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Page 22
"I am ignorant whether he was prepared to make such a sudden transit
from this world to that scene of judgment to which he has been
summoned. _You_ know, who were his friends and comrades, what his
former course has been, and whether he was prepared to meet the Judge
of all the earth. I know nothing of all this, but I fervently hope
that at the last erring, awful moment, when he had just committed an
act of transgression against the laws of his country, he had in his
heart, and did, offer up this prayer, 'God be merciful to me, a
sinner.' We must leave him in the hands of the Almighty, who is both
merciful and just. We cannot change his lot, but we have it in our
power to profit by the circumstances of his death. Beholding how
suddenly he has been cut off, in the prime and strength of his days,
we may learn that we too may be called at some unexpected moment, and
that it behooves us to be found ever in the right path, so living, so
acting, that we shall be ready, when death comes, to meet our Judge
without fear and with the assurance that when we depart this life,
through the righteousness of Christ, we shall be introduced into a
better and nobler country. I beg of you earnestly, my dear brethren,
in order to secure this happy result, to turn immediately from your
sins, repenting of them without delay, and apply to Christ whose blood
can alone wash them away. Take the Bible, this precious gift from
Heaven, for your counsellor and guide, follow its instructions, and
you will be safe and happy, whether in life or in death".
"My brethren, I will say but one word more; that word I earnestly
implore you to listen to. This book from God says, vengeance is mine;
I will repay. I fear it is in your hearts to seek revenge upon him who
is the author of your comrade's death. I beseech you not to do it. God
knows where the wrong is, in this case, and He, the great Avenger,
will not suffer it to go unpunished. Sooner or later He brings every
wicked and wrong-doer to a just reward. Leave all in His righteous
hands, and stain not your souls with blood and violence. Let us seek
the divine blessing".
Mr. Norton then offered a short and simple prayer, imploring the
forgiveness of sins, and blessings upon Patrick's wife, his
companions, and the community.
Maggie, who had wailed herself into perfect exhaustion and almost
stupor, sat gazing fixedly in his face; the rest seemed hushed as by a
spell, and did not begin to move until some moments after his voice
ceased.
Then the tongues were loosened, and amid the ebbs and flows of
murmuring sound, the coffin was covered, placed upon a bier and borne
to the grave, followed by the crowd.
"And shure", said a poor Irishwoman to her crony, as they trudged
along behind, "the praste's voice sounded all the while like a great
blessed angel, a blowin' through a silver trumpet. Shure, he's a
saint, he is".
CHAPTER IX.
AD�LE DUBOIS.
The Dubois family, though widely separated by social rank and worldly
possessions from the population around them, had yet, to a certain
degree, mingled freely with the people. Originating in France, they
possessed the peculiar national faculty of readily adapting themselves
to the manners and customs of races foreign to their own.
It is impossible to forget in the early history of the North American
colonies, what facility the French displayed, in contrast with the
English, in attaining communication with the children of the forest,
in acquiring and retaining their confidence, in taking on their rude
and uncultivated modes of life, and in shaping even their
superstitions to their own selfish purposes.
Of all the foreigners who have attempted to demonstrate to the world,
the social and political problems of America, who has investigated
with such insight, and developed so truly our manners and customs and
the spirit and genius of our government as Tocqueville?
Mr. Dubois, though possessing a conservative power that prevented him
from descending to the low type of character and the lax principles
of the country, yet never made any other than the most quiet assertion
of superiority. It was impossible indeed for him to hold business
connections with the rough settlers without mingling freely with them.
But he never assumed the air of a master. He frequently engaged with
them in bold, adventurous exploits, the accomplishment of which did
not involve an infringement of law; sometimes he put hand and shoulder
to the hard labors they endured, and he was ever ready with his
sympathy and aid in redressing their grievances. Though often shocked
at their lawless and profane customs, he yet recognized in many of
them traits of generosity and nobleness.
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