- 
 lishman, and now had a good prospect before him, 
 to which he determined to give his closest care 
 and attention. While he was thankful for his 
 good fortune through the generosity of Prof. Mel- 
 ton, he was greatly disturbed concerning the pro- 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 211 
 
 posed travel of the Professor and his daughter; 
 for, in the two montlis of their stay at the ranch, 
 where Vophsi had constituted herself house-keep- 
 er, he had fallen very much in love with her, and 
 now she was going away, to be gone for a number 
 of years, without knowing how dear she had be- 
 come to him. He resolved that she should know 
 it in some way, and on the morning that she and 
 her father started for Melbourne, and Tim Keister, 
 at the same time, for America, he handed her a 
 carefully prepared letter, in which he set forth all 
 his plans for the future, not forgetting to make it 
 appear that she was necessary to the final suc- 
 cess of his schemes. 
 
 He asked pardon for his hasty declaration, as- 
 signing her early departure as justification for his 
 action. He asked her to consider what he had 
 written, and to write to him from some stopping-" 
 place on their journey. 
 
 When Tim Keister arrived in New York city 
 and went about the places that had ceased to 
 know him for so long, he was surprised to find 
 scarcely anyone that he knew or any that seemed 
 to know him. 
 
 His old friends were scattered and gone to dif- 
 ferent places, but mostly to the great West, which 
 was swallowing up immigration with the most 
 astonishing rapidity. He made inc[uiry for father 
 Hethlon, but he, too, had gone, not to the great 
 
212 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 West, but to» Ms last great account ; or, as> Tim 
 xputs it, by a parody on Poor Uncle Ned, " He's 
 gone where the good priests (niggers) go." 
 
 Tim's visit to New York was unknown to the 
 public. Had the newspaper men known of the 
 presence of one of the Hampton's unfortunates in 
 their midst, they would have filled several columns 
 in the papers with his account, and made such a 
 hero of Tim that it would have served him with a 
 topic of conversation for the rest of his life, and, 
 perchance, destroyed the effect of the good lessons 
 that Prof. Melton had taught him during the years 
 since Tim came so strangely to be his friend in- 
 stead of his enemy. However, this was all avoid- 
 ed by Tim's great anxiety to get his family and 
 return to his interest in Australia. 
 . He soon found his dear wife Biddie, who had so 
 faithfully supported, by washing, the four children 
 left her. She had mourned the loss of her husband 
 by the Hampton, as " a piece of bloody murder, 
 for which Father Hethlon should have died before 
 he was born. Thin me husband would hev remain- 
 ed at home wid his wife and childers 'stid nv bein' 
 dhrowned in the seay." 
 
 Tim Keister's arrival put new life into Biddie, 
 and she was willing to cross the sea with him since 
 it had not drowned him — a mistake for which she 
 thanked Providence sincerely, as he had returned 
 in health, and, certainly, on the road to wealth. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 213 
 
 " Why was it, Biddie," said Tim, " thot ye niver 
 sint me but the one letther, though I wrote to ye 
 siveral toimes ? " 
 
 " I never did git ony letthers from ye, Timothy, 
 and never wrote ony to ye, fur I belaved ye were 
 dhrowned intirely." 
 
 " Thin if ye did not write the letther, it was a 
 bit of the praste's worek." 
 
 ****** 
 
 " Bedads, Biddie," said Tim one day when they 
 were well on their way to Australia, " I wus dis- 
 plased thot I did not get a good round talk wid 
 Father Hethlon, but I kudn't go w purgatory jist 
 fur a bit uv a spat wid him. I wus a-goin to tell 
 him thot Praste Melton is a betther praste thin 
 wus he himself, and ask him to git absoluted by 
 Praste Melton, fur he only absolutes wonst. 
 Misther Melton larned me to write and to rade, by 
 the help uv Charley Simpson. He give me a book 
 to rade thot is a betther book thin the one what 
 you raded to me, Biddie, what Father Hethlon 
 brought ye, thot said the Pope kud do onything 
 God kud do, betther ez God kud do it himself. I 
 don't belave it, Biddie, becase, if he kud, he 
 wudn't let God hev ony partnership wid him ; 
 fur the Pope is a usuper and wud hev all, and 
 cut God out intoirely. The Pope thinks he kin 
 make people what kan't rade, and them ez he 
 don't 'low to rade, belave him, and he is a-foolin' 
 
214 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 uv thim. God kin let him,* fur He hez a thrap 
 thet'll ketch him and all who he desaved into 
 belavin' thot he wus ez powerful ez God. 
 
 "Father Hethlon wus a great ould praste to 
 be a-absolutin' ye. If he seed ye a-goin" along, 
 no way differin' if ye moight not be a-thinkin' 
 of Stalin' a shape, even a bit af a runt, 
 he wud be afther callin' ye and say in': 
 ' Now, Timothy Keister, them's bad thoughts 
 what ye hev been a-thinkin'. Ye must 
 kum in straight, right away, and be absoluted, 
 fur both VLV yez feet are in purgatory. I kin see 
 ye, Tim. Pay out, pay out quick, else ye'll go 
 in head and ears afore mornin'. Thin it wud cost 
 more thin Tim Keisther is woreth, or iver wud be 
 woreth.' 
 
 " The ould blatherin praste ! I niver wud a bin 
 woreth onything a-stayin' and listenin to the 
 desaver what sent me a-watchin' uv a good man 
 loik Misther Melton, who tached me how thot 
 Jasus Christ wus the only thrue praste. He is 
 the praste thot makes people good. Radin His 
 book made Misther Melton good, and he give it to 
 me, and I am a-thryin to be good loik Misther 
 Melton. I wus a-watchin' and a-spyin' on him 
 Mm, and he niver threatened to bring the curse on 
 me fur it, but said he furguv, me and loved them 
 
 *2nd Thes. 2 : 7. That which hindered was the Roman Em- 
 pire. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 215 
 
 ez used him spitefully, and tliot is the teachiu uv 
 the hook he guv me, fur I raded it meself. The 
 radin and follerin uv thot book will save all the 
 absolutin' money. If the praste wants a turkey 
 dinner, thin, straight away, he must git afther 
 somebody to absolute thim. 
 
 "Be Jasus Christ, Biddie, we must be afther 
 radin' the book togither, and fur the childers, 
 too, to make thim all good loik Misther Melton. 
 and save the absolutin' money, jist fur to help 
 pay a preacher fur tachin' the right way fur bein' 
 good." 
 
 " Yis, Tim, me husband, the praste's absolutin' 
 was a-stalin' the bread frum the childer's mouths 
 and a-guvin' it to the dogs, but thot wus not half 
 so bad ez the sayin's he wud hev whin he confess 
 ed us women-folks." 
 
 " "What ! Did the bloody praste insult ye. Bid- 
 die ? If he did, by the howly Moses, whin J kum 
 back to America, I'll dig up his ould bones and 
 grind thim up to fertilize me potato patch wid 
 thim. Kum, tell me, what did the ould praste say 
 to ye, Biddie ? " 
 
 " Och, Tim, I kinnot tell ye fur me oath." 
 
 " Blazes and lightnin', Biddie, ye don't hev to 
 lit thot oath be a-botherin' ye, fur its not bindin'. 
 All the oaths fixed fur Catholics is aginst all 
 governments, ceptin' the Pope's, and makes trait- 
 ors uv thim, and thot is a-goin' to bring a moighty 
 
216 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 big fight one uv these days, Biddie, and thin the 
 Catholics will be dun fur. 
 
 " I tell you, Biddie, my dear, its a moighty foine 
 thing to be teached right, and if Tim Keister has 
 onything to be thankful fur, it is thot he was 
 wrecked on the Hampton, fur it wus the kause uv 
 wreckin' all uv his Romanism. 
 
 "There, now, Biddie, honey, tell me what the 
 ould praste said to shock yez modesty." 
 
 " Och, Timothy, his woreds were not dacent fur 
 a praste to use to a married woman, but he is 
 gone, and ye say Misther Melton wudn't get mad 
 at the loiks of thot, nur pay ony 'tention to it." 
 
 " I kud thrust ye, Biddie, to the tuther end of 
 the woreld. It is not fur the lakin' of thrust, but 
 I want ye to inform me jist so at I kin know the 
 worek uv the dharty spalpeens." 
 
 " I kinnot tell ye the worest, Tim, fur me tongue 
 refuses to repate his filthy woreds, but some uv 
 them wus loik this — he sed ez how it wus his duty 
 to be a husband to the widow, and axed me, say- 
 in' it wus his right to fill the husband's place, in 
 woreds and ways too foul to spake uv, and a lot 
 more uv sthuff. Thin I picked up the iron poker 
 in me hand and pointed me finger to the door and 
 tould him to go the way he kum, and niver to 
 kum agin. He did go, but he wint a cursin', and 
 tould me if I opened me lips, thot it wud cost me 
 my loif. So now, Tim, whin ye want to git rid uv 
 
NEHUSHTAN. ' 217 
 
 yez Biddie, ye kin tell the prastes and hev me 
 brought to the stake." 
 
 "Not a Mt uv it, me darlint. They wud if 
 they kud, but if they kudn't how should they ? 
 Whin I think uv the oath they bound me with to 
 belave and support all uv their tachins, to stand 
 up fur the church uv Rome against all govern- 
 ments, it makes me blood red hot and bilin' over, 
 fur I tell ye I am a 'Merican citizen in principle, 
 fur Misther Melton showed me how thot America 
 wud throttle the Pope and the Roman church at 
 last. "Whin the praste tould me thot I must take 
 a oath to 'bey the Pope and belave the church, I 
 kudn't rade, and I tould him to write it out fur 
 me. Whin I tuck it and got it raded, thin I 
 swared to it and put the writin' in me pocket- 
 book. Whin I showed it to Misther Melton, he 
 said I were a traitor to the United States govern- 
 ment. I tould him I wus a loyal citizen, and thot 
 the Pope could go to the devil, and the praste to 
 Tom Walker's, fur I wudn't foller thim no more, 
 begorra. 
 
 " Now I kin rade thot bit uv a snakin oath me- 
 self, and I rade it ivery now and thin. I'll just 
 rade it now, Biddie, and ye'll see thot if I wud 
 stick to it I wud be a sure-enough traithor." 
 
218 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 TIM KEISTEE'S oath AS A LAYMAN OF THE CHUEOH 
 OF HOME. 
 
 " I most steadfastly admit and embrace the apos- 
 tolic and ecclesiastical traditions, and all other 
 observances and constitutions of the church. 
 
 "I also admit the Holy Scriptures according to 
 the sense which our holy mother church hath held 
 and doth hold, to whom it belongeth to judge of 
 the true sense and interpretation of the scriptures ; 
 neither will I ever take and interpret them other- 
 wise than according to the unanimous consent of 
 the fathers. 
 
 "I also profess that there are truly and 
 properly seven sacraments of the law, in- 
 stituted by Jesus Christ our Lord, and nec- 
 essary for the salvation of mankind, though 
 not all for every one, to wit : Baptism, Confirma- 
 tion, the Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, 
 Orders, and Matrimony ; and that they confer 
 grace ; and that of these, Baptism, Confirmation 
 and Orders, cannot be repeated without sacrilege. 
 
 " I also receive and admit the received and ap- 
 proved ceremonies of the Catholic Church, used 
 in the solemn administration of the aforesaid sac- 
 raments. I embrace and receive all and every one of 
 the things which have been defined and declared 
 in the holy Council of Trent concerning original 
 sin and justification. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 219 
 
 "I profess, likewise, that in the Mass there is 
 offered to God a true, proper and propitiatory 
 sacrifice for the living and the dead. 
 
 " And that, in the most holy Sacrament of the 
 Eucharist, there is truly, really and substantially 
 the Body and Blood, together with the soul and 
 divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ ; and that there 
 is made a conversion of the whole substance of the 
 bread into the body and of the wine into the 
 blood ; which conversion the Catholic Church call- 
 eth Transubstantiation. 
 
 " I also confess that under either kind alone 
 Christ is received whole and entire and a true 
 sacrament. I constantly hold that there is a pur- 
 gatory and that the souls detained therein are 
 helped by the suffrages of the faithful. Likewise 
 that the saints, reigning together with Christ, are 
 to be honored and invocated, and that they offer 
 prayers to God for us and that their relics are to 
 be had in veneration. 
 
 " I most firmly assert that the images of Christ, 
 of the mother of God, ever Virgin, and also of 
 other Saints, ought to, be had and retained, and 
 that due honor and veneration are to be given 
 them. 
 
 "I also afiirm that the power of indulgences was 
 left by Christ in the church, and that the use of 
 them is most wholesome to Christian people. 
 _ " I acknowledge the Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, 
 
220 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 Roman Church for the mother and mistress of all 
 churches ; and I promise true obedience to the 
 Bishop of Rome, successor of St. Peter, Prince of 
 the Apostles, and Vicar of Jesus Christ. 
 
 " I, likewise, undoubtedly receive and profess all 
 other things delivered, defined and declared by 
 the sacred canons and general Councils, and, par- 
 ticularly, by the holy Council of Trent. And I 
 condemn, reject, and anathematize all things con- 
 trary thereto, and all heresies which the church 
 hath condemned, rejected and anathematized. 
 
 " I, Tim Keister, do at this present freely profess 
 and sincerely hold this true Catholic faith, out of 
 which no one can be saved ; and I promise most 
 constantly to retain and confess the same entire 
 and unviolated, by God's assistance, to the end of 
 my life. 
 
 "(Signed) Toigthy Keister." 
 
 "Now, Biddie, -comparin' -thot oath wid the 
 thrue Gospel and wid the constitution uv the 
 United States, it makes the man what takes it a 
 sinner and traitor. Thot is what Misther Melton 
 tould me whin he raded it. Its no use in talkin', 
 Biddie, fur there is a moighty soight uv differ be- 
 twane the way Misther Melton says, and the way 
 the ould praste said, fur he wants to give ye the 
 Gospel frum the eend of his tongue and niver let 
 ye see the word fur yeerself, and a-thinkin' thot it 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 221 
 
 is his right, and thot all men wns not born free 
 and equal. But Misther Melton says thot every 
 mon must lorn it out uv the book fur himself, thot 
 the apostles were inspired fur to write it, thot all 
 men should resave it frum first hands, and, be- 
 laven' and resavin' it, thot iveryone himself be- 
 kums a praste to Grod and don't nade ony Pope or 
 his praste ony more at all. 
 
 " I am sorry, Biddie, thot Misther Melton hez 
 gone off a-travelin' wid the girrel ez he hez made 
 his own darter. A divil uv a purty girrel she is, 
 too, the same wat wuz a-goin' to give her loif fur 
 to save him. He kin tell so many things about 
 the Pope and the Church of Rome thot the Scrip- 
 tures shows ; how some uv the Catholics will be 
 saved, not by follerin' the Pope, but Christ. He 
 raded, and I rade frum the same place, fur he 
 marked it here, where the apostle said, ' And I 
 heard another voice from heaven saying, Come 
 out of her, my people , that ye be not partakers of 
 her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 
 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God 
 hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even 
 as she rewarded you, and double unto her double 
 according to her works : in the cup which she 
 hath filled, fill to her double. How much she hath 
 glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much 
 torment and sorrow give her : for she. saith in her 
 heart I sit a queen, and am no widow and shall 
 
222 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 see no sorrow. Therefore, shall her plagues come 
 in one day, death and mourning and famine; and 
 she shall be utterly burned with fire ; for strong 
 is the Lord God who judgeth her.' " 
 
 After slowly reading the marked passages from 
 Wilford Melton's gift, Tim said : 
 
 " The prophet John is a-talkin' about the Ro- 
 man Catholic church, and there is more about the 
 Pope here where Misther Melton marked, in Sec- 
 ond Thes. 2 : 3-9. It is no use a talkin', Biddie, 
 if I had niver a-knowed about the Scriptures wid- 
 out a-bein' wrecked and a-goin' through all its 
 troubles 'long wid Misther Melton, thin I'd be 
 wrecked agin fur the same, fur its betther thin 
 a-bein' wrecked by belavin' a dirty ould praste 
 what kums to insult the wife uv yez bosom wid 
 his snakin' propositions." 
 
 " Tliot is right, Timothy, me husband. We'll 
 be afther radin' the book and tachin the cbilders. 
 Mona and Burny is both a-gittin' beg enuff, and 
 the little ones, Bessie and Pat, is a-kummin' too." 
 
 Tim Keister, his wife and four children were 
 brought to Sidney, all in good time, and were soon 
 out at the ranch. Charles Simpson was right glad 
 to receive them and surrender the household duties 
 to Mrs. Keister and her fourteen-year-old daugh- 
 ter. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 AFTER Wilford Melton and Vophsi returned 
 from Bathurst to Melbourne, he found it nec- 
 essary to have a settlement and further agreement 
 between himself and his three partners in regard 
 to their great Balerat and Sandhurst mines. The 
 output of these mines since they began working 
 them had amounted to over one hundred thousand 
 ounces of gold, and, notwithstanding the heavy 
 expense of operating them, Prof. Melton found 
 himself worth a quarter of a million of dollars 
 from his mine interest alone. He held on to his 
 interest, appointed an agent to attend to all of his 
 mining business, and, with Vophsi, started out to 
 gratify his natural roving disposition by traveling 
 over the world, or what he thought to be the most 
 interesting part of it. 
 
 His first objective point was Cairo, Egypt. The 
 only stops made between Melbourne and Suez were 
 at Colombo, on the island of Ceylon, Bombay, and 
 Mocha, after passing the strait of Bab-el-Mandeb. 
 Running up the Red Sea over 1,000 miles, and 
 passing in sight of Mount Sinai, they came to the 
 desert town of Suez, thence, by the overland mail 
 
 (223) 
 
224 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 route, they came to Cairo, Egypt, inhabited by the 
 sons of Mizraim, the son of Ham — Kem — black ; 
 the land of the great pyramids, once governed by 
 the Pharaohs, who were Asyrians. 
 
 Here, and at Alexandria, Wilford and Vophsi 
 spent some months, during which time they visited 
 ancient Thebes, Memphis, and the Pyramids. 
 
 For many successive days Prof. Melton and 
 Vophsi visited the great Pyramid of Gizeah — 
 Grod's monument of witness. The more the Pro- 
 fessor examined it the more wonderful it appear- 
 ed to him. There were stones in it which he es- 
 timated at one thousand tons weight. He measur- 
 ed stones thirty feet long, and so closely joined, 
 that the break between them was scarcely perceiv- 
 able. One might pass a sharj)-pointed instrument 
 over the unmortared joint as if it were but one 
 solid, polished stone. He found the pyramid, by 
 actual measurement, to be 764 feet broad at its 
 base, covering about thirteen acres of ground, and 
 having a height of 486 feet. He viewed it as the 
 most singular and remarkable building in the 
 world. Not the least singular fact, as he found by 
 calculation, was that it occupied the center of the 
 landed portion of the globe : That is, if the Ameri- 
 ca§ and all the islands of Oceanica were floated 
 up and jammed against the continents of the 
 Eastern hemisphere, the great Pyramid of Gizeah 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 225 
 
 in Egypt would stand in the center of the landed 
 area. 
 
 Who was the architect? was a question which 
 often obtruded itself into the mind of the Profess- 
 or, and as often as it did so the answer intuitively 
 came : It was built under the direction of Almighty 
 God. 
 
 " In that day shall there be an altar to the Lord 
 in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at 
 the border thereof to the Lord. And it shall be 
 for a sign and for a witness unto the Lord of hosts 
 in the land of Egypt." Isa. 19 : 19-30. 
 
 Prof. Melton learned that the Egyptians had a 
 tradition among them — a similar one is mentioned 
 by Josephus — to the eifect that about 2200 years 
 B. C. Egypt was invaded by a peaceful people 
 called Hyksos — Shepherd Kings — and among them 
 was Melchizedek, king of Salem, who, after build- 
 ing the great pyramid, with Egyptian labor, left 
 the country as peacefully as they had entered it. 
 
 If Prof. Melton could have seen the interior of 
 the pyramid, and read the wonderful things brought 
 to light by later research and scientific investiga- 
 tion, his wonder would have turned into amaze- 
 ment. He would have learned that it was a wit- 
 ness of Divine truth and natural science ; that it 
 was intended to provide, in its construction, a 
 record of the divine plan of salvation, as well as a 
 record of divine wisdom relating to astronomical, 
 
 15 
 
226 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 chronological, geometrical and other important 
 truths. 
 
 He would have learned that the upward passage 
 angles correspond to a telescope, and that the en- 
 trance passage corresponds to an astronomer's 
 "pointer," and that aDraconis, the dragon star, 
 had occupied a position in the heavens which look- 
 ed directly down the entrance at midnight of the 
 autumnal equinox, B. 0. 2180. Then, with his 
 pointer fixed upon the dragon star and the ascend- 
 ing passages as a telescope, and, calculating for 
 that period of time, Pleiades would have been be- 
 fore his telescope. A Draconis is a symbol of sin 
 and Satan, while Pleiades is a symbol of God and 
 the center of the universe. 
 
 The conclusion is that God so ordered the con- 
 struction of the great pyramid (the smaller ones 
 are imitations, erected by kings, for their own 
 aggrandizement) that it should point to Alcyone, 
 the largest of the constellation Pleiades, as the 
 place where He dwells in person, and as the grand 
 distributing office and controlling center of the 
 universe. 
 
 At last Prof. Melton made up his mind, though 
 reluctantly, to leave this land of towering won- 
 ders. 
 
 His note-book was replete with sketches of what 
 lie observed during his six months' stay in this 
 land of ancient Biblical history, much of which is 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 227 
 
 familiar to the Sunday-school children of the pres- 
 ent time — the story of Joseph and his brethren, 
 Moses cradled in the rushes of the Mle, and after- 
 wards the deliverer of his people from Egyptian 
 bondage. 
 
 Prof. Melton had hired an escort to travel over 
 the country with him. Having partially satisfied 
 himself with his observations in the land of Egypt, 
 he next moved towards the Holy Land, coming 
 first to Beersheba, the place of Abraham's well, or 
 wells, for there are two on the northern bank of 
 the Wady-es-geba. Here is where Abraham ratified 
 his contract with Abimelech, by setting out seven 
 ewe lambs. Traces of the ancient town still re- 
 main. 
 
 Proceeding about twenty miles northward they 
 came to Hebron, one of the most ancient cities of 
 the world still in existence. It was a well-known 
 town nearly thirty-eight hundred years ago, when 
 Abraham entered Canaan. Hebron was the place 
 where Sarah died and was buried in the cave of 
 Machpelah, bought by Abraham from Ephron, the 
 Hittite. The walls of the Haram, or Mosque, with- 
 in which it lies, form the most wonderful object 
 of the city. Its present population is over five 
 thousand, five hundred of which are Jews. 
 
 A mile up the valley, north of the town, stands 
 a venerable tree, Abraham's oak, one of the larg- 
 est of its species in all Palestine, and said to be 
 
228 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 the identical tree under which the patriarch pitch- 
 ed his tent. 
 
 It is possible for some trees to live seven thou- 
 sand years, but whether or not that is true of this 
 tree, Melton tramped around under its boughs 
 with much interest, and stretched himself on his 
 back about where, as he said to Vbphsi, the patri- 
 arch had lain when he pitched his tent. 
 
 The next move was to Jerusalem, twenty miles 
 north, but they tarried there only a short time, 
 when they moved on up north about forty miles, 
 to Shechem, which lies in the sheltered valley of 
 G-erizim and Ebal ; the former rising eight hundred 
 ■feet above the fertile valley, which is filled with 
 verdure and watered by numerous springs flowing 
 down from the higher slopes of the hills. Shechem, 
 Sechem, Sychar, Sychem, Nabulus, Neapolis, are 
 names which have been applied to this place. 
 There is no place in all Palestine that will com- 
 pare with it in beauty, was Melton's comment, 
 after spending a year in that historic country. 
 Birds are plentiful, and the nightingales sing the 
 livelong night. 
 
 It was here that Abraham, on his first migration 
 into the promised land, pitched his tent und-sr the 
 oak, Terabinth of Moreh. This monarch of the 
 woods was still standing when his grandson, 
 Jacob, arrived at Sechem from Mesopotamia. It 
 was at this place the defilement of Dinah, by 
 
NEHV8HTAN. 229 
 
 Sechem, Hamar's son, was accomplished, and so 
 terribly avenged by her two brothers, Simeon and 
 Levi. It is the scene of the renewed promulgation 
 of the law, its blessings being heard from Gerizim 
 and its cnrses from Ebal. Here Joshua delivered 
 Ms last message to the people before his death. 
 Here, too, Jacob's well was dug, one and a half 
 miles east of the city, the same where Jesus said 
 to the Samaritan woman, " Give me to drink." A 
 quarter of a mile north of the well is the tomb of 
 Joseph. 
 
 Over two years had elapsed since Melton and 
 Vophsi had left Bathurst. Only a few extracts 
 from his copious notes have been given. Of Jeru- 
 salem nothing is said, because its history has been 
 so often and thoroughly given before. 
 
 The time had come when Prof. Melton purposed 
 gratifying a long-felt desire of visiting Rome. 
 Within three days after this conclusion he and 
 Vophsi were in Joppa awaiting the outgoing of a 
 ship, which event followed in ten days from their 
 arrival. 
 
 In all of Prof. Melton's rambling excursions, 
 both in Egypt and Palestine, besides the guides, 
 Yophsi had been his constant associate, even to 
 the Dead Sea, that most dismal of all names and 
 places. She had suifered with him and for him, 
 and devoted herself to him in a manner rarely ex- 
 ceeded by a natural child. In return, or, rather, 
 
230 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 in advance, he had educated her, made her rich, 
 and was storing her mind,' day by day, with prac- 
 tical and useful knowledge. The seed had fallen 
 on good ground, and showed good results in many 
 ways. This was a source of much gratification to 
 him. He began to feel very proud of his daugh- 
 ter. He had generally refrained from showing 
 any of that paternal familiarity and fondling us- 
 ually shown by a natural parent, for he was ever 
 conscious of the fact that such relation did not 
 exist. Yet, on one occasion, at Shechem, after 
 returning from a hard day at Bethel — now ruins 
 of Beitin — in search of the stone-heap erected by 
 Jacob in commemoration of his vision, he, in the 
 kindness and gratefulness of his heart, put his 
 arm around her,- drew her chin up with the other 
 hand, and kissed her, remarking that Providence, 
 in taking from him his wife, and with her his life, 
 had been good to him in giving him a noble 
 daughter , something worth living for. He felt 
 her shiver as he still kept his arm around her, 
 which, at first, he attributed to the thought of that 
 terrible catastrophe on the Atlantic, which his 
 allusion had brought to mind afresh, as well as 
 that long and almost hopeless voyage of forty-nine 
 days, which had cost the lives of five of the eight 
 persons on the float, and placed the three left, 
 without volition of their own, on a foreign land. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 231 
 
 Since that evening at Shechem, Wilford had 
 frequently thought of the circumstance. 
 
 Once more, and for the third time, they were ou 
 the sea, and one, too, not free from severe storms, 
 as attested and han,ded dovs^n to us by inspired 
 account of Paul's trip, under guard, to Rome, in 
 which they were driven fourteen days and nights 
 mid fog, spray and cloud, so dark that night and. 
 day were blended in one long, continuous night. 
 
