“’Spect you two need to get used to dat yere ceremony more’n de rest of de folks yere; yas, you kin come.”

Oh! how Louis laughed at this, saying: 

“There, Emily, Matthias knows too much; look out for breakers when you talk to him.”

The old man laughed heartily also, and left us to talk over the coming event.

“Two shipwrecked lives trying to keep close to the shore of content for the rest of the journey, that’s what they are,” said Louis, “and we will help them, and do God’s service by ministering to their small needs, for ‘Inasmuch as ye do it unto the least of these, ye do it unto me.’”

He had so many Scriptural quotations at his tongue’s end nowadays, I often told him he would be a minister, I knew.  Many of his days were spent in the society of Mr. Davis, and they read the Bible through together.  Louis said the New Testament had great charms for him, and Mr. Davis said to Clara and myself when we called upon him, that the Scriptures had never been so blessed to his heart as now.

“Your son,” turning to Clara, “is not my student; he has the most lucid perception, and transfers his thoughts to my heart with wonderful strength, and yet he stirs the soil of years with tender hand, and never forgets I am growing old.  Some day he will have a pulpit of his own.”

“Do you think so?” I said.

“Oh, it must be!  He is like his mother; chosen for the good work.  I delight in his society, and hope never to miss it while I stay.  I am not strong, and some day I fear I shall not be able to preach when the Sabbath dawns.  If I do fail at any time, I shall secure his help.”  Clara only said: 

“My dear boy shall do that which he can do well, for there will be no stumbling blocks laid in his path; if he starts right, and I believe he has, the way will be made plain, and as day unto day shall utter speech, so night unto night shall show its knowledge.”

“He seems benevolent,” said Mr. Davis, “and he will devote much of his time, and substance as well, to the uplifting of the degraded, and the exalting of mankind through daily practice.”

“So be it,” said Clara; “I shall be glad if he can uplift the lantern light of truth, that it may shine over all the dark and devious ways of ignorance, and when my feet shall walk beside his father’s on the hills, may our souls call to him, and his heart receive from us the strength which our love can give—­angels to minister to his wants.  Oh! this is beautiful to think upon.”

The eyes of our good minister filled with tears, and I thought how wisely and well Clara sows the seed.  I felt ashamed to think how unmindful of this tolerance of ideas I had been when his fiery sermon aroused my spirit, and I have often since felt that we all possess too much intolerance each toward the other.  Mr. Davis was original in thought, and had always regilded as it were the old texts in his sermon, until they could not fail to interest us; and when, yielding to pressure of conviction regarding eternal punishment, he warned his flock, Clara judged him rightly, and I was wrong; for while the idea was horrible to me, I had not wisdom or judgment to express myself, whereas Clara had opened wide the door of love to his heart, and he received and acknowledged the baptism of pure and elevating thought.