uj M r
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MHMTSCIOL
Lesson
1 mK
fin" -yr , .- iti; .h.
BY
(By E. O. SELLERS. Director of Evening
Department, The Moody Bible Institute,
Chicago.) .
LESSON FOR OCTOBER 19.
- I' f TT TTTCnS A TtaTC TV''
REPORT OF THE SPIES.
LESSON TEXT Numbers 13.1-3. 25-33.
GOLDEN TEXT "If God la for US,
who Is against us." Rom. 8:31.
K? : 1 I 1 . IK It1 I . MVUliy
-si. v.
Fran arrives at Hamilton. CJresrory's
home in Littleburf. but Jlncls li'in absent
ronduetlnpr tho choir at a camp meeting.
She repairs thither in search of him.
laughs thtrinfir the service aiul is nsketl to
leav. Abbott Anliton. superintendent of
schools, oscorts Fran from thf tent. He
tells her Gregory is a wealthy man.
deeply interested in charity work, and a
pillar of the church. Ashton becomes
greatly interested in Fran and while tak
ing Jeave of her. holds her hand and is
een by Sapphira Clinton, sister of Kob
prt Clinton, chairman of the school board.
Fran tells Gregorv she wants a home
with him. Grace 'Noir. Gregory's private
secretary, takes a violent dislike to Fran
and advifies her to go away at once.
Fran hints at a twenty-year-old secret,
and Gregory in agitation asks Grace to
leave the room. Fran relates the story
of how Gregory married a youns h"l at
Fprinjjfield while attending collfRe and
then deserted her. Fran is tho child of
that marriage. Grocorv had married his
present wife three years before the death
of Fran's mother. Fran takes a liking to
Mrs. Gregory. Gregory explains that
Fran is the daughter of a very dear friend
who is dead. Fran agrees to the story.
Mrs. Gregory .insists on her making her
home with them and takes her to her
arms. It Is deeidoil that Fran must go to
school. Grace shows persistent interest
In Gregory's story of his dead friend and
hints that Fran may bo an imposier.
lran declares that the Fecretary must go.
Grace begins nagslng tactics in an effort
to drive Fran from the Gregory home, but
Mrs. Gregory remains stanch in her
friendship. Fran is ordered before Super
intendent Ashton to be punished for in
subordination in school. Chairman Clin
ton Is present. ,TT.e affair ends in Fran
leaving the school in company of the two
men to the amazement of the scandal
mongers of the town.
CHAPTER X.-Continued.
"Lem me!" Jakcy pleaded, with fine
admiration.
"Well, I rather guess not!" cried
Bob. "Think I'll refuse Fran's fir?t re
quest?" He sped upstairs, uncom
monly light of foot.
"Now," whispered Fran wickedly. ,
"let's run off and leave him."
"I'm with you!" Abbott whispered
boyishly.
They burst from the building like a
storm, Fraii laughing musically, Ab
bott laughing joyously, Jakey laugh
ing loudest of all. They sallied down
the front walk under the artillery fire
of hostile eyes from the green veranda
They continued merry. Jakey even
swaggered, fancying himself a part of
It; he regretted his short trousers
When Kobert Clinton overtook them,
he was red and breathless, but Fran's
beribbonsd hat was clutched triumph
antly in his hand. It was he who first
discovered the ambuscade. He sud
denly remembered, looked across the
street, then fell, desperately wounded.
The shots would have passed unheed
ed over Abbott's head, had not Fran
called his attention to the ambuscade.
"It'6 a good thing," she said inno
cently, "that you're not holding my
hand " and she nodded toward the
boarding house. Abbott looked, and
turned for one despairing glance at
Bob; the latter was without sign of
life.
"What shall we do?" inquired Fran,
as they halted ridiculously. "If we run
for it, it'll make things worse."
"Oh, Lord, yes!" groaned Bob; "con't
make a bolt!"
Abbott pretended not to understand.
"Come on, Fran, I shall go home with
you." His fighting blood was up. In
his face was no surrender, no, not
even to Grace Noir. "Come," he per
sisted, with dignity.