 They had left Joppa but ten hours when the 
 wind rose to quite a gale, and the officers and crew 
 manifested their uneasiness by getting ready in 
 time. Wilford began to picture in his mind the 
 scene on the Hampton, and the days and weeks of 
 suffering which followed, and went to Vophsi to 
 comfort her. 
 
 " Is my girl," said he, " becoming alarmed? " 
 
 " No, Fodsie," — the name which she had given 
 him since he had adopted her — "I am never 
 alarmed. I have witnessed too much to be scared 
 at a zephyr." 
 
 " You are truly a soldier, my dear. The true 
 and good are always brave." 
 
 "I do not deserve to be flattered, Fodsie." 
 
 " I am not guilty of flattery, my child. I believe 
 what I have said and I appreciate my girl all the 
 more by knowing her so well." 
 
 He put his arm around her again and kissed 
 her, as at Shechem, with the same result — a tremor 
 
232 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 which she would have concealed if he had not 
 been in touch with her. This circumstance put 
 him to thinking. He knew that she could not for- 
 get the fact that, though by the forms of law she 
 was his daughter, yet she was in no way related 
 to him. She was now a fully well developed 
 woman, aged twenty -four years ; a plump, fine fig- 
 ure, slightly under size, educated, handsome, and 
 justifiable in the highest aspirations, for she was 
 now the equal of any man. For eight years she 
 had been associated with him as his daughter. 
 
 "Is it possible? can it be true," thought he, 
 " that she cherishes a passion for me and that I 
 have been blinded to the fact ? What if it should 
 be true ? Could I forget my Mitylene ? No. Never. 
 Could I love again? No. The thing is impossi- 
 ble. Yet, could I see that faithful, devoted child 
 suffer? Would it be right to offer her an empty 
 heart ? Offer it to her who would have drawn the 
 life-blood from her veins in the futile attempt to 
 preserve my life ? Oh, this is a deplorable state of 
 things. Why have I not seen it sooner ? I do 
 hope that I may be mistaken, and that it will 
 prove to be simple conjecture. I thought I saw 
 some indications of preference on the part of young 
 Simpson while at the Bathurst ranch, and I trust 
 it may be true, for he is a worthy young man. 
 Again, that which was done would have to be un- 
 done, in giving a daughter for a wife. The pres- 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 233 
 
 ent legal relationship would need to be annulled 
 and a new one formed. I must think, for I know 
 not what I should do." 
 
 While the wind raged outside, Melton had been 
 sitting silently, communing with his own thoughts. 
 Finally he turned again to Vophsi, and said : 
 
 " Daughter, Charles Simpson is a nice young 
 man, and will make his way in the world." 
 
 " He is quite handsome, also," she answered. 
 
 " I thought he manifested a fondness for you, 
 my child, but I suppose that, if he had said any- 
 thing to you, you would have told me, if you had 
 wished me to know." 
 
 " Wait a minute," she said, as she arose and 
 went to her stateroom. 
 
 Returning, a moment later, she placed a letter in 
 his hand. It was the same handed to her by 
 young Simpson two years before. He took the 
 letter, and, after reading it over carefully, re- 
 marked : 
 
 "It is a very manly letter. Did you ever answer 
 it, my child ? " 
 
 " N"o, Fodsie. I have not answered it." 
 
 " I think I would answer it, even at this late 
 date, daughter." • 
 
 " And what would you say to him, Fodsie ?" 
 
 " I would say to him, if I could honestly, that 
 I had considered long and well the contents of his 
 letter, and would, if desired on his part, correspond 
 
234 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 with him, and give our address at Rome, when 
 we shall have arrived and located, for I have a 
 specific object in going to Rome and may remain 
 there some time ; so that you may pass several 
 letters." 
 
 "Fodsie, I think Charles Simpson is in every 
 way worthy, and had I the remotest idea of mar- 
 rying at all, your advice would be timely, perhaps, 
 even now ; but I shall never marry, at least, as 
 long as 1 feel as 1 do now. You have been kind 
 to me, and it will be my happiness to recompense 
 you, somewhat, with the love of a true daughter. 
 But, of course, if you are going to disown me, then 
 I would consider the next best thing to do." 
 
 Now Wilford Melton was balked as much as 
 ever. Yophsi feared he had discovered her secret, 
 and she intended, if possible, to force him to relin- 
 quish it. The storm had passed, and the ship 
 moved on towards her destination. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 AT length Prof. Melton and his daughter arrived 
 at the seven-hilled city on the Tiber — the 
 capital city of the heathen Roman Empire, which 
 is the fourth beast of Daniel's vision (Dan. 7: 7, 8, 
 25) ; also the legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay 
 mixed, in the image of Nebuchadnezzar's dream 
 (Dan. 2: 33, 40-43). 
 
 This empire of gigantic force and craft, symbolic- 
 ally represented (Rev. 12: 1-3) as the great red drag- 
 on that persecuted the woman — the true church, 
 the true principles of Christianity — that fled on 
 the wings of a great eagle to the wilderness, to be 
 nourished for a time, times and a half time, from 
 the face of the serpent (Rev. 12: 6-14) — a time, 
 three hundred and sixty years ; times, seven hun- 
 dred and twenty years ; half a time, one hundred 
 and eighty years — altogether twelve hundred and 
 sixty years, or prophetic day^. During, the same 
 period the beast is to continue with a mouth 
 speaking great things and blasphemies : " And 
 power was given unto him to continue forty and 
 two months" — 42 times 30 equal 1,260 — (Rev. 
 
 13: 5). 
 
 (335) 
 
236 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 Yes, they had reached Rome, symbolically rep- 
 resented as Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Moth- 
 er of Harlots and abominations of the earth, the 
 woman — apostate church — that "sat upon a scarlet 
 colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having 
 seven heads and ten horns." This monster is the 
 natural offspring of the three beasts it succeeded.* 
 The seven heads are seven mountains on which 
 the woman — Rome — sitteth. 
 
 "And the woman which thou sawest is that 
 great city which reigneth over the kings of the 
 earth" — Rome, the Latin church — (Rev. 17: 9, 18.) 
 
 The seven hills of Rome are the Palatine Mount, 
 Capitaline, Quirinal, Cselian, Aventine, Esquiline, 
 and Viminal. The founding of the city by Romu- 
 lus was begun, it is said, on the Palatine Mount. 
 "While many believe that Rev. 17: 9 refers to the 
 seven hills upon which Rome originally stood, 
 others claim that modern Rome is not thus situat- 
 ed, and consequently the reference is to pagan 
 Rome, and not to papal Rome, and that the seven 
 heads are seven mountains (symbolic) and have a 
 double meaning; that they refer to the seven 
 electorates of the German empire, and also to 
 seven forms of Latin government — 1. The regal 
 power ; 2. The consulate ; 3. The dictatorship ; 
 4. The decemvirate ; 5. The consular power of the 
 
 *Hence to speak of Rome is to cover the whole succession, 
 Pagan, Papal, the Beast, the Image, etc. 
 
NEHU8HTAN. 237 
 
 military tribunes ; 6. The triumvirate ; 7. The 
 Imperial government — and that blasphemy was 
 common, not only to the electorate, but to the 
 whole . empire of Germany. Sacrum Imperium 
 Romanum — The sacred, or holy, Roman Empire. 
 This was blasphemy, as no kingdom is holy but 
 the kingdom of Christ. 
 
 As soon as suitable board and lodging had been 
 secured Prof. Melton began to explore the city. 
 One of the first places he visited was the Mamer- 
 tine prison, near the Forum. It still exists beneath 
 the church of 8i. Giueppe Dei Falegnami. Here 
 it is said St. Peter and St. Paul were incarcerated 
 together, as prisoners, for nine months. This, as 
 the place of their imprisonment, is doubtful. 
 
 Prof. Melton also went out on the Ostian Road, 
 to the place of the chapel, where, it is said, Peter 
 and Paul were separated on their way to martyr- 
 dom ; St. Paul's taking place at the church of 8t. 
 Paolo alletre Fontane, and that of St. Peter at the 
 church of St. Pietro in Montorio, on the Janicu- 
 lum. He was also at the place where St. Paul's 
 body was supposed to have finally been buried, 
 near the Ostian Road after it was taken from the 
 Catacombs. That of St. Peter is said to rest be- 
 neath the dome of the famous Basilica which 
 bears his name. 
 
 The Vatican, the Colosseum, the Forum, and the 
 numerous temples of Rome- had but little interest 
 
238 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 for Prof. Melton, but the Appian "Way he traveled 
 often, for it was out this way he approached the 
 entrance to the Catacombs. He spent more time 
 wandering through these subterranean galleries 
 than at any other place. He, with Marco Verdi, 
 his guide, traveled miles and miles of this under- 
 ground city of the dead, used in the dark ages not 
 only as places of worship, but of refuge as well. 
 Melton went about peering into the sarcophaguses 
 which had been left open. He looked into every 
 niche and cranny with the faintest hope that some 
 old manuscript might be found of those of the 
 apostles from whom nothing has ever been given 
 to the world ; for it seemed to him that the twelve 
 witnesses chosen by Jesus should all have given 
 their written testimony to the world. It has been 
 stated by some ancient writers that the Apostle 
 Andrew, brother of Peter, had written a prophecy 
 concerning the rise and fall of an opposing church 
 that was to be governed by the seed of the serpent, 
 before his martyrdom at Achia ; that said manu- 
 script had fallen into the hands of Romanists, and 
 was by them destroyed. It was the wish of Prof. 
 Melton that its asserted destruction might be un- 
 true, and that it might be found in some crypt or 
 chamber of the Catacombs, where it might have 
 been secreted in the dark ages. However, this 
 search proved fruitless, as he might have surely 
 known, for every corner of those vast galleries had 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 239 
 
 been searched long before his existence was dream- 
 ed of at all. 
 
 Melton next turned his attention to the condition 
 of the people of this wonderful city of Eome, a 
 name which signifies that the church is Roman in 
 its center and catholic in its circumference. Of 
 all the poor, hopeless, aimless, degraded people 
 that he had ever seen, and hoped never to see 
 again, he found here the worst. Thousands 
 upon thousands of them were without a pur- 
 pose in life reaching beyond the present moment 
 and opportunity to beg. "Sufficient unto the day 
 is the evil thereof" was fulfilled with a vengeance 
 in them. Two thirds of the whole population could 
 neither read nor write. Prof. Melton talked with a 
 large number of them, from whom he tri'ed to draw 
 out some expression of an object in life — some pur- 
 pose that would stimulate them to such effort as 
 would develop a type of men symmetrical and 
 beautiful, with powers of mind, capable, grand 
 and unconquerable. But not so ; they had nothing 
 to think about beyond the provision for the hour 
 — something to keep the miserable soul and body 
 together a little longer, and hold them back from 
 that uncertain future that might be worse. They 
 had no knowledge of what was going on in this 
 great world of activity. They had no conception 
 of the grand object of creation, or that man cut 
 any figure in it, more than a dog or other animal. 
 
240 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 All they knew was Romanism, and all they were, 
 or ever expected to be, was summed up in the one 
 word, Romanists. They were mechanically Ro- 
 manists, believing that by doing what the priests 
 taught them (which was to sin and pay for it) 
 they would, in some way, be entitled to inherit a 
 life of bliss hereafter, in which they had not the 
 faintest idea that the requirements of justice were 
 to be satisfied. They were dwarfed in mind and 
 were fast becoming so in their bodies — a natural 
 and legitimate result of the starvation of body and 
 mind. Neither can be developed without exer- 
 cise, and these poor creatures did nothing but 
 hang around the public places and beg. This, 
 too, in the center and heart of Romanism. The 
 world should not expect anything from that great 
 city of blight, for everything that should be pure 
 and good and noble is blasted by the curse of 
 Romanism. 
 
 How is it possible for their condition to be im- 
 proved so long as they are oppressed by that Ro- 
 man incubus that weighs them down as in a night- 
 mare of eternal ruin? a religion that promises 
 nothing without a •onsideration of filthy lucre; 
 that teaches men for money to sin, in order that a 
 perpetual market for the sale of indulgences shall 
 be continued, knowing that the enlightenment and 
 restoration of the godly image created in man 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 241 
 
 would lift him above the power of the prince of 
 darkness, and thus destroy the market ? 
 
 Another deplorable, but natural, result of this 
 retail of license to sin, as practiced by the church 
 of Rome, was, as Melton found by the most care- 
 ful investigation, that by far the larger part of this 
 class of the population of Rome were without 
 legitimate parentage. 
 
 For every 1,000 children born in Rome, 745 of 
 them are illegitimate, and only 255 are legitimate. 
 Notwithstanding this damning fact, Roman priests 
 and bishops call the marriage of Protestants a 
 wholesale system of concubinage. If there is any- 
 thing more wholesale than the business of these 
 cuckolding priests, it is unknown. Mormonism 
 approximates, but does not equal it. 
 
 Prof. Melton was astounded by the glaring facts 
 and figures obtained, and added another name to 
 Rome — The great city of bastards — as an equiva- 
 lent of one of the Apocalyptic names — the mother 
 of harlots. 
 
 It happened one day, soon after Prof. Melton's 
 arrival in the city of Rome, that he was talking 
 with one of these illiterate, illegitimate and ill- 
 faring ragamuffins, who seemed to have more than 
 ordinary intelligence, and he asked the Professor 
 if he would teach him to read and write. 
 
 "Yes," answered Prof. Melton, "if you can 
 come to my lodgings at 9 o'clock every morning, 
 
 16 
 
242 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 I will teach you to read and write, and some- 
 thing more, besides." 
 
 Promptly at the appointed hour the next morn- 
 ing, the young man — Marco Verdi — made his 
 appearance. The first thing done was to 
 hire him as a valet and guide ; the next to 
 buy him a new suit, some soap and napkins — 
 Vophsi suggested some perfumery — and to re- 
 quire him to cleanse himself and make a bon- 
 fire of his old rags. The feat having been well 
 performed, considering his want of practice, his 
 first lesson was then given. Regularly every day, 
 from 9 o'clock a. m. to 12 m. Vophsi labored to 
 teach letters to this unclaimed son of a priest. 
 The afternoons were consumed in conducting his 
 benefactor on his rounds of investigation and re- 
 search. 
 
 Prof. Melton was a thorough Greek and Latin 
 scholar, and while holding his professorship at 
 Melbourne, he studied the Italian language, and 
 required Vophsi to study it, as also the French 
 and the German, all in view of his contemplated 
 visit to France, Germany, Italy, and other coun- 
 tries. They now had use for all those languages, 
 for they heard them all as resident tongues in the 
 bastard city. 
 
 Marco Verdi was naturally bright, and was in 
 earnest about learning, consequently his progress 
 was phenomenal. Before the end of the two and a 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 243 
 
 half years which Prof. Melton gave to Rome, Ver- 
 di had learned much more than simply to read 
 and write. He had learned how to study, and was 
 rapidly becoming a scholar. A new life and pur- 
 pose began to dawn in his latent faculties. With 
 his enlightenment came a desire to leave Rome, 
 and to go to that country of which he had heard 
 so much through his kind instructors, who, as 
 specimens of the American genus homo, were of 
 a different order from the people of Rome, his 
 world. He came to believe that anything Ameri- 
 can is better than that from any other country, 
 and that if a person should go there from some 
 other place and make a few tracks in her rich 
 soil, he would immediately begin to be American- 
 ized and desire to become a citizen of the United 
 States, and that his patriotism would grow with 
 his oath of allegiance until he should be ready to 
 stand up for her against the Pope, with all his 
 odds and ends of the earth to back him. 
 
 Vophsi had taught him concerning the Ameri- 
 can people and their naturalization laws, and had 
 set him to thinking until his thoughts took form 
 in the following expression : 
 
 "Prof. Melton, I hope, when you leave Rome, 
 that you may still need your valet." 
 
 "Why, Marco? Would you like to go with 
 me?" 
 
 " Yes, sir, I would like it very much ; for I am 
 
244 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 akin to no one here, that I know. Since my 
 mother's death I had known nothing but misery 
 until you came. My father was a great and lead- 
 ing man in the pure and holy Church of Rome, 
 so said my mother ; yet he was not pure and holy 
 enough to acknowledge his own son." 
 
 "Then, Marco, you don't know your father?" 
 " I do not, and it is well I do not, for I should 
 be guilty of parricide, I fear." 
 
 " Kill him for being your father, Marco ?" 
 "No, sir. I would kill him for taking advan- 
 tage of my mother's innocence in the confessional 
 to work her ruin, and that, too, while claiming 
 to be her spiritual adviser with power to absolve 
 her from all sins. She, a pure innocent girl of 
 eighteen years of age, trusted him as a holy man. 
 Hell is full to running over of such holiness. I 
 was a Catholic, for I knew no better until I learn- 
 ed it from you and this noble lady who has 
 been so patient in teaching me. 
 
 "Above all things, I have desired to read a 
 sketch of a part of my mother's life, given to me 
 by her when she was on her death-bed, with 
 the injunction to learn to read, and write, that I 
 might read it for myself without calling on 
 another. 
 
 "My advancement was sufficiently rapid to 
 enable me to read it, several months ago. And 
 I now desire you to read it, sir, that you may 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 245 
 
 know why I wish to leave here — that it is to cut 
 off all opportunity of discovering him who is my 
 father, and to get away from a city so full of 
 wickedness that the doom of heaven's curse hangs 
 over it, as my good teacher there. Miss Vophsi, 
 has taught me from the Bible." 
 
 "Of course, I will read the manuscript for 
 you, Marco. Have you got it at hand ?" 
 
 "I have, sir. Here it is." 
 
 THE MANUSCRIPT OF MARCO'S MOTHER. 
 
 "My Dear Son : When you shall be able to 
 read this, your mother, who was once as pure as 
 an angel, will have gone to meet the doom to 
 which a false and polluting priest sent her. Since 
 the moment when my despair began I have pray- 
 ed, not to the saints, but to Almighty God, that 
 he would forgive my sins. Oh, my son ! can you 
 forgive your poor deluded and deceived mother? 
 I thought it best to tell you my story, lest it 
 might be told you with coloring after I am gone. 
 God knows it is bad enough without anything 
 being added to it. 
 
 " The first time I went to confess, the priest told 
 me that if I concealed a single sin, whether an 
 act or thought, I should be forever lost ; that it 
 was impossible to absolve me with an unconfessed 
 sin on my soul. I made confession, but I could 
 not overcome my sense of modesty so much as to 
 
246 NE^VSHTAN. 
 
 tell him my thoughts, for I could not think that 
 he had a right to them. 
 
 "After I had gone I began to reflect that it 
 was no use to go to make confession at all ; that if 
 I kept anything back I had as well keep all, as I 
 could have no forgiveness in either case. This 
 made me very sad. The next time I went to con- 
 fession the priest saw my sad looks and rightly 
 guessed the reason, therefore he said to me, ' You 
 have not told me all, and your sins are not for- 
 given. You must confess all or it is no use to 
 come here, for you cannot be absolved, according 
 to the holy fathers.' 
 
 " Then, with overwhelming shame I acknowl- 
 edged that, sometimes, I had wished in my heart 
 for some one to love me — a husband to press me 
 to his bosom and call me wife." 
 
 "A terrible sin!" commented Prof. Melton. 
 " The whole human race is guilty of that sin every 
 day of the world." 
 
 " Then the priest said that the concealment of 
 those thoughts would have sent my soul to hell. 
 I never had realized how great was my peril until 
 then, for how could I keep back the thoughts that 
 would crowd into being before I could check 
 them, and with their birth I must rise and go to 
 the priest every day with them or go to hell. 
 
 "The third time that I went to confession the 
 priest asked me some new questions. I knew not 
 
NEHVSHTAN. 247 
 
 their meaning, but asked a young lady friend who 
 was attending the same confessional if she knew 
 their meaning. She told me that he had asked 
 her the same questions, and that she did not 
 understand them, and so told him, when he ex- 
 plained them to her. After his explanation, she 
 said that she could not keep her mind off of the 
 things that he had told her ; that she even dream- 
 ed of things suggested by the priest's polluting 
 questions, and could not help it, and that her 
 thoughts and dreams were sins which she had to 
 confess to that same priest, yet it was he who 
 put them into her mind. 
 
 "When my young lady friend told me that 
 story, I vowed in my heart never to confess again, 
 and stopped going to the confessional. I stayed 
 away for three months, when the priest sent my 
 friend to tell me that I must come to confession. 
 I went again and he asked me if I had thought 
 anything of his last questions. I told him I had 
 thought nothing creditable to him. Then he got 
 very angry, and threatened me with excommuni- 
 cation for showing disrespect to my confessor. 
 
 " ' Do you know,' said he, ' that I must ask 
 these questions in order to get your full confession 
 that your sins may be pardoned.' 
 
 " I was frightened and begged him to pray the 
 Holy St. Mary, ever Virgin, and all the saints for 
 me. Then his features relaxed and he talked very 
 
248 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 kindly to me ; but, before I left, he asked me some 
 more of those strange questions, and oflfered ad- 
 vice as to how I might answer them at my next 
 confession. Though my soul at that time was as 
 pure as the angels in heaven, and though I tried 
 with all the power of my will to put it from my 
 mind, the allusions suggested by those questions 
 clung to me without intermission until they be- 
 came an existence that fed my reveries in the 
 day and the hope of my dreams at night — thoughts 
 and dreams highly imaginative and sinful. 
 
 " From that time forward the priest was all kind- 
 ness — more like a lover than a father confessor. I 
 began to look on him with favor, and wondered 
 why priests did not marry, and so asked him the 
 reason. He said, ' I cannot marry on account of 
 a vow of celibacy, but I love yoii to distraction. 
 I shall be compelled to go to another priest and 
 confess, which will procure my forgiveness, as well 
 as for this — and this — as he caught me in his 
 arms and kissed me twice. In that moment, 
 when our lips were glued together, I could not 
 have drawn back though I had seen the eternal 
 fires of hell threatening me. I was captivated, 
 and drawn into the beautiful web woven for me. 
 I trembled as one drunken with wine. The priest 
 quoted Scripture to justify his proposed conduct. 
 One of his quotations, as I afterwards searched 
 out, was from 1 Cor. 7: 36, and this he garbled to 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 249 
 
 suit liis purpose. But my reason returned to me 
 at that fearful moment, and, without another 
 word I rushed out of the door, nor stopped until 
 I was safe in my own contracted room. Th«n I 
 fell upon my knees and prayed to the holy St. 
 Mary, ever Virgin, and all the saints, prophets 
 and apostles to pardon my sins. Though I felt 
 sincere ia that prayer, and though the tears flowed 
 in streams, yet, through it all I felt the pressure 
 of the priest's arms and lips, and for days, weeks 
 and months the thought of his act was my life ; 
 yet it was destroying me, for, if I began to do 
 anything, soon my hands were still and my 
 thoughts were at work building castles, where the 
 priest and I held a common interest, over which 
 love was supreme. I did not return to confession 
 any more. The priest was sent to another curacy, 
 and I was trying to obliterate the memory of his 
 conduct toward me, believing that I should never 
 see him again. Some time after that, the young 
 lady friend, who had been missing for several 
 months, came to me dressed in the garb of a man, 
 and so well disguised, that at first I could not 
 believe my own eyes. She said, 'My name is 
 Delorme, if you please.' 
 
 " Mr. Delorme was the bearer of a letter from the 
 priest asking me to come and see him; that he 
 could not live without me, and that he had arrang- 
 ed everything for a marriage. Of course I joyfully 
 
250 NEHU8HTAN. 
 
 went to him, for I loved him. After I had arrived 
 at his curacy, he unfolded to me a scheme by 
 which this disguised young woman — Mr. Delorme 
 — was to marry me so that the priest could have 
 us both in the house without suspicion. The 
 farce was enacted after publishing the bans to the 
 fictitious names of Delorme and Amari, the priest 
 performing the ceremony. Thus my downfall was 
 accomplished. 
 
 "My son, that priest is your father, but you bear 
 my maiden name. He lives yet, but I left him 
 as soon as I learned that my girl husband was 
 sharing with me in his amours. Three years of 
 that dissolute life ended all my chances of happi- 
 ness in this world, and, I fear, forever. Oh, my 
 son ! can you forgive your mother after you have 
 learned of her disgrace ? May Grod bless you. 
 
 "JusTiwA Vekdi." 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 '"T^HAT is a deplorable account," said Prof. Mel- 
 1 ton, after he had finished reading the manu- 
 script ; but your mother had evidently repented, as 
 she left the priest and went to God with her pray- 
 ers. Her claim to heaven is good, I have no doubt. 
 If you desire to go with me, Marco, I will be glad 
 to have you go. You have already paid me and 
 you can continue to pay me in the same way, for, 
 if you should quit me, I should need some one in 
 your place, having found how serviceable such a 
 one is to me." 
 
 " O, I thank you. I will stay with you as long 
 as you need me." 
 
 " All right, Marco. I am liable to need you, at 
 least, until I reach my native land. I shall not 
 leave here for three months yet, as I want to learn 
 more of the deplorable condition of the inhabit- 
 ants of this city. I also want to obtain some of 
 the books and writings of Romanists. I think you 
 can lielp me, Marco, especially in procuring the 
 books, as it will be much easier for you to mix 
 with your own people and find those among the 
 educated who have books of Roman Catholic 
 
 (351) 
 
252 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 theology. Once found, we shall have them at any 
 cost." 
 
 Thus there was something for both of them to 
 do in the quarter-year set apart to continue in 
 Rome. He was greatly favored by securing some 
 statistics by Giovanna Borgi, Italian founder of 
 the ragged schools, in which it was seen that in 
 Rome sixty-five per cent of the people could 
 neither read nor write. 
 
 Another significant fact learned, was that three- 
 fourths of the children born of this mother of har- 
 lots were illegitimate. The paradox of this is 
 that an illegitimate thing can be made legitimate, 
 yet the yearly crop of illegitimate children is the 
 legitimate result of denying priests the right to 
 have their own wives, of the confessional and of 
 indulgences. The natural means provided for re- 
 lieving the pain of such thorns in the flesh have 
 been pretendingly ignored. 
 
 " Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, 
 nor the desire of women, nor regard any God, for 
 he shall magnify himself above all." These 
 Roman priests — willing captives to the power of 
 the prince of darkness, because of the favorable 
 opportunity for the safe and free exercise of in- 
 dulgences — shut out by the Church of Rome from 
 the Word of God, wherein it is said — " It is not 
 good that man should be alone. I will make him 
 an helpmeet for him," — are living under a law of 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 253 
 
 celibacy that dwarfs the best part of human na- 
 ture and perverts the design of human existence. 
 The vow of celibacy does not celibate. The fool- 
 ish priests who take it are violating that law pro- 
 vided for the protection of society against confu- 
 sion, " To avoid fornication let every man have his 
 own wife and every woman her own husband." 
 On the other hand, the Pope has said, " Let every 
 priest have his little confessional office of seduc- 
 tion, where the pure and innocent are absolutely at 
 his mercy, the measure of which is dealt out in so 
 much absolution for so much money or an equiva- 
 lent of indulgences ;" thus taking on himself the 
 right to cause sin as well as to absolve from sin, 
 by first forcing the confessant to expose her most 
 secret thoughts and life. The base villain ! to thus 
 trample under his unhallowed feet that innate law 
 of modesty which the G-od of heaven placed in the 
 human heart and which was recognized by him 
 after the sins and fall of Adam and Eve, when 
 God himself made coats of skins and clothed them 
 that they might not see each other's nakedness. 
 
 No wonder that priest-ridden Rome is full of il- 
 legitimate children. No wonder that these chil- 
 dren are abandoned and left to shift for them- 
 selves, not unlike some other serpents that deposit 
 their eggs in the sand and abandon them to be 
 hatched by the sun and to live as best they can. 
 Therefore, liars, thieves, robbers and murderers are 
 
254 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 natural crops. This, too, is in Rome, the head of 
 the apostate church — the woman that sits upon 
 the scarlet-colored beast — full of abominations and 
 filthiness of her fornication. Rev. 17 : 3, 4. 
 
 An Italian count and editor undertook to reme- 
 dy some of the evils of that country , but what 
 could he do where nearly two-thirds of the popu- 
 lation could not read his editorials. 
 
 While Prof Melton labored to complete his 
 work, Marco Verdi rendered him invaluable ser- 
 vice, for he found and purchased a number of de- 
 sirable books. Among these writers were Acerbi, 
 Debreyne, Bailly, Dens, the Memoirs of Scipio de 
 Ricci, and Liguori, Italian bishop and founder of 
 the order of Redemptorists. 
 
 On examination of these authorities, especially 
 the last three, Prof. Melton was satisfied that he 
 had found the key to the mystery of illegitimacy 
 among the priest-ridden flocks of the Church of 
 Rome. 
 
 "It begins," said he, " in the vow of celibacy 
 and culminates in the confessional. Liguori says: 
 ' It is better to examine each act of the penitent in 
 particular than to wait until the confession is fin- 
 ished.' 
 
 No doubt of it. Every celibate will say the 
 same thing, and will prove himself abundantly 
 able to get at the particulars. 
 
 " If the confessor fear," says Liguori, " that 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 255 
 
 young girls or boys will not accuse sins committed 
 against the sixth commandment, what interroga- 
 tions must be put to these youngsters ? 
 
 " The confessor may say, Have you heard bad 
 conversations ? Have you had any bad thoughts ? 
 Have you. done any indecent action? Did you 
 flirt or have you been guilty of any wanton jests? 
 
 "If they deny, the confessor could use a sugges- 
 tive interrogation, saying, for instance, and now 
 tell me, how many times you did these things ? If 
 they affirm that they did so, then the confessor 
 could say, ' Explain what these indecent things 
 and jests were? Did you do them secretly? 
 Would you have done them if your mother had 
 been present ?' " 
 
 Go on, Mr. Liguori. " Was the person free-, 
 married or tied to a' vow of chastity ? Did he sin 
 on a festival day ? Was the time spent in the 
 action long or short ?" 
 
 Read on. Prof. Melton, Liguori is a good little 
 lamb with wool whiter than snow. 
 
 "Must the confessor be denounced who plans 
 vdth a woman, that to deceive her servants better, 
 she would feign sickness when he comes to her 
 home to act criminally with her ? No. The rea- 
 son is, that it is not evident that the priest solic- 
 ited in confession, but only that the crime was ac- 
 complished under the pretext of a confession not 
 intended for solicitation, but only to deceive the 
 
256 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 servants better. And much less ought this confes- 
 sor be denounced if the woman, without any pre- 
 arrangement, entices him, solicits and gets him ta 
 act carnally with her, because, according to the 
 tenor of the Pope's bull, the confessor is to be de- 
 nounced only when he solicits himself under the 
 pretext of confession, and in this case it is not he 
 but she who solicits under the pretext of confes- 
 sion." 
 
 Prof. Melton saw that it was a case of heads I 
 win, tails you lose, as between the priest and the 
 penitent. Though thoroughly disgusted, he read 
 on. 
 
 " Theologians think that the confessor ought to 
 be reported to the bishop when he says to his pen- 
 itent, ' I would marry you if I were' free,' or, 
 ' Remember me, for I love you dearly.' ' Expect 
 me to-day at your house, for I wish to speak to 
 you,' or, ' the confession of your sins has caused 
 me to resort to pollution, although it was against 
 my will,' or if he say to a woman who asks him 
 to hear her confession, ' I will not hear your con- 
 fession, for I am afraid that something might hap- 
 pen to me, for I am captivated by your love.' If 
 he say, ' Do you promise what I wish when I call 
 on you ? ' or if he say to a woman who confesses 
 her shameful deeds with others, ' Why are you not 
 so good to me V ' Don't you feel toward me what I 
 feel toward you ?' Or if she confess that she had 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 257 
 
 coveted him, he says to her, ' We will talk of this 
 after confession is over.' If he say to the peni- 
 tent, ' How much do you love me ?' or, ' I like to 
 sit by you all the time. I have had a dream about 
 you. ' " 
 
 Prof. Melton threw Liguori across the room in 
 disgust. 
 
 These extracts would never have appeared here 
 but for the ignorance of Protestants in regard to 
 the multitude and magnitude of the sins of adul- 
 tery of the old scarlet mother. " To the pure all 
 things are pure." There is no room for false mod- 
 esty here. As long as Adam and Eve were pure, 
 though they were naked, they were not ashamed. 
 The j udge who decided in court that the exposure 
 of a picture of the human form entirely nude was 
 not obscene, while that which was draped around 
 the middle was obscene, because of the attempt at 
 concealment and evincing a consciousness of im- 
 purity of thought, was both wise and harmless. 
 
 The woman or the man, married or single, who 
 would burn or otherwise destroy this book because 
 of its recorded facts, would give good ground for 
 an accusation of false modesty, which is always 
 an evidence of impurity in themselves. Proceed- 
 ing upon the same principle, they would burn the 
 Bible, which, to be a true history, had to record 
 deeds more brutish than anything herein con- 
 tained. The foregoing is not the half, nor the 
 
 17 
 
258 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 worst concerning the filth and moral rottenness of 
 these holy Jesuit Fathers, monks and priests, de- 
 fenders of the Roman Catholic Church claiming 
 to be founded on St. Peter. 
 
 It is an infamous and outrageous libel on that 
 bold follower and defender of the faith of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ. Not one single utterance of that in- 
 spired man is in harmony with the teachings and 
 vile practices of her " who is drunken with the 
 blood of the saints and with the blood of the 
 martyrs of Jesus." 
 
 Liguori, the founder of the order of Redemptor- 
 ists, seems to have been a kind of drill-master, 
 and has left a system of tactics to aid young 
 priests in the accomplishment of the devilish pur- 
 poses of the confessional. However, one of the 
 worst features is that the infamous and polluting 
 instructions are given under the pretense that it 
 proceeds from the very fountain of purity itself. 
 And no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed 
 into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no strange 
 thing if " his ministers be transformed as the min- 
 isters of righteousness." 
 
 The time had arrived when Prof. Melton deter- 
 mined to leave Rome, and, notwithstanding her 
 bad character that made her the subject of the 
 prophecy — " Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen 
 and is become the habitation of devils, and the 
 hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every un- 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 259 
 
 clean and hateful bird," — yet lie could but feel a 
 deep sorrow and regret for the condition of her 
 poor, deluded people and would have lingered 
 there indefinitely, if he could have accomplished 
 any permanent good for the mass of her people. 
 
 He saw the utter impossibility of working such 
 a result where ninety-nine per cent of the whole 
 population have given themselves over to the most 
 damnable vices and crimes in the name of relig- 
 ion and under the auspices of the Church of Rome. 
 But why kick against the goads ? Is not the beast 
 prophetically doomed ? And did not Peter and 
 Paul suffer martyrdom there while in the discharge 
 of the commission given them by Jesus, to "go 
 into all the world and preach the Gospel to every 
 creature ?" Has not Rome stamped her iron heel 
 upon every Protestant religious movement of the 
 world? Has not the beast got his cloven foot 
 planted upon American soil, and his hand on the 
 throat of the American people — the United States 
 Government — the glorious land, to throttle it, be- 
 cause it fosters liberty and the religion of Jesus 
 Christ more than any other government on earth ? 
 
 Has not Rome murdered her millions upon mil- 
 lions of heretics who were unwilling to take the 
 mark of the beast ? Oh ! my God ! The rivers that 
 have run red with the blood of Protestants shed 
 by the hand of persecution and hate of Roman- 
 ists, cannot save Rome ! 
 
260 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 " Here is the patience and faith of the saints. 
 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captiv- 
 ity. He that killeth with the sword mast he 
 killed with the sword. " (Rev. 13:9.) 
 
 " And a mighty angel took up a stone like a 
 great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, 
 Thus with violence shall that great city, Babylon, 
 be thrown down, and shall be found no more at 
 all." (Rev. 18 : 21). 
 
 The blood of fifty million heretics with one voice 
 cries up from the ground against Rome, as did 
 that of righteous Abel against wicked Cain. Sure- 
 ly there has been enough of this sacrifice to write 
 in letters of blood condemnation and judgment 
 against her on a roll long enough, broad enough, 
 thick and heavy enough to shut her off" from the 
 glories of the redeemed and the renewed earth for- 
 ever. 
 
 Though it is enough, it is not all, for the 
 stream will yet run wider and deeper and darker 
 than ever before. 
 
 Oh, the pity of it ! " For her sins have reached 
 unto heaven and God hath remembered her iniqui- 
 ties." 
 
 Oh, the shame of it ! " For she saith in her 
 heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall 
 see no sorrow." 
 
 Vain boasting. "It is a fearful thing to fall 
 into the hands of the living God." 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 261 
 
 Such, were the reflections of Prof. Melton, as 
 the vessel was running down the Tiber, fifteen 
 miles from the city to its mouth. 
 
 As they passed out of the river into the great 
 expanse of the Mediterranean Sea, Rome passed 
 out of mind for a time, dwindling into nothingness, 
 as the works of men must ever do, placed beside 
 the creations of the Almighty hand. 
 
 Four and a half years had elapsed since Wil- 
 ford Melton and his daughter left Melbourne. 
 Three and a half years more were spent in travel- 
 ing over the Eastern Continent. It is not the pur- 
 pose to follow Wilford Melton, the rover, to all 
 the cities he visited after he left Rome. However, 
 he finally reached St. Petersburg, the capital of 
 the Russian Empire. Securing an introduction, 
 through the American Minister, he thought to give 
 the Czar — " Gog," the chief prince of Mesheck and 
 Tubal — some advice about that little raid into 
 the glorious land, America, of which he is the 
 reputed leader that is to be. Prof. Melton 
 thought surely, that, if the Czar could be made 
 to understand, that the people of the land of 
 Tinwalled villages — America — could not be whip- 
 ped, and that Michael, their prince, shall stand 
 up for them in that great battle (Dan. 12- 1 ; Rev. 
 12: 7, and 16: 14, 16, and 19: 19) ; that Gog shall 
 have a place of graves there, and that it shall 
 be to them (the Christian people of America) '"a 
 
262 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the 
 Lord God." (Ezeli. 39:13). He hoped that Gog 
 — Russia's Czar — so understanding, might be per- 
 suaded after overrunning and destroying all the 
 monarchies of Europe, to let Columbia alone. 
 When he comes " I will call for a sword against 
 him throughout all my mountains (states), saith 
 the Lord God." . . . "I will turn thee back 
 and leave but the sixth part of thee." . . . 
 " And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand 
 and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy 
 right hand." ..." Thou shalt fall upon the 
 open field, for I have spoken it saith the Lord 
 God." ..." This is the day whereof I have 
 spoken." 
 
 The Czar laughed at Prof. Melton, and said that 
 he could not see himself in the prophetic mirror 
 he had held up before him ; that he had the high- 
 est regard for America, or, rather, the United 
 States, and hoped ever to maintain friendly rela- 
 tions with Uncle Sam, as your liberal form of 
 government is pleasantly designated by her own 
 people. 
 
 Prof. Melton was also in the land where they 
 swear by Confucius, and worship Joss ; but, as he 
 could not bring himself to the use of chopsticks, 
 and to eat the dainty bird's nest, he left the flow- 
 ery land for Melbourne, reaching that city after 
 an absence of eight years. Marco Verdi and 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 263 
 
 Vophsi had been with him in all his travels. 
 Morco's instruction had never ceased. He was 
 not only a very good scholar, but competent to 
 teach. 
 
 When they got back to Bathurst, Melton was 
 delighted with the evidences of thrift at the ranch. 
 Tim Keister and Charles Simpson had managed 
 well. Their profits had been immense. Keister 
 had sent his children to school, and 'the two older, 
 Mona and Birney, had already graduated at Mel- 
 bourne. 
 
 An unexpected incident happened. Before their 
 arrival in Australia, Prof. Melton had told Marco 
 of his ranch and one-third interest in the stock, 
 and proffered to give him a bill of sale for the 
 stock ; but Marco was so anxious to go to America 
 that he refused to accept this offer. After he had 
 been at the Bathurst ranch for two months he 
 began to like it. In fact, there was a ewe lamb 
 of the Keister flock that seemed to have strong 
 attractions for him. So clearly did Melton then 
 read the horoscope of two lives, that he renewed 
 his offer of the stock as a free gift. Marco accept- 
 ed, and, in a short time, he and Mona Keister 
 were married, and it is true that Marco took care 
 of the lambs as the flock increased. It is proper 
 to say, before bidding adieu to Marco Verdi, that, 
 in time, the wish of his heart was gratified, for he 
 
264 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 became a citizen of the United States and the 
 owner of a fine western farm. 
 
 Prof. Melton remained in Australia about two 
 years, settling up his mining business, which 
 had made him a millionaire. During those two 
 years Charles Simpson had tried to induce Vophsi 
 to marry him. She never refused him positively, 
 but he could not bring her to speak the words 
 he desired most to hear. Finally she told him 
 she would never marry in any other country but 
 America. 
 
 " Then," he replied, " I will go to America and 
 marry you at the capital, and have the President 
 and his cabinet to witness, and the great seal of 
 the United States stamped on our marriage certifi- 
 cate, if you will consent to be my wife." 
 
 " When I go to America I may conclude never 
 to marry." 
 
 " Then I wish you would start there to-morrow 
 so that you may soon find out." 
 
 " I will go with Fodsie very soon, and you know 
 that old saying,' ' Out of sight out of mind.' " 
 
 "Yes, Vophsi, I have heard it, but it did not 
 hold good in the eight long years you have been 
 roving with your dear ' Fodsie ' over the world. 
 My love and my prayers have been with you all 
 the time. 
 
 " I have now grown to be an old bachelor, and 
 you are — no I will not say it, for you look as 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 265 
 
 youthful as the day I first looked on and loved 
 you. But time is flying while I wait for you. 
 However, as long as you are single, I shall wait 
 in the hope that your heart will incline toward 
 me at last." 
 
 "I appreciate your kind offer, Mr. Simpson, 
 and the honor you do me in making it, and, were 
 I to consider the question of marriage at all, I 
 would not pass it by carelessly." 
 
 " Thank you for that much. My case is not 
 altogether hopeless." 
 
 One thing which made greatly in his favor was 
 that he had discovered her great passion for 
 flowers, especially those of the more fragrant 
 odors, on her first visit, and had procured such 
 varieties as he could propagate, and now had 
 some pretty fragrant bloomers. 
 
 These furnished Vophsi with a great deal of 
 pleasure, and Mr. Simpson placed his floral pets 
 in her keeping on her return. They both found 
 pleasant pastime over them, he telling her of his 
 treatment of them, and she listening, for she was 
 set on learning enough of floriculture to supply 
 her own wants whenever the time should come 
 that she could be assured that she was settled 
 down. 
 
 Prof. Melton had been waiting some time for a 
 vessel to go to Brazil. The tutelary god — guar- 
 dian angel — that watched over him, was propi- 
 
266 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 tious, considering his disposition. His opportunity 
 came, for he received notice that a vessel was to 
 sail on the first of the month for Rio de Janeiro. 
 
 He had seen enough of the world to satisfy 
 most men, but he had a desire to see Romanism 
 and its effect upon the people dominated by it, 
 yet a little more. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 MAUD Melton's course of study at Columbia 
 was finished. She had graduated and re- 
 turned to her home in St. Louis. 
 
 Her grandfather Nekoda had bought half of his 
 son's ten-acre lot and built a nice home on it, so 
 that Mrs. Melton and Maud, with the old folks, 
 formed a happy and agreeable family. Mrs. Mel- 
 ton's mother had faithfully kept her promise, on 
 coming to St. Louis, and had not visited a Catho- 
 lic church or priest, nor had she made herself 
 known as a Catholic to a living soul since leav- 
 ing New York. She never conceded anything to 
 Judaism, but now, at last, after a long, hard fight 
 for it, she consented, without entirely yielding her 
 Catholicism, to unite with a Protestant church, 
 provided that " Daniel would do the same." On 
 the other hand, her husband was ready to yield 
 his Judaism, being only too glad of an opportun- 
 ity to do what he could to untangle and loosen 
 the serpent's coil from his wife's body and soul, 
 without a thought of his own danger. 
 
 In time Mrs, Nekoda began to brighten up. 
 Her daughter, in her own way, managed to have 
 
 (267) 
 
268 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 both of her parents attend church and hear that 
 which they had never heard before. This gave 
 birth to thoughts that, otherwise, never would 
 have been born. Besides, the granddaughter was 
 so tender and loving towards her grandparents 
 that she could have everything her own way. 
 
 She never left the house to go down in town or 
 elsewhere without kissing her grandmother and 
 asking, " What' shall I bring for my dear, sweet 
 Grammie" — the word Maud always used for grand- 
 mother. This manifestation of tender regard for 
 the grandmother, worked a change in the heart 
 and mind of the elderly lady that argument could 
 never have effected. She became inquisitive, and 
 asked a great many questions, especially concern- 
 ing what the preacher said in his last sermon. 
 Then her daughter or granddaughter would get 
 the Bible and point out the Scripture, and she 
 would read it over and over, and study and think, 
 often concluding the reveries that followed read- 
 ing by saying she guessed it was all right. Some- 
 times she would fall into a deep study, and often 
 tears would fill her eyes. Maud had noticed 
 this, on one occasion in particular, and going up 
 to her and putting her arms around her said : 
 
 " Maudie wants to know what troubles her 
 precious, sweet Grammie, for Maudie is sorry when 
 her Grammie looks so troubled." 
 
 " Wait a little bit, Maudie," she replied. After 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 269 
 
 collecting her thoughts she said, " Maudie, since 
 you have grown up, I see your father in your fea- 
 tures, and I have reason to believe, his disposition 
 and character, also, although our acquaintance 
 was so short. Wilford Melton's daughter has af- 
 forded me more glad hours than I ever expected to 
 know. I feel very sad, sometimes, when I think 
 that my opposition to his marriage might have 
 been the cause of his loss, and the thought that 1, 
 shall have no opportunity to ask his forgiveness 
 nearly distracts me at times. I am doing penance 
 now, Maudie. I find pleasure in loving Wilford 
 Melton's daughter, in the church he advocated so 
 strongly, and in following the lead of her who be- 
 came his wife in spite of me. But for her act in 
 marrying without my consent and without the 
 Catholic ceremony, I, probably, would never have 
 come out from among the Catholics ; but it dis- 
 tresses me to think that my salvation was at so 
 much extra cost — the life of your father, and the 
 happiness of your mother. Poor Mitylene ! how 
 bravely she has met the difiiculties of the world, 
 and how nobly she has borne up under her great 
 sorrow. So it will go on to the end of her life, 
 and all that I can do for the disaster I wrought is 
 to suffer in mind and conscience." 
 
 " O, Grammie ! Mamma does not blame you for 
 anything. I heard her say that you were honest 
 in what you believed and did, and that you 
 
270 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 thought it was for her good when you would have 
 sent her to the convent ; but, Grammie, she is so 
 glad that you have obeyed that command, a part 
 of which you have just quoted from Rev. 18: 4, 
 that she wept and laughed, both at once, when re- 
 ferring to the circumstances on that Sunday even- 
 ing when your and grandpa's names were enroll- 
 ed in the book of life. She and uncle John em- 
 braced each other and wept for joy. No other 
 act of yours, Grammie, could have given them so 
 much happiness." 
 
 " God bless the children !" she replied. " They 
 were wiser than their mother. It all comes of 
 growing up here in America." 
 
 Robert and Ann Shirley lived near. Mr. Shirley 
 had succeeded in business. Edna, the only child, 
 had grown up and married. 
 
 George Melton had failed in the tobacco busi- 
 ness, and moved to St. Louis at the solicitation of 
 his sister-in-law, who procured a loan of some 
 money for him, at a low rate of interest, from her 
 brother. He was now quite prosperous. St. Louis 
 was an Eldorado for all honest men, with or with- 
 out capital. 
 
 Maud Melton was now approaching close to her 
 eighteenth year, and to get an inkling of what she 
 was, the reader is referred to the opening words in 
 the first page and chapter of this book, but to 
 realize the wonderfulness of her beauty, it were 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 271 
 
 necessary to see her. She had a dark, heavy suit 
 of hair, even greater than that of her mother. She 
 had her mother's dark eyes and clear skin, with 
 the fairness of her father blended in, as, also, his 
 smooth features and prepossessing manners. If 
 Mitylene Nekoda was a model woman, and "Wilford 
 Melton a model man, here, in their child, was a 
 perfect model, for she was a compound of both, 
 having, also, the same peculiarities and high or- 
 der of talents. She loved music, and was an ac- 
 complished pianist and vocalist. Her voice was 
 an improvement on her mother's. Another thing 
 in which she was always interested and delighted 
 was the drama. A good play, presented by actors 
 who, could fairly represent the various phases of 
 human character and life, had a charm for her next 
 to the Church of Christ, but it was long before she 
 could reconcile the two loves. However, as she 
 reasoned with herself and consulted with her mother 
 she found that much of her antipathy to the drama 
 had grown out of prejudice created by the censure 
 of the pulpit and the predominance of a low order 
 of plays. While that was true, she asked the 
 question, " How can the acting of real life charac- 
 ter on the stage be wrong ? " and the answer of 
 her heart was, " It is not wrong, unless it is made 
 wrong by writers, actors and managers." Withal 
 she was not the patron of the theater at large. 
 " The fact of the existence of a church building 
 
272 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 and membership does not prove," said her mother, 
 "that all the members are Christians. A good 
 tree is known by its fruit, a true friend by his 
 deeds. As I heard a good man say on an occasion 
 when a brother had refused him a favor that was 
 granted by an outsider, ' I had always believed 
 that a brother was nearer to me than any other 
 person, but I have learned by experience that a 
 friend is nearer than a brother ; especially when 
 the brother gives you a stone for bread, while the 
 friend helps you on your feet and fills the measure 
 of liberality with his bounty.' 
 
 " If dramatists would give plays that would act 
 well they would be public benefactors and friends 
 of the world at large, but there are so many plays 
 that read well and do not act well, that managers 
 and actors of such are sure to make failures, for 
 no fault of theirs, but the writer's." 
 
 " I know that what you say with regard to the 
 church is true, mamma, for I read it in Revelations 
 concerning the churches. Of the church in Sardis, 
 ' I know thy works, that thou hast a name and art 
 dead. Be watchful and strengthen the things which 
 remain, that are ready to die ; for I have not found 
 thy works perfect before Grod.' " 
 
 "Evidently," replied her mother, " there is room 
 for improvement both in the church and the play. 
 One teaches what life should be, the other exhibits 
 life as it is. I am in favor of both, as separate 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 273 
 
 institutions, and while I could not favor theatricals 
 in the house of God, yet I have seen preachers 
 whose actions were more befitting the stage than 
 the pulpit. Christ's Sermon on the Mount was de- 
 livered sitting. I wonder what people would think 
 of a speaker nowadays, who, instead of emphasiz- 
 ing his assertions by stamping his foot and pound- 
 ing the table with his fists, would quietly sit and 
 deliver the words of eternal life. However, all 
 this does not disprove the need and usefulness of 
 the church ; neither do bad plays, bad acting and 
 bad management of the theater, prove that good 
 plays are not good in their place. Your father 
 was writing a play, and, had he lived, it would 
 probably have been before the world several years 
 ago." 
 
 " What did he call it, mamma ? " 
 
 " He never told me." 
 
 " What became of the part he had written ? " 
 
 " I do not know. I suppose it was lost with 
 him." 
 
 " O, how much I should like to read it. Did he 
 ever read any of it to you, mamma ?" 
 
 " No, my dear. We had only been married a 
 month when that terrible disaster happened." 
 
 " Mamma, was papa very smart ?" 
 
 " Yes, daughter, your father was very smart, but 
 entirely free from ostentation." 
 
 " Was he handsome, mamma ?" 
 
 18 
 
274 NEBUSHTAN. 
 
 " Yes, Maudie, he was more than good-looking. 
 Besides he was good to the heart's core." 
 
 " I know he was real nice, was he not, mamma?" 
 
 *'He was a perfect and polished gentleman, 
 Maudie." 
 
 " And you loved him, mamma, oh, so much ! I 
 know you did. And I love you for it, for I love 
 him from what you say of him. I wonder if it 
 should fall out that he was picked up by pirates 
 and held as a prisoner on some island of the sea, 
 and should get away and come home some day, 
 and I should meet him, if instinct would tell me 
 that he is my father ? Oh, mamma, what is the 
 matter?" 
 
 Maud sprang to her mother's side and lifted up 
 her head which had fallen over on one shoulder. 
 She had fainted, but recovered almost instantly. 
 The very thought that the thing Maud had men- 
 tioned might be true, caused a sudden revulsion of 
 feeling which overcame her for the moment. As 
 she recovered she said : 
 
 " Excuse me, daughter. That is the only time 
 your mother ever fainted. I do not know why it 
 came over me." 
 
 " I do, mamma. It was the momentary hope my 
 words raised in your mind. I was not thinking." 
 
 " Yet, my dear, there is the bare possibility you 
 mentioned, but it is best not to think so." 
 
 It was now about the first of October, and the 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 275 
 
 winter of 18 — was approaching. Mrs. Melton and 
 her daughter were intending to go to Washington 
 to spend the winter while Congress was in session. 
 They expected to be in New York City until after 
 the holidays, as they had a special invitation to 
 do so from David Mentor, an old friend of Mity- 
 lene's girlhood days, who had married, but was 
 now a widower with a grown son and daughter liv- 
 ing with him. The old family physician, Dr. 
 Beech, was long since dead ; so that her old-time 
 acquaintances were few. 
 
 They went straight on to 'New York first, arriv- 
 ing there about the middle of October. During 
 their stay, there were some good plays being 
 enacted, and Mr. Mentor was a great theater -goer 
 and kept himself well posted. He procured tick- 
 ets for every alternate evening. Maud had never 
 enjoyed the drama so much in her life before. Her 
 mother, also, seemed to enjoy it very greatly, 
 perhaps more than she did in the days when Mr. 
 Mentor took her as a little girl. Miss Jennie 
 Mentor was about Maud's age, while her brother 
 Willie was about three years older. Miss Jennie 
 was gifted with a good contralto voice, her broth- 
 er's being pitched for the tenor. On the eveniugs 
 when they did not attend the theater, they had 
 music at home. 
 
 Mrs. Melton had been induced by the request of 
 her old friend to take the stool at the piano, which 
 
276 NEHV8HTAN. 
 
 she had neglected for a long time after the Hamp- 
 ton disaster. When Maud was old enough, her 
 mother began to instruct her, but refrained from 
 reproducing any of her old favorites ; for they 
 were so many painful reminders of him who was 
 so intimately associated with the one harrowing 
 memory of her soul. However, time had had its 
 work of patience, and her heart and mind were so 
 thoroughly disciplined to the endurance of all 
 things that no one was aware or could discover 
 the inner suflfering and longing for the loved and 
 lost. 
 