"How jolly!" Fran exclaimed. "Shall
we go through the grove? that's the
longest way." ,
"Then let us go that way," respond
ed Abbott stubbornly.
"Abbott," the school director
warned, "you'd better come on over to
my place I'm going there this instant
to to get a cup of tea. It'll be best
for you, old fellow, you listen to me.
now you need a little er a some a
little stimulant."
'"No," Abbott returned definittly. He
had done nothing wrong, and he re
sented the accusing glances from
across the way. "No, I'm going with
Fran."
"And don't you bother about him,"
Fran called after the retreating chair
man of the board, "he'll have stimu
lant enough."
CHAPTER XI.
The New Bridge at Midnight.
It was almost time for summer va
cation. Like ail conscientious superin
tendents of public schools, Abbott Ash
ton found the closing week especially
fatiguing. Examinations were nerve
testing, and correction of examination
papers called for late hours over the
lamp. Ashton had fallen into the
reprehensible habit of bolting from the
boarding house, after the last paper
had been graded, no matter how late
the night, and making his way rapidly
from town as if to bathe his soul in
country solitude. Like all reprehens
ible habits this one was presently to
revenge itself by netting the "profes
sor" into- trouble.
One beautiful moonlight night, he
was nearing the suburbs, when he
made a discovery. , The discovery was
twofold : First, that the real cause of
his nightly wanderings was not alto
gether a weariness of mental toil; sec
ond, that he had, for some time, been
tryinr; to ttcape from the thought of
Fra " He had not Voov.n this. He
had simply run, asking no questions.
It wa8 when he suddenly discovered
Fran in the flesh, as she slipped along
a crooked alley, gliding in shadows,
that the cause of much sleeplessness
was made tangible. .
Abbott was greatly disturbed. Why
should Fran be stealthily darting down
side-alleys at midnight? The wonder
suggested its corollary why was he
running a3 from some intangible ene
my? But now was no time for intro
spection, and he set himself tlm task
of solving the new mystery. As Fran
merged from the mouth of the alley,
Abbott dived into its bowels, but when
he reached the next street, no Fran
was to be seen.'
Had she darted into one of the scat
tered cabins that composed the fringe
of Littleburg? At the "mere thought,
he felt a nameless shrinking of the
heart. Surely not. But could she pos
sibly, however fleet of foot, have
rounded the next'1' corner before his
coming into the light? Abbott sped
along the street that he might know
the truth, though he realized that the
less he saw of Fran the better. How
ever, the thought of her being alone
in the outskirts of the village, most as
suredly without her guardian's, knowl
edge, seemed to call him to duty. Call
or no ca'.l, he went.
, It seemed to him a long time before
he reached the corner. He darted
mound it yonder sped Fran like a
thin shadow racing before the moon.
She ran. Abbott ran. It was like a
foot-race without spectators.
At last she reached the bridge span
ning a ravine in whose far depths
murmured a little stream. The bridge
was new, built to replace the loot
bridge upon which Abbott and Fran
had stood on the night of the tent
meeting. Was it possible that the su
perintendent of instruction was about
to venture a second time across this
ravine with the same girl, under the
same danger of misunderstanding, re
vealed by similar glory of moonlight?
Conscience whispered that it would
not be enough simply to warn; he
should escort her to Hamilton Greg
ory's very door, that he might know
she had been rescued from the wide
white night; and his conscience was
possibly upheld by the knowledge that
a sudden advent of a Miss Sapphira
was morally impossible.
Fran's back had been toward him
all the time. She was still unaware
of his presence, as she paused in the
middle of the bridge, and with critical
eye sought a position mathematically
the same from either hand-rail. Stand
ing there, she drew a package from
her bosom, hastily seated herself upon
the boards, and, oblivious of surround
ings, bent over the package as it rest
ed in her lap.
Abbott, without pause, hurried up.
His feet sounded on the bridge.
Fran was speaking aloud, and. on
that account, did not hear him, as he
came up behind her. "Grace Noir,"
she was saying "Abbptt Ashton Bob
Clinton Hamilton Gregory Mrs.