 Associated as she was now with a companion of 
 her youth, and carried back of that period of her 
 life when she had experienced the deepest feelings 
 peculiar to young womanhood, she was made to 
 forget, in a measure, her great trouble, and to yield 
 to the enjoyments of the successive occasions of 
 that most pleasant and agreeable visit. 
 
 Though her voice was still good, want of prac- 
 tice had left its bad effect, which the exercise it 
 was now receiving would Tery soon remove. 
 Maud's fine soprano was grand enough to make np 
 for the defect in her mother's voice. With Maud's 
 and her mother's soprano. Miss Jennie's contralto, 
 Willie's tenor a,nd Mr. Mentor's bass, they were 
 able to have some very fine music. They consti- 
 tuted their own audience, save on a few evenings 
 when frien&s of the Mentor family were invited. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 277 
 
 As soon as Mr. Mentor had heard Maud aing, he 
 began to urge her to go on the stage, and predicted 
 for her a grand success in case she should take 
 his advice. 
 
 " I should fear to undertake that," said Maud, 
 " lest I might be carried away with it to the ne- 
 glect of my Savior. I would not give up my hope 
 in Christ for all the theatricals in the wide world, 
 however fond I am of the play." 
 
 " That," replied Mr. Mentor, " is the strongest 
 argument you could have made in favor of your 
 going on the stage. I have always contended that 
 the stage will be a grand thing when it is purified 
 and elevated to the high position it should occupy. 
 It is a great instructor, a living and real picture of 
 life, answering the same purpose for older people 
 that object-lessons do for children. All the de- 
 scriptive scenes of the Bible could be simplified, 
 characterized and acted upon the stage. Then the 
 minds of children and grown people also, whose 
 minds are as the minds of children, would take 
 hold of the great question of obedience to God. 
 There is not a particle of danger to the religion 
 of one whose faith is so well founded as yours, 
 Miss Maud." 
 
 " Do not tempt me, Mr. Mentor, for I fear that 
 there is something in your name as well- as in 
 your reasons. I would prefer to do my own think- 
 ing where the question involves my religious life." 
 
278 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 "That is right. You must think for yourself. 
 My expressions are merely to aid you in deciding 
 the question." 
 
 " I appreciate your motives, Mr. Mentor, and 
 thank you for what you have said. I am inclined 
 to the same view." 
 
 The fall was drawing to a close. The days 
 seemed to be going by too rapidly to suit Mr. 
 Mentor, for he did not relish the idea of losing his 
 visitors so soon. The holidays would be here in 
 less than a month; after that, they would be going 
 on to Washington. 
 
 Again, the longer Mrs. Melton staid, the more 
 he wanted her to stay. The more he saw of her, 
 the more he was interested and pleased with her. 
 Therefore, he began to reason with himself after 
 this fashion : 
 
 " I would marry her this very day; but suppose 
 I were to tell her so, an invited guest here at my 
 house, and thus abuse the confidence she mani- 
 fested by the acceptance of my invitation to come. 
 She would think me void of those finer sensibil- 
 ities which she would require to be possessed by 
 the man whose name she would be willing to take. 
 Unquestionably the material of her make-up is 
 highly refined. She has passed through a crucible 
 that left nothing but the purest gold. However, 
 she is sensible, with all her natural gifts and ac- 
 complishments. Besides, love breaks all rules 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 279 
 
 and destroys all precedents. Perhaps, if I were 
 to approach her with a proper apology and reason 
 for addressing her here at this time, she would in 
 the goodness of heart so natural to her, excuse and 
 forgive me." 
 
 Therefore Mr. Mentor determined to act accord- 
 ing to this latter view of the case, at his earliest 
 opportunity. 
 
 On that same evening after they all had ar- 
 rived at the theater, and Mr. Mentor had seated 
 his company, he left the box and went to the man- 
 ager's room. As soon as he was seated, Mr. Jones, 
 the manager said to him : 
 
 "Davie, I am glad you came in, for I want to 
 talk with you. I received, some months ago, by 
 mail, a manuscript copy of a new drama, together 
 with money to pay for its publication. With 
 much difficulty I have succeeded in getting it pub- 
 lished, and shall present it during the Christmas 
 holidays, and I want two more singers." 
 
 "What was the nature of the difficulties you 
 encountered in getting the play published ?" 
 
 " I have not the time to explain this evening, 
 but it was cowardice and fear of a certain relig- 
 ious body of people. Do you know of one or two 
 good voices ? It is not necessary that they shall 
 have been on the stage. In fact, I would prefer 
 that they should not have been, if they have good 
 voices. I know you are a good judge. Do you 
 
280 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 know of any that you can get for me ? By this 
 course we sometimes secure a voice that draws 
 wonderfully." 
 
 " Yes, Paul, I do know of one," answered David 
 Mentor, " and she will suit you exactly, if I can 
 induce her. I have already told her that she 
 ought to go on the stage." 
 
 " What is her age ?" 
 
 " She is eighteen years old." 
 
 "Her age is exactly right. Could you not bring 
 her to see me at 3 o'clock p. M. to-morrow ?" 
 
 " Yes, I think I could promise you that, Paul." 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 ACCORDING to promise, and at the time appoint- 
 ed, Mr. Mentor took Maud Melton, accompan- 
 ied by his daughter Jennie, to see Manager Jones. 
 She was introduced as Miss Maud, simply, as she 
 would not consent to give her surname. After 
 some preliminary conversation in regard to sing- 
 ing on the stage, Mr. Jones asked Maud if she 
 would sing a piece, that he might hear and judge 
 of the quality of her voice. She consented, and he 
 handed her that old piece, a memento of American 
 patriotism and independence, entitled, " The Sword 
 of Bunker Hill." 
 
 " Why, Mr. Jones, this is better suited as a solo 
 for a male voice." 
 
 "That is just the reason why I gave it to you, 
 for I think it requires more pathos than is usually 
 found in the male voice, and the female voice that 
 can swell the crescendo with power, and glide 
 down the diminuendo with a tender, fitting pathos, 
 will certainly make a hit." 
 
 " I am afraid," said Maud, laughing, " that my 
 crescendo will not have room to expand in this 
 oflBce." 
 
 (281) 
 
282 NEBUSHTAN. 
 
 " Come ; we will go right on the stage. Your 
 two friends and I will be your audience." 
 
 When Maud had finished the song, manager 
 Jones was in an ecstasy of delight, and told Maiid 
 that she had a fortune in her voice. Her reply 
 was that she had a fortune without it. That was 
 true, though she did not say it boastingly, but 
 meant that she did not crave a fortune, and was 
 contented. She was not conscious then of the 
 magnitude of the fortune of which she was soon 
 to become the heir. 
 
 After much persuasion she consented to begin 
 the rehearsal on the next evening, to continue 
 every evening till it should be presented on Christ- 
 mas night, and to go through that weefk, but she 
 would not then consent to continue longer. 
 
 Her mother made no objections, but said: 
 
 " Mandie has been taught to think and act for 
 herself. This is a matter between herself and her 
 God. I am not in the least afraid that she will 
 lose her faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and so fail in her Christianity, whatever she may 
 choose to follow." 
 
 Therefore, the next fifteen days Maudie devoted 
 to her part in the great play. Usually Willie 
 Mentor and his sister would drive Maud to the 
 theater, and, while she was at the rehearsal, they 
 would drive around town and do shopping. 
 
 During the days in which Maud was rehearsing 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 283 
 
 for the drama, her mother was engaged in reading 
 Shakespeare for the tenth time. This was David 
 Mentor's opportunity to make the apology which 
 he intended should lead to a proposal of marriage 
 to Mrs. Melton. So, on one of these evenings, 
 when the young folks had driven to the theater and 
 the cook and housemaid were both attending to 
 their duties, it fell out that Mr. Mentor and Mrs. 
 Melton began talking of their early life. Mr. 
 Mentor gradually led up to the subject on his 
 mind, on this wise : 
 
 " Mrs. Melton, I owe you an apology, and desire 
 to make it now, as, also, to show you why it is 
 necessary." 
 
 " Why, Mr. Mentor, I cannot think of the least 
 thing in the world for which you should do that, 
 and I accept your apology beforehand, so that 
 you need not make it." 
 
 " That is certainly kind in you, Mrs. Melton, and 
 would be quite satisfactory but for the motive ly- 
 ing behind the apology." 
 
 " In that case, Mr. Mentor, ^you shall apologize, 
 but you need not get down on your knees to an, 
 old friend." 
 
 " Ah, it may come to that, even. You had bet- 
 ter let me speak, ere you place too many barriers 
 in my way. As an old friend, you would not de- 
 sire to increase my difficulties." 
 
 "O, certainly not, but, rather, help you to re- 
 
284 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 move the difficulties wMch I hope are not real, but 
 imaginary." 
 
 " You add one more every time you speak ; so 
 you must not say another word until I have 
 humbled myself. I am about to ask of you a 
 very great favor." 
 
 " O, it is granted, even — " 
 
 " Wait, wait, do not say that now. Grod grant 
 that you may grant it when you know of what I 
 speak. It is because you are here in my house, 
 my guest by the invitation of myself and daughter, 
 that I ask you to forgive me, for what I am about 
 to say is a breach of courtesy of which I am hearti- 
 ly ashamed. I really have no substantial reason 
 for not waiting, and seeking you elsewhere to say 
 what is in my mind, only that I lack the patience 
 to wait. And, since the cause that inspires the 
 desire of expression has grown up here without 
 any purpose or plan of mine in the beginning, I 
 have thought it as well to have an expression and 
 an ending here, also. I would not, by what I say, 
 cause you to leave us one hour sooner than was 
 contemplated at the start. On the contrary, I 
 would prevail on you to postpone your leave-taking 
 indefinitely. If you cannot promise me that you 
 will stay longer, or, at least, as long as you in- 
 tended, I will not now ask the favor, for certainly 
 our friendship must not be shaken." 
 , " I will promise you, Mr. Mentor, for your friend- 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 285 
 
 ship has been tried and proved. We will stay 
 until after the holidays, when, as you know, it is 
 our purpose to go to Washington. Besides that, 
 Maudie's engagement must be kept, now that it is 
 made. The time of our leave-taking is at hand, 
 in any event." 
 
 " Then you will not be offended or driven away 
 if I ask the favor now ? " 
 
 "No, I shall not." 
 
 " Thank you, Mrs. Melton. Now I feel free to 
 speak. I knew you as a little girl, and, probably, 
 had you not so suddenly and mysteriously disap- 
 peared, without the knowledge of your friends, I 
 would have said twenty years ago what I now 
 say — that I love you and desire to make you my 
 wife. I have lived a widower for ten years, for 
 the reason that I have not seen in that time, until 
 you came, one whom I can love as a wife. There 
 is no doubt in my mind of my feelings toward you. 
 Now, may I ask, can you reciprocate my love 
 for you ? Will you be my wife, and thus change 
 the conditions of life for us both ? The reason why 
 I could not wait to make this declaration is be- 
 cause life is too short to lose a single day of the 
 happiness you have it in your power to bestow 
 on me, if your sentiments are in consonance with 
 mine." 
 
 " Mr. Mentor, I have listened to you, and will 
 say in reply, that, instead of being offended, I feel 
 
286 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 myself complimented by your offer and the honor 
 you confer on me ; but, when I have told you all, 
 you will see the impossibility of my compliance 
 with your wish. I confess that the doubt and 
 uncertainty of my husband's death will preclude 
 me from the consideration of a marriage union 
 with any one, however desirable such marriage 
 might be. For eighteen years that uncertainty 
 has hung like a dark pall over my life, enforcing 
 existence under a shadow that seems destined to 
 continue as long as I live. 
 
 " There is a possibility that my husband still 
 lives. I could not marry another with that doubt 
 in my mind. 'No living person, without the per- 
 sonal experience, can realize the cravings of the 
 heart for some information that would remove the 
 suspense. While living in this doubtful mood, 
 there could not emanate from my heart a single 
 vibration in answer to the touch of another. 
 
 "There has always been this mystery to me, 
 that if he had been dead, how could it be possi- 
 ble for me to continue so long out of the spirit 
 land of our being — so closely were our hearts knit 
 together ? It seems to me that if he had died his 
 spirit would have soon called for mine. It is only 
 within the last few months that a hope of his re- 
 turn began to grow up in my heart. The more 
 I have thought about it, the more hopeful I have 
 grown. You will understand that a very little — ■ 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 287 
 
 a trace — counts for much with me now. Small as 
 is the hope, that pittance constitutes a royal food 
 for my hungry soul, to rob me of which now 
 would be not only cruel, but fatal. Yes, that I 
 am yet to realize happiness in this life, through 
 my husband, has come to be a dream with me. 
 If that dream is taken from me, without putting 
 realization in its stead, you take from me that 
 stimulant of life that, to me, is life itself. 
 
 "I know this is enough to show one of your 
 good sense and kind heart the uselessness of any 
 thought or considerations of marriage by me. The 
 hand I could give now would quickly chill to 
 death the affections of a warm and tender heart. 
 If there were no other reasons, this one is enough." 
 
 " My dear friend," answered Mr. Mentor, " I ap- 
 preciate the truth of what you say. You could 
 not give me your love under the circumstances, 
 and, in dismissing the subject from further con- 
 sideration, permit me to say that, until now, I had 
 not realized the full value of the prize I sought, 
 and that only now do I perceive the extent and 
 greatness of my failure. My admiration for you 
 cannot decrease, my love must not increase, but 
 my friendship may and shall continue forever. 
 I make this single request ; should time develop 
 any facts interesting for me to know, shall I know 
 them ?" 
 
 " You shall, on the word of a true friend." 
 
288 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 " I will act towards you, Mrs. Melton, just as 
 though this conversation had never occurred. I 
 thank you for your patient and kindly consider- 
 ation of what 1 had to say. Since you have come 
 to believe in, or, hope for the return of your hus- 
 band, I pray God, in the deep sincerity of my 
 heart and soul, that you may realize the full fru- 
 ition of your hope. Such devotion is worthy of 
 the greatest blessings this life can afford. 
 
 " Now, if you will forgive me for encroaching 
 on the time you had set apart for grand old 
 Shakespeare, I will go and attend to some other 
 matters. Shakespeare is a much better dramatist 
 than I, and will not fail to interest you if you give 
 him your undivided attention." 
 
 " I have no fault to find with your acting, Mr. 
 Mentor. You have acted very naturally, and nat- 
 ural actors are the best actors." 
 
 "I appreciate the compliment and thank you 
 for it, Mrs. Melton." 
 
CHAPTEK XXIV. 
 
 PROF. Melton, having settled his mining inter- 
 ests at Bathurst, left Australia again with 
 his daughter Vophsi, taking passage for Rio 
 Janeiro, which city was reached in good time 
 and without any incident worthy of special 
 note. As the ship passed the entrance between. 
 Fort St. Juan and Fort Santa Cruz, less than a 
 mile wide, into at least sixty square miles of 
 the finest anchorage in the world, both the 
 Professor and his daughter thought it was one 
 of the prettiest sights on water that they had 
 ever witnessed. 
 
 The view from the bay is rendered a hundred 
 times more beautiful by its environs. The Boto- 
 fogo Bay, the Vale of Larangerias, the Height 
 of Tijuca, San Cristoval, San Teresa and others, 
 conduced greatly to its picturesque beauty. 
 
 The city abounds with churches and monastic 
 buildings of the Jesuit style, and the sites are 
 the very best that could be found within its limits. 
 Among them are La Candellaria and La Gloria. 
 
 The streets are mere alleys, mean, contracted 
 passages. The Rua Direita is the only wide and 
 
 19 ( 289 ) 
 
290 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 pleasant street the city can boast of, and it is 
 given almost entirely to business. 
 
 Melton and Yophsi enjoyed a drive out to the 
 Botanic Gardens at Botofogo. They found the 
 road one continuous garden, whether along the 
 bay or inland. Vophsi was surfeited with the 
 aroma of flowers and satisfied for once in her 
 life, although it took a bushel basket full of them 
 to do it. 
 
 When they returned to their rooms he had 
 her to place them in her own room and close 
 the door, for he determined to sicken her by 
 them, hoping to cure her idiosyncrasy. Thought- 
 less man! It was not an acquired habit, but 
 was bred in the bone, and, therefore, incurable. 
 
 The principal object of the visit to Rio Janeiro, 
 aside from seeing the world, was to learn some- 
 thing of the religion and habits of its people. 
 !Ninty-five per cent of the whole population were 
 under the iron hand and control of the Church of 
 Rome. So completely and entirely were the peo- 
 ple Romanized, that bishops and priests had be- 
 come lazy and plethoric, both in body and purse. 
 That, said Melton, will be their destruction ; for it 
 is the plant — the very hotbed of sin and corrup- 
 tion. Already this hypersemic condition was be- 
 ing seen and felt. Too many idle brains, which 
 have been characterized as the devil's work-shop. 
 
 Prof. Melton learned also, that the devil was at 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 291 
 
 home in his shops in Rio, as the mothers of ille- 
 gitimate children could testify if they would, but 
 they dare not. There were numerous scandals — 
 that is, such as would have been scandals here in 
 the United States, but were mentioned there sim- 
 ply as facts in a very matter-of-course way. 
 
 One priest had children by his niece. Another 
 rather good-looking young priest had given a riddle 
 to the nuns, which he himself proceeded to unravel 
 to their lasting disgrace. He laid down, side by 
 side, their vow of chastity and their vow of obedi- 
 ence, accompanied by a command that grew out of 
 his own polluting nature. No wonder they fell 
 when it is remembered that these vows are self- 
 imposed, and not of God, and that they rely upon 
 human agencies for grace to keep them — a vile 
 priest offering prayers to a dead saint in their be- 
 half. It is very doubtful whether very many of 
 the Catholic priests believe in Romanism, but 
 they do so exceedingly enjoy sin for a season that 
 they barter eternal life for it. This, with nothing 
 more, is a, sufficient condemnation of the Church 
 of Rome. 
 
 " Wherever I have found Roman Catholicism to 
 be the predominating religion of a country," de- 
 clared Prof. Melton, " I have found ignorance, su- 
 perstition and bastardy prevalent also. 
 
 " Roman Catholics are the same wherever you 
 find them, and the boast of Rome that she never 
 
292 NSfHUSHTAN. 
 
 changes is true. She is welcome to all that at- 
 taches to her boast. Wise men do often change, 
 and it is the other class that never change. The 
 Catholic may appear to be better here in the 
 United States than elsewhere, but it is all decep- 
 tion. He has an ax to grind.* At heart he is a 
 deceiver, traitor and murderer." 
 
 Prof. Melton had finished his great drama and 
 sent it to the manager of a New York theater, 
 with a draft on a bank of New York for the money 
 to pay for its publication, and with instructions to 
 the manager to produce the play during the holi- 
 days. 
 
 This was the beginning of troubles foi" that 
 manager, for he had to give a synopsis of the play, 
 or let publishers read it. The former was thought 
 to be the speediest way, and though he first went 
 to the leading publishing houses and proffei'ed 
 cash for the work, as soon as done, they refused to 
 publish on the gtound that an expose of Roman 
 Catholicism would destroy a large part of their 
 business. His answer to them was that "if the 
 Romanists were let alone for a few years longer 
 and not called to a halt, they would hot only 
 destroy their business but themselves with it, as 
 well as bur goverament." 
 
 His manuscript -Was rejected twenty-five times 
 
 *S^e SuiJ^lerilfent. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 293 
 
 "before he found an obscure publishing house which 
 was so much in need of money that they would 
 have accepted the job, though it had kindled the 
 inquisitorial fires around them. 
 
 This play had been forwarded to Mr. Jones some 
 months past, and the time was approaching when 
 "VVilford Melton and daughter had expected to sail 
 for jSTew York City, when Vophsi was prostrated 
 by a severe form of fever, and for many days life 
 seemed to be suspended by a very slender thread. 
 Her case was one of that persistent, obstinate 
 kind that would have its course in spite of doctors 
 and the goblets of vile stuff that they poured down 
 her throat. The fever was continuous with daily 
 exacerbations, until the mind was overwhelmed 
 and she became unconscious, and the doctors said 
 she must die. 
 
 " Kot so," answered Melton, " get thee hence." 
 He paid and discharged them the same minute, 
 and, with the nurse — a kind, good woman — at- 
 tended on her and treated her on common-sense 
 principles. Thus Ifature, the best physician in 
 the wide world, had a chance to work, and her ef- 
 forts were not interfered with by some mutton- 
 headed theorist, who knows nothing but himself, 
 and who is not honest enough to acknowledge the 
 acquaintance, knowing that such acknowledg- 
 ment would send him back to the school of com- 
 
294 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 mon sense to learn that he must not tamper with 
 human life. 
 
 Vophsi had a good strong constitution, which 
 fact was in her favor. One night, when the fever 
 was at its worst, and while the nurse slept and 
 Prof. Melton was attending Ms patient, her mind 
 seemed very much burdened with something. She 
 was constantly muttering and talking in a very 
 disconnected manner, and saying things which 
 money could not have bought from her lips when 
 in a rational state of mind. 
 
 "What she said was a cause of sadness to Wil- 
 ford Melton. What he heard confirmed him in a 
 conclusion from something which he had observed 
 twice before. True, that which he heard was in 
 broken sentences, but he was able to put this and 
 that together so as to read and understand. 
 Wherefore the meaning of the following broken 
 sentences were clear enough to his mind to make 
 him very sad. 
 
 " He loves her still — I did not — never thought of 
 him till after she was lost — not at first — not till I 
 watched him so long on that miserable raft — yes, 
 I would have given him my last drop of blood. — 
 No, Mr. Simpson — I am very sorry for you, but I 
 love where it is thrown away, but it is my life so 
 to throw it — he don't know, of course, and never 
 will — ^he would hate me if he did — Ha, ha, just as 
 if I were his real daughter. Yes, she was good, but 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 295 
 
 did not love Mm more than I do. — Oh ! if I could 
 die, and he could understand at last without my 
 telling him. — ^No, I have nothing to forgive — ^he 
 has never wronged me — it is my own fault — I can- 
 not help it — If she had lived ? Well, this trouble 
 would not have happened to me. No, no, no, he 
 will never marry again. Why? Because his 
 heart is in the great sea since then, and the sea is 
 too large for any one to find it, although his heart 
 is as large as the sea. He has been roving over 
 the sea off and on ever since — I don't know — he 
 may be courting death in the same way. Oh ! I 
 am so tired — so tired !" 
 
 Wilford Melton was very sorrow for his adopted 
 daughter, and began to consider how he could 
 save her from further trouble and suffering, in case 
 she should recover. It bore on his mind day and 
 night, and thenceforth lie had no peace of mind, 
 because of the discovery of her secret. 
 
 While he had suspected something of the kind 
 once or twice before, yet there was good reason for 
 doubt, but now there was no reason to doubt any 
 longer. 
 
 He was glad that his play was finished and sent 
 away, for he could not have wrought out the work 
 with the additional weight of his discovery bear- 
 ing on his mind. 
 
 Vophsi began to get better, her mind cleared, 
 the fever left, her appetite returned, and just as 
 
296 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 soon as she could be removed, they started for 
 New York, for Praf. Melton wanted to get there in 
 time to be present at the presentation of his play. 
 
 He' had continued to think over the revelation 
 of Vophsi, during her fever, and saw no way of 
 relief but to talk with her on the subject, and how 
 to do that without wounding her feelings, was a 
 difficult matter to determine. 
 
 They had started on a homeward-bound vessel, 
 and were well out to sea. He and Vophsi were 
 seated on the hurricane deck, with the pale moon- 
 light falling over them. The night was beautiful 
 and the air was balmy and pleasant. 
 
 The captain had just spoken to the mate in their 
 hearing, that within half an hour they would cross 
 the equator, twenty-five hundred miles in round 
 numbers from New York City. It wanted twelve 
 days yet until Christmas. "With no hindrance 
 they would be able to reach port in that time. 
 
 Melton's arm was around Vophsi, and she leaned 
 against him for support, for she was not strong 
 yet. They could hear the huge engines as they 
 worked to propel the great steamer forward, and 
 that noise seemed to render their own silence the 
 more impressive. 
 
 Wilford Melton broke it by putting a question 
 to Vophsi, intended to lead to a talk with her on 
 the subject, which, of all subjects, was the one 
 most difficult for him to handle. 
 
■ NEHUSHTAN. 297 
 
 " Vophsi," he asked, " if you could have for the 
 asking any wish of your heart, for what would 
 you ask ?" 
 
 There was a terrible shiver, the ague continuing 
 for some moments, followed by this answer : 
 
 " I should wish for death." 
 
 " Ah ! my child, I am sorry to hear you say 
 that. Why you wish to die I cannot understand. 
 I lost the dearest object of my life, yet I do not 
 wish to die until it suits the purpose of my Creator 
 with reference to his use for me. Whatever my 
 trials in this life may be, as a true follower of my 
 Savior, I shall bear the cross nobly that I may 
 wear the crown gloriously." 
 
 " Yes, dear Fodsie, you are strong and good, but 
 I am weak and not at all good. Besides, I have 
 troubles that I cannot share with another. If I 
 could, I might bear them better, but I have tried so 
 long by myself that I feel worn and weary. Death 
 •would give me rest. " 
 
 " You certainly know, my child, that you have 
 two friends that will never fail you. Go to Jesus 
 with your trouble and ask aright and he will hear 
 you. You should consult me in all your troubles, 
 that I may advise you for your best interest. " 
 
 " That is the difficulty, Fodsie, but, while feeling 
 what you say is right and true, yet, I cannot go to 
 you, for you would disown me. " 
 
 " No, Vophsi, you do not understand me if you 
 
298 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 think so. I could no more forsake you than I 
 could forget the memories of my dead wife. " 
 
 " Oh ! Fodsie, do not press me. I can get much 
 happiness out of life as your daughter, and by do- 
 ing all I can for my Fodsie, but, if you force my 
 secret from me, then you would drive mo off and I 
 should be disgraced and unhappy for the rest of 
 my life. You would hate me, and I would hate 
 myself. Nothing shall wring my secret from me. 
 I would die before I would endure the contempt 
 your knowledge of it would bring on me. " 
 
 "My daughter, your ideas are highly wrought 
 and imaginative. Do you remember the history of 
 Jonah ? " 
 
 "Yes, Fodsie, he had a commission to go to 
 Mneveh, but fled to Joppa and shipped for Tarsh- 
 ish, and was cast into the sea and swallowed by a 
 whale. " 
 
 " That is a very terse statement of the fact as far 
 as it goes ; I will finish the story. He was cast on 
 dry land by the whale, and the second time was 
 told to go to Nineveh, and preach its destruction in 
 forty days. So Jonah preached, and the people 
 repented, and God repented, also, and did not de- 
 stroy the city. Then Jonah wanted to die because 
 Grod did not destroy Mneveh, according to his 
 preaching ; just as you have done. You say you 
 could not consult me and that nothing could wring 
 your secret from you, and I have no doubt that you 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 299 
 
 are sincere in what you say ; but oh ! how weak 
 the creature in the hands of the Creator! So God 
 dealt with you like as with Jonah. He laid you 
 upon a bed of sickness, and, in a state of uncon- 
 sciousness he caused you to speak and tell your 
 troubles. You could not tell it, but craved death, yet 
 he made you tell it by bringing you to death's 
 door. I know your secret, my child, and do not 
 blame you, much less, hate you. " 
 
 " Oh ! Fodsie, Fodsie!" she cried, as she fell over 
 against his bosom and wept for some minutes. 
 Presently, when she was able to control herself, 
 she said : 
 
 " I am forever disgraced. Cast me into the sea 
 as they did Jonah. Oh ! I wish I were dead 1 " 
 
 "No, no, my child. You have already been 
 cast into a sea from which you are about to be 
 rescued. Let us read the rest of Jonah's history 
 concerning the gourd-vine that sheltered him from 
 the heat, and its destruction by a worm, and 
 Jonah's pity and grief for that for which he had 
 not labored, that came up in a night and perished 
 in a night. ' So the Lord spared Mneveh, with her 
 sizty thousand souls, without regard to Jonah's 
 wish, for Jonah was wrong.' " 
 
 " O, Fodsie ! I shall never be happy again." 
 
 « Why not, Vophsi ?" 
 
 " Because, you say you know my secret." 
 
 " That is all right. You said you were unhappy 
 
300 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 before you learned that I knew your secret. With, 
 that knowledge I can help you, without it I 
 could do nothing. ' Knowledge is power.' " 
 
 " Will you tell me what I said ? It may be, 
 after all, that I have not told you the real secret." 
 
 " Yes, I will tell you, and make no conditions ; 
 for I expect it as a duty, by your adoption, that 
 you be frank and open with me." 
 
 "I will, Fodsie ; only don't be hard on me, and 
 forgive me, for I could not help it." 
 
 Prof. Melton then related to her what she h£ld 
 said while life seemed to be flickering on the con- 
 fines of another world. She still had her head 
 pillowed on his bosom, but, when he had finished 
 rehearsing her words, she sat up and said : 
 
 " I shall hate myself as long as I live. I had 
 rather died with the fever than to have uttered 
 words that must forfeit your respect for me." 
 
 " You must be reasonable, Vophsi. You cannot 
 offer one single good reason why your conduct at 
 any time should forfeit my respect. I assert that 
 it has been most exemplary at all times. There 
 was nothing in our natural relation to each other 
 to debar you from bestowing your affection in the 
 direction most pleasing to you, whether the act 
 was wise or otherwise. As you are not the terrible 
 creature you have imagined yourself to be, I want 
 you to tell me what you think is best to be done." 
 
 '' The best thing to do is to give me to a whale." 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 301 
 
 " My child, do not talk after that fashion. It 
 means that you want to go to the realms of the 
 prince of darkness, and would force me there also. 
 I should expect more generosity from one who has 
 proved herself so noble at all times heretofore. I 
 will do anything for your happiness in reason and 
 justice. I could not marry the daughter of my 
 adoption without undoing what has been done, and 
 even were that done, and the legal obstacle remov- 
 ed, it pales into insignificance beside one other 
 difficulty." 
 
 " What it that, Fodsie ? Tell me all. I think my 
 conscience, if I ever had any, is now seared and I 
 can bear anything." 
 
 " I could not get my consent to mistreat you so 
 much as to exchange a daughter that I love for a 
 wife that, as such, I could not love, for reasons 
 with which you are conversant. This does not 
 mean that you are unworthy, for you are worthy 
 of the love of the 'best man that lives. Suspecting 
 these facts, I considered the matter long ago, for I 
 suspected your secret when we were at Shechem in 
 the Holy Land, but hoped that something would 
 intervene to change your feelings toward me. The 
 subject was too delicate for my touch, merely upon 
 suspicion. I hoped that, if my conjectures were 
 right, you would get over it. I saw the great wrong 
 in the thought of marriage with you, when, on 
 second thought, I saw my heart as void of love 
 
302 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 as a stone ; and, if you remember, I advised, while 
 on our way to Rome, that you had better answer 
 young Simpson's letter." 
 
 " Yes, Fodsie, I remember how much it hurt me 
 at the time, and how difficult it was for me to hide 
 myself from you. I sustained the same position 
 towards him that you sustained towards me, and 
 acted in the same manner. He wished to marry 
 me when we returned to Bathurst, but I refused 
 him, for reasons which you understand, I may say, 
 since you have learned them by the purpose of 
 the Almighty, as you have proved by the story of 
 Jonah. By reason of your discovery I was held 
 at a great disadvantage and felt it sensibly, as I 
 will not deny. Yet you, as you have said, knew 
 my secret at Shechem, and with that knowledge 
 advised me by inference, as I understand it, to 
 marry Charles Simpson, and that without love. 
 You advised me to a course of action that you 
 refused for yourself. There is a parallel in our 
 cases that opens my eyes to the dissimilarity of 
 judgment given by you in each. At the same 
 time, by directing my mind to Ihe lack of love for 
 Charles Simpson, while the heart was otherwise oc- 
 cupied, you show me the same impossibility as to 
 yourself. I have seen by this parallel that two 
 things cannot occupy the same place at the same 
 time. I want yon to know, Fodsie, that, had I 
 loved Charles Simpson, you could not have drawn 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 303 
 
 my affection from Mm, but, from causes you can 
 well imagine, you were there first ; but if you will 
 forgive me, I will smother that love as an unworthy 
 thing, because barren of any good, though I may 
 not have known it before, and if Charles Simpson 
 should again ask me to marry him I will not re- 
 fuse." 
 
 " My dear Vophsi, you must not misjudge me. 
 I do love you very much. Your noble conduct 
 during that j ubilee of forty-nine days on that float 
 was sufficient to enlist the highest praise. You 
 were providentially thrown into my hands, as it 
 seems, to preserve my life that I might preserve 
 yours. As we may be sure that there is a purpose 
 in the Divine will in the preservation of our lives, 
 let us observe to do his will as we learn it. We 
 have been a help to each other, and you have 
 amply earned all I have given you, as yet. 
 
 " I have been blessed with a great fortune, as 
 you know. I have never told you how much, but 
 it is large. My purpose has been to see you hap- 
 pily married, then make you, as my daughter, an 
 equal with my natural heirs who may be living at 
 the time. I have never intended marrying again, 
 for I have none of that love that should abide in 
 the married relation. I consider that it would be 
 wrong and unjust to offer myself to you under that 
 state of my feelings. 
 
 " My advice to you concerning Charles Simpson 
 
304 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 was in the hope that it would aid you to turn from 
 my unworthy self to one whom I believed and yet 
 believe to be worthy of you. 
 
 " Yet, when we reach the United States and have 
 hunted up and visited our friends, if there be any 
 living, and you have considered the matter 
 thoroughly, if you then desire to exchange your 
 Fodsie, with love, for a husband, without love, 
 rather than marry that nice man, Charles Simpson, 
 I suppose I will owe you the sacrifice." 
 
 " I thank you, Fodsie. It is unnecessary to 
 wait until we arrive at New York ; I have consid- 
 ered it while sitting here and will not ask the sac- 
 rifice. I think you are a better father than you 
 would be a husband with the qualifications you 
 attach to each. In fact, Fodsie, love is on the in- 
 crease, while the contemplated husband is like the 
 moon after the full. So, if you please, we will 
 drop the subject forever. You are my same good 
 old Fodsie still." 
 
 " Thank you, my proud, noble daughter. That 
 is the kind of argument that holds with me. Now 
 I am glad that this conversation has been had, for 
 it has removed a great weight from my mind, and 
 I cannot but think that you will be the better of 
 it." 
 
 " I think that it is for my good, Fodsie," 
 
 " No doubt it is. Now we must retire for it is 
 growing late." 
 
NEHU8HTAN. 305 
 
 He took her in his arms and carried her to a 
 state room, and as he stood her upon her feet he 
 said: 
 
 " Here, kiss me good night." 
 
 " Good night, dear old Podsie," she said, as she 
 delicately touched her lips to his cheek. 
 
 20 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 THE time for presenting the great drama, Ne- 
 hushtan, in a New York theater, through 
 the management of Mr. Jones, was at hand. 
 
 "When the announcement was read on the post- 
 ers, the people asl^ed one another, "What is it?" 
 
 Theater-going people were filled with curiosity, 
 for they could not imagine what was to be the char- 
 acter of a play with a name they could not under- 
 stand. Many read the announcement with the 
 mental reservation that they would go if for noth- 
 ing more than to learn what it was. 
 
 Prof. Melton and Yophsi reached New York 
 City on the 23rd of December. He had seen the 
 posters of his play, Nehushtan, and listened to the 
 comments of the people, most of whom had no 
 conception of what it was, either from name or 
 posters, the manager having concealed all explan- 
 ations purposely. 
 
 Prof. Melton procured tickets, and he and Vophsi, 
 with glasses in hand, were early in their seats in 
 order to get a good look at the people who filled 
 the house to overflowing. Hundreds were turned 
 away for the want of room. 
 
 (306) 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 307 
 
 At the close of the act — the setting up of the 
 stone kingdom — which was opened with the na- 
 tional air, Hail Columbia, and after the scene the 
 surrender of Cornwallis to "Washington at York- 
 town, there was a song, "The Sword of Bunker 
 Hill," hy Maud Melton. The song touched the 
 heart of the great audience. 
 
 Wilford Melton never took his eyes from the 
 songstress. After her response to the encore, he 
 turned to Vophsi and said : 
 
 " She is the most exquisitely beautiful young 
 lady I have ever seen. Do you not think so, 
 Vophsi ?" 
 
 " I think, Fodsie, that young lady is the very 
 image of Wilford Melton." 
 
 " Well, I shall regard that as the highest com- 
 pliment you ever paid me." 
 
 " You are welcome to it, Fodsie, for she is as 
 much like you as it is possible for a woman to re- 
 semble a man." 
 
 " Thank you, I like that. You have interested 
 me greatly, and I must see the manager and learn 
 more concerning her." 
 
 At the conclusion of the play he sought Mr. 
 Jones and inquired for the name and history of 
 the young lady who rendered " The Sword of Bun- 
 ker Hill." However, she had guarded against the 
 discovery by saying " it would be time enough for 
 
308 NEEUSHTAN. 
 
 him and the public to find that out after she had 
 made a failure." 
 
 " Failure!" said Melton, " as though such a girl 
 could fail! The idea is preposterous." 
 
 The second night, Maud's appearance was anx- 
 iously awaited by that vast audience. She was 
 slow in coming out, and the audience became 
 impatient to see and hear the new star again. 
 
 Prof. Melton was, for the time being, more deep- 
 ly concerned in the reappearance of the attractive 
 young songstress than for the success of his play. 
 
 On the second night he exchanged his box for 
 seats in the parquet, close to the center and front 
 of the stage ; for he wished to get the expression 
 of the young lady's countenance, as the measure 
 of the depth of her soul. 
 
 As she walked out on the stage, the audience 
 greeted her with shouts of joy and satisfaction. 
 
 As Wilford Melton caught her eye for one mo- 
 ment, he was startled, for it seemed to him that he 
 had looked into the eye of some friend of the long 
 ago. 
 
 As she turned her eyes from his, they were 
 lifted heavenward, and, gazing momentarily, with 
 an entranced and glorified look, all forgetful of her 
 surroundings, once more she was back in her place 
 in the choir of her church in St. Louis which she 
 loved so well ; once more she contemplated Jesus 
 upon the cross and his love in giving himself a will- 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 309 
 
 ing sacrifice for a dying world ; and then, in a 
 voice soft, sweet and pathetic, yet grand, she 
 breaks forth in that familiar and beautiful sacred 
 song, 
 
 ' ' Jesns, lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly,' ' 
 
 not realizing her error until at the close of the 
 first stanza, when, seeing the manager's impa- 
 tience, he having stepped around where she could 
 see him, she darted from the stage. However, the 
 audience appreciating her artlessness and inno- 
 cency, a storm of applause rolled down from that 
 immense crowd, and the encore ceased not until 
 she reappeared. 
 
 This time she began the song on the program, 
 but it was drowned out by calls all over the house 
 for " Jesus, lover of my soul." 
 
 In dismay she turned to the manager with the 
 inquiry, " What shall I do ?" 
 
 " Give them Jesus," he replied, " they seem to 
 want him, and I expect need him more than ' The 
 rusty sword of Bunker Hill.' " 
 
 During the remainder of the week, the religious 
 song became a part of the play and was placed on 
 the program. 
 
 It is a remarkable fact that Nehushtan was 
 never produced upon the stage again. And why 
 not ? Because, on the first night there were some 
 Romanists present who reported the character of 
 the play to the priest, and the manager, pretty 
 
310 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 soon, had a visit from the priests, sent by th& 
 hishop, and such influence was brought to bear on 
 him that he feared to present it again after the 
 conclusion of the week's program. The dangers 
 of the cowardly incendiary and assassin, in their 
 midnight play with fire and blood, was an argu- 
 ment entirely out of proportion to Mr. Jones* 
 nerve. 
 
 Thus it has ever been with these secret and hid- 
 den-handed villains. 
 
 It is a part of the great religious lie sent forth 
 by him who is " sitting in the place of God," that 
 it is right to lie, steal, burn, kill and to destroy all 
 Protestants and their substance. 
 
 They are secret about it now, but will do it 
 openly when they think they have the power. It 
 is time that every assassin and incendiary tool of 
 bishop and priest, with their masters, should be 
 held to a strict account to the violated law. This 
 is the United States of America, and Rome has no 
 rights save such as the government guarantees to 
 all religious bodies. Yet, unlike all others, she 
 seeks to undermine the government. If the gov- 
 ernment would take the pains to thoroughly in- 
 vestigate, it would find that it could legally and 
 constitutionally deny them all rights whatever, for 
 such investigations would show her emissaries to 
 be traitors and usurpers. 
 
 Of the numerous papers that noticed the play, 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 311 
 
 all were agreed that it was well conceived and 
 acted in all of its parts ; but all, save one, con- 
 demned any public performance that discriminates 
 against any religious body of worshipers by hold- 
 ing it up to obloquy before the public gaze, as be- 
 ing at variance with the spirit of our governmenti 
 There was one, the last to speak out, which was 
 bold and fearless in its advocacy of the play. It 
 said : 
 
 " We aflBrm the right of this government and its 
 citizens to discriminate against all wrongs, espec- 
 ially of all her secret enemies. We ask these lib- 
 eral editors who are willing to give up both coat 
 and cloak, and be smitten upon both cheeks, to 
 read what the Spirit saith to the churches. 
 
 "We cannot forbear quoting the language of 
 Cromwell to Henry VIII. with reference to this 
 same boast of the Church of Rome. ' Sir,' said 
 Cromwell, ' the Pope refuses your request ; but 
 why do you ask his consent ? Every Englishman 
 is master in his own house, and why should not 
 you be so in England ? Ought a foreign prelate 
 to share your power with you ? It is true, the 
 bishops make oath to your majesty, but they make 
 another to the Pope immediately after, which ab- 
 solves them from the former. Sir, you are but half 
 a king, and we are but half your subjects. This 
 kingdom is a two-headed monster. Will you bear- 
 with such an anomaly any longer?' 
 
312 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 " The history of Rome, in power, is the same in 
 all ages. It is her boast that she never changes, 
 but history proves that as she increases in power 
 the degree of her cruelty changes from the posi- 
 tive to the superlative. 
 
 " This paper will aid with its voice and its purse 
 every enterprise to educate the people concerning 
 this iron-legged, iron-toothed, seven-headed, ten- 
 horned monster, like a leopard with bear's feet 
 and a lion's mouth. Such was the beast con- 
 structed by John in Revelation to symbolize the 
 Roman church and state as possessing all the char- 
 acteristics of the three preceding kingdoms, with 
 such an increase of power, that none were able to 
 make war against him. He had power to con- 
 tinue forty and two months, blaspheming the name 
 of God, his tabernacle and his people. 
 
 " Is the Bible true ? And do its prophecies mean 
 anything ? If so, then by all means let us have it 
 in spite of the Pope and the Church of Rome. 
 
 " This paper esteems it a privilege and pleasure 
 to describe the acts of the drama, with such com- 
 ments as may seem necessary. 
 
 " NEHUSHTAN, 
 
 was the name of the brazen serpent made by 
 Moses. It had been brought up from the wilder- 
 ness and, after centuries, set up by King Ahaz as 
 an object of superstitious reverence and worship. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 313 
 
 " When Hezekiah succeeded his father, Ahaz, 
 to the kingdom, in order to show his contempt for 
 all forms of idolatrous worship, he broke in pieces 
 the brazen thing, Nehushtan, the Hebrew name for 
 the brazen serpent. 
 
 " As Satan, the dragon, is represented by the 
 serpent, and his seed as the man of sin, the son of 
 perdition, the beast — all symbolizing the Church 
 of Rome as that wicked (one) the Pope, the image 
 of the beast, the head of the apostate church, and 
 the enemies of the woman and her seed, the apos- 
 tolic church and her righteous people — the dram- 
 atist uses Nehushtan, ' a brazen thing,' as the 
 carrier of an idea — some great power which is an 
 enemy to the truth and the true church — and though 
 it pokes up its horns under various names, it is 
 Nehushtan, a brazen thing, the same old serpent 
 still. Such is the Church of Rome, the same yes- 
 terday, to-day and to-morrow. There can be no 
 metamorphosis of character. What she has done 
 she will do again, for she is the same brazen thing, 
 Nehushtan, that is age-lasting, shall never cease, 
 shall never be silenced or hushed until it is broken 
 and crushed suddenly, as was the brazen serpent 
 by the hand of the good king Hezekiah. ' For in 
 one hour she is made desolate.' 
 
 " The diflferent acts were accompanied by grand 
 scenic displays, drawn from the Bible history of 
 time and place. 
 
314 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 " In order to show the serpent's history and char- 
 acter, the first act began with a representation of 
 Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. 
 
 " All the circumstances go to show that Adam 
 and Eve were not together at the time of the 
 temptation, notwithstanding the statement that 
 she gave also unto her husband with her. That 
 refers to his being with her as to the garden. 
 Adam was, by the hand of God, first made, and 
 must have been a perfect type of manly strength, 
 both physically and mentally. 
 
 " Eve was given to him as a helpmate, not a 
 leader. Let no one say that Adam stood by, 
 quietly listening to his weaker life partner, as she 
 was contending with the deceiver. No, Adam 
 would have been the spokesman had he been 
 present. Satan knew Adam's strength, hence, he 
 sought the weaker point of attack, as enemies 
 always do. 
 
 " Adam's business was to keep the garden, and 
 he was doubtless attending to his business, what- 
 ever that keeping may refer to. 
 
 " Some might say that he was walking about to 
 observe the growth and development of the various 
 fruits from which he lived ; and another, that he 
 was pruning trees or digging about them ; anoth- 
 er, that he was leisurely walking around, listening 
 to the singing of birds while wondering if the apes 
 he had recently seen were related to him. But all 
 
NEHVSHTAN. 315 
 
 that is merely speculative and furnishes no clue to 
 the exact reason for Adam's absence at the critical 
 period when Eve was holding converse with the 
 great deceiver. 
 
 " The actors personating Adam and Eve were 
 very good, the Serpent also was well gotten up. 
 The language was the Bible conversation. Eve 
 took the fruit and ate it in the serpent's presence, 
 then she sought and found Adam and gave to him, 
 and he did eat. The serpent was lying around in 
 close proximity to them, for, doubtless, he was 
 now considered as a friend by them. 
 
 " Here the curtain dropped and rose for the sec- 
 
 I'ond scene of the first act. Though they were both 
 
 naked and were not ashamed before they ate, now 
 
 they have gained knowledge that makes them 
 
 ashamed. 
 
 "The aphrodiseac qualities of the forbidden 
 fruit stimulated passions which they had gratified. 
 This fact is proved in the conversation which fol- 
 lows, beyond question. Their consciences, now 
 educated, they were ashamed and hid themselves 
 while making aprons of fig leaves to cover their 
 nakedness. The Lord knew that they had broken 
 the law, but he makes them confess it. Had they 
 denied it to him, doubtless they would have been 
 smitten as was Ananias and his wife. 
 
 "Here is the first confession of sin ever made, 
 and it was made to God, who alone has power to 
 
316 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 forgive sins. Grod adds another penalty besides 
 death, which is to "be inflicted during natural life. 
 
 " After the curse upon the serpent, God turned 
 to Eve and said, ' I will greatly multiply thy sor- 
 row and thy conception ; in sorrow shalt thou 
 bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to 
 thy husband and he shall rule over thee.' 
 
 " Bringing forth children was the consequence 
 of their act which gave birth not only to sin, but 
 also to the human race. 
 
 " People were marrying at the time of the deluge, 
 so they will be at the time of the end. Christ, the 
 seed of the woman, was promised, and he was to 
 bruise the serpent's head and the serpent his heel. 
 
 " This scene was admirably acted and was in- 
 structive in the highest degree. In this age of en- 
 lightenment, the serpent is known, as well as his 
 seat and power. 
 
 " In the second act, the first scene is represented 
 by the tabernacle erected in the wilderness of 
 Paren near Kadesh, with the Sinaitic mountain 
 range in the distance. Here the people murmur 
 and complain that there is no water, and Moses 
 smites the rock and the water is brought forth, 
 called the water of Meribah. 
 
 " The second scene was the setting up of the 
 brazen serpent as a remedy, through faith and 
 obedience, for the bite of the fiery serpents. 
 
 " Christ's allusion to it in the Gospel of John, 3 : 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 317 
 
 14, refers to a like obedience to him through faith 
 and to the manner of his death, and nothing else. 
 The serpent was not a type of Christ, but a type of 
 his blasphemer. 
 
 " The scene is transferred from the wilderness to 
 Jerusalem, where, centuries afterwards, the people 
 made the serpent an object of idol worship, burn- 
 ing incense before it. The act ended by Hezekiah' a 
 breaking the brazen serpent to pieces, calling it 
 Nehushtan, a brazen thing. 
 
 " The third act was grand and instructive. In 
 it was presented the image and interpretation by 
 Daniel of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The image 
 of the dream as a whole, is interpreted as the 
 symbol of a succession of dynasties ; the head of 
 gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly and 
 thighs of brass, the legs and feet of iron, symbols 
 of the separate dynasties of that succession ; the 
 clay as denoting the people who had but a small 
 share in the government. 
 
 " The scene shows the image standing up in its 
 composite character. Nebuchadnezzar is listening 
 while Daniel tells him his dream and gives him 
 the interpretation. Side by side with the image 
 and its head of gold, was the winged lion of Dan- 
 iel's vision of the four beasts that came up out of 
 the sea — the winged lion being the parallel sym- 
 bol with the head of gold, of the Babylonian 
 dynasty." 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 THE second scene of this act was a representa- 
 tion of Belshazzar's feast to a thousand of his 
 lords. He and his princes, his wives and his 
 concubines, praising the gods of gold and silver, 
 of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone, while 
 drinking from the golden and silver vessels, which 
 his father, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the 
 temple and brought up from Jerusalem to Baby- 
 lon. While engaged in this impious and drunken 
 feast (a very good specimen of the feasts of the 
 Roman priesthood in vogue and great favor to this 
 day) the hand and writing on the wall appeared, 
 conspicuously, over against the candlestick, where 
 it was observed by the king. He offered a reward 
 for an interpreter, but there was none of his own 
 realm who were able to interpret it. The queen 
 reminded him of Daniel, who had wisdom and 
 understanding in such matters. 
 
 "Daniel refused his gifts, but interpreted the 
 writing — ' God hath numbered thy kingdom and 
 finished it.' 
 
 " ' Thou art weighed in the balances and art 
 found wanting.' 
 
 (318) 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 319 
 
 " ' Thy kingdom is divided and given to the 
 Medes and Persians.' 
 
 " Immediately — the same night — Cyrus, in com- 
 mand of Darius' army of Medes and Persians, en- 
 tered the city, Belshazzar was slain, and the Baby- 
 lonian Empire — the head of gold — was ended. 
 
 " This was a grand act and finely exhibited. It 
 required a large number of persons to carry it out 
 properly, but the entry of the soldiers greatly in- 
 creased the number, and spread confusion among 
 the feasters. 
 
 "The third scene of the third act shows the image 
 still standing, with its head of gold and its paral- 
 lel, the winged lion of Daniel's vision, as two dis- 
 tinct forecasts of the Babylonian kingdom. Now, 
 to the breast and arms of silver in the image, is 
 added its parallel from Daniel's vision — the bear, 
 raised upon one side with three ribs in the teeth 
 of it, representing the Medo-Persian kingdom under 
 Darius, vnth its three presidents set over the hun- 
 dred and twenty princes, of which three Daniel 
 was first and preferred to the others because of 
 the excellent spirit found in him. This created 
 jealousy on the part of the others, who sought to 
 destroy him by procuring from the king a decree 
 that for the term of thirty days any one making a 
 petition to any god or man, ' save to thee, O 
 king,' shall be cast into the den of lions. The 
 
320 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 decree was signed, and by the law of the Medes 
 and Persians was unalterable. 
 
 " Daniel knew that the writing was signed, yet, 
 with his windows opened toward Jerusalem, he 
 prayed and offered thanks to his God three times 
 daily, as he did aforetime.* 
 
 " Darius saw that the snare had been prepared 
 for Daniel and would have saved him, but found 
 himself unequal to the power of his own edict. 
 Then he comforted Daniel by declaring that the 
 God he continually served would deliver him. 
 
 " The king passed a sleepless night, fasting, and 
 called, early in the morning, at the den to know 
 how daniel fared. 
 
 ' " O, Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy 
 God whom thou servest continually able to deliver 
 thee from the lions ?' 
 
 " Then said Daniel unto the king, ' O king, live 
 forever: My God hath sent his angel and hath 
 shut the lions' mouth.' 
 
 " Then the king commanded Daniel's accusers 
 and their families to be cast into the den, and the 
 lions had the mastery of them. Then the king 
 made a decree that, in every dominion of Ms king- 
 dom, men should tremble and fear before the God 
 of Daniel. 
 
 *Daniel recognized no law that interfered with his conscience 
 in the matter of worship. Romanists differ from Daniel. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 321 
 
 ' ' In the fourth scene of the third act, the image 
 still stands with its head of gold, and its parallel 
 of the winged lion — Babylonian kingdom — his 
 breast and arms of silver, and its parallel of the 
 bear with three ribs in the teeth of it — Medo-Per- 
 sian kingdom — his belly and thighs of brass, and 
 its parallel of Daniels vision, the four-headed and 
 four-winged leopard, representing the Macedonian 
 or Greek kingdom. 
 
 "If the two-winged lion of Babylon was powerful 
 and swift, the four-headed and four-winged leopard 
 of Macedonia certainly represents great power and 
 rapidity of motion. Such was true of Alexander 
 — the he-goat with a notable horn between his 
 eyes, who ran at the ram with two horns — Medes 
 and Persians — and was moved with choler against 
 him and smote the ram and broke his two horns. 
 The he-goat waxed very great, and, when he was 
 strong, the great horn was broken, and for it came 
 up four notable ones, and out of one of them came 
 forth a little horn, the parallel of the eleventh 
 horn of Revelation and Daniel, ' which waxed ex- 
 ceeding great and magnified himself even to the 
 prince of the host of heaven.'* 'And a host was 
 given him and by him the daily sacrifice was taken 
 away.' 
 
 " Daniel and the angel G-abriel are characters 
 
 *The Pope's claim of vicarship. 
 21 
 
322 NEHVSHTAN. 
 
 that explained this scene. The two saints that 
 Daniel heard speaking explained concerning the 
 vision of the daily sacrifice as being from that 
 present time as he said, ' unto two thousand and 
 three hundred days.' 
 