Gregory Simon Jefferson Mrs. Jef
ferson Miss Sapphira Fran the
Devil " She seemed to be calling the
roll of her acquaintances. Was she
reading a list from the package?
Abbott trod noisily on the fresh pine
floor.
Fran swiftly turned, and the moon
beams revealed a flush, yet she did not
"But Whose Hearts Are We King and
.Queen Of?"
attempt to rise. "Why didn't you an
swer when you heard jour name
called?" she asked with a good deal of
composure
"Fran!" Abbott exclaimed. "Hero all
alone at midnight all alone! Is it
possible?"
"No, it isn't possible," Fran returned
satirically, "for VL have company "
Abbott warmly Nrged h r to hasten
back home; at the ame time he drew
nearer and discovered that her lap was
covered wlh nh: vine-ard
S
"But you musu't stay here," he said
imperatively. "Let us go at once."
"Just as soon as I tell the fortunes.
Of course I wouldn't go to all this
trouble for nothing. Now look. This
card is Fran the queen of hearts.
This one is Simon Jefferson and this
one is Bob. And you but it's no use
telling all of them. Now; we want to
gee who's going to marry."
Abbott spoke In his most authori
tative tone: "Fran! Get up and come
w ith me before somebody sees you
here. This is not only ridiculouV it's
wrong and dreadfully imprudent."
Fran looked up with flashing eves.
"I won't!" she cried. . "Not till I've
told the fortunes. I'm not the girl to
go away until she's done what she
came to do." Then she added mildly.
"Abbott. I just had to say it in that
voice, so you'd know I meant it. Don't
be cross with me."
She shuffled the cards.
"But why must you stay out here to
do it?" he groaned.
"Because this is a new bridge. I'd
hate to be a professor, and not know
that it has to be in the middle of a
new bridge, at midnight, over running
water, in the moonlight. Now you Keep
still and be nice; I want to see who's
going to get married. Here is Grace
Noir, and .here is Fran . . .'
"And where am I?" asked Abbott,
in an awed voice, as he bent down.
Fran wouldn't tell him.
He bent over. "Oh, I see, I see!" he
cried. "This is me " he drew a card
from the pack "the, king of hearts."
He held it triumphantly. "Well. And
you are the queen of hearts, you said."
"Maybe I am," said Fran, rather
breathlessly, "but whose hearts are "we
king and queen of? That's what I
want to find out." And she showed
her teeth at him. .
' We can draw and see," he suggest
ed, sinking upon one knee. "And yet.
since you're the queen and I'm the
king, it must be each other's hearts "
He stopped abruptly at sight of her
crimsoned cheeks.
."That doesn't always follow," Fran
told him hastily; "not by any means.
For here are other queens. See the
queen of spades? Maybe you'll get
her. Maybe you want her. You see,
she either goes to you, or to the next
card."
"But 1 don't want any queen of
spades," Abbott declared. He drew
the next card, and exclaimed dramatic
ally, "Saved, saved! Here's Bob. Give
her to Bob Clinton."
"Oh, Abbott!" Fran exclaimed, look
ing at him with starlike eyes and rose
like cheeks, making the most fascinat
ing picture he had ever beheld at mid
night under a silver moon. "Do you
mean Jhat? Remember you're on a
new bridge over running water."
Abbott paused uneasily. She looked
less like a child than he had ever seen
her. Her body was very slight but
her face was . . . It is marvelous
how much of a woman's seriousness
was to be found in this girl. He rose
with the consciousness that for a mo
ment he had rather forgotten himself.
He reminded her gravely "We are
talking about cards just cards." ...
"No." said Fran, not stirring, "we
are talking about Grace Noir. You say
you don't want her; you've already
drawn yourself out. That leaves her
to poor Bob he'll have to tako her,
unless the joker gets the lady the
joker is named the devil . . . So
the game isn't interesting any more."
She threw down all the cards, and
looked up, beaming. "My! but I'm
glad you came."