 "This prophecy was about five hundred and 
 twenty-four years before Christ, and ended in 
 1776. Then was the sanctuary cleansed. 
 
 " The fifth scene in the third act presented the 
 image of Nebuchadnezzar's dream with all its 
 parts before mentioned and its parallels of Daniel's 
 vision, with the additional part of the image rep- 
 resented by the legs of iron and feet of iron and 
 clay mixed, and its parallel of Daniel's vision, 
 the fourth beast, terrible and strong exceedingly. 
 It had great iron teeth, and ten horns, and an 
 other little horn, before whom three of the first 
 horns were plucked up, and in this horn were 
 eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speak- 
 ing great things. 
 
 " ' I beheld and the same horn made war with 
 the saints until the Ancient of days came, and 
 judgment was given to the saints of the Most High. 
 And the time came that the saints possessed the 
 kingdom.' 
 
 " The character of Daniel in this scene repeated 
 that prophet's language. This beast is further 
 described by a new character that appeared upon 
 the stage — John on the isle of Patmos. 
 
NEHVSHTAN. 323 
 
 " ' I stood upon the sand of the sea (people) 
 and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having 
 seven heads (Rome) and ten horns (ten kings), and 
 upon his horns ten crowns, and up6n his heads 
 the name of blasphemy. And the beast (papal 
 Rome) which I saw was like unto a leopard, and 
 his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth 
 as the mouth of a ]ion, and the dragon (pagan 
 Rome) gave him his power and his seat, and great 
 authority. And there was gi^^en unto him a mouth 
 speaking great things and blasphemies, and power 
 was given unto him to continue forty and two 
 months.' 
 
 " The character represented John the Revelator, 
 and the language was that of inspiration through 
 him. The beast is the same as the last one of 
 the four described by Daniel six hundred years 
 before, with this difference, that John shows the 
 beast as possessing all the characteristics of the 
 three preceding beasts, or dynasties, with a great 
 increase of power, insomuch that none were able 
 to make war against him. All had to receive the 
 mark of the beast and the number of his name, 
 and his number is six hundred, three score and 
 six. 
 
 "To show that the number 666 refers to the 
 Latin kingdom we have only to take the letters 
 which spell the name. They being numerals in 
 the Latin language exactly make the sum. 
 
324 
 
 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 H= 8 
 
 A= 30 
 
 a= 1 
 
 r= 300 
 
 I = 10 
 
 v= 50 
 
 tj '= 8 
 
 B 
 
 X = 
 
 2 
 1 
 
 200 
 10 
 30 
 
 5 
 10 
 
 1 
 
 666 
 
 " The next scene represents the Pope sitting on 
 his throne ; a triple crown of gold and diamonds on 
 his head; silk and damask, red and white vestmenis 
 on his shoulders ; surrounded by the dignitaries 
 and princes of his council, assembled in St.. Peter's 
 Church of Rome. Such is his visible appearance 
 before his council, but, coiled around that crown, 
 is a serpent that is visible to the Christian world, 
 and that represents the Pope as he is in reality. 
 Each • cardinal has a small serpent around his 
 cowl that will become fall-grown when he may be 
 voted the vicar of Christ. These are spiritual ser- 
 pents. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 325 
 
 " After a short period of death-like silence, a car- 
 dinal, dressed with the robe of purple and scarlet 
 that distinguishes his office, leaves his seat and 
 solemnly approaches the Pope, kneels before him 
 and, humbly prostrating himself, says : 
 
 " ' Holy Father, tell us, wilt thou at this time re- 
 new and set the fires of the holy inquisition aflame 
 that heretics shall be burned and consumed 
 therein V 
 
 " ' I know not. Let us ask the light of the Holy 
 Ghost.' 
 
 " The Pope and his prelates fall on their knees 
 and the harmonious choir sings the Veni Creator 
 Spiritus. Again the cardinal approaches and 
 prostrates himself as before, and repeats: 
 
 " ' Holy Father, tell us, wilt thou at this time re- 
 new and set the fires of the holy Inquisition aflame 
 that heretics may be burned and consumed 
 therein V 
 
 " The Pope, in a listening attitude, was silent for 
 a time, as if receiving the communication from 
 God, then answers : 
 
 " ' Thou shalt rekindle the fires of the holy in- 
 quisition when thou shalt be told to curse and ex- 
 communicate the United States of America.' 
 
 " Again the cardinal prostrates himself before 
 the Pope and says : 
 
 " ' Holy Father, wilt thou at this time anathe- 
 matize the United States of America and destroy 
 
326 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 her heretical government and people, and take it 
 unto thyself and the church ?' 
 
 " ' T know not. Let us ask the light of the Holy- 
 Ghost.' 
 
 " Once more the Pope and his princes fall on 
 their knees and the choir repeats its song for 
 the coming of the Spirit of the Creator. Then 
 the Pope makes answer : 
 
 " ' Thou shalt make haste to be ready, for the 
 time of the curse is at hand. Be thou prepared, 
 and prepare for thyself, thou and all thy company 
 that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard 
 unto them.' 
 
 " To this answer, coming as it were from the Holy 
 Ghost, the Pope adds, by way of purpose an 
 uninspired comment : 
 
 " ' The Church of Rome and the United States of 
 America cannot both continue to co-exist ; one of 
 them must destroy the other. Shall the infallible 
 Church of Rome go down, and prove to the world 
 that it is the most fallible, bare-faced and brazen 
 thing the world has ever witnessed? Rome must 
 throttle America at the very earliest moment after 
 she is thought to be able. If she does not, the 
 educational system, the liberty and freedom of 
 conscience of heretical America will throttle 
 Rome.' 
 
 " The fourth and last act was the setting up of 
 the Stone Kingdom. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 327 
 
 " ' And in the days of these kings shall the God 
 of Heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never 
 be destroyed ; and the kingdom shall not be left 
 to other people, but it shall break in pieces and 
 consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand 
 forever.' 
 
 " The legs of iron, and the feet of iron and clay 
 in the image, represent the fourth kingdom, or 
 the Roman Empire. It is the last of the four 
 dynasties in the succession shown in the image. 
 
 " ' Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out of 
 the mountain without hands, which smote the im- 
 age upon his feet that were of iron and clay and 
 brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, 
 the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces 
 together, and became like the chaff of the summer 
 threshing floors ; and the wind carried them away 
 that no place was found for them; and the stone 
 that smote the image became a great mountain 
 and filled the whole earth ' — the millennium. 
 
 " The stone taken out of the mountain, tells 
 what kind of a kingdom it was to be. Mountains 
 are the symbols of kingdoms, or states : this stone 
 kingdom was, therefore, taken from among the 
 kingdoms. But it was radically different from the 
 other kingdoms, in this, that it was taken out of 
 the mountain without hands. Therein lies the 
 secret of its power, for it was cut out by the Al- 
 mighty, the Invisible, as distinguished from the 
 
328 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 work of men. A stone, or block of marble, may be 
 taken from the mountain and carved into a beauti- 
 ful statue ; while it is still stone, it is something 
 more. So it is with Christ's kingdom. An essen- 
 tial part of a kingdom is subjects, and they, of 
 course, must have an abiding place in order that 
 the laws of the kingdom may reach them and be 
 effectual. Thus the fifth, or stone kingdomj 
 that was to destroy the four preceding kingdoms, 
 must have metes and bounds and be specifically 
 located, that its power may be brought to bear for 
 the work of destruction, until it should fill the 
 whole earth. 
 
 "Where was that kingdom planted ? 
 
 " ' And to the woman were given two wings of a 
 great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, 
 into her place, where she is nourished for a time, 
 and times, and a half time, from the face of the 
 serpent.' 
 
 " America is that Stone kingdom and that 
 eagle. "While she has subjects among all na- 
 tions, all within her borders are not loyal, but 
 the time shall come when all must be loyal. The 
 necessity for God's people now in having a king- 
 dom is just as urgent as that his chosen people, 
 the Israelites, should have had their land of Ca- 
 naan, and its theocratic government. 
 
 "It is noticeable that when the stone strikes 
 the image and destroys the empire represented by 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 329 
 
 the feet, the whole image is said to be destroyed, 
 notwithstanding that the kingdoms shown by the 
 gold, silver aad brass have been extinct for centu- 
 ries. Therefore it was the character of those pre- 
 ceding kingdoms that was retained and destroyed 
 in the last one. 
 
 "Both Daniel and John are characters in this 
 act, the first scene closing with John crying : 
 
 " ' And I saw another angel fly in the midst of 
 heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach 
 unto them that dwell on. the earth, and to every 
 nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. 
 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon 
 is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she 
 made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of 
 her fornication.' 
 
 "The second scene of the fourth act was the 
 landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock — the 
 woman fleeing to the wilderness — the stone canopy 
 erected there, the signing of the Declaration of In- 
 dependence, ' Hail Columbia,' the surrender of 
 Cornwallis to General Washington at Yorktown, 
 and 'The Sword of Bunker Hill.' 
 
 " This paper has volunteered explanations and 
 comments of the various acts of the drama in order 
 that it may be better understood by those who 
 were fortunate enough to witness it. 
 
 "We are sorry to see that our editorial con- 
 temporaries are opposed to enlightening the peo- 
 
330 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 pie in regard to the encroachments of Romanism 
 in this country, and the prophecies in regard to 
 her. 
 
 " We read, recently, in a back number of the 
 Millennial Harbinger, from the pen of Mr. A. 
 Campbell, something that sounds like a prophecy. 
 He said : 
 
 " ' Were I to be asked what is the darkest and 
 most ominous cloud in our national heavens, un- 
 hesitatingly I would answer. Slavery as now estab- 
 lished by law. 
 
 " ' Again, were I asked for the next most inau- 
 spicious and portentous cloud in our political hori- 
 zon, I must, with equal promptitude, reply. The 
 rapid growth of a popish empire in t% bosom of 
 the republic' " 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 MES. Melton was packing up to go to "Wash- 
 ington City when she received a dispatch 
 from her brother in St. Louis stating that her 
 mother was seriously ill. She procured tickets for 
 St. Louis instead of Washington. After express- 
 ing their gratitude for the pleasure of their visit, 
 and receiving a promise from Mr. Mentor, son and 
 daughter to come and see them in the near future, 
 they bade their kind friends adieu, and were soon 
 flying toward that solid western city, at the rate of 
 thirty miles per hour. 
 
 On the way, Maud spoke to her mother about 
 the gentleman whose eyes she had caught while 
 on the stage. 
 
 " Mamma, it seemed to me that when I looked 
 into that stranger's eyes I had a glimpse of heav- 
 en. Oh ! I never did see eyes that looked at me 
 with such a benign and heavenly expression. I 
 verily believe that it was his looks that caused me 
 to forget, and made me think I was in the house 
 of worship and was to sing sacred music, for the 
 next thing to Grod is the love, truth and sincerity 
 I saw in that stranger's countenance. He is just 
 
 (.331) 
 
332 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 siich as I could almost idolize as my father — -just 
 what I should want my father to be if I had a liv- 
 ing father. Mamma, I wish you could have seen 
 him." 
 
 " I wish I could, my dear, since you would like 
 him for a father." 
 
 " Oh, mamma ! shame on you." 
 
 " Maudie, I think you said not very long ago, 
 that you thought your instinct would detect your 
 father if he were living and you should meet him ! 
 Now you have met him whom instinct tells you 
 that you would like to have for a father." 
 
 " I suppose I was mistaken in one particular 
 but not in the other, for, if I had such a man for 
 my father, I should adore him." 
 
 They reached home to find the mother and 
 grandmother still very sick, but much better, and 
 the nursing that she would now get would hasten 
 her recovery. 
 
 Maud went straight to dear " Grammie," and 
 would scarcely let her mother do anything for her 
 at all. She constituted herself Grammie's nurse, 
 and well and faithfully did she perform her work 
 of love. 
 
 Prof. Melton settled with manager Jones, charg- 
 ing nothing for the use of his playright, as it was 
 likely to have a short life, in consequence of Ro- 
 man opposition. 
 
 Theater managers fear the loss of popularity as 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 333 
 
 well as of property. What if it should turn out 
 that lawyers and judges of courts should become 
 afflicted in the same way as theater managers and 
 editors of the public press — afraid to express their 
 sentiments towards Romanists ? Cowardly Prot- 
 estant editors, for the sake of filthy lucre, will 
 take the mark of the beast, but the time will 
 come when they or their posterity will pay for it 
 with their blood ; for they are helping Rome, in 
 the language of that great man, A. Campbell, to 
 build up a popish empire in the bosom of the re- 
 public. They boast of American freedom of speech 
 and press, and yet they do most shamefully abuse 
 that liberty through fear of the vengeful pow- 
 er of the Romish hierarchy, the emissaries of 
 the beast in this country. They are the great 
 American Abracadabra, whose utterances concern- 
 ing Rome are the merest jargon — meaningless 
 trash — save a few honorable exceptions. How- 
 ever, that will not prevent Rome from bleeding 
 them when the time for blood-letting comes. Rome 
 is thirsting for the blood of this nation, and when 
 she sticks her leeches on these boasters of the 
 power of printers' ink, they will yield their cor- 
 puscles with a howl, and cry, " Rome, Rome, did 
 we not prophesy in thy name, and call thee great 
 and infallible ? Spare us, we pray thee." 
 
 They will become serfs, and take the mark of 
 the beast to save their veins. Blood is a wonder- 
 
334 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 ful thing, for it works in two ways ; it saves and it 
 damns. What relinquishing power there is even 
 in a little blood. Some one owes you a grudge. 
 It may be of long standing, though you be entire- 
 ly ignorant of it. The serpent in his heart works 
 him up until the climax is reached, and, for a 
 mere shadow of pretext, he mashes your nose and 
 the blood flows freely. That man sleeps soundly 
 for the first time in ten years, and dreams not of 
 having abused you, nor realizes that he has robbed 
 God of one of his reserved rights. 
 
 However, this is an every-day affair, and scarce- 
 ly worth notice, beside the millions who have been 
 slain as heretics, yet the same principle of hatred 
 is in both, and proceeds from the serpent and Ms 
 seed. 
 
 The secular press all over the United States, are 
 afraid to utter a word against the encroachments 
 of this insidious and murderous enemy. If they 
 had the nerve and boldness to speak out em- 
 phatically against these sworn traitors, the battle 
 would the sooner be on and over, and thus we, be- 
 ing better able to cope with them, would conquer 
 them instead of leaving it as a work for our chil- 
 dren after the enemy has thoroughly fortified him- 
 self. 
 
 Having no further business in New York city, 
 Prof. Melton, with Vophsi, started for St. Louis to 
 see what had become of his friends and relations. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 335 
 
 He had already been to Jersey City, to find strang- 
 ers living where his brother-in-law, Robert Shirley, 
 had lived. He was not surprised at that, for they 
 were lost at sea. 
 
 He had written to his brother George, and, also, 
 to the post-master at Richmond. The latter had 
 answered briefly, " George Melton lives in St. 
 Louis. George Melton, Sr., and wife dead." 
 
 St. Louis was reached after an absence of nine- 
 teen years. It was a bright and beautiful morn- 
 ing on January 13, 18 — , when they entered the 
 
 Hotel. After the barber had had Wilford 
 
 Melton in hand and removed the dust, as well as 
 the five-days' growth of beard, he appeared to be, 
 as he really was, in the very prime of life, hale, 
 hearty and handsome. 
 
 While waiting for breakfast Prof. Melton asked 
 the hotel clerk for a city directory. He sought the 
 location of his friends, and, turning to the name of 
 x^ekoda, he found John and Daniel living adjoin- 
 ing each other, and John at the same old place. 
 Having partaken of a hearty breakfast, they took 
 a carriage and were driven out to "Adoken 
 Place." As they were going Yophsi was so full of 
 joy that it must have vent in some way, or she 
 must cry from the very happiness of her soul, for 
 it seemed to her the next thing to the approach 
 of the very gates of heaven. Prof. Melton turned 
 to her and said : 
 
336 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 " My daughter, I never before heard you talk 
 and laugh so much in the same length of time. 
 Are you glad ? " 
 
 " O, Fodsie ! I never was so happy in my life. 
 I can see a reason why this carnal life should 
 not be all joy, for it would kill one before he had 
 time to prepare for the next. If I did not talk and 
 laugh I should cry for joy." 
 
 " That is right, my daughter ; but she who would 
 have kissed you the heartiest welcome is not there, 
 and your old, discontented Fodsie will substitute 
 his poor kiss for that of the angel Mitylene. I 
 give you this for her, and on 'her account." Here 
 Wilford Melton almost broke down, but, recover- 
 ing himself he repeated, " On her account I want 
 you to remember that yon are very near to me. I 
 will meet with so many friends and there will be 
 such a demand on my time that you may think I 
 am neglecting you ; but you must not. On the 
 contrary, come to me at all times for anything you 
 want, whether council or money, and you shall 
 have it, my dear. "We will talk of this hereafter. 
 I only tell you this now to prepare, your mind 
 against appearances. You shall never want for 
 anything. My means are ample. Eemember that 
 I desire that you dress handsomely and of the 
 very best materials." 
 
 " I will be governed by you, dear Fodsie. It is 
 too late now, with my twenty years of association 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 337 
 
 with you, for my confidence in the true goodness 
 of your heart to be shaken. Whatever you do, I 
 accept it as right without question." 
 
 " Thank you, Yophsi. See, we are almost there. 
 I remember the rise on which John I^ekoda erect- 
 ed his dwelling, and that one, next beyond it, I 
 presume, is his father's house. But what wonder- 
 ful improvements do we see. We have passed 
 through several miles of solid city which has 
 grown up during our absence." 
 
 As the carriage stopped in front of John Neko- 
 da's step-stone, a very fi.ne looking, well fed speci- 
 men of the Hamitic race had just come down over 
 the lawn to the front-yard gate, and,' as Wilford 
 Melton assisted Vophsi out of the carriage and 
 turned about, he recognized the old.time servitor 
 of John Nekoda's household, and carrier of a 
 message from himself to Mitylene Nekoda to re- 
 port an hour sooner than usual for a new music 
 lesson. 
 
 " Well, Jock," said Melton, " you have grown 
 considerably since I last saw you." 
 
 " How do you do, Jock ? Dont you know me ? I 
 am Vophsi." 
 
 Vophsi was holding out her hands to Jock, 
 but he put his hands behind him and stood 
 still, without a word, glaring wildly at them as 
 though he had seen a ghost, and then,, turning 
 upon his heels, he ran with all his speed to the 
 
 22 
 
338 NEHVSHTAN. 
 
 house, then across the yard to the next house, 
 crying as he entered: 
 
 " I seed theys ghostes ! I seed theys ghostes !" 
 
 Prof. Melton's pull at the door bell brought the 
 house maid, who invited them to seats in the 
 parlor, at the same time informing them that Mrs. 
 Nekoda was over at the house of Mrs. Nekoda the 
 elder, who had been Very sick^ and that she would 
 be there in a few minutes, as she would send for 
 her. 
 
 However, it was not necessary to send, for Jock's 
 wild cry — " I seed theys ghostes !" — had called out 
 from the youngest Mrs. Nekoda an imperative 
 command that he should explain, when he man- 
 aged to say : 
 
 "Mr. Wilford and Miss Vophsi's ghostes hev 
 done got outen a kerriage, and hev gone in tother 
 house. I seed 'em an' got away frum 'em jist as 
 Miss Vophsi's ghost wus a-gwine to grab me. 
 When I peeped back over my shoulder that ker- 
 riage wus done gone, an' the ghostes wus a-gwine 
 to entow de house." 
 
 Mitylene threw up both of her hands and ex- 
 claimed, "O my God! My husband!" 
 
 Maud sprang to her feet dtying, " My papa ! " 
 and away she flew across the yard and into her 
 uncle John's parlor, where the visitors were seat- 
 ed. As she looked at the gentleman, she recog- 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 339 
 
 nized the stranger of the New York theatre. 
 Hesitating a moment, she asked : 
 
 " Are you Wilford Melton ? " 
 
 " I am he," answered Prof. Melton. 
 
 " Oh, my papa ! " she cried, as she flung herself 
 into his arms, and began to hug and kiss him, " I 
 am your own daughter Maud, whom you have 
 never known. I saw you, papa, at the theatre in 
 New York; love me, kiss me, papa." 
 
 Never had man met with surprise so grand and 
 beautiful and satisfactory. And yet, it was only 
 half finished, for, at that very moment, his wife 
 entered, and Maud sprang up and said : 
 
 " Papa, here is mamma." 
 
 There is no room for anything to be said, for no 
 words can describe the feelings, the joy, and over- 
 powering heart-fullness of that meeting. There 
 were but two words spoken. 
 
 " Wilford !" 
 
 " Mitylene !" 
 
 Mrs. John Nekoda recognized Vophsi and in- 
 vited her to the sitting-room, taking Maud also, 
 for she wished to leave those two reunited souls to 
 themselves a while. Maud saw the propriety of 
 her aunt Clara's action, but said : 
 
 " Mamma must not keep papa too long or I shall 
 have to interrupt them." 
 
 Then she began to ask Vophsi questions con- 
 cerning their long absence, which Vophsi was at a 
 
340 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 loss to answer, for she was as much surprised as 
 was Wilford Melton, to find, his living wife and 
 daughter, and felt that she must take a secondary 
 place as sister to the noble daughter of Fodsie. 
 However, she was sensible of the justice of Maud's 
 right to hold first place, yet the fact was embarrass- 
 ing to her, and she did not care to say more than 
 politeness required of her until she knew more. 
 She answered Maud pleasantly, but revealed noth- 
 ing. 
 
 " O, Aunt Clara," said Maud, " don't you think 
 my papa is handsome ?" 
 
 " He certainly is, my dear, and he will be proud 
 of his handsome daughter." 
 
 " O, I do hope he will. I could wish myself 
 beautiful if that would make him more proud of 
 me. Do you think it would make any difference 
 with him. Miss Vophsi ?" 
 
 " Your father is all goodness, and loves f,nd ad- 
 mires the good and the beautiful wherever he meets 
 them. You need not fear that he could do violence 
 to his noble nature by failing to appreciate the 
 loveliness of his own daughter," answered Vophsi. 
 
 "Upon my word. Miss Vophsi, if you compli- 
 ment my papa in that manner I shall fall in love 
 with you." 
 
 " I should be glad of such love," replied Vophsi, 
 " and should reciprocate it with all my heart." 
 
 " There," said Maud, "I am a captive. Now, 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 341 
 
 tell me, have you been with my papa ever since 
 that terrible disaster at sea, of which mamma has 
 told me, and wept over so much ?" 
 
 " Yes, all the time. But I must not anticipate 
 him. He will tell the whole wonderful story in his 
 own good time." 
 
 " Well — well, you will have to be my sister. It 
 will be so nice to have an elder sister to chaperon 
 and play propriety to me. You have been so long 
 with papa that he will not want to give you up, 
 and I suppose you must like him, or you would 
 not have stayed with him." 
 
 " I ought, and certainly do esteem him as one of 
 the noblest works of God. He is the truest and 
 best friend into whose hands a poor girl could 
 ever come. He has done much for me in every 
 way, to say nothing of his saving my life from the 
 terrible fever, from which I am even now barely 
 convalescent." 
 
 " I thought you looked delicate. I am afraid I 
 have worried you with my much talking." 
 
 "Oh, no, it does not tire me now to talk, al- 
 though I have not had much practice since I quit 
 teaching my pupil at Rome. Fodsie — I mean 
 your father — is a very reticent man, but a great 
 thinker." 
 
 " What did you mean by Fodsie?" 
 
 " O, that is a name I gave to your father because 
 
342 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 he sent me to school and treated me like his own 
 child.'' 
 
 " Well, I do declare, I think I will share it with 
 you, for I like the name. I am going in this min- 
 ute to see my new Fodsie, for mamma is planning 
 a monopoly." 
 
 Thereon Maud arose and went to the parlor 
 door and called to her mother. 
 
 "Mamma, I want to see papa some more. I 
 want to see my new Fodsie. May I come in ?" 
 
 " Yes, yes, come in, for I want to see my sweet 
 girl," answered her father. 
 
 As she approached, he opened his arms and took 
 her to his bosom and kissed her, while she laid 
 her cheek against his, and said : 
 
 " Mamma, is heaven any more delightful than 
 this ? I have my papa, you have your husband, 
 and he has his wife and daughter. We are just 
 as happy as we can be. How could heaven im- 
 prove on this state except in duration?" 
 
 " Daughter, I believe that is a fair statement of 
 the truth, if papa and Maudie are as happy as 
 mamma." 
 
 " Now, papa, what do you say?", 
 
 " What do I say, darling daughter ? I say that 
 since my wife and daughter entered this room 
 and became to me real existences, my eyes, heart 
 and soul have enjoyed a feast that is heavenly in 
 its sweetness and gloriousness. Therefore it must 
 
NEHU8HTAN. 343 
 
 be of Divine origin, and ordered by the Giver of 
 every good and perfect gift. Since we all believe 
 in the Divine Author of our happiness, let us b« 
 happy." 
 
 Yes, in truth, there was no barrier in the way of 
 happiness to them, as full and perfect as earth can 
 afford, and it had been well earned. All the bit- 
 ter had been drained from their cups. Henceforth 
 it was to be all sweet and joyful. 
 
 He had wealth by the million, but he gave it no 
 thought, for here was his life — wife and daughter, 
 each young and beautiful, and centering their 
 whole heart's love on him. 
 
 Ah, did he love them ? Can anyone imagine the 
 rebound of a true heart's love when its object, 
 long since supposed to be dead, is, as it were, res- 
 ui-rected, and suddenly made to appear before one, 
 clothed in flesh and blood, and in perfect health ? 
 Does it not seem reasonable that such persons 
 should have passed through some glorifying pro- 
 cess that lifted them above common mortals ? 
 
 A feeling allied to this was experienced by this 
 happy trio — father, mother and daughter — and 
 became a permanent existence, a commune from 
 whence the gates of heaven were visible. Upon 
 the wings of guardian angels, love messages had 
 been carried, and love kisses had been delivered 
 by angel lips, vibrating upon the chord of unison 
 between spirit and spirit. That hallowed feeling 
 
344 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 which had been surrounding loved ones for years 
 could not be dropped in an hour. 
 
 Maud found the commune of her home life so 
 happy, that, on one occasion, she was heard to de- 
 clare thus : 
 
 " I will never marry until I shall meet a man I 
 can think more of than I do of my papa, and that 
 virtually settles the fact that I am destined to be 
 an old maid." 
 
 More is the pity, for there are so many good 
 men in the world who could appreciate the wife 
 that is in the making of such as Maud Melton. 
 
 Wilford Melton was ever thoughtful for Vophsi. 
 He realized that the state of her feelings must be 
 very unsettled. He briefly related the history of 
 his and Vophsi's life, her kind and devoted atten- 
 dance on him, and his adopting her as his daugh- 
 ter, and added : 
 
 " Now she may feel as though she must be set 
 aside. She is good and true to the heart's core, 
 and we must not allow her to suffer any uneasi- 
 ness of mind, but remove all anxiety at once. 
 But for her good nursing and care of me I would 
 not be here, living, well and happy." 
 
 " Kow, Podsie, Vophsi and I have already 
 agreed to be sisters. Don't you see I have you 
 down fine, Fodsie ? " 
 
 "Wait a moment, Imsband," said Mrs. Mel- 
 ton, as she stepped out of the room, and re- 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 345 
 
 turned presently, arm in arm with. Vophsi. 
 Maud jumped up and kissed her and chided 
 her a little for not telling her that they were 
 already sisters. 
 
 " My husband," said Mrs. Melton to Vophsi, after 
 they were seated, " has just been telling us of your 
 faithfulness to him through the long years of your 
 exile, and how you waited on him through his 
 long sickness, and even offered your life blood for 
 him. I do not doubt that it was your good nurs- 
 ing that preserved his life and kept him. for us 
 now. I want you to feel that our home is your 
 home, and that you are one of us, and I shall try 
 to act in the place of mother to you as a grown- 
 up daughter. I have never been able to forgive 
 myself for being so thoughtless as to leave you on 
 board the Hampton." 
 
 " My dear Mrs. Melton, do not regret it, for the 
 liand of God was in it, if your first assertion is true, 
 that my nursing preserved Podsie's — Prof. Melton's 
 
 life." 
 
 " Now, sister Vophsi," said Maud, '* if you ever 
 take that lovely word, ' Podsie,' back again, papa 
 and mamma and I will be offended. I think it 
 was jtist lovely for you to name him Podsie. It 
 was so much better than to have said father, which 
 would have been an untruth, while Podsie tells 
 the world enough for it to know of your relation. 
 Besides, you can attach as much meaning to it as 
 you like, without question." ' 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 THE dinner hour was approaching at John Neko- 
 da's, for Mrs. John — the Mats of old — was as 
 able now as then to meet all requirements in get- 
 ting up a good dinner. 
 
 She had sent Jock to George Melton's and Rob- 
 ert Shirley's, inviting them to take dinner at her 
 house with some old friends. However, she tied 
 Jock's tongue, so that he could not reveal the 
 names of the old friends. 
 
 So they came, sister and brother, to meet the 
 dead come to life. That brother, long mourned as 
 dead, stood before them, the personification of a 
 a living, healthy manhood. There was no doubt 
 of the intense joy of that meeting. 
 
 Last of ay came John Nekoda and his son Wil- 
 ford, now as tall and handsome as the uncle for 
 whom he was named. These two men, on meet- 
 ing, embraced each other and wept as girls, in .their 
 great joy. Then Vophsi began to laugh, while 
 tears glistened in her eyes. Then Maud, and her 
 mother and Anna Shirley, and all, began to laugh 
 and shed tears of sympathetic joy. Finally John 
 Nekoda's tongue fpund speech in these words : 
 
 (346) 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 347 
 
 " Well, I never was so glad to see any person in 
 all my life," and, turning to his wife, he said, 
 " Mets, you will have to notify me if I come to ne- 
 glect you in deference to this friend of the long- 
 ago. I was just thinking, as I came up from the 
 office, of the pleasant experience of the early 
 morning, and now, here comes another to fill my 
 heart with joy." 
 
 "What was the experience ?" asked two or three 
 at the same time. 
 
 "There," he answered, as the dinner bell began 
 to ring, " I shall have to defer my story till after 
 dinner, as Mrs. Mets demands our presence in the 
 dining-room. Mother is not quite able to be here 
 but where is father?" asked he. 
 
 The answer was given by the entrance of the 
 elder Nekoda, and, once more, the cup of joy was 
 filled for all in witnessing the meeting of the aged 
 patriarch and his son-in-law. 
 
 At last that excellent dinner was ended and the 
 evening was given, mostly, to the rehearsal of the 
 events in the lives of the travelers. The elder Mrs. 
 Nekoda, in her arm chair, was wheeled into the 
 parlor, where she could hear every word of Wil- 
 ford Melton's story. She had him to sit near her, 
 where she could speak to him ea;sily. Many 
 times tears would well np in her eyes and over- 
 flow. She was not the only one who shed tears as 
 he gave his graphic account of the forty-nine 
 
348 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 days' float down to the tropics, with, death from 
 hunger and thirst staring them in the face, and the 
 terrible fever that destroyed five out of the eight 
 souls on the float. 
 
 When he told the story of Marco Verdi's moth- 
 er, Mrs. Nekoda was greatly affected, and, with 
 tears rolling down her cheeks, she exclaimed : 
 
 " O, my God ! And by my action I would have 
 driven my daughter to that, if the hand of the Al- 
 mighty had not been against me. O, John ! Mity- 
 lene ! My children, can you ever forgive your 
 mother ?" 
 
 " Yes, mother dear," said Mitylene, " you are 
 already forgiven. The hand of Grod was not against 
 you, for he has saved you, but His hand was 
 against Rome and the things you were doing for 
 her." 
 
 " Yes, Grammie, it is all right now. Papa and 
 mamma are here, Vophsi and I, also. You and 
 grandpa, and all of us are for Christ, and none for 
 the Pope. We will leave all the ugly things, and 
 forget them, and be happy, henceforth," said 
 Maud, as she glided up and put her arm around 
 her grandmother's neck. 
 
 " Yes, my sweet comforter," answered the grand- 
 mother. Then she added, " Wilford Melton, you 
 have the dearest and sweetest child that any 
 father was ever blessed with. May God bless you 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 349 
 
 all. Now, children, wheel me to my bed. I must 
 lie down and rest awhile."' 
 
 After Mrs. Nekoda had retired, and those who 
 helped her had returned to the parlor, there was a 
 call for the account John had promised at dinner 
 time. It was as follows : 
 
 " In order that you may the better appreciate 
 my story," he began, " I must go back to incidents 
 of the year 1841. I had been to the Bluegrass 
 region of Kentucky, to buy for myself a pair of 
 good driving horses, and, also, some brood mares 
 for my farm in south Missouri. While there I 
 bought the unserved time of a bound girl, the 
 mother of a young child that was to go with her. 
 Free Nance, as you all know her. It was incon- 
 venient for me to bring her with me. However, I 
 had arranged with a lady, Mrs. Mary Paxton, who 
 lived in Lincoln County, Missouri, to bring them 
 to St. Louis, and I met them at the wharf, accord- 
 ing to our agreement. 
 
 " While settling with Mrs. Paxton, as we stood 
 on top of the boat, a third party, a small boy, 
 made his appearance. That boy, with his irre- 
 pressible ginger-cakes before mentioned, now grown, 
 up, and a preacher of the Gospel of Christ, was in 
 my office to-day to comply with the request of his 
 benefactress^ Mrs. Paxton, that he should be sure 
 to call on me and bring her word of my welfare. 
 
350 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 I had been to see her at her home a few years after 
 the kind favor she had served me. 
 
 " It is the story of that boy's young life, the bru- 
 tality and unnatural treatment received at the 
 hands of his Catholic father, brothers and sisters, 
 that I am about to relate. 
 
 " On the morning of August 15, 1833, in Dingle, 
 Kerry county, Ireland, a child was born who was 
 christened Dennis, by his parents and Father Dia- 
 mond, the priest to whom the. superstitious parents 
 revealed their inmost secrets at the confessional. 
 
 " During the autumn of the same year, the fami- 
 ly emigrated to Philadelphia, Pa. After five years 
 the boy's dearest friend — his mother — died; and 
 the time-honored Irish wake followed. 
 
 " The pagan horrors and disgusting midnight 
 orgies of that sorrowful night inflicted wounds in 
 his young heart that time can never heal — inefface- 
 able memories that endure as life itself. 
 
 " The lifeless body of his mother was pressed 
 into an arm chair, sitting erect, draped in snowy 
 grave clothes, and with a lighted wax candle, 
 which had been consecrated by the parish priest 
 of St. Mary's church, in each hand. , 
 
 " Into a small upper room the Irish neighbors 
 crowded, with their lighted candles, fresh from the 
 altar and the priest's official blessing, while the 
 uncorked bottles of porter, ale and beer rattled 
 and smoked as the company of midnight watchers 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 351 
 
 drank to the health of the corpse, and called down 
 the mediation of all the holy departed saints, to 
 intercede for her purgatorial soul. 
 
 " These demons in human form became drunk, 
 and, while dancing to the national airs of the bag- 
 pipes, ever an anon the chief would howl in his 
 drunken and stentorian voice — 
 
 " ' It's a most beautiful karpse ye's a-makin to- 
 night while yez frinds are a-celebratin' of yez last 
 noight on airth, and sindiu' yez souel to purgatory 
 wid music and dancin' and faurity (40) bottles of 
 Irish poteen.' 
 
 " In the awful confusion and rowdyism of these 
 drunken wretches, the outraged corpse was jostled 
 out of the chair onto the floor, and there, in their 
 horrid carousal and broil, bruised and mangled al- 
 most beyond recognition. 
 
 "In the rising tempest of Irish passion bottles 
 were hurled pell-mell across the room with the 
 fierceness and howls of maniacal rage. The face 
 of the corpse was struck by a flying bottle and 
 an ugly gash left, which served to increase the 
 horrid effect of death's terrible victory over mor- 
 tality. This, too, in a Romanist gathering in 
 Christian America. 
 
 " The police, drawn by the sound of bacchana- 
 lian revelry, arrested t)ie leaders, and sent them to 
 the city prison, and hauled the drunken and 
 crippled women away in the city vans. 
 
352 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 " Three years later, the father married again, 
 and the boy was sent with an older brother, fresh 
 from the emerald Mils of their native land, to 
 Vandalia, Illinois, in whose vicinity lived a broth- 
 er and a sister, each married, and living on a 
 farm. 
 
 " The ignorance and superstition of the mother 
 church hung like a fnneral pall around the boy so 
 long as he remained under the control of his igno- 
 rant people. 
 
 " Very soon the older brother sought the ave- 
 nues of his trade — that of a finished stone cutter — 
 in St. Louis, the little brother going with him. 
 While there, the brother's wife terrorized him 
 with her brutal blows and daily ill. treatment, un- 
 til, boy-like, he sought safety by running away. 
 One day she shamefully kicked him out into the 
 alley for some small offense, and ordered him to 
 go to a neighboring shop for chips and shavings 
 to make the dinner fire. He did not return ; the 
 shavings did not light that day, because, forsooth, 
 the tinder had been struck before time, when his 
 sister-in-law kicked him out into the alley. 
 
 " Poor little boy. Distracted and heart-broken, 
 he picked himself up to go, not for the flimsy 
 shavings, to be destroyed as quickly by the touch 
 of a match as Rome will be in that future day of 
 Hamon-gog, but whither the hand of Providence 
 should lead him for the salvation of his life. He 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 353 
 
 tramped here and there over the streets of St. 
 Louis all that afternoon. Night came, and with 
 it a storm of wind and rain. Tired, worn, hungry 
 and disconsolate, the dear little motherless one 
 sought refuge in a German bakery. There he did 
 the best thing known to him, for he had not been 
 taught any better. He fell upon his knees, and, 
 with solemn, uplifted hands, hurriedly oflFered 
 the 'Ave Maria.' 
 
 " ' Hail, Mary, full of grace ! The Lord is with 
 thee. Blessed art thou amongst women ; blessed 
 is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 
 
 " ' Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sin- 
 ners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. In 
 the name of the.Father, and of the Son, and of the 
 Holy Ghost. Amen.' 
 
 " The German was astonished and did not know 
 what to think of the strange conduct of such a 
 small boy, and, after the boy finished his prayer, 
 said: 
 
 " ' Vi, leetle poy, vat ish ze matter ? Hash you 
 got von fit ? ' 
 
 " 'Divil a fit is it. I'm only a-sayin' me pray- 
 ers to a hathen loik yerself.' 
 
 '"Vat does you vant?' exclaimed the Ger- 
 man. 
 
 " ' I hev no home, nur 'father, nur mither, nur 
 sisther, nur brother, nur clothes, nur friends, nur 
 divil a cint in me pocket. In the name of the 
 
 23 
 
354 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 howly St. Mary, good sir, take me in out of the 
 sthorm, and give me a bit of potatee, far I hev had 
 no dinner nur supper to-day.' 
 
 " The heart of the German was touched by the 
 boy's pitiful story, and he kindly took him in for 
 the night, and then gave him employment in sell- 
 ing ginger-cakes and cheap buns, which he car- 
 ried in a basket on his arm about the streets and 
 alleys. He had lugged the basket around for a 
 few days, when some sweet, guardian angel direct- 
 ed his foot-steps to the wharf at the river, where 
 hundreds of steamboats were at all times landing 
 and unloading both their inert and living freight, 
 for in that day the bulk of travel was by steam- 
 boat. 
 
 " The boy was standing to one side of the throng 
 of people passing in and out over the gangway of 
 the steamer Yocent (for there were a hundred or 
 more passengers) when he received a signal — a 
 waving white handkerchief — from the angel hand 
 of his unfolding destiny. 
 
 "Aunt Polly Paxton stood on deck amid the 
 radiant splendors of the morning sun. The boy 
 was quick to catch the business signal from her 
 kindly hand, and responded with the alacrity of 
 boyish hope. As he approached near to the good 
 woman she said : 
 
 '"Little boy, how do you sell your cakes ? ' 
 
 "'Be jabers,' he answered, 'of course, I sell me 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 355 
 
 «akes fur the money. How the divil did ye sup- 
 pose I made me livin' ? Do yez take me fur a 
 thafe ? ' 
 
 "The good woman smiled at his rudeness, and 
 "bought a dollar's worth of genuine ginger-cakes 
 for her three slaves, journeying with her from their 
 native Kentucky hills to their new home in Lin- 
 coln county, Missouri. 
 
 " Tears of grateful joy rolled like rain-drops 
 from the little boy's cheek on account of this ear- 
 ly commercial success. The kind-hearted Mrs. 
 Paxton plied him with a number of motherly 
 questions as to his condition, home and hopes, in 
 answer to which the boy pictured, in his childish 
 honesty, the ebon clouds then overhanging his 
 daily life, his broken and desolated home, and 
 himself with no living person to whom he could 
 look with certainty for sympathy and help. She 
 freely mingled her tears of pity with those of the 
 ragged waif, as he shiveringly recited his tale of 
 woe. As Mary Paxton wiped away her blinding 
 tears, she offered to him her loving hand, heart, 
 and an abiding refuge among the sylvan shadows 
 of her genial home. It was as a chime of bells 
 to his hungry soul. He accepted her kind offer, 
 and soon the steamer Vocent was bearing him upon 
 the icy waves of the upper Mississippi towards 
 the well-stocked farm in Lincoln county, Missouri, 
 where, in the years that followed, he became 
 
356 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 familiar with all its varied departments by daily 
 contact with the negroes, in the fields of golden 
 grain and the meadows of sweet-scented hay. 
 
 "For a number of years he was under that 
 good Methodist woman's fostering care. All that 
 that preacher of the Gospel is to-day, under God's 
 providence, he justly owes to the generous help of 
 Mary Paxton. 
 
 " This case of Christian philanthropy has no 
 parallel in the Church of Rome. Though his bene- 
 factress would gladly have led him into the Meth- 
 odist church, of which she was an honored mem- 
 ber, yet she left him free to make choice for 
 himself. He longed for Jerusalem, and, at sixteen 
 years of age, was joyfully housed within her golden 
 gates. 
 
 " When the young man announced, by letter, to 
 his father in Philadelphia, whom he had not seen 
 for eight years, that he had, as a matter of choice, 
 exchanged the Pope for the Living God ; the 
 woman on the scarlet beast for the woman that 
 fled to the wilderness upon the wings of a great 
 eagle ; the Church of Rome for the Church of 
 Christ ; the lion was aroused from his lair, and the 
 swift-winged messengers of ' Uncle Sam ' brought 
 his red-hot anathemas with threats of disinherit- 
 ance, and a warning that he should not again cross, 
 the threshold of the once dear old home." 
 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 SIXTEEN years later " continued Johu Nekoda, 
 " that boy, then a grown man and student at 
 Bethany College, Virginia, concluded to visit the 
 Quaker City, and the interdicted threshold. 
 
 "As he approached the humble home and con- 
 fectionary shop on Elfreth's alley, he determined 
 to play the prank upon his aged father that had 
 been played by Ben Franklin on his widowed 
 mother in that same city, long before. As he en- 
 tered the shop an aged gentleman of eighty years 
 was seated before him, intently reading a Catholic 
 prayer-book. After the usual salutations were 
 exchanged, the young man said — 
 
 " ' Have you any stogies ? ' 
 
 " ' No, sor. I deals wid candies, cigaars, nuts, 
 and cakes.' 
 
 " ' I want a cheap cigar, called stogie.' 
 
 " ' No, sor, it's a pair of boots yez bea wantin. 
 Across the corner ye'll find a shoe store, call for 
 thim sthogies, and, if yez hev the moonie, the 
 ^intleman behind the counther will fill yer "heart 
 wid a pair of brogans.' 
 
 (3 57) 
 
358 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 " ' How do you sell that candy on the shelf? ' 
 " ' Be jabers, we sells it fur the moonie. Did 
 ye think an ould man loik meself would be afther 
 given away me livin to a sthranger this airly in 
 the mornin ? Would ye tell me what part of the 
 kounthry yez bea koomin' frum ? ' 
 '"I am from the wilds of Missouri.' 
 " ' Frum Missouri, yerrah ! Begorra, I hev a son 
 in Missouri and, by the blue beard of St. Patrick's 
 wig, I wud give a great dale to look on the face of 
 me lad once more. A short time afther his mither 
 died he left me. The Lord be marciful to his 
 souel ' — crossing himself. 
 " ' Did he run away from you ? ' 
 " ' What the divil is that yer business ? ' 
 " ' In what part of the State does he reside ? ' 
 " ' He lives in a small city on the Mississippi, 
 about one hundred miles frum St. Louis.' 
 " ' What is his name ? ' 
 " ' His name is Donohoo O'Granquil.' 
 " ' I know all the towns on the upper Mississippi, 
 and, possibly, I can help you recall the place 
 where your son lives. Is it either of the follow- 
 ing : Cap-Au-Gris, Clarksville, Hannibal, Can- 
 ton—' 
 
 " ' Hould yer toong. Yez don't know ony more 
 nor meself.' 
 
 " The young man had purposely skipped Louis- 
 iana. 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 359 
 
 " ' Hold,' said he, ' is it; Eeokuk? ' 
 
 '• ' To tlie divil wid ye and yer Kilamekuk ; 
 yez know no more uv me son's home nor a divil 
 uv a stupid nagur.' 
 
 "'0,1 remember another town, up in Pike coun- 
 ty, called Louisiana.' 
 
 " At the mention of that town the old gentleman 
 clapped his hands together and cried — 
 
 " ' I has it now. I knowed it wus the name uv 
 some girrel, Lucy Ann, that's her name. Me poor 
 hoy is clarkin there.' 
 
 " ' Well, sir, I remember a young man clerking 
 there, for E. Draper and Brothers, whose name 
 was some sort of a field ; Cornfield or Grainfield.' 
 
 " ' Shure, and O'Granquil, but we call it in Eng- 
 lish Granfield.' 
 
 " ' Well, well, I know Dennis Granfield like a 
 book. I roomed with him for years. He is now 
 a student in Bethany College, Virginia.' 
 
 " ' Is it thrue, sor, that ye know the lad ? Whin 
 did ye see him last ? ' 
 
 " ' Only yesterday, I saw him at the college.' 
 
 " ' Yerrah, Kitty, here is a gintleman,' said the 
 aged man to his wife, as she entered the room, 
 'who knows all about Denny.' 
 
 " ' Ould man,' replied the stepmother, ' it's no 
 sthranger yez be spakin' to, at all, at all, but one 
 of yer childer.' 
 
360 NEBUSHTAN. 
 
 " ' Yerrah, Kitty, don'b make a gomank (fool) of 
 yerself.' 
 
 "The sanguine woman gazed intently for a mo- 
 ment, and broke out joyfully — 
 
 " ' Oh, sor, I see the Granquil grin in yer face, 
 and I'd know ye if ye was biled in a pot of Killar- 
 ney broth.' 
 
 " She reached and took him by the hand and 
 maternally led him into the kitchen, and soon 
 the meeting of Jacob and Joseph was reproduced. 
 The father completely broke down as he was 
 told about each of his five sons, and that the 
 youngest now stood before him. 
 
 " That afternoon the priest, who had been sum- 
 moned, came to interview him and diagnose his 
 religious condition, as madam rumor had whisper- 
 ed that he was upon a Protestant craft. 
 
 "The burly, rosy- faced Father O'Flanagan 
 opened up blandly after two bottles of porter were 
 emptied into his thirsty gullet, and question after 
 question, not unlike those of the Spanish inqui- 
 sition 'mid the shadows of the Alhambra, were 
 poured into his impatient ear. 
 
 " ' Do you ever go to church ? ' inquired the holy 
 father. 
 
 " ' Of course I do,' answered the young man, 
 
 " ' You always attend the Catholic church ? ' 
 
 " ' Most assuredly.' 
 
 " ' How often do you go to confession ? ' 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 361 
 
 " ' Don't you think you are entering the realm 
 of impertinence Father O'Flannigan ? ' 
 
 " ' You told me a moment since that you always 
 attended the Holy Roman Catholic Church.' 
 
 " ' No, sir, you are grossly mistaken. •! told you 
 I always attended the catholic church.' 
 
 " ' "What is the difference ? ' asked the priest. 
 
 " ' The difference is the same as that which 
 separates hell from heaven — a problem that Roman 
 priests will never solve until the time of the end, 
 when it shall be solved for them by the beast 
 leading his deluded followers to their place.' 
 
 " ' To whom, sir, do you confess your mortal and 
 venial sins ? ' 
 
 " ' To the great and holy Father of this mag- 
 nificent universe, through the mediation of the 
 Lord Jesus Christ.' 
 
 " ' Young man, your destiny is sealed. You 
 are a base ingrate, a renegade from the holy al- 
 tars of your father's infallible church, and the 
 anathemas of her holy communion will eat out 
 your vitals like a cancer, and the Pope's curse 
 will destroy you.' 
 
 " At this supreme moment the young man's 
 father, whose listening ears were tingling with 
 horror over his prodigal son's religious condition, 
 wiped his tearful eyes and exclaimed — 
 
 " ' Dinny, don't be now afther spakin' to Fath- 
 er O'Flanagan in that kind of sthyle, fur he kin 
 
362 NEHUSHTAN. 
 
 go to the howly altar and call down the Pope's 
 curse upon yer black souel, and kud turn ye into 
 a cow's tail or a cabbage sthump in the twinklin' 
 uv an eye. Ould Martin Lucher, wid his faurety 
 wives and his hide full uv lies, made a Bible, and 
 that Bible, loik the divilish, darty-mouthed 
 Protestants, will tell ye ony and ivery thing the 
 divil himself kin make up.' 
 
 " Solemn mass was held the next Sunday over 
 the son's heathenish condition, and many grave 
 fears were expressed lest priestly power would 
 suddenly transform the young.man into something 
 half devil and half beast. 
 
 " The young man still lives, and is now an aged, 
 respected and faithful preacher of the Gospel of 
 Christ. 
 
 " Moses was not permitted to enter the land of 
 promise because he made himself equal with God, 
 by the expression, ' Shall we bring forth water.' 
 Then what is to become of these sacrilegious 
 priests, who impose upon the credulity of the igr 
 norant laity to make them believe they have the 
 power of God ? " 
 
 This was the story John Nekoda had heard that 
 mprning in his offic<", from the subject of the 
 sketch himself.* It is a living story and true 
 history. 
 
 ♦Thousands of people, all over the State of Missouri, are 
 personally acquainted with the subject of this sketch, long a 
 
NEHUSHTAN. 363 
 
 This story closes. There is no more to be said, 
 as it would be impossible to end it if the history 
 of all those who have incidentally taken part in it 
 should be written. To do so would bring in new 
 actors and make a new story. 
 
 It is enough to say now that Charles Simpson, 
 the Englishman, sold his interest in the Sheep 
 ranch of Australia to Tim Keister, came to Ameri- 
 ca, married Vophsi, and settled in the great West. 
 
 resident of Troy, but now of Columbia, Missouri. According 
 to the Roman Catholic view, he has made thousands of heretics, 
 for, under his preaching, thousands have been converted to the 
 faith once delivered to the saints. He is still preaching and 
 making converts to the Gospel of Christ — the kind of heretics so 
 much despised by the Bomish church. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 AMERICANS, READ AND REFLECT. 
 
 Compare some of the fundamental principles of our 
 government with those of the Catholic Church. Com- 
 pare their attitude toward our government, and their 
 present effort to govern. 
 
 The Constitution of the United States guarantees 
 libertj' of conscience. 
 
 Pope Pius IX, in his encyclical letter of the 15th of 
 August, 1854, said: "The absurd and erroneous doc- 
 trines and ravings in defense of liberty of conscience 
 are a pestilential error — a pest of all others most to 
 be dreaded in a State." 
 
 The same Pope, in his encyclical of December 8th, 
 1864, anathematizes all those who assert their liberty 
 of conscience, and of religious worship; and, also, all 
 such as maintain that the church may not use force. 
 He also says: "The Catholic religion with all its 
 VOTERS ought to be exclusively dominant in such 
 sort, that every other worship should be banished and 
 interdicted." 
 
 The Archbishop of St. Louis said: " Heresy and 
 
 unbelief are crimes, and in Christian countries, as in 
 
 (365) 
 
366 APPENDIX. 
 
 Italy and Spain, for instance, where all the people are 
 Catholics, and where the Catholic religion is an essen- 
 tial part of the law of the land, heretics and unbe- 
 lievers are punished as other criminals." 
 
 The New York Tablet, a leading Catholic paper, 
 says: "The Roman Catholic citizens of the United 
 States owe no allegiance to the principles of the 
 government which are condemned by the church or 
 Pope." 
 
 Archbishop Ireland says that the will of the Pope is 
 the supreme law of all lands. 
 
 According to St. Thomas Aquinas, Vol. 4, p. &1 : 
 "If the Pope should curse the government of the 
 United States, every consistent orthodoxRoman Cath- 
 olic would thereby be absolved from his. oath of alle- 
 giance to the government." 
 
 The following are a few extracts from the laws of 
 the Church of Rome, compiled by Dr. S. F. Von 
 Schulte : 
 
 " The Pope can annul all legal relations of those in 
 ban, especially their marriages. The Pope can release 
 f i-om every obligation, oath and vow, either before or 
 after being made." 
 
 " The Pope has the right to annul State laws, treat- 
 ies, constitutions, etc.; to absolve from obedience 
 thereto as soon as they seem detrimental to the rights 
 of the church or those of the clergy." 
 
 " The Pope has the right to give countries and na- 
 tions which are non-Catholic to Catholic regents who 
 can reduce them to slavery." 
 
 " The Pope can make slaves of those Christian sub- 
 jects whose prince or ruling power is interdicted by 
 the Pope." 
 
APPENDIX. 3137 
 
 " The execution of Papal commands for the perse* 
 cution of heretics causes remission of sins. He who 
 kills one who is excommunicated is no murderer in a 
 legal sense." 
 
 The following were issued December 8th, 1864, by 
 Pope Pius IX: 
 
 " The State has not the right to leave every man 
 free to profess and embrace whatever religion he may 
 deem true." 
 
 The same Pope defines the right and power of the 
 Catholic church, as follows: 
 
 " She has the right to require the State not to leave 
 every man free to profess his own religion." 
 
 " She has the right to exercise her powers without 
 permission or consent of the State." 
 
 "She has the right to prevent the foundation of 
 any national church not subject to the authority of the 
 Roman Pontiff." 
 
 " She has the right to deprive the civil authority of 
 the entire government of public schools." 
 
 " She has the right of perpetuating the union of 
 church and State." 
 