He was fascinated and could not
move, though as convinced as at the
beginning that they should not linger
thus. There might be fatal, conse
quences; but the charm of the little
girl seemed to temper this chill knowl
edge to the shorn lamb. He tempor
ized: "Why don't you go on with
your fortune-telling, little girl?"
"I just wanted to find out if Grace
Noir is going to get you," she said
candidly; "it doesn't matter what be
comes of her. Were you ever on thi3
bridge before?"
"Fran, Miss Grace is one of the best
friends I have, and and everybody ad
mires her. The fact that you don't like
her, shows that you are not all you
ought to be."
Fran's drooping head hid her face.
Was she contrite, or mocking?
Presently she looked up, her expres
sion that of grave cheerfulness. NTowi
you've said what you thought you bad
to r.ay," she remarked. "So that's over
Were you ever On this bridge before?'
Abbott was offended. "No."
"Good, good!" with vivacious enthu
siasm. "Both of us must cross it at
the same time and make a wish. Help
me up quick."
She reached up both hands, and Ab
bott lifted hei to hit feet
"Whenever you cross a new bridge,"
he explained, "you must itakepa wish.
O
LOPyciGHT 1912
BOBBS-liEPPlLLCO.)
It'll come true. Won't -you do.it, Ab
bott?" "Of course. What a superstitious
little Nonpareil! Do you hold hands?,
v "Honest hands " She held out both
of hers. "Come on then. What are you
going to wish, Abbott? But no, you
mustn't tell till we're across. Oh, I'm
just dying to know! Have you made
up your mind, yet?"
' "Yes, Fran,"' he answered indulgent-
"Now!" Fran Cried Breathlessly,
"What Did You Wish?"
ly, "it's something always iu my
mind." ;
"About Grace Noir?"
"Nothing whatever about Miss Grace
Noir."
"All right. I'm glad. Say this:
" "Slow we go.
Two in a row'
Don't talk or anything, just wish, oh.
wish with all your might
' 'With all my mind and all my heart
While we're together and after we part'
say that."
1 Abbott repeated gravely:
" 'With all my mind and nil my heart
While we're together and after we part.'
"What are you going to wish, Fran?"
"Sh-h-h! Mum!" whispered Fran,
opening her eyes wide. With slow
steps they walked side by side, shoul
der to shoulder, four hands clasped.
Fran's great dark eyes were set. fixed
ly upon space as they solemnly pa
raded beneath the watchful moon. As
Abbott watched her, the witchery of
the night stole into his blood.
The last plank was crossed. "Now!"
Fran cried breathlessly, "what did you
wish?" Her body was quivering, her
face glowing.
"That I might succeed," Abbott an
swered. "Oh!" said Fran. "My! Thar, was
like a cold breath. Just wishing to
be great, and famous, and useful, and
rich!"
Abbott laughed as light-heartedly as
if the road were not calling him away
frni solitudes. "Well, what did you
wish. Fran?"
LURE OF TREASURE HUNTING
Fcr th.3 Sake of Romance and Adven
ture Do Not Discourage the
Seeker of Treasure.
Fcr the sake of romance and ad
venture and all that puts color into
life it is to be hoped that the failu.e
of the expedition which recently went
to the Isle of Cocos in search of pirate
rold will not mark the end of treasure
Hunting. In the interest also of the
opd town of Panama, where the treas
ure seekers are wont to outfit and buy
supplies, we should point out that
negative results never really proved
. nything. There may be gold on Co
oes. There may be millions of pieces
r eight and pewels galore and wine
inch the buccaneers, who had more
hnn they could drink, laid aside for a
iny day Because many treasura
miters have ransacked Coco from
::d to end no man can say that the
; :Xt treasure hunter will not find that
. ; which oil the others have labored
: :t sought In vain.
Treasure hunters are of the earth's
tall." They are the dreamers of great
. . :. the seers of wonderful vision.
. maker? of romance. AH the world
loves or should love them The news
of the day is too much hardened with
heavy reading.. One wearies at last
"That you might, always be my
friend, while we're together, and after
we part." :
"It doesn't take a new bridge to
make that come true," he declared.
She looked at him . solemnly! "Do
you understand the responsibilities of
being a friend? A friend has to as
sume obligations, just as when a man's
elected to office, he must represent his
party and his platform."
"I'll stand for you!" Abbott cried
earnestly.
"Will you? Then I'm going to tell
you all about myself ready to be sur
prised? Friends ought to know each
other. In the first place, I am eighteen
years old, and in the second place I
am a professional lion-trainer, and in
the third place my father is but
friends don't have to know each oth
er's fathers. Besides, maybe that's
enough to start with." .
"Yes," said Abbott, '"it is." He
paused, but she could not guess his
emotions, for his face showed noth
ing but a sort of blankness.- "I should
like to take this up seriatim. You tell
me you' are eighteen years old?"
" And have had lots of experi
ence." J
"Your lion-training; has It been theo
retical or "
"Mercenary," Fran responded; "real
lions, real bars, real spectators, real
pay days."
"But, Fran," said Abbott "helplessly,
"I don't understand."
"But you're going to, before I'm ated as- to turn the twelve tribes to
done with you. I tell you, I'm a sbow- an act which amounted to a catas
girl, a lion-trainer, a jungler. I'm the trophe. This land and this report is
famous Fran Nonpareil, and my car- such a true type of our Christian ex
nival company has showed in most oi perience. They brought back the evi
the towns and cities of the ' United dence of the truth of God's descrip
States. It's when I'm in my blue silks tion of the land (Ex. 13:5 and Deut.
and gold stars and crimson sashes. 8:7-10) which was to be for them a
kissing my hands to the audience, that
I'm the real princess."
Abbott was unable to analyze his
real emotions, and his one endeavor
u-.i9 tr hidtt his nernlexitv. He had
" - - " X
always treated her as if she were old-
er than the town supposed, hence tho
revelation of her age did not so much
matter; but lion-training was so re-
raote from conventions that it seemed
in a way almost uncanny. It seemed
to isolate Fran, to set her coldly apart
from the people of his world.
"I'm going home," Fran said ab
ruptly. ' ,'.';,.'
He followed her-mechanically, too
absorbed in her revelation to think oi are more frequently right, witness
the cards left forgotten on the bridge, history. A great cry of despair (Ch.
From their scene of good wishes, Fran 14:1) greeted this report. Caleb
went first, head erect, arms swinging stilled the people (v.- 30) "that they
defiantly; Abbott followed, not know- might get the other side of the story.'
ing in the least what to say, or even His report agreed with the majority
what to think. 1 as to the desirability of possessing
The moon had not been laughing at the land; indeed, we surmise it "was
them long, before Fran looked back Caleb and Joshua who brought their
over her shoulder and said, as if. he evidence with them (v. 23). Their
had spoken, ''Still, I'd like for you to report differed, however, in its con
know about it." j elusion. . To the picture o'f the
He quickened his step to regain her strength of those scattered through
side, but was oppressed by an odd out the land Caleb bluntly replied.
sense of the abnormal.
"Although," she added indistinctly,
"it doesn't matter." .
They walked on in silence until, aft- j looked upon man, the two saw be
t&r prolonged hesitation he told her , hind man, God, a God who was able,
quietly that he would like to hear all j The ten lost their lives even as hey
she felt disposed to tell. feared, whereas Caleb 'and Joshua
She looked at him steadily: "Can ' lived to enjoy the fruits of their vis
you dilute a few words with the water ion of faith. (Ch. 14:6-9, Josh. 15:11.)
of your imagination, to cover a life?
I'll speak the words, if you. have the
imagination."
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
of political and social reform, of di
vorce and murder in sordid bar-room3,
of the cost of living and the course
of the markets. There is a craving
for something not so commonplace,
for something less prosaic, for some
thing which has a touch of moonshino
in it. Let us not, therefore, discourago
the treasure hunters with cold reason
like a dash of cold water. Let us rath
er fan their enthusiasm and keep it
forever aglow so that as long as news,
papers exist there may be now and
then a tale of Cocos island wedged in
between the tariff and the trusts.
Such an Obvious Solutio,..
After Cave Johnson had served his
long and brilliant career in congress
and had retired to the , quiet private
life, he once stepped into the office of
his nephew, Robert Jqhnson, then a
young lawyer of much promise, and
finding the young man engaged in
writing with a gol pen, had occasion
to remark upon the extravagance of
the rising generation
"Why la it." said he, 'that every
young man no ha: gold pen.
while those my ' ecu- m
to use their l":
"I - supi.o-e.'
most ir.:.( .
hecauii .
you wt-it
. Kadesh Barnea marks the place of
the Israelites' first great defeat. Long
and bitterly did they, regret that day
of unbelief and not till a new genera
tion was reared did ' the nation ' as
such enter into the land of promise.
The act of that day was the culmina
tion of a whole train of unbelief, and
truly they chose death rather than
life. (Josh. 24.15.)
I. The Spies, vv. 1-3. God had com
manded Israel to possess the land,
now as a precautionary measure they
went about to "Investigate." This
act, which was not a part of God's
program, but by divine permission,
was a reflection upon God's word
about the character of the land. (See
v. 19.) The eternal questions qt man
are to know the whv and" the how '
i God toid Moses to send these men
as a concession to their lack of faith,
but it cost Israel forty added years of
exile. The inheritance prepared for
the faithful are always conditioned
upon obedience. (Heb. 11:8, etc.)
This act, commanded by .God at the
request of the people "was a means,
j an opportunity, whereby they discov-
ered themselves.
A True Type.
II. The Majority Report, vv. 25-29,
Though these spies spent forty days
in conducting their investigation (a
modern form of political graft), yet
every step was a corroboration of
God's word and the years of desola
tion which followed correspond to
the number of days they were absent
from the camp. The first or the af
firmative part of their report was
fine, but the negative was so exagger-
resting place after their wilderness
journey (Heb. .3:8-Jl, 14 and 4:8, 9).
But Xhese spies had seen other
things, things to discourage, viz., men,
ofmnir man enf.snndoj r.. oo
KIAXSA, CUH CUUCU 111CU V V . O .
j They saw those tribes God Jiad said
they would find (Ex. 13:5). They not
only saw all of this but, like all un-
believers, they magnified their ene-
rnies. Today we see evil entrenched
behind special privilege, we see tho
forces of evil that appear to us as
giants and unbelief cries out, "Who la
sufficient ?"
III. The Minority Report, vv. 30-33.
Majorities may rule but minorities
"Let us go up at once and possess it;
for we are well able to overcome it."
(Cf. Rom. 8:37; Phil. 4:19.) Ten men
Unbelief cries, "We be not able," of
course net, for "vain Is the help of
man," but belief, seeing God, in the
words of Caleb cries out for imme
diate action. "Unbelief shut3 itself
out of promised blessings (Heb. 3:
19), it always has and is still so do
ing. Unbelief exaggerates and con
tradicts. Must Consider Entire Story.
IV. The Sequel, Ch. 14. No teacher
can properly present this leases X-U '
out considering the entire story. The
amazed people (14:1-4) ; the solemn
protest of Joshua and Caleb (vv. fi
ll) was met with threatened death
and God interviewed to protect his
faithful ones (Ps. 34:7). The enkin
dled anger of Jehovah (v. 11, 12) is
met by that .magnificent revelation of
the beauty and strengthof the char
acter of Moses (vv. 13-19). He based!
his appeal upon the necessity of main
taining the honor of God's word and'
pleads for mercy and compassion.
This appeal was answered by a gra
cious pardon for the people, but with
It came a declaration that discipline
was necessary.
We must remember that these
Israelites had the benefit of the full
revelation of the law, yet we see its
insufficiency in producing a perfect
character. Lar:s will uot cure the
ills of the body politic. Sinning men,
must enter into that fellowship with
God that is thev result of a life of
obedience ere they can enter that de
lectable land of peace, plenty and
power which lies before them. Fail
ing in a knowledge of him and his
resources, difficulties are magnified
and our strength is minimized. To
view people as giants and ourselves
cs grasshoppers is to court, defeat.
V. I