 "She has the right to require that the Catholic re- 
 ligion shall be the only religion of the State, to the 
 exclusion of all others." 
 
 " She has the right to prevent the State from grant- 
 , ing the public exercise of their own worship to per- 
 sons emigrating into it." 
 
 " She has the power of requiring the State not to 
 permit free expression of opinion." 
 
 The encyclical letter of Pope Leo XIII, written to 
 American Catholics, November 1, 1885, says: 
 
 "We exhort all Catholics, who would devote care- 
 ful attention to public matters, to take an active part 
 
368 APPENDIX. 
 
 in all municipal affairs and elections, .and to favor the 
 principles of the church in all public services, meet- 
 ings and gatherings. All Catholics must make them- 
 selves felt as active elements in daily political life 
 in the countries where they live. They must pene- 
 trate, wherever possible, in the administration of civil 
 affairs; must constantly exert the utmost vigilance 
 and enery to prevent the usage of liberty from going 
 beyond the limits of God's fixed laws. All Catholic 
 writers and journalists should never lose, for an in- 
 stant from view the above prescriptions." 
 
 Considering the fact that about two and one-half 
 million Catholic voters control three-fourths of the 
 offices in the gift of over twelve million voters, we 
 cannot fail to comprehend the fact that the Pope's 
 prescriptions have been skillfully and vigorously car- 
 ried out. 
 
 When delegates are to be elected at' our caucuses 
 our better class of citizens usually remain at home to 
 avoid the disagreeable clamor, strife and corruption 
 usually exhibited on such occasions. 
 
 The Eomanists turn out almost to a man and man- 
 age to elect as many Roman Catholics as possible on 
 all party tickets, and in making up the tickets these 
 delegates nominate as many Roman Catholics as possi- 
 ble for office, leaving the Protestants, as a rule, their 
 choice of Roman Catholics to vote for. 
 
 Their success could not be achieved except through 
 organization, secrecy, unity and concert in action, re- 
 gardless of party politics. Americans, turn out and 
 do your duty at your caucuses. 
 
 Consider how the followers of the Pope decry our 
 public school system. 
 
APPENDIX. 369 
 
 " The public schools are nurseries of vice. They 
 are godless schools, and those who send their children 
 to them cannot expect the mercy of God." — Priest 
 Walker. 
 
 " Unless you suppress the public school system, as 
 at present conducted, it will prove the damnation of 
 this country." — Father Walker. 
 
 " 1 frankly confess that the Catholics stand before 
 the country the enemies of the public schools." — Fa- 
 ther Phelan. 
 
 " The duty of all loyal. God-fearing, Christian men 
 (Roman Catholics), then, I repeat it, is to make com- 
 mon cause against this common foe." — Father Glea- 
 son, Oakland, Cal. 
 
 " The public schools have pi-oduced nothing but a 
 godless generation of thieves and blackguards." — 
 Priest Schauer. 
 
 " I would as soon administer sacrament to a dog as 
 to Catholics who send their children to public schools." 
 — ^Priest Walker. 
 
 " Education outside the control of the Roman 
 Catholic church is a damnable heresy." — Pope Pius 
 IX. 
 
 Mgr. Capel, a leading Roman Catholic priest, in his 
 lecture in Chicago, some time ago, said: 
 
 " The time is not far away when the Roman Catho- 
 lics of the republic of the United States, at the order 
 of the Pope, will refuse to pay their school tax, and 
 will send bullets to the hearts of government agents 
 rather than pay it. It will come as quickly as the 
 click of a trigger, and it will be obeyed, of course, as 
 coming from God Almighty himself." 
 
 Decry as they have, if they will, with their burning 
 stigma, our liberal government, our free institutions 
 and our public schools, nevertheless it is a notable 
 
 34 
 
370 APPENDIX. 
 
 fact that, while the Catholics number only about one- 
 fifth of the population of the United States, they have 
 contributed more criminals and paupers than have 
 been contributed by all outside of the Catholic church 
 and yet we permit them to manage our national, state 
 and municipal affairs. 
 
 For centuries past the Pope of Eome has claimed 
 authority, not only over the consciences and lives of 
 men, but also the Divine right to control nations. 
 
 When, by the order of the Pope, the King of France 
 murdered 75,000 innocent French Protestants, all the 
 bells of Rome were rung to peal the joyous news of 
 the fall of their unsuspecting victims, and this was 
 only a repetition of previous history, and a warning to 
 sleeping nations. 
 
 The Inquisition, the repeated history of the past un- 
 scrupulous and bloody acts of Romans, their recent 
 encroachments and their present hold on our national, 
 state and municipal affairs, point to dangers which 
 cannot be arerted except by organizing to prevent a 
 crisis. 
 
 " When will Americans wake up? When a few 
 more Lincolns are killed by Jesuit Boothes; when 
 more Cronins are lured to Garrison cottages and kill- 
 ed by Irish Catholics; when more Pat. Egans, before 
 they are American citizens, are sent to misrepresent us ; 
 when more Kellys are sent to Rome and returned with 
 thanks; when the Inquisition shall blaze in free 
 America — then our people will wake, only to find 
 themselves bound hand, and foot. 'Never,' did you 
 say? That depends upon our earnestness and conse- 
 cration to freedom's cause." — Rev. O. E. Murray, 
 Boston, Mass. 
 
APPENDIX. 371 
 
 If you doubt that Abraham Lincoln was murdered 
 by order of the Pope of Rome, or by the Priests, read 
 the sworn testimony of the witnesses in the case, and 
 compare the same with the sworn testimony collected 
 by Father Chiniquy, chapters 60 and 61, and you will 
 find that all implicated in the murder of Abraham 
 Lincoln were Roman Catholics, and that Roman Cath- 
 olic priests were at the head of the conspiracy, and 
 that the murder was announced in St. Joseph, Minn,, 
 by a Catholic priest, and published in our journals 
 nearly three hours before it was committed. 
 
 If you will read the Jesuit oath and the secret in- 
 structions to the Jesuits, their villainous and atrocious 
 acts, you can readily comprehend that there is no 
 crime too heinous for them to commit, without the 
 slightest compunctions of conscience. 
 
 Romanism and Jesuitism are inseparable ; one could 
 not long exist without the other. The secret instruc- 
 tions to the Jesuits is not a work of fiction, neither is 
 Peter Den's Roman Catholic Confession (exposed), 
 but the back bone of the Roman Catholic theology. 
 
 Professor Townsend, of Boston, says the U. S. navy 
 is already so far Romanized that confessional boxes 
 are built in some of our men-of-war. Congress should 
 see to this. 
 
 Do you not know our public journals are under 
 subjugation by the Roman power? If you doubt this, 
 present this to any leading journalist for publication 
 and you will readily realize the fact. 
 
 Can you doubt the necessity of prompt action when 
 you consider that nearly all of the following secret Cath- 
 
372 APPENDIX. 
 
 olic organizations are armed bodies : Mafia, Clan-nar 
 gaels, Mollie Maguires, Jesuits, Hibernians, Catholic 
 Knights, Knights of St. George, Knights of St. Peter, 
 Knights of the Eead Branch, Knights of Clombskill, 
 Apostles of Liberty, Irish American Society, St. Pat- 
 rick's Cadets, Knights of St. Patrick and many others. 
 In all, there are about 700,000 ai-med Romanists in 
 the United States. 
 
 Headquarters of nearly all the armed bodies of Eo- 
 manists are in San Francisco. The Hibernian Eifles 
 and other bodies of Eomanists have been accepted and 
 sworn in as State guards by the State authorities of 
 several States. The governor of Illinois has fulfilled 
 his promise to the Jesuits; he has not only accepted 
 the Hibernian Eifles, but has also liberated the an- 
 archists. 
 
 OBJECTS AND PEINCIPIiES OF THE AMERICAN PROTECTIVE 
 ASSOCIATION, AND, ALTERNATELY, THE OBJECTS AND 
 PRINCIPLES or ROMANISM. 
 
 A. P. A. — To purify and preserve the purity of the 
 ballot. 
 
 EoMANiSM. — To control the ballot for Catholic as- 
 cendency. 
 
 A. P. A. — To restrict foreign criminal, lawless and 
 pauper immigration. 
 
 EoMANiSM. — To import lawless and pauper immi- 
 grants to gain power for the political dictator, the 
 Pope of Eome. 
 
APPENDIX. 373 
 
 A. P. A. — To maintain, at all hazards, our public 
 school system. 
 
 Romanism. — To control or crush our public school 
 system and to establish parochial schools. 
 
 A. P. A. — To keep our public schools free from all 
 ecclesiastical control, granting to children of all na- 
 tionalites and of all religions equal rights and privi- 
 leges. All sectarian and religious teaching therein 
 should be positively prohibited. Our free public 
 school system is particularly adapted to guard against 
 crime, corruption and immorality, so common among 
 ignorant and superstitious people. The public school 
 is an American institution of which we may be justly 
 proud. It is the key to ingenuity, to the arts and to 
 science, to agriculture and to civilization, the protec- 
 tion of our republic. 
 
 If children are not taught to cultivate their Grod- 
 given faculties, how can they be expected to grow up 
 in knowledge, morals, virtue and refinement, the 
 qualifications necessary to become law abiding citi- 
 zens? Character cannot be supplied without, educa- 
 tion. 
 
 Romanism. — "Public schools, open to all for the 
 education of the young, should be under the control 
 of the (Romish) church, and should not be subject 
 to the civil power." — Pope Pius IX. 
 
 " We do not hesitate to affirm that in performing 
 our duties as citizens, electors, and public officials, we 
 should always and under all circumstances act simply 
 as Catholics, and we are opposed to the common 
 
374 APPENDIX. 
 
 schools because our church condemns them." — Cath- 
 olic World. 
 
 A. P. A. — To protect the original objects of the 
 framers of the Constitution of the United States» 
 which were that the civil government should protect 
 the church in all its rights so that the church should 
 protect the government by moulding the character of 
 all Amerifeans to become good citizens. 
 
 Romanism. — "Protestantism has not nor never can 
 have any rights where Catholicity has triumphed. 
 Therefore we lose the breath we expend in declaiming 
 against bigotry and tolerance and in favor of religious 
 liberty, or the right of a man to be of any religion as 
 best pleases him." — Catholic Review . 
 
 A. P. A. — Congress shall make no law respecting 
 an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free 
 exercise thereof." — U. S. Constitution. 
 
 Romanism. — " All Catholics should do all in their 
 power to cause the constitution of the state and legis- 
 lation to be moulded in the principles of the true 
 church."— Pope Pius IX. 
 
 A. P. A. — "Every man who conducts himself as a 
 good citizen is accountable to God alone for his relig- 
 ious faith and should be protected in worshiping God 
 according to the dictates of his own conscience." — 
 Geo. Washington. 
 
 Romanism. — " We are not the advocates of religious 
 freedonj. Religious liberty is merely endured until 
 the opposite can be carried into effect without peril 
 to the Catholic church." — ^Bishop O'Connor. 
 
 A. P. A. — " Religion is not in the purview of human 
 
APPENDIX. 375 
 
 government. Religion is essentially distinct and ex- 
 empt from its cognizance ; a connection between them 
 is injurious to both." — James Madison. 
 
 Romanism. — " No good government can exist with- 
 out religion, and there can be no religion without an 
 inquisition which is wisely designed for the protection 
 and promotion of the true church." — Boston Pilot. 
 
 A. P. A. — "My kingdom is not of this world. 
 Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are 
 Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. — Je- 
 sus Christ. 
 
 RoMxVNiSM. — Cardinal Manning, speaking in the 
 name of the Pope, said : "1 acknowledge no civil pow- 
 er; I am the subject of no prince, and I claim more 
 than this; I claim to be the supreme judge and direc- 
 tor of the conscience of men, of the peasants that till 
 the fields and of the princes that sit upon the throne, 
 of the household that lives in the shades of privacy 
 and the legislator that makes laws for kingdoms. I 
 am the sole, last supreme judge of what is right or 
 wrong." 
 
 It is often affirmed that the A. P. A. is only a po- 
 litical scheme, a political organization or an anti- 
 Catholic society, and invariably uncomplimentary 
 comments added. When you hear a man express his 
 opinion freely to the above effect, you are safe in con- 
 cluding that that man is either a Jesuit Catholic or" 
 a tool of the Jesuits, or perhaps he may have read 
 something detrimental to the A. P. A. in some daily 
 political journal, written by a Jesuit or his unscrupu- 
 lous adherents. Certainly no honorable, right-mind- 
 
376 APPENDIX. 
 
 ed, intelligent man would convey a false impression 
 without having been led to false conclusions. 
 
 • The A. P. A. is absolutely non-partisan and non- 
 sectarian . It is contrary to the rules of the order to 
 permit any discussion on party politics, and the chair- 
 man grossly neglects his duty when he permits any 
 such discussion; nevertheless, in a restricted sense, 
 the A. P. A. is a political organization as against Ro- 
 man ascendancy; in other words, members of all par- 
 ties and Protestant orders join hands and hearts on 
 the objects of the A. P. A. against Romanism and the 
 Pope of Rome, the most gigantic and corrupt political 
 power on earth, but not against Roman Catholics as a 
 religious body. 
 
 The time has come when every true American, re- 
 gardless of nationality, creed or politics should exer- 
 cise his right of franchise for American principles. 
 There is but one alternative to avert a crisis, and that 
 is by organization and education, otherwise the time 
 will soon come when we will be compelled to decide 
 for America or for Rome by force of arms and blood- 
 shed. 
 
 Will the Protestant ministers, in general, wa,ke up 
 from their lethargy before it is too late, or will they 
 continue to work hand in hand with the Protestant 
 National Reform Association, and with the Romans, 
 to establish a national religion, to their final disap- 
 pointment and discredit, and let the A. P. A. fight the 
 battle for American principles, and for liberty, or will 
 they, like true spiritual advisers, join the A. P. A. in 
 the good work? 
 
APPENDIX. 377 
 
 We hold that the right of suffrage should be grant- 
 ed to those only who can read and write the English 
 language, regardless of nationality or sex. 
 
 We claim that all men who hold a mental reserva- 
 tion in favor of a Pope, while swearing allegiance to 
 the United States, should not be permitted to hold 
 any office in the gift of the American people. 
 
 We believe that government or State has no legal 
 right, according to the Constitution of the United 
 States, to appropriate any funds of the public treas- 
 ury in support of denominational or sectarian doc- 
 t rines. 
 
 We believe that Congress should pass an act requir- 
 ing all nunneries and convents to be open for inspec- 
 tion, and that government mail should be delivered to 
 the inmates of such institutions without being opflned 
 and inspected by the officers in charge. 
 
 The old veteran soldiers regard the Stars and Stripes 
 as a sacred emblem of American liberty, in defense of 
 which they have fought and bled, and yet the com- 
 rades of dead soldiers must stand by and see the old 
 flag torn from the coffin before it can be permitted to 
 enter a Catholic church. 
 
 Should we not compel the Romanists, the bitterest 
 secret enemies to our liberal government and free in- 
 stitutions, to respect our flag, or will we stand by and 
 see the flag torn from our nation and the Roman flag 
 hoisted instead? Never! We must educate the bet- 
 ter class of Romanists in the history of their leaders 
 and in their (^abolical attempt to capture our govern- 
 ment, and also the uninformed Protestant and prevent 
 
378 APPENDIX. 
 
 bloodshed by the ballot box. The time has come to 
 act. 
 
 Considering the fact that children are taught in 
 parochial schools that the authority of the Pope is 
 superior to government or State laws, and to hate our 
 public schools, and that Protestantism is a damnable 
 heresy, is it not time to call a halt? Will we permit 
 the Romanists to rob our national treasury of $300,000 
 to $400,000 a year to support such schools, and in ad- 
 dition, consent to a division of our State school funds 
 for their support, to enable them to raise anarchists 
 against our free and liberal institutions and our laws? 
 
 Priest Walker snarls after this fashion: "I would 
 as soon administer the sacrament to a dog as to Cath- 
 olics who send their children to public schools." 
 
 C&rdinal Antonelli said: " I think it better that the 
 children should grow up in ignorance than to be edu- 
 cated in such a system of schools as the State of 
 Massachusetts supports ; that the essential part of the 
 education of the people is the catechism, and that, 
 while arithmetic and geography, reading and writing 
 and other similar studies might be useful, they are 
 not essential." 
 
 Eev. J. J. Hogan, in his " Judges of the Faith," p. 
 104, says: "The sacraments are to be refused to 
 Catholics, unworthy the name, who, in the education 
 of their children, patronize public schools." 
 
 Rev. P. J. Baltes, in his "Christian Schools," p. 
 106, says: " The "public schools q,re seminaries of infi- 
 delity, and as such most fruitful sources of immoral- 
 ity." 
 
APPENDIX. 379 
 
 Consider this Jesuitical outgiving of Satolli, the am- 
 bassador extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to 
 this country, of the present Roman Pontiff: 
 
 "The Catholic Church in general, and especially 
 the Holy See, far from condemning or treating with 
 indifference the public schools, desires, rather, that 
 by the joint action of civil and ecclesiastical authori- 
 ties, there should be public schools in every State, ac- 
 cording as the circumstances of the people require, 
 for the cultivation of the useful arts and natural 
 sciences; but the Catholic Church shrinks from those 
 features of public schools which are opposed to the 
 truth of Christianity and to morality; and since, in 
 the interest of society itself, these objectionable feat- 
 ures are removable, therefore, not only the Bishops, 
 but the citizens at large, should labor to remove them 
 in virtue of their own right, and in the cause of mor- 
 ality." 
 
 Freeman's Journal is bolder still, and says: "Let 
 the public school system go to where it came from — 
 the devil." 
 
 If the American Eepublic is to be sustained and 
 preserved at all, it must be by the rejection of the 
 principles of the Reformation and the acceptance of 
 the Catholic principles by the American people. — 
 Catholic World. 
 
 Our Church is God's Church, and not accountable 
 either to State or country. — Pope Pius IX. 
 
 The church is certainly intolerant in matters of doc- 
 trine. True, and we glory in it. — Mgr. Segur. 
 
 In a word, that pest, of all others, most to be avoid- 
 ed in a State is unbridled liberty of opinion. — ^Pope 
 Pius IX. 
 
 God hath made the political government subject to 
 the dominion of the spiritual Roman Catholic church. 
 — Cardinal Barnomius. 
 
380 APPENDIX. 
 
 Let God arise, let him repress, confound and anni- 
 hilate this unbridled license of speaking, writing and 
 publishing. — Leo XIII. 
 
 We will take this country and build our institutions 
 over th% grave of Protestantism. — ^Priest Walker. 
 
 Leo XIII, in his encyclical letter of January lOj 
 1890, says: 
 
 It is impetuous indeed to break the laws of Jesus 
 Christ for the purpose of obeying the magistrate, or 
 to transgress the laws of the church under the pretext 
 of obeying' the civil laws, and, if the laws are hostile 
 to the duties imposed by religion, or violate in the 
 person of the Sovereign Pontiff the authority of Jesus 
 Christ, then indeed it is a duty to resist them and a 
 crime to obey them. 
 
 Monsignor Preston, from the witness stand in New 
 York, when asked if Roman Catholics must obey their 
 Bishop, whether right or wrong, said, "Yes." The 
 question was repeated, and again he answered, "They 
 must obey, right or wrong. " 
 
 The most efficient emissaries of Rome in this and all 
 other Protestant countries, and the most dangerous 
 are those who belong to the Order of Jesus — the Jesu- 
 its — concerning whom John Adams, President of the 
 United States, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, author 
 of the Declaration of Independence, under date of 
 May 16, 1822, said: 
 
 " I have recently read Pascal's letter over again, 
 and four volumes of history of the Jesuits. If ever 
 any congregation of men could merit eternal perdition 
 on earth and in hell, according to these historians, 
 though, like Pascal, true Catholics, it is this company 
 of Loyola. Our system, however, of religious liberty 
 must afford them an asylum, and if they do not put 
 
APPENDIX. 381 
 
 the purity of our elootions to a severe trial it will be a 
 wonder." 
 
 No more cunning plot was ever devised against the 
 freedom, the happiness and the virtues of mankind, 
 than Romanism. — Grladstone. 
 
 The Roman Catholic citizen of the United States 
 owes no allegiance to any principle of the govern- 
 ment that is condemned by the church or Pope. — 
 Tablet. 
 
 While the State has rights, she has them only in vir- 
 tue and by permission of the supreme authority, and 
 that authoi'ity can only be expressed through the 
 church. — Catholic World. 
 
 The Catholic Church numbers one-fifth the Ameri- 
 can population, and if its membership shall increase 
 for the next thirty years as it has in the thirty years 
 past, in 1900 Rome will take this country and keep it. 
 — Priest Hecker. 
 
 The civil laws (of Christendom) are binding in con- 
 science as long as- they are conformable to the 
 rights of the Catholic Church. Human laws are sus- 
 ceptible of dispensation. The power to dispense be- 
 longs to the sovereign. — Priest F. X. Schappe, S. F. 
 
 Here is a specimen of Roman Catholic morality as 
 told by the Pope: " A lie told for the purpose of mis- 
 leading the enemies of the church, is not held or re- 
 garded as a lie by Almighty God." 
 
 If the liberties of the American people are ever de- 
 stroyed they will fall at the hands of the Roman cler- 
 gy. — Lafayette. 
 
 Uncle Sam prohibited the practices of one immoral 
 institution — Mormonism. When will he realize the 
 existence of a greater demoralizing institution — Cath- 
 olicism? 
 
382 APPENDIX. 
 
 That the eagle eye of the Pope is directed towards 
 America, is plainly seen from the fact that his repre- 
 sentative in this country, Mr. SatoUi, is agitating for 
 the establishment of a regular papal legation at Wash- 
 ington. If our government were to acknowledge 
 such a legation at the capital, every other religious 
 denomination, including the Mormons, would be en- 
 titled to similar privileges. The Pope is simply the 
 subject of King Humbert. If he had any sense he 
 would be ashamed of himself. — Vart Hem (Swedish, 
 Minneapolis). 
 
 Civil marriage is the great curse of this country. It 
 invites divorce, and will in time be found to be a most 
 potent agent in the disruption of society. — Catholic 
 Herald, Aug. 5, '93. 
 
 The Roman Catholic theology proscribes all mar- 
 riages outside of her church as worse than no mar- 
 riages, and as such are declared illegal. 
 
 "We can have the United States in ten years, and I 
 want to give you three points for your consideration; 
 the Negroes, the Indians, and the public schools. — 
 Bishop Ireland. 
 
 Satolli has officially recognized eight priests of the 
 Greek Church in this country, according to the New 
 York Sun. All the priests thus recognized are mar- 
 ried men and have families. How can Rome harmon- 
 ize this condition of affairs with her dogma of celi- 
 bacy? 
 
 The Pope's legate, Satolli, claims that steps are be- 
 ing taken to unite the Roman Catholic and the Greek 
 Catholic churches, with a view to the disarmament of 
 the great powers of Europe. This sounds big. But 
 is it not barely possible that the old man is trying his 
 hand at a hard job? The whole scheme seems to be 
 
APPENDIX. 383 
 
 to have the " Holy Father " advertised and boomed. 
 — Vart Land (Swedish, Jamestown, M . Y.) 
 
 Prof . Walter Sims has challenged "Mgr." Satolli 
 to a public discussion and purposes to prove the fol- 
 lowing assertions : 
 
 I. That the canonized dogmas of the Roman Cath- 
 olic Church demand of every Roman Catholic unques- 
 tioning belief in and prompt obedience to the follow- 
 ing inexorable rules for the guidance of political, 
 social and religious life: 
 
 1. That the Pope is both an infallible spiritual and 
 temporal sovereign. 2. That the will of the Pope is 
 the supreme law of all lands. 3. That the Pope has 
 the right to annul State laws, treaties and constitu- 
 tions, etc., and to absolve from obedience thereto. 4. 
 That the Pop„ can annul all legal relations of those in 
 ban, especially their marriages. 5. That the Pope 
 can release from every obligation, oath and vow, 
 either before or after being made. 6. That the Pope 
 can ignore the government of non-Catholic countries 
 and give them to Catholic sovereigns. 7. That the 
 official voice of the Pope is the voice of the Holy 
 Spirit. 
 
 n. That the Pope commands, dogmatically, obedi- 
 ence to the following unchangeable laws of the 
 church : 
 
 1. That she has the right to require the State not 
 to leave every man free to profess his own religion. 
 2. That she has the right to exercise her power with- 
 out permission or consent of the State. 3. That she 
 has the right to deprive the civil authority of the en- 
 tire control of the public schools. 4. That she has 
 the right of perpetuating the union of Church and 
 State. 5. That she has the right to require the State 
 not to permit the free expression of opinion. 6. That 
 education outside of the Roman Catholic Church is a 
 
384 APPENDIX. 
 
 damnable heresy. 7. That the constitutions of States 
 are not superior but subordinate to the constitutions 
 of the church, s 
 
 III. That the Roman Catholic church is a growing 
 menace to our free schools and liberal government for 
 the following reasons : 
 
 1. Its members are organized into societies that are 
 arming and drilling under priestly direction. 2. Its 
 teachings are un-American, anti-liberal and anti- 
 Christian. 3. It demands of all its members obedi- 
 ence to the Pope as to God, and hence they cannot be 
 true citizens. 4. It teaches that oaths are not binding 
 except when made subject to its laws. 5. It offers a 
 reward for the persecution of heretics. 6. It sup- 
 presses investigation and makes it a crime to think 
 apart from its dogmas. 7. It teaches that mixed mar- 
 riages of Catholics and Protestants are disastrous. 8. 
 It opposes libei'al education and progress, and binds 
 the consciences of its members to ecclesiastical dicta- 
 tion. 9. It robs and oppresses its own people, keep- 
 ing them in the bonds of delusive ignorance and 
 superstitious fear. 10. Its Jesuitical priesthood and 
 lay orders, with which this land overflows, have been 
 the curse and destruction of every liberal govern- 
 ment. 
 
 There is no danger of SatoUi's accepting the chal- 
 lenge. Rome never could nor can endure the light of 
 investigation. She always retreats the moment argu- 
 ment is allowed to be made. 
 
 It may be stated that this great American nation 
 was chopped and hewed out of the woods. The gamest 
 bird that ever soared above the clouds, -the American 
 Eagle, built his eyrie in the heights among the forests 
 of America. Those forests, by American industry, 
 have given place to beautiful and bountiful homes, in 
 
APPENDIX. 385 
 
 which peace and happiness reign. The bird has been 
 wrought into the great seal of the United States of 
 America, and has thus become a national emblem of 
 authority and power; a power sufficient to maintain 
 the ensign of her nationality on land and sea without 
 fear or favor other than that proceeding from Al- 
 mighty God to a waiting people. 
 
 Are Americans willing to give up all they have 
 gained? Are they willing to be enslaved by the Roman 
 hierarchy? Will they cease to offer their petitions for 
 blessings and continuance before Him who " knoweth 
 what ye are in need of before you ask Him," and so 
 yield to the gradually unfolding purposes of Rome to 
 force us to crouch and cringe and servilely bend to 
 kiss the Pope's toe? Are you ready to signify your 
 serfdom and willingness to see the priesthood chop 
 down the flag-staff of our national ensign and trail the 
 proud banner in the dirt? 
 
 Behold " the ax that was laid at the root of the 
 tree" is uplifted and those that yield not good fruit 
 shall be cut down. What of the fruit of this tree of 
 the American Mountain (states)